CABI Blogs: hand picked... and carefully sorted

EU ban on mango imports highlights importance of phytosanitary certification

A ban on imports of mangoes from India to the EU is likely to cause dramatic losses to Indian growers and has produced an outcry amongst growers in India and retailers in the UK.
The ban on importing mangoes from India came into effect today 1 May and will continue until 31 December 2015 - possibly subject to revision before then. The ban is a consequence of significant shortcomings in phytosanitary certification systems and is considered essential to protect the European produce industry. The decision was taken due to the high number of consignments of mangoes and other produce from India being intercepted at arrival in the EU with quarantine pests, mainly insects, and of findings made during audits in India. According to Fera (The Food and Environment Research Agency, UK), pests were found in 207 consignments of fruits and vegetables from India imported into the EU in 2013.
The numbers are high enough to raise concerns over the potential introduction of new pests which could pose a threat to EU horticulture. Some of the intercepted pests attack salad crops such as tomatoes and cucumbers, and some carry viruses which can devastate these crops.
India is the largest single producer of mangoes, with over 70% of exports destined for the Middle East and about 12% for the UK. The most common methods for protecting consignments of mangoes from quarantine pests involve hot water treatment, irradiation (permitted by some countries) and vapour heat treatment. One of the problems, however, is the lack of facilities in India, with only a handful of approved irradiation and vapour heat treatment facilities in the country.
The ban also applies to aubergines, taro leaves and two types of gourd (bitter gourd – Momordica sp., and snake gourd – Trichosanthes sp.) imported from India.
A free text search of CAB Abstracts using the terms ‘mangoes quarantine pests’ results in over 200 records, which include studies on the effects of hot water treatment, irradiation and vapour heat treatment on fruit quality as well as effects on the quarantine pests.

New urban invasives report launched with CABI contributions

 

Highly invasive Japanese knotweed (Fallopia japonica) growing in High Wycombe, UK

 

Contributed by Esther Gerber, CABI Switzerland

Last week in Gland, Switzerland, a meeting was held on the threat of urban ecosystems titled ‘Invasive Alien species: the Urban Dimension.” During the meeting, a representative of the European Commission announced a series of upcoming regulations aimed to increase control and prevention of invasives and its damage on the continent. This announcement was further explained in an official press release outlining the new EU directive.

 

Prior to the meeting, a publication from the International Union on the Conversation of Nature (IUCN) was distributed which featured CABI’s work on Fallopia among its many other invasive alien species (IAS) projects. The work of CABI scientists provides key examples of the type of research which the new EU policies could aim to support- sustainable biocontrol solutions to manage the spread and damage of harmful species. New doors opened to research and implementation of these measures would further efforts to protect natural ecosystems and wildlife in rural and urban areas alike. IUCN informed attendees of the event that the publication on urban invasives was already picked up in Mark Kinver’s BBC news article.Click here to view the full report.

 

The rest of the meeting focused more specifically on the threat posed by invasives to urban ecosystems. It was attended by over 60 participants from regulators, researchers, and nature protection organizations, which included animal rights and wildlife trade groups such as the Born Free Foundation and the World Association of Zoos and Aquaria. The event was sponsored by Switzerland’s Federal Office for the Environment (BAFU) and the Deutsche Bundesstiftung Umwelt (DBU). Experts and stakeholders from fields relevant to invasive alien species (IAS) management covered a diverse range of topics appropriate for the group of attendees.

 

With the announcement of new regulations, events such as this one on urban invasives will continue to engage experts in the field, and offer platforms to exchange ideas for meeting this call to action. CABI, as a centre for research on invasives for over 100 years, will continue to be part of this conversation and present sustainable solutions to this dynamic and increasingly important EU environmental agenda. For more on CABI’s invasive work, click here: http://www.cabi.org/projects/subjects/invasive-species/

 

 

 

TV segment: Box tree moth population explodes in Jura

CABI's Dr Marc Kenis talks to television station Canal Alpha about the evolving threat of the box tree moth (Cydalima perspectalis) in the Swiss Jura region. Dr Kenis will hold a conference in Delemont on September 20th to discuss measures to control this threat.

"They have been found in Switzerland since 2007, and in Jura since 2010, but this year the population of caterpillars and their damage has exploded in the region. They are an insect from Asia that was probably brought here accidentally, but now they question the survival of the natural ecosystem."

Click here to watch the full video (in French).

How do you track a bee?

