Category

Plant Health

New strategy identified to curb a fungal infection affecting more than 150 crops

By | Agriculture, Fruits and Vegetables, News, Plant Health

Tomatoes, bananas, cabbages, melons, pumpkins and cucumbers… are just some of the 150 crops of commercial interest that are victims of Fusarium oxysporum, one of the most important pathogens in the world due to the millions of dollars in losses it is responsible for and its ability to attack different types of plants. Although it can go unnoticed in the soil for more than 30 years, when it detects the roots of a host plant, it grows towards them, colonizing its vascular system and causing crops to wilt.

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‘Devastating’ fungal infections wiping out crops and threatening global food security, experts warn

By | Agriculture, News, Plant Health

Scientists have warned of the ‘devastating’ impact that fungal disease in crops will have on global food supply unless agencies across the world come together to find new ways to combat infection. Worldwide, growers lose between 10 and 23 per cent of their crops to fungal infection each year, despite widespread use of antifungals. An additional 10-20 per cent is lost post harvest. Academics predict those figures will worsen as global warming means fungal infections are steadily moving polewards, meaning more countries are likely to see a higher prevalence of fungal infections damaging harvests.

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Understanding crop pest evolution may boost biocontrol

By | Agriculture, News, Plant Health

Researchers have reconstructed the evolutionary history of a highly specific olfactory receptor in the Egyptian cotton leafworm, a crop pest. This receptor plays an essential role in moth reproduction because it allows males to recognise the female sex pheromone. The scientists determined that the receptor appeared around 7 million years ago and that eight amino acids underlie receptor-pheromone binding. Their findings can guide the development of biocontrol strategies directed against this pest.

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Multifunctional Patch Offers Early Detection of Plant Diseases, Other Crop Threats

By | News, Plant Health, Plant Science

Researchers have developed an electronic patch that can be applied to the leaves of plants to monitor crops for different pathogens – such as viral and fungal infections – and stresses such as drought or salinity. In testing, the researchers found the patch was able to detect a viral infection in tomatoes more than a week before growers would be able to detect any visible symptoms of disease.

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