Research on biological control of fall armyworm
The IOBC-Global International Working Group of Ostrinia and other maize pests (IWGO) fall armyworm sub-group is organising a virtual meeting on 16-17 March 2021. The rapid spread of fall armyworm, Spodoptera frugiperda, in Africa and Asia requires the development of new, sustainable, control methods, in particularly biological control. While many organisations worldwide are working on…
Expertise shared on new research which maps growth and spread of fall armyworm in Australia
CABI’s Dr Roger Day has shared his expertise on the fall armyworm (Spodoptera frugiperda) as part of a team of researchers who have sought to map the growth and spread of the devastating pest in Australia.
Cuscuta reflexa identified as problematic dodder devastating farmers in Western Kenya
Travelling towards Western Kenya, you may have noticed some trees and bushes with yellowish creepy plant canopy covering them. Very few are aware that this is a parasitic invasive weed known as Cuscuta which is potentially threatening the survival of crops and biodiversity in the country. Also known as dodder, the weed is now found…
Research collaboration in the fight against fall armyworm
On 1 July 2020, CABI, with support from the Action on Invasives programme, launched the Fall Armyworm Research Collaboration Portal. Developed with expert input from a number of organisations and universities, including CIMMYT, FAO, and the USDA, the portal has been created to enable sharing and collaboration between researchers working on fall armyworm (FAW). Registered users can post their research highlights and ask questions to the rest of the FAW research community. Now, six months after…
The power of negative results: paper on problems managing western corn rootworm among most downloaded in 2020
Negative results, such as the failure of detecting factorial effects, are often not published. This is due to humans’ positive test bias trying to prove rather to reject their hypothesis.
CABI research on desert locusts helps safeguard the food crops of millions
In 2019-2020, according to the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), around 20 million people in Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, South Sudan, Tanzania and Uganda faced acute food insecurity due to swarms of desert locust (Schistocerca gregaria). In Kenya, the outbreak represented the worst locust crisis in 70 years; by its peak, the country was tackling over…
Working towards the formation of a Technical Working Group on Invasive Species in Kenya
A Technical Working Group (TWG) on Invasive Species in Kenya has been proposed to help the country tackle a range of crop pests – including the devastating Fall armyworm (Spodoptera frugiperda) – which threaten livelihoods and local and national food security.
CABI and MARA scientists explore collaboration to find effective natural enemies for devastating Fall armyworm
Scientists representing the MARA China-CABI Joint Laboratory for Biosafety and MARA China-CABI European Laboratory have convened to discuss the very latest research efforts in a bid to find sustainable and effective natural enemies to fight the devastating Fall armyworm (Spodoptera frugiperda).
CABI trains provincial agriculture departments on biocontrol agents of fall armyworm and parthenium in Pakistan
Under its Action on Invasives (AoI) programme CABI in Pakistan organized two training sessions for rearing biocontrol agents to manage fall armyworm (Spodoptera frugiperda) and parthenium (Parthenium hysterophorus) in December, 2020.
Invasives Blog Most Read 2020
As 2020 draws to a close, we have crunched the numbers and pulled together the most read articles on the Invasives Blog this year. Plus some firm favourites. Invasive species like Himalayan balsam, fall armyworm, and Tuta absoluta proved to be popular topics for our readers this year. CABI’s work in biological control around the…