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| ISSUE 58: MAY/JUNE 2020 |  |
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| The aggressive nature of COVID-19 has prompted Governments to impose protective measures to control its spread, including different forms of lockdowns. Despite efforts by countries to minimize impact, inevitably, the different forms of lockdowns imposed have affected the food supply chain with regard to production, distribution and market. |
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| UPCOMING TFNET ACTIVITIES | OTHER TROPICAL FRUIT EVENTS |
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Workshop on Banana Fusarium Wilt 2020 International Symposium on Tropical Fruits & 14th TFNet Board of Trustees Meeting National Fruit Symposium (Malaysia) |
X International Pineapple Symposium III Asian Horticultural Congress - AHC2020 XIII International Mango Symposium |
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RECENT PUBLICATIONS |
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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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MEMBERSHIP REMINDER |
EXPERT MEMBER REGISTRATION |
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Benefits of being a TFNet Expert
Register as a TFNet Expert here. |
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USEFUL LINKS
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| FAO REPORT: Global food markets still brace for uncertainty in 2020/21 because of COVID-19 | TR4 Global Network (TR4GN) established by the World Banana Forum (WBF) | ||||||
Food markets will face many more months of uncertainty due to COVID-19, but the agri-food sector is likely to show more resilience to the pandemic crisis than other sectors, according to a new report released today by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). |
The TR4 Global Network (TR4GN) coordinates actions to fight Fusarium Tropical Race 4 (TR4) worldwide through science-based knowledge, an outstanding collection of resources, hands-on tools, functional information, guidelines and capacity development materials that provide support to all stakeholders along the banana value chain. |
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TROPICAL FRUIT NEWS FROM AROUND THE WORLD |
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AUSTRALIA: Ancient fruit ripe for modern plates |  |
PHILIPPINES: Zambales mango trade sours amid pandemic | ||||
An indigenous fruit which is one of the earliest known plant foods eaten in Australia could be the next big thing in the bush foods industry. |
Before COVID-19, mobile workers in the mango industry could hop from one town to another armed with fruit-inducing chemicals, pesticides, sprayers, ladders, and bundles of old newspapers. | ||||||
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CHINA: Thailand exports USD600 million of durians to China in Jan-April |  |
JAPAN: Imported fruits becoming scarce as lockdowns abroad hurt harvests | ||||
| China’s huge appetite for Thai durians remained strong and undiminished by the COVID-19 pandemic as evidenced by the country importing RM2.56 billion (USD600 million) worth of durians from Thailand in the first four months of this year. | Bananas and mangoes, among other imported fruits, are in shorter supply in Japan as the coronavirus pandemic has caused lockdown-driven delays in harvesting, flight reductions and a subsequent decline in cargo volumes. | ||||||
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PAKISTAN: Mango exports in jeopardy |  |
BANGLADESH: Pineapple cultivation becomes a boon for two families in Sylhet | ||||
| The export of Pakistani mangoes is in jeopardy due to coronavirus pandemic coupled with devastating impact of climatic change on agriculture in the country. | Jaldhupi, a variety of pineapple, cultivated on 20 acres of unused land in Sylhet’s Golapganj upazila by two local families has become very lucrative for them. | ||||||
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CAMBODIA: Mango export agreement signed with China |  |
SOUTH AFRICA: Pineapple sales increase 10 times as South Africans continue making homemade brew | ||||
| Cambodia previously obtained permission to export fresh bananas to China, and now the country is allowed to export fresh mangoes as well. | Alcohol consumers in South Africa are getting plastered on pineapples after the nationwide alcohol ban in lockdown sparked a craze of turning the tropical fruit into powerful home-brew. | ||||||
