TFNet Newsfeed » 2020

The 2020 yearend issue of TFNet Newsfeed reports on the “Virtual workshop series research on banana fusarium wilt” and includes a special New Year Message from the Secretariat.Other news highlights include:

• CHINA: 400M middle-class sector ‘promising market’ for PH goods
• USA: Del Monte’s new ‘juicier and sweeter’ pink pineapple is in stores now
• SPAIN: Smart mango harvesting through 5G
• PAPUA NEW GUINEA: On the hunt for wild bananas

Research highlights include:

• Detection of Chemically Matured Mango Fruits Using Laplacian Descriptors and Scale Determinants
• Determination of Pests and Beneficial Species in Avocado Orchards in Antalya Province

The August-September 2020 issue of TFNet Newsfeed announces the “Virtual workshop series research on banana fusarium wilt” and reports on MARDI’s 2020 Crop Colloquium.

Other news highlights include:

• STUDY: Orange peels used to extract valuable metals from spent batteries
• INDIA: Mounting losses add to Kerala pineapple growers’ stress
• HONDURAS: Rambutan producers get ready to implement new strategies
• USA: New treatments closer for citrus disease

Research highlights include:

• Activated carbon microspheres derived from hydrothermally treated mango seed shells for acetone vapor removal
• Comparison of ultrasound assisted extraction and enzyme assisted extraction of betacyanin from red dragon fruit peel

The July 2020 issue of TFNet Newsfeed highlights the ISTF2019 Proceedings and more impacts of COVID-19 on the tropical fruit industry.

Other news highlights include:

• AUSTRALIA: Feral pigs threatening banana and pork industries
• KENYA: Couple turns to passion fruit farming to boost their income
• INDIA: Papaya farmers excluded in procurement plan, suffer losses
• JAPAN: Mangoes from Pakistan allowed for export

Research highlights include:

• First Report of Fusarium verticilloides causing Banana Fruit Rot in Jordan
• Effect of calcium treatment on the storability and disease resistance in pre‐harvest bagging mango fruit during room temperature storage

The May-June 2020 issue of TFNet Newsfeed includes a feature on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the tropical fruit supply chain, demand, and consumption.

Other news highlights include:

• PHILIPPINES: Zambales mango trade sours amid pandemic
• CHINA: Thailand exports USD600 million of durians to China in Jan-April
• STUDY: Scientists develop ‘hands off’ system for spotting perfectly ripe avocados
• SOUTH KOREA: More bananas to be harvested this year because of climate change

Research highlights include:

• Performance degradation model of Dye-Sensitized Solar Cell (DSSC) using dye extracted from red dragon fruit’s flesh
• Optimization of a virus-induced gene silencing system and functional elucidation of MaBAM9b in postharvest banana fruits
• Valorization of pomelo (Citrus grandis Osbeck) peel: A review of current utilization, phytochemistry, bioactivities, and mechanisms of action

The April 2020 issue of TFNet Newsfeed features MARDI as a new TFNet member and a compilation of information on COVID-19 and tropical fruits.

Other news highlights include:

• VIETNAM: Room for fruit exports to Singapore amid COVID-19
• BRAZIL: Fruit not being flown off, still shipping by sea
• AUSTRALIA: Avocado farmers call for brunch lovers to smash them at home during coronavirus isolation
• MALAYSIA: Durian traders now selling eggs as sales plunge

Research highlights include:

• Spectral analysis for the early detection of anthracnose in fruits of Sugar Mango (Mangifera indica)
• Management of Verticillium Wilt of Avocado Using Tolerant Rootstocks
• Farmer participation in the lychee value chain in Bac Giang province, Vietnam

The March 2020 issue of TFNet Newsfeed features a compilation of information on COVID-19 and tropical fruits.

Other news highlights include:

• VIETNAM: Pink foods take root as COVID-19 hits dragon fruit exports to China
• CAMEROON: Banana exports down by over 6,500 tons in Feb 2020
• AUSTRALIA: Taiwan gets green light to export pineapples
• SPAIN: Scientists manage to increase the yield of papaya crops in Europe

Research highlights include:

• Molecular detection and first report of Cucumber mosaic virus infecting ‘Cavendish’ banana plants in Ethiopia
• Re-framing post-harvest losses through a situated analysis of the pineapple value chain in Uganda
• Capturing insects in guava orchard with soil trap

The February 2020 issue of TFNet Newsfeed features the teaser for the 2020 International Symposium on Tropical Fruits.

Other news highlights include:

• USA: Can Disease-Sniffing Dogs Save the World’s Citrus?
• PHILIPPINES: Banana group says coronavirus dampens exports to China
• PERU: 10,000 tons of mango can’t be exported to China because of the coronavirus
• USA: Avocado lace bug confirmed on Hawaii Island

Research highlights include:

• Effect of fibre ratio and chemical treatment on the properties of pineapple leaf and betel nut husk fibre-reinforced hybrid polypropylene composites
• Dataset of Cavendish banana transcriptome in response to chitosan coating application
• First report of Corynespora cassiicola causing leaf spot on avocado (Persea americana) in China

The January 2020 issue of TFNet Newsfeed features the New Year Message from the Secretariat and a feature on Agriculture 4.0 for tropical fruits.

Other news highlights include:

• AUSTRALIA: Farmer develops country’s first ever seedless lychees
• MALAYSIA: Durian skin biocomposite for take-out containers and 3-D printing
• INDONESIA: Chinese imports restrictions being reviewed over coronavirus concerns
• TUNISIA: Profits shrivel for date farmers as the heat rises

Research highlights include:

• Diagnosis and management of nutrient constraints in mango
• Pulp, Leaf, Peel and Seed of Avocado Fruit: A Review of Bioactive Compounds and Healthy Benefits
• Developing Plantain for Resistance to Banana Aphids by RNA Interference