The UK Crop Microbiome CryoBank
Plant microbiomes are the microbial communities essential to the whole ecological area of a plant’s ‘phytobiome’ – a term used to describe a plant’s specific ecological area. Having a healthy phytobiome is critical to crop health, improved crop yields and quality food. However, crop microbiomes are relatively under-researched. The UK…
For when the chips are down – preserving UK soil microbial biodiversity for sustainable agriculture
Scientists from the UK’s foremost agricultural research institutes have teamed up to create a new UK Crop Microbiome Cryobank (UK-CMCB) to safeguard future research and facilitate the sustainable yield improvement of the UK’s six major food crops including barley, oats, oil seed rape, potato, sugar beet and wheat. CABI, who…
New report evaluates successes of CABI-led Plantwise and Action on Invasives programmes
An external evaluation report, recently commissioned by CABI on behalf of the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs, has been published. The report describes the independent evaluation of the CABI-led Plantwise and Action on Invasives programmes that both aim at increasing agricultural production and farmers’ incomes impacted by crop pests and…
Drones for desert locust control in East Africa
The desert locust, Schistocerca gregaria (Forskal), is arguably the most destructive agricultural pest, globally. During 2019 and 2020, the changing weather created conditions that are favoured by the desert locust for rapid reproduction and migration and led to the pest spreading through the Horn of Africa, East Africa, Arabian Peninsula,…
CABI collaborates with ASEAN Action Plan on Fall Armyworm Control and co-hosts webinar series
The ASEAN Action Plan on Fall Armyworm Control and CABI are working towards effective approaches to biocontrol of fall armyworm (Spodoptera frugiperda) in Southeast Asia with an informative three-part webinar series. The webinars, the first of which took place on 10 September, explore classical, biopesticide, augmentative and conservation-based biocontrol approaches…
Improving soybean production in Kenya using digital and extension approaches
In Kenya, soybean is a key crop in helping to improve livelihoods and nutrition. However, production only meets 10% of the market needs due to the effects of poor agricultural practices and pests and diseases. To address these issues, this project will provide a frontier system that integrates Earth Observation…