CABI is helping Colombia’s coffee farmers tackle a devastating pest with remote sensing technology
CABI scientists are working in partnership to help Colombia’s coffee farmers fight the devastating coffee berry borer (CBB) (Hypothenemus hampei) pest with an early warning system that harnesses climatic data and state-of-the-art remote sensing technology. Dr Steven Edgington is leading the team at CABI, in collaboration with Cafexport, Colombia, Climate…
CABI supports first release in Switzerland of natural enemy for the brown marmorated stink bug
CABI’s Dr Tim Haye has supported colleagues at Agroscope with the first release in Switzerland of the Samurai wasp which, if field trials prove successful, could prove to be a formidable foe against the devastating fruit and nut pest Halyomorpha halys, the brown marmorated stink bug. Dr Haye, who is…
Study calls for urgent plan to manage invasive weed which threatens livelihoods in Africa
CABI scientists have conducted research which is calling for an urgent integrated management strategy, including biological control, to fight the invasive weed Mimosa diplotricha which is threatening livelihoods in eastern and southern Africa. Dr Arne Witt, lead author of the study published in the journal Bothalia, said that over half…
CABI BioProtection Portal now available in Spain
The CABI BioProtection Portal has now been launched in Spain, in addition to already helping farmers reduce reliance on chemical pesticides in Kenya, Ghana and Peru. CABI today made its ground-breaking online bioprotection resource available on three continents. The CABI BioProtection Portal, which helps growers and pest management advisors identify,…
Searching for a viable biological control of the Comstock mealybug, a pest threatening fruit crops in Switzerland
CABI scientists are on a new mission to find a biological ‘weapon’ in the fight against the Comstock mealybug (Pseudococcus comstocki) which is threatening to cause significant economic damage to Switzerland’s apricot, pear and apple crops. Dr Lukas Seehausen and Dr Tim Haye, who are both based at CABI’s centre…
Biological control could be the key to saving one of Britain’s rarest birds from extinction
CABI is sharing its expertise on biological pest control to try and help save one of Britain’s rarest birds from extinction on the UK Overseas Territory of Tristan da Cunha - the most remote inhabited archipelago in the world. Dr Norbert Maczey is leading a team of CABI scientists who…
SciDev.Net wins grant for weekly podcast highlighting science and health issues in sub-Saharan Africa
SciDev.Net has won a share of a €940,000 pot of grants from the European Journalism Centre to launch a weekly podcast examining science and health issues in sub-Saharan Africa. The award, one of eight handed out as part of the European Development Journalism Grants programme, will allow SciDev.Net the chance…
Review helps countries prepare for potential invasion of ‘hitchhiking’ yellow spotted stink bug pest
The Centre for Agriculture and Biosciences International (CABI), through its work within the MARA-CABI Joint Laboratory for Bio-safety in Beijing, China, has played a key role in a new review which serves to help countries prepare for a possible invasion of the ‘hitchhiking’ fruit and nut pest – the Yellow…
Digital approach to plant health leads the way through COVID-19 pandemic for smallholder farmers
A more digital approach to managing plant health is leading the way for smallholder farmers grappling with the combined threat of COVID-19 and crop pests which can severely impact upon livelihoods and food security globally. CABI has been busy promoting its suite of online tools which, combined with the need…
SciDev.Net launches free science communication course for press officers
A free self-paced online course to teach press officers in Africa how to communicate science to journalists and the wider public is now being offered as part of the Script project, which is made possible by the Robert Bosch Stiftung and implemented by SciDev.Net The Science Communication Skills for Press…