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THAILAND: Ministry of Commerce helping fruit farmers sell their products online |  |
CHINA: California avocados gain access to Chinese market | ||||
| COVID-19 has caused Thai fruit exports to slow down due to the lockdown of partner countries. The Ministry of Commerce sought ways to solve the problem by launching a campaign “Thai Fruits Golden Months”. | California avocados gained access to the Chinese market as a result of the China-U.S. phase-one economic and trade agreement. | ||||||
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BELIZE: From half a million to 15 million pounds, pineapple set to become the “Queen of the South” |  |
VIETNAM: Lychee farmers bemoan slumping prices | ||||
Pineapple is a new crop that is being groomed to become an important second crop for citrus and other farmers in the Stann Creek Valley and northern Toledo district. |
Hundreds of lychee farmers sorted and graded huge piles of the tropical fruit at a busy wholesale market in northern Vietnam, but many bemoaned slumping prices as foreign traders were held up in quarantine. | ||||||
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PAKISTAN: Mango harvesting in limbo as laborers stranded |  |
CAMBODIA: Huge dragon fruit farm community to be grown | ||||
Mango traders and growers are worried over labour shortage in orchards due to lockdown-led transport unavailability as harvesting is just around the corner. |
A local investor has created a large-scale dragon farm community in Preah Vihear province in response to local and export demand. | ||||||
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SOUTH AFRICA: Avocado export forecast expected to drop |  |
INDIA: ICAR scientists brave COVID-19 risks to control banana wilt disease | ||||
| The South African avocado export forecast has been cut by some 2 million cartons as the effects of Covid-19 on international markets becomes clearer. | Unfazed by the COVID-19 risks, farm scientists from two Lucknow-based ICAR institutes are on the front line to control a fungal disease in banana crop ahead of the planting season. | ||||||
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AUSTRALIA: Northern Territory confirmed as mango king, producing 52% of national crop |  |
USA: Chipotle to get a lift from ample avocado supply | ||||
| The Australian mango industry has released its final numbers for the 2019/20 season, and they show Australia produced more than 10.6 million trays of the tropical fruit. | Chipotle Mexican Grill Inc.’s margins are set to benefit from a resurgent avocado supply that will keep prices lower at least through the summer, SunTrust reports. | ||||||
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USA: Rambutan hopes to see ginger/turmeric-like boost in demand |  |
INDIA: Storm may have damaged 25% of Maliahabad mangoes in a single day | ||||
| As the imported rambutan season gears up, questions remain around what demand might look like once the fruit arrives in the marketplace. | A thunderstorm on May 10 could have led to at least 25% loss of the fruit in Malihabad’s mango belt. The erratic weather, longish and harsh winter, and intermittent rains, had already reduced the crop. | ||||||
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CAMBODIA: High hopes for exports of Pailin longan to international market |  |
STUDY: Scientists develop ‘hands off’ system for spotting perfectly ripe avocados | ||||
| Cambodia expects exports of longan from Pailin province to the international market, especially direct exports to China, to pick up once the once the COVID-19 outbreak tapers. | Scientists at Cranfield University believe they have found a way to side-step the avocado ripeness guessing game. | ||||||
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TURKEY: Self-sufficiency in banana production targeted for 2023 |  |
VIETNAM: Improving tissue culture quality in bananas with LEDs | ||||
Banana production in Turkey could reach a sufficient level to meet the entire domestic demand by 2023, according to the country’s leading banana growers. |
Tissue culture labs in Vietnam that specialize in banana are increasing their production by using LEDs. | ||||||
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CHINA: How the lychee has sweetened the life of poor families in Southern China |  |
SOUTH KOREA: More bananas to be harvested this year because of climate change | ||||
| Shabei Town in south China’s Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region enjoys natural advantage of sunshine and rainfall – favorable for fruits. | Jeju Island was long considered the only warm-enough region in Korea for commercial banana farming, but climate change is now turning the mainland into a producer of the tropical fruit. |
