Thomson Reuters Foundation – Improved storage techniques have shown they can cut the loss of harvested corn by 10 per cent in Tanzania, and that could mean that one-third fewer households will go hungry in the lean season, Swiss researchers said. Why it matters: Efforts to protect harvested grain could play a key role in […] Read more
Tag Archives insects
Pest-proof bags and bins slim Tanzania’s ‘lean season’
Cheap solutions to food losses are having a big impact on hunger, researchers say
World crop briefs: North Carolina losing crops, livestock to Florence
CNS Canada — Record-setting rain and floods in North Carolina caused by Hurricane Florence have destroyed the state’s poultry sector with 3.4 million chickens and turkeys reported killed. Pig losses are estimated at 5,500. Widespread power outages and flooded roads are making it difficult to get help to abandoned livestock operations. The state is home […] Read more
Aphid Advisor crop-scouting app updated
The app now makes it easier for crowd-sourced data to help make decisions on whether to spray
There’s been an evolution over the past few years in the way Ontario’s soybean farmers view the sharing of data online, say developers of some just-released updates to the Ontario-based Aphid Advisor crop-scouting app. Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (OMAFRA) Field Crops Entomologist Tracey Baute says there are now fully updated versions […] Read more
Crop scouting with your smartphone
Smartphone app uses machine learning to automatically identify crop diseases
An app that identifies weeds, insect damage and diseases could change the way crop scouting works. “The reality in field crop scouting for pests today is that looking for disease, weeds and insects is done often with textbooks and apps that make use of manual menus and you compare pictures,” said Warren Bills, business development […] Read more
Soybean replants up
Variable weather across the province created perfect conditions for root rots and voracious insects
Ontario farmers are facing significant soybean replanting this year, a product of variable rainfall and a surprising amount of root rot issues. Why it matters: Reseeding parts of fields can result in stands that mature unevenly, leading to harvest challenges. “There’s significantly more replanting or patching or thickening up across the province,” said Horst Bohner, […] Read more
Western Bean Cutworm taking on more than corn
Western Bean Cutworm is now the most economically significant pest in corn, but it’s quickly becoming a challenge in other nearby crops, especially dry beans. Why it matters: Scouting for Western Bean Cutworm (WBC) is much more challenging in dry beans than corn, so knowing the status of nearby corn fields and increasing moth trap […] Read more
U.S. senators seek ban on pesticide chlorpyrifos
New York / Reuters – A group of Democratic senators hopes to ban a pesticide the U.S. government has greenlighted for use, according to a bill unveiled on Tuesday in a challenge to Republican President Donald Trump’s push to loosen environmental regulations. The bill, introduced by Senator Tom Udall of New Mexico, would outlaw chlorpyrifos, […] Read more
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