Number III [March 2024 – the date of publication in “Crop Protection“] 

WARM WELCOME TO DR DIANA M. EARNSHAW, OUR NEW GOVERNING BOARD MEMBER !

Diane Earnshaw [Southern Africa]

It is my pleasure to announce that the Executive Committee of the IAPPS Governing Board has appointed Dr. Diana M. Earnshaw as IAPPS coordinator for Region VI: Southern Africa. 

Dr Earnshaw is a Senior Lecturer in the University of Eswatini (formerly Swaziland), Faculty of Agriculture.  She holds a BSc in Agriculture from the same institution, an MSc in Plant Pathology from the University of Guelph, Ontario, Canada; and a PhD in Plant Pathology from the University of Wales, Bangor (now University of Bangor). She has been with the University of Eswatini for over 30 years, and has been lecturing for about same number of years in Plant Pathology and related courses and in Mushroom Production. 

Dr Earnshaw is passionate about uplifting of women in the society and about the environment. Diana has been involved in several national projects, including empowerment of women on mushroom production, development of national strategies for biodiversity framework in the country.  Her research includes the alternative use of invasive (but non-poisonous) plants as substrate for mushroom production, and the use of leaf extracts to control plant diseases. In the university community, she has served on several committees, including the Senate, being Head of Department, Coordinator for Post-Graduate Studies. 

Dr Earnshaw is also a member of Board of Directors for Good Shepherd Catholic Hospital and College of Health Sciences, and a member of the Board of Directors for Centre for Coordination of Agriculture Research and Development in Southern Africa (CCARDESA), a subsidiary of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) with its 16 members states, where Diana represents her country as an Environment Expert.

Please join me in welcoming Diana to the IAPPS GB and family. On behalf of the IAPPS GB, I would also like to thank the outgoing coordinator, Dr. Hendrika Fourie, for her dedication and valuable contributions to IAPPS as coordinator for Region XI: Southern Africa.

Prof. E. A. “Short” Heinrichs

Secretary General, IAPPS

E-mail: [email protected]

 

63RD GERMAN PLANT PROTECTION CONFERENCE PUTS FOCUS ON PLANT HEALTH OF TOMORROW

The 63rd German Plant Protection Conference, the largest conference on plant protection in Germany, took place from September 26th to 29th, 2023 at the University of Göttingen. After the pure online meeting in 2021, it was high time to meet again in person 2023. For four days, 1,100 experts discussed current challenges in their fields of research from plant health issues and phytopathology, to resistance breeding and biological pest control, to plant protection in agriculture, horticulture, viticulture, forest, urban horticulture and organic farming. The conference was organized by the Julius Kuehn Institute (JKI), the German Society for Plant Protection and Plant Health and the plant protection service of Lower Saxony.

The plenary session conference outlined the motto “Plant Protection Tomorrow – Transformation by Research”. After four short keynote presentations a lively discussion took place about the emergence of new developments in research to enable the farmers and to fasten the process towards a sustainable agriculture. Overall, 370 speakers presented a vast variety of topics related to crop protection in lectures spread across 50 sections. A total of 230 posters have been presented. Each conference day participants could choose between one of five parallel lecture sections. Four sections each dealt with biodiversity, biological plant protection, weed control and integrated plant protection and pest management. Three sections each covered plant protection in organic farming, prognosis and monitoring and the biology of harmful organisms. Two sections each were dedicated to application techniques, precision farming, fate and degradation of agrochemicals, resistance breeding and legal issues. One section each dealt specifically with molecular phytomedicine and innovative plant protection techniques, e.g. RNAi, as well as one each dealing with plant protection in special cultures e.g. in fruit crops, viticulture, hops, forests, urban green and private gardens.

The German Plant Protection Conference used to take place biennially since 1910 at changing venues. With an average of 1,100 participants, it is the largest specialist event for phytomedicine and plant protection in German-speaking Europe and its importance extends far beyond the borders of Germany. Participants are scientists, representatives of professional associations, and the public service at federal and state levels.

Prof. Dr. Frank Ordon

IAPPS coordinator for Region I: West Europe

E-mail: [email protected]

 

TRAINING ON INTEGRATED PEST MANAGEMENT FOR MUNGBEAN IN MYANMAR

Mungbean (Vigna radiata (L). Wilczek) is an important food legume in Myanmar, with cultivation spanning 1.21 million hectares. This crop is well-suited for the country’s rice-based production systems due to its short-duration growth cycle and resilience in low-input systems and adverse environmental conditions. The World Vegetable Center (WorldVeg) has been at the forefront of international research on mungbean improvement for over 50 years.

 

In Myanmar, the Department of Agricultural Research (DAR) has actively engaged in international mungbean research since the early 1980s. DAR has introduced 19 improved varieties, with 11 originating from unaltered breeding lines supplied by WorldVeg. As of 2016, four varieties (Yezin 9, Yezin 11, Yezin 14, and MAS 1) covered 77% of the mungbean cultivation area.

 

WorldVeg, in collaboration with DAR and ICCO Cooperation, has been working on projects such as the International Mungbean Improvement Network (IMIN) and Accelerating the Competitiveness and Inclusiveness of the Mungbean Value Chain in Myanmar (ACTIOM). Despite Myanmar’s relatively higher average mungbean yield (1.32 t/ha) compared to neighboring countries, there is potential for increased productivity by adopting improved technologies for safe and sustainable mungbean production.

To address this, a two-day training program was organized by WorldVeg in partnership with DAR and ICCO on November 26-27, 2023, in Naypyidaw, Myanmar. Dr. Srinivasan Ramasamy, Lead Entomologist and the Flagship Program Leader for Safe and Sustainable Value Chains at WorldVeg, conducted theoretical and practical classes on diagnosing major insect and mite pests of mungbean, as well as principles and practices of integrated pest management. The training attracted 36 participants, including researchers and extension staff from DAR, NGOs, and mungbean farmers.

 

As part of the program, the participants visited mungbean and other food legume fields at the Food Legumes Research Section, DAR in Yezin, to gain practical insights into pest and disease diagnosis and their damage symptoms.

 

Dr. Srinivasan Ramasamy

AIRCA Representative on IAPPS Governing Board

E-mail: [email protected]