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| ISSUE 56: MARCH 2020 |  |
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| FEATURE: Useful resources on best practices and recommendations for the handling and consumption of fruits during the COVID-19 outbreak | |||||||
| TFNet has compiled a list of resources on best practices and recommendations for the handling and consumption of fresh produce including fruits during the COVID19 outbreak. Continue having your daily fruit intake. Stay informed. Stay safe | |||||||
| UPCOMING TFNET ACTIVITIES | OTHER TROPICAL FRUIT EVENTS |
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Workshop on Banana Fusarium Wilt National Fruit Symposium (Malaysia) 2020 International Symposium on Tropical Fruits & 14th TFNet Board of Trustees Meeting |
X International Pineapple Symposium International Symposia on Vocational Education Asian Conference on Plant Pathology 2020 IX International Postharvest Symposium |
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Membership Reminder |
TFNet 20th Anniversary Special |
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Conference Proceedings: International Conference on Tropical Fruit Pests and Diseases (TROPED 2018) Print*: USD 10 (TFNet Members), USD 20 (Non-members) Digital: USD 8 (TFNet Members), USD 15 (Non-members) To order, contact hariyatul@itfnet.org. *Shipping cost not included |
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TROPICAL FRUIT NEWS FROM AROUND THE WORLD |
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INFO: No evidence that food is a source or transmission route for coronavirus |  |
USA: Daily avocado consumption improves attention in persons with obesity, study finds | ||||
| EFSA is closely monitoring the situation regarding the outbreak of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) and there is currently no evidence that food is a likely source or route of transmission of the virus. | A diet including daily avocado consumption improves the ability to focus attention in adults whose measurements of height and weight are categorized as overweight or obese, a new randomized control trial found. | ||||||
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VIETNAM: Pink foods take root as COVID-19 hits dragon fruit exports to China |  |
SINGAPORE: Jackfruit dumplings? Asia gets creative on alternative meat | ||||
| When life gives you lemons, make lemonade. But what if life hands you dragon fruit – and lots of it – instead? It’s a question that Vietnamese businesses have been pondering for weeks now. | From lab-grown “seafood” to dumplings made with tropical fruit instead of pork, rising demand for sustainable meat alternatives in Asia is spawning creative products to appeal to local palates. | ||||||
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AUSTRALIA: Pomelos from the Northern Territory overcoming big challenges to get to market |  |
INFO: Should I peel fruit before eating during the COVID-19 pandemic? | ||||
| It has been a tough few years for one of Australia’s biggest pomelo farms, but better times are hopefully just around the corner. | Washing fruits with running water for 15 to 30 seconds can effectively reduce pesticide residue, bacteria and virus potentially present on the surface. |
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CAMEROON: Banana exports down by over 6,500 tons in Feb 2020 |  |
USA: Treatment aims to protect lychee trees In Miami-Dade | ||||
| According to the banana exporters’ association Assobacam, exports were down by 6,532 tons compared with the 21,497 tons exported during the same period in 2019. | The Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services began treatment of lychee trees in Miami-Dade County for lychee erinose mite (LEM) to protect trees and crops from severe damage. | ||||||
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INFO: COVID-19 and food safety questions from fruit and vegetable growers |  |
CAMBODIA: Mangoes could soon roll to Seoul | ||||
| Novel coronavirus, the virus that causes the infectious disease COVID-19, is on every grower’s mind. Here are answers to common questions about how to approach handwashing and sanitation on produce farms. | Cambodian mangoes are proving popular among South Korean consumers, the Korean Trade-Investment Promotion Agency (Kotra) said, encouraging more local firms to export the fruit to the East Asian country. | ||||||
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AUSTRALIA: Taiwan gets green light to export pineapples |  |
AUSTRALIA: Coronavirus pandemic driving strong demand for local fruit and vegetables | ||||
| Australia’s Department of Agriculture announced that it had completed its report on the risk assessment of fresh decrowned pineapples from Taiwan and verified that the country now meets import conditions. | As humanity’s most pressing health crisis plays out across the globe, Australian consumers appear to be rushing to boost their immunity with locally grown vegetables. | ||||||
