The Pakistan Agricultural Research Council (PARC) chairman has said that the council attaches great importance to collaborate with China in various sectors including agricultural development for ensuring food security and poverty alleviation in South Asia.   Presiding over a meeting with a four-member Chinese delegation held at the PARCContinue Reading

    The Sigatoka group of fungi The Sigatoka disease complex is a cluster of three closely related fungi–yellow sigatoka (Pseudocercospora musae), eumusae leaf spot (Pseudocercospora eumusae) and black sigatoka (Pseudocercospora fijiensis)–which emerged in quick succession during the last century as destructive pathogens on banana.   Yellow sigatoka was theContinue Reading

by Matthew Jones, Fruitnet     An international consortium, led by scientists from the Wageningen University & Research Centre, claims to have unravelled the DNA of pseudocercospora fijiensis, the fungus that causes the black Sigatoka disease in bananas.   Gert Kema, a professor in tropical phytopathology at Wageningen University, saidContinue Reading

by  Kelly den Herder, Fresh Plaza     Currently, an opportunity opens for the market in Asia caused by recent sanitary and weather setbacks from the Philippines, especially in the banana sector. Prime Fruit Mexico has focused on developing the Mexican origin of various tropical fruits in these markets, and althoughContinue Reading