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BANGLADESH: Gazipur farmers disappointed as jackfruit prices fall |  |
NEPAL: G9 banana more disease-resistant but less marketable, farmers say | ||||
| Despite bumper production, jackfruit growers in Sreepur upazila of Gazipur are incurring losses due to a lack of customers and falling prices brought about by the Covid-19 pandemic. | Banana farmers in Chitwan are switching to G9 banana because the Malbhog variety, which has been providing them a good income, is being increasingly plagued by disease. | ||||||
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KENYA: Over 5,000 farmers in Rombo benefit from Banana agronomy project |  |
STUDY: Higher fruit, vegetable intake linked to better verbal fluency scores | ||||
| Through the ambitious project, beneficiary farmers are trained to embrace best agronomic practices, including soil fertility, ways of conserving soil moisture and to mitigate common banana pests and diseases. | Individuals who consume more vegetables, fruits, nuts, and pluses score higher on tests of verbal fluency, suggests a recent study. | ||||||
RECENT LITERATURE ON TROPICAL FRUIT RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT |
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Optimization of a virus-induced gene silencing system and functional elucidation of MaBAM9b in postharvest banana fruits |  |
Blueberry and aanana consumption mitigate arachidonic, cytochrome P450 oxylipin generation during recovery from 75-km cycling | ||||
| Liu, J., et al. (29 May 2020) Journal: BMC Plant Methods DOI |
Nieman, D., et al. (29 May 2020) Journal: Current Developments in Nutrition DOI |
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Mango (Mangifera indica L.) germplasm screening against burl: effect on plant morphology and graft-incompatibility and orchard topography in India |  |
Value Chain Development and Social Upgrading at Upstream of Mango Value in Pakistan | ||||
| Saran, P. L., et al. (25 May 2020) Journal: Erwerbs-Obstbau DOI (Photo: Emily Warschefsky) |
Mehdi, M., et al. (28 April 2020) Journal: Sarhad Journal of Agriculture DOI |
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Topcross hybrids in papaya: Genes derived from backcrossing provide resistance to multiple diseases |  |
Effect of synthesis temperature on the size of ZnO nanoparticles derived from pineapple peel extract and antibacterial activity of ZnO–starch nanocomposite films | ||||
| Poltronieri, T. P., et al. (30 May 2020) Journal: Crop Protection DOI (Photo: experimentalfarming.blogspot.com) |
Basri, H. H., et al. (30 May 2020) Journal: Nanomaterials DOI |
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Bioaccessibility and bioavailability of polyphenols from sour mangosteen (Garcinia xanthochymus) fruit |  |
Development and use of antimicrobial durian starch-carrageenan/carvacrol films | ||||
| Janhavi, P., et al. (20 May 2020) Journal: Journal of Food Measurement and Characterization DOI |
Velasco, E. M., et al. (January-June 2020) Journal: Mindanao Journal of Science and Technology |
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Performance degradation model of Dye-Sensitized Solar Cell (DSSC) using dye extracted from red dragon fruit's flesh |  |
Valorization of pomelo (Citrus grandis Osbeck) peel: A review of current utilization, phytochemistry, bioactivities, and mechanisms of action | ||||
| Burhan, N. and Uranus, H. (1 May 2020) Journal: Journal of Physics |
Tocmo, R., et al. Journal: Comprehensive Reviews in Food Science and Food Safety DOI |
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Spectral analysis for the early detection of anthracnose in fruits of Sugar Mango (Mangifera indica) |  |
Non-destructive discrimination of avocado fruit ripeness using laser Doppler vibrometry | ||||
| Ardila, C.E.C., et al. (June 2020) Journal: Computers and Electronics in Agriculture DOI |
Landahl, S. and Terry, L. (June 2020) Journal: Biosystems Engineering DOI |
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Optimizing conditions for enzymatic extraction of juice from jackfruit (koozha) using response surface methodology |  |
Utilization of rambutan (Naphelium lappaceum L) peel’s waste is becoming more useful as a natural dye of fabrics | ||||
| Bensi, P.S., et al. (23 June 2020) Journal: European Journal of Nutrition & Food Safety DOI |
Kusumayanti, H, et al. (June 2020) Journal: Waste Technology DOI |
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