News for 2019

Dr Matthew Ryan appointed to Phytobiomes Alliance's Board of Directors

12 February 2019 - The International Alliance for Phytobiomes Research has announced the appointment of Dr Matthew Ryan and Dr Natalie Breakfield as new Board members of the organization. Dr Ryan is curator of the Genetic Resource Collection at CABI. A microbiologist by training, Dr Ryan is specifically interested in pure and applied mycology, biodeterioration and natural product research. He is involved in several CABI projects, such as The Microbial Resource Research Infrastructure (MIRRI) pr...

CABI joins in the celebrations for UN International Day of Women and Girls in Science

11 February 2019 - CABI is today celebrating the invaluable contribution women in science make as part of the UN International Day of Women and Girls in Science by showcasing some of its own female scientists, board members and development communications professionals. As part of a special focus we look at Dr Julie Flood who this year becomes only the second female Honorary Member of the British Society for Plant Pathology (BSPP). Julie has previously served as President of the BSPP as part of ...

CABI scientist Dr Julie Flood honoured by The British Society for Plant Pathology

11 February 2019 - CABI’s Dr Julie Flood has become only the second female scientist to be awarded an Honorary Membership of The British Society for Plant Pathology (BSPP) for her outstanding contribution to plant science – particularly tropical crop diseases including vascular wilt of coffee and diseases of oil palm and cocoa. The award was confirmed on the day of the UN’s International Day of Women and Girls in Science today (11 February) which aims to ensure full and equal access to and part...

Dr Ismahane Elouafi welcomed to new post on CABI Board

7 February 2019 - Dr Ismahane Elouafi – ranked by Muslim Science as among the 20 Most Influential Women in Science in the Islamic World – has been welcomed as a non-executive director on the CABI Board. The appointment was confirmed on the eve of the UN’s International Day of Women and Girls in Science on February 11 which aims to ensure full and equal access to and participation in science for women and girls. Dr Elouafi, who is currently Director General of the International Centre for Biosa...

CABI helps map ferocious speed and likely cause of woody weed spread across Ethiopia

7 February 2019 - CABI scientists have helped map the ferocious speed and probable cause of a devastating spread of the invasive alien tree Prosopis juliflora (Swartz DC) across an area equivalent to half of neighbouring Djibouti in the Afar Region of north eastern Ethiopia. Dr Urs Schaffner, who is supervising lead author Hailu Shiferaw for his PhD studies, contributed to the Scientific Reports published paper ‘Modelling the current fractional cover of an invasive alien plant and drivers of it...

Plantwise successes revealed in Impact Story Competition

6 February 2019 - The successes of smallholder farmers in Nepal, Uganda and Kenya – thanks to help from CABI – have become the focus of the Plantwise Impact Story Competition won by three extension workers who helped them combat crop pests and diseases. Debraj Adhikari, a Senior Plant Protection Officer from Nepal, plant doctor Mubunga Joshua from Uganda and John Mutisya Kimeu also a plant doctor, from Kenya have all been awarded a tablet computer for their accounts of farmers who have reaped i...

Spread of dangerous waterweed in Southern Africa could be 'devastating', according to CABI scientist

1 February 2019 - CABI scientist Dr Philip Weyl has warned that a dangerous waterweed spreading across Southern Africa could have 'devastating' repurcussions on ecosystem functioning and utlization as well as life-supporting services such as fishing. Dr Weyl, a Research Scientist in Weed Biological Control, told SciDev.Net that the Limnobium laevigatum, or South American sponge plant, should not be underestimated because it has fast growth rate and an incredible ability to disperse. In a repor...

CABI wins grant to help boost food security in India and Ethiopia through opening access to data

29 January 2019 - CABI has been awarded a $1.49 million grant from the Gates Foundation to work with them to help increase food security in India and Ethiopia through better access to data on soil health, agronomy and fertilizers. The grant will see CABI encouraging and enabling governments, universities and research organizations in the two countries to see the benefits and apply best practices regarding the sharing of data which, ultimately, will help farmers grow healthier and profitable cro...

CABI shares expertise at workshop concerned with threat of invasive species to Gibraltar

25 January 2019 - Dr Pablo González-Moreno, one of CABI’s senior researchers with expertise in invasive plant ecology, has joined a workshop of international scientists concerned with investigating the invasive non-native species that pose the greatest threat to Gibraltar’s terrestrial and marine environments. Dr González-Moreno shared his knowledge and expertise of terrestrial plants as well as details of CABI's Action on Invasives programme, which is championing an environmentally sustainable...

Lessons in agriculture: CABI joins UNESCO International Day of Education celebrations

24 January 2019 – CABI is joining the UNESCO International Day of Education celebrations today by highlighting all its efforts to help support the scientists of today and tomorrow in the fight against agricultural pests and diseases. The United Nations General Assembly proclaimed 24 January as International Day of Education in celebration of the role of education for peace and development. As the world marks the very first International Education Day, UNESCO calls on governments and all partner...

CABI-partnered ‘Seeing is Believing’ project goes ‘under the microscope’ for Facebook Live event

22 January 2019 - The CABI-partnered ‘Seeing is Believing’ project, which empowers farmers with smartphone imaging, is going ‘under the microscope’ on Thursday (24 January 2019) as part of a special Facebook Live Q&A event. Dr Berber Kramer, Applied Microeconomist at the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) who partner with CABI on the CGIAR Inspire Challenge Grant-funded project, will be answering questions on the innovative scheme at 9am Washington DC time or 2pm GMT. To ...

CABI joins 'kick-off' meeting for EU-funded MicrobiomeSupport project

15 January 2019 - CABI has joined a range of international partners for a 'kick-off' meeting of the EU-funded project MicrobiomeSupport which aims to carry out research into the microbiome in the food system and its importance to human and environmental health. Dr Matt Ryan, a microbiologist and Curator of CABI's Genetic Resource Collection, was part of a delegation of scientists who met in Ottawa, Canada, for the launch meeting of the project which is based upon Coordination and Support Action...

CABI scientists are leading the fight to control one of the UK’s most invasive weeds – Himalayan balsam

14 January 2019 - CABI experts in the field of classical biological control are leading the fight to manage one of the UK’s most invasive weeds – Himalayan balsam – thanks to the nationwide release of the rust fungus Puccinia komarovii var. glanduliferae. Dr Carol Ellison, who has over 30 years’ experience of the biological control of weeds using fungal pathogens, told a specially convened NERC-sponsored workshop on Himalayan Balsam at Royal Holloway, University of London, the rust release prog...

CABI updates International Soft Fruit Conference on fight against devastating invasive fruit fly

11 January 2019 - CABI scientist Dr Lukas Seehausen has updated delegates at the International Soft Fruit Conference in s-Hertogenbosch, in the Netherlands, on the very latest research in the fight against the devasting fruit fly Drosophila suzukii. Dr Seehausen, a research scientist in risk analysis and invasion ecology based at CABI’s Swiss centre in Delémont, said a biological control agent – the parasitoid Ganaspis cf. brasiliensis – could soon be released to manage the invasive pest in Eur...