banana plant News
-
DNA of banana fungus unravelled for more sustainable banana crops
An international consortium led by scientists from Wageningen UR (University & Research centre) has unravelled the DNA of Pseudocercospora fijiensis, the fungus that causes the much-feared black Sigatoka disease in bananas. The findings provide leads for increasing the sustainability of banana cultivation, for instance through the development of a resistant banana plant. The results were ...
-
`Banana has a future after all`
The banana has been severely affected by fungal diseases that can only be combated by using omore and more plant protection products. In the last century, the much-loved Gros Michel banana variety was wiped out as a result of Panama disease. But now the replacement variety Cavendish – available in every supermarket – is at risk. At his inauguration as professor by special appointment ...
-
FAO urges countries to step up action against destructive banana disease
The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) is warning countries to step up monitoring, reporting and prevention of one of the world’s most destructive banana diseases, Fusarium wilt, which recently spread from Asia to Africa and the Middle East, and which has the potential to affect countries in Latin America. The TR4 race of the disease, which is also known as ...
-
New $13.8 million project aims to boost banana production in Uganda and Tanzania
Millions of smallholder banana farmers in Tanzania and Uganda are set to benefit from a new $13.8 million project to develop and distribute higher-yielding, disease-resistant hybrid banana varieties. The effort is being funded by a grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA). Rony Swennen, a professor at KU Leuven (Belgium) and ...
-
Climate change could spread major coffee pest
Coffee production in parts of East Africa and South America could suffer as climate change drives up the numbers and distribution of a key pest, according to research. Scientists from the International Centre of Insect Physiology and Ecology (icipe) in Kenya say their study provides the first global maps of the coffee berry borer's distribution. The research, published in PLoS ONE last month ...
By SciDev.Net
-
Empowering Malawi`s Agricultural Growth: A Transformative Impact
Southern Irrigation has joined forces with the Timotheos Foundation in Malawi, an agricultural country that has been rated the poorest country on earth. Malawi is one of the world’s most impoverished and least developed nations, and it is making an effort to overcome decades of underdevelopment, corruption, and the impact of AIDS, which claims the lives of thousands every year. ...
-
GM bananas could cut blindness, anaemia in East Africa
Bio-fortified bananas that could reduce blindness, diarrhoea and anaemia are a step closer, according to the preliminary results of a joint research project between Ugandan and Australian scientists. Genetically modified (GM) bananas containing genes to boost their vitamin A and iron content have been planted in Australia and Uganda over the past two years (2009–2010). The first harvest ...
By SciDev.Net
-
AgroFresh introduces LandSpring technology, an innovative pre-planting application that reduces transplant shock in tomatoes and peppers
AgroFresh Solutions, Inc. (NASDAQ: AGFS), a global leader in produce freshness solutions, has introduced its new LandSpring product, a 1-Methylcyclopropene (1-MCP) technology for use on transplanted vegetable seedlings. LandSpring, currently registered for use on tomato and pepper crops, reduces transplant shock resulting in lower seedling mortality and faster crop establishment, which leads to ...
By AgroFresh
Need help finding the right suppliers? Try XPRT Sourcing. Let the XPRTs do the work for you