Plant protection

Use of pesticides is rapidly rising in many parts of Africa. While farmers cheer them as powerful substitutes for manual weed and pest control, the precarious institutional environment has been resulting in the…

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Plant protection

Aloe vera peels have bioactive compounds that can ward off bugs, a recent study shows. The findings may offer a new use for peels that are usually discarded as waste and could be catalyst for organic farming and…

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Plant protection

The global pesticide market is constantly growing and just a handful of corporations share it out between them. Now manufacturers are making ever stronger inroads into countries of the Global South, where pesticides are…

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Plant protection

Fungal infections of crops are threatening global food security, experts warn. Yield losses because of fungal infections are huge, and the situation is likely to get worse. A more unified approach is required to protect…

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Plant protection

Almost the entire African maize crop is grown in areas with climates that support seasonal infestations of the fall armyworm pest.

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Plant protection

A new study has found the best time to apply safer-to-use and more environmentally friendly biopesticides to fight the Oriental migratory locust pest. The study was led by scientists from the Chinese MARA-CABI Joint…

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Plant protection

A team of scientists have identified a promising resistance gene that could help fight a devastating fungus called stem rust, which attacks wheat crops and threatens global food security.

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Plant protection

Climate change-induced pest dispersal and intensity threaten food security. Invasive pests are also one of the main drivers of biodiversity loss.

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Plant protection

The African agricultural sector has to bear with dramatic costs due to Invasive Alien Species, scientists of the UK research institution CABI revealed in a recent study.

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Plant protection

Plants use the signalling molecule GABA (gamma-aminobutyric acid) to remember the dryness of a day, a recent study shows. This signalling molecule is known from animals to limit their water loss.

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