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GHANA: Banana farmers lament over the effects of illegal mining activities on their business |  |
INDIA: Coronavirus hits mango exports, farmers affected | ||||
| The banana association said the activities of illegal miners are currently preventing banana producers in Ghana from farming along river banks in the country. | With the mango season just starting, the fruit is in great demand in the Gulf, European countries, and America but due to the coronavirus outbreak traders are unable to send mangoes. | ||||||
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INDIA: Jackfruit prices spike as people ditch chicken and mutton amid coronavirus dread |  |
LAOS: Going bananas! … This fruit tops agricultural export | ||||
| As some Indians believe the fake news that coronavirus spreads through eating chicken, mutton and seafood, people are now switching to jackfruit to soothe their meat cravings. | The export value of bananas to neighbouring countries, mainly China and Thailand, increased to about USD198mil in 2019, which is higher than in previous years. | ||||||
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PAKISTAN: Locusts attack wheat, guava fields in Kohat |  |
UNITED ARAB EMIRATES: Shoppers notice hike in fruit and veg prices | ||||
| Locusts have entered Kohat from the neighbouring Orakzai tribal district, attacking wheat crop and guava orchards in Mian Garhi, Mitha Khan and Muhammadzai areas. | Prices of fresh fruit and vegetables have noticeably gone up in recent days due to the increase in price at source and limited movement of fresh produce. | ||||||
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INDIA: Banana exports up 30% during April-January |  |
ECUADOR: Virus could test Latin America’s already ailing economy | ||||
| India exported 1,27,230 tonnes of banana, fetching ₹447 crore (USD 60 million), between April 2019 and January 2020, which is about 30% more in terms of quantity and 49% in value terms over the corresponding period last year. | For years, Dionisio Romero has relied for his livelihood on a magenta-colored dragon fruit that is wildly popular in Asia, planting dozens of the spindly trees at his farm near Ecuador’s Pacific coast. | ||||||
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SPAIN: Scientists manage to increase the yield of papaya crops in Europe |  |
USA: Avocados show growth in volume, value in 2019 | ||||
| Scientists from the AGR-200 Research Group of the University of Almería, working in partnership with the nursery Vitalplant, managed to optimize papaya yield in Europe. | Dominated by Mexican fruit, total U.S. imports of avocados rose 6.4% in 2019 to more than 1.1 million metric tons. | ||||||
RECENT LITERATURE ON TROPICAL FRUIT RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT |
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Molecular detection and first report of Cucumber mosaic virus infecting ‘Cavendish’ banana plants in Ethiopia |  |
Classification of ripening of banana fruit using convolutional neural networks | ||||
| Y. Kebede & S. Majumder (24 Mar 2020) Journal: J Plant Dis Prot DOI |
M.K. Sri, et.al (23 Mar 2020) Source: SSRN DOI |
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Identification of fungal pathogens of mango and soursop fruits using morphological and molecular tools and their control using papaya and soursop leaf and seed extracts |  |
Biology, ecology and integrated pest management of the white mango scale, Aulacaspis tubercularis Newstead, a new pest in southern Spain - a review | ||||
| R. Balois-Morales, et.al. (25 Mar 2020) Journal: International Journal of Agronomy DOI |
M. del Pino, et.al. (24 Mar 2020) Journal: Crop Protection DOI |
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Sensory acceptability and shelf life of prebiotic pineapple juice with gum arabic (Acacia senegal) addition |  |
Re-framing post-harvest losses through a situated analysis of the pineapple value chain in Uganda | ||||
| Lee M.K., et.al. (Mar 2020) Journal: Bioresearch Communications |
K. Troger, et.al. (May 2020) Journal: Geoforum DOI |
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Industry note of technological innovation for promoting global papaya production |  |
The presence of endophytic actinobacteria in mangosteen peel (Garcinia mangostana) and its antioxidant activity | ||||
| Shyi-Dong Y. (29 Mar 2020) Journal: International Journal on Agriculture Innovation, Technology and Globalisation |
F. Larasati, et.al. (Mar 2020) Journal: Biodiversitas Journal of Biological Diversity DOI |
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Capturing insects in guava orchard with soil trap |  |
Grafting response of different jackfruit genotypes to softwood grafting | ||||
| S.N. Silva, et. al. (Mar 2020) Journal: Research, Society and Development DOI |
Sampath, P.M., et.al. (Mar 2020) Journal: International Journal of Chemical Studies |
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