News (Page 222)

by Visnja Malesic, Bio Tropic   The tropical storm “Erika” which swept across the Caribbean at the end of August destroyed about 40% of the Dominican banana crop. The banana trees, shallow-rooted by nature, and heavily-laden with fruit, hardly had a chance against the strong winds. The Dominican Republic isContinue Reading

by L. Arias, Tico Times   Government officials from Costa Rica and China signed the required sanitary protocols Tuesday for allowing the entry of Costa Rican pineapples, tuna and crayfish into the Asian market.   Officials’ signatures were the only pending requirement for the inclusion of these products within theContinue Reading

by U Tejonmayam, Times of India   Micro Labs Limited, a Bengaluru-based pharmaceutical company, on Wednesday launched Caripill, made from carica papaya leaf extracts, to help increase platelet count in patients suffering from dengue.   Approved by the scientific and regulatory authority, the pilldoes not have any side-effects. While the conventional treatment involves plateletContinue Reading

by Luisa Cheshire, Fruitnet   A Malaysian delegation has visited Qingdao in Shandong province to talk about exporting Malaysian dragon fruit to the Chinese market.   Chong Sin Woon, one of the Malaysian delegates, said that with a population of over 100m, Shandong province is an attractive export market.  Continue Reading

By Iqbal Pittalwala, UC Riverside University of California, Riverside scientists are using 3-D printing technology to study a beetle that is causing severe damage to avocado and landscape trees in Southern California.   The beetle in question is the polyphagous shot hole borer, an ambrosia beetle that originated in SoutheastContinue Reading

The Dominican Republic government plans to buy bananas directly from growers and resell in domestic markets in a bid to prevent price speculation.   Agriculture Minister Ángel Estévez made the announcement highlighting growers were about to start harvests and would have ample supply despite the impacts of drought and tropicalContinue Reading

by Lara Webster, ABC   As the Queensland mango picking season looms, the industry is forecasting a drop in national production.   Pre-harvest preparations have begun in the Sunshine State, and the Australian Mango Industry Association has anticipated the national crop will be down by about one-and-a-half million trays fromContinue Reading

The Tamil Nadu Agricultural University (TNAU) has identified a root-knot nematode in Guava cultivated in Dindigul region. The department of nematology has suggested farmers either to take preventive steps or destroy the affected plants.   “In Tamil Nadu, guava is cultivated on a large scale in and around Ayakudi ofContinue Reading

by Brad Buck, News Wise   Asian guava orchards can bring nine times the profit as mango and avocado, all staples of South Florida’s agricultural sector, a new University of Florida study shows.   But Edward “Gilly” Evans, a UF/IFAS associate professor of food and resource economics, cautioned that guavaContinue Reading

by Alahe Izadi, The Bulletin   What’s the biggest enemy to Miami-Dade County’s $1.6 billion agriculture industry? A little fruit fly. Specifically, the Bactrocera dorsalis, or oriental fruit fly.   The flies, described by Florida’s Agriculture Department as one of the industry’s “most devastating pests,” were first spotted in theContinue Reading

by Lara Webster, ABC   A North Queensland watermelon farmer whose farm was hit hard by a devastating virus may finally be able to plant a crop on his farm next year.   In May, biosecurity Queensland confirmed the case of Cucumber Green Mottle Mosaic in Jon Caleo’s 40-hectare melonContinue Reading