Blog contributed by Bettina Carter, Plant Protection Content Editor, CABI 

Our honey bees are dying in large numbers, and in an attempt to understand why, scientists at the Natural Resources Institute and Rothamsted have developed an ingenious monitoring system using a technique called harmonic radar entomology. This involves attaching tiny antennae to the bees' backs to monitor their flight path. In this rather delicate operation each antenna is stuck to the bee's thorax by hand using a strong adhesive. A signal is emitted by a portable radar tracking system which is picked up by a diode in the centre of the antenna on the bee's back. This signal is unique and allows researchers to track the exact flying path of the bees. Each signal translates into a blip on a radar screen. A computer programme then transforms the series of blips into a flight path.

CABI joins EU Action against the spread of Ragweed on the continent

In the largest COST Action to date, 34 EU countries have banned together to find a solution to stop Ragweed's spread on the continent. This invasive weed from North America, now one of the most common air-borne allergens in the EU, causes half of all asthma attacks in its regions, and costs the EU economy an estimated €4.5B a year. CABI will join a consortium of over 120 biologists, ecologists, economists, and medical experts to explore sustainable solutions. Top on the agenda, biological control, or using ragweed’s natural enemies to help stop its spread.

Read more

Attack of the 340 million propagule timebomb! Stories of Phytophthora

 

Welcome to a new monthly series called CABI Author Focus. Each month one of the many talented authors or editors of books published by CABI will be writing about an element of their research. This month Kurt Lamour, editor of Phytophthora: A Global Perspective, writes for us on his experiences of this plant-damagng pathogen. As well as Phytophthora, Kurt co-edited Oomycete Genetics and Genomics: Diversity, Interactions and Research Tool with Sophien Kamoun.

Potato famine! Starvation and emigration! For many folks the only Phytophthora they’ll ever hear of, albeit tangentially, is through tales of the infamous potato blight that occurred in mid-1800 Ireland.  I’ve often used the famine as a reference point to help answer questions concerning what it is I do for a living; although I’ve learned this conversational strategy can be tricky.

Multi-tasking plants for phytoremediation and bioenergy source

coppice willow photo courtesy of http://woodlands.co.uk

Some metals, such as zinc (Zn) and copper (Cu) are micronutrients needed in small amounts by plants, animals and humans alike, for optimum health. Others, such as cadmium (Cd), aluminium (Al) and lead (Pb) are not needed and can be toxic to humans, animals and ecosystems. Thankfully, there are plants called hyperaccumulators that can remove these metals from the soil and store them, usually in the vacuole, out of the way. The accumulated metal serves no apparent purposes to the plant, but some believe (e.g. Rascio and Navari-Izzo 2011) it serves as a defence against natural enemies, such as herbivores.

A green future? 3 experts give their views on the future of the world's forests

To mark International Day of Forests, we brought together three experts in the field to suggest their own thoughts on what lies ahead for forests. Below they offer their hopes, and fears, for these vital ecosystems in the years to come.

Looking to the trees of the future

Image courtesy of the Future Trees Trust

Whilst carrying out research for his latest book, Dr Peter Savill looked to the future of forestry in Britain and the challenges it faces.

One of the most immediate problems, widely discussed in the industry and in the media, is that of the recently introduced fungus Chalara fraxinea, which is expected to kill large numbers of ash trees in the country over the next 5 years. “Ash is the third most common broadleaved tree in Britain and probably the second most common in England, so the disease is going to have enormous effects; far greater than Dutch elm disease had in the 1970s” says Peter.

But what to do about it, and what to replace dead ash trees with, will present major silvicultural and logistical challenges. Other tree diseases are also on the horizon.

Peter is chairman of the Trustees of the Future Trees Trust, which promotes a sustainable long-term strategy for managing tree health by exploiting the high natural genetic diversity within tree species to develop resilient populations.

“Responses to ash dieback will, at least initially”, says Peter, “involve replacing the dead trees with other species. Fortunately, there are several that can be considered – sycamore and Norway maple, sweet chestnut, cherry, oak, lime, and possibly the wild service tree. However, in the longer term it is very likely that ash will return to our woods if breeding resistant populations proves possible and successful.”

The Silviculture of Trees Used in British Forestry (2nd edition) by Peter Savill is available from CABI, with a 10% online discount.

More of Peter’s publications:

Hemery, G.E., Clark, J.R., Aldinger, E., Claessens, H., Malvolti, M.E., O'Connor, E., Raftoyannis, Y., Savill, P.S. and Brus, R. (2010) Growing scattered broadleaved tree species in Europe in a changing climate: a review of risks and opportunities. Forestry (Oxford) 83(1), 65–81.

Russell, K. and Savill, P. (2010) The roles of tree breeding and silviculture in disease control. Quarterly Journal of Forestry 104 (3), 217–223.

Savill, P.S., Fennessy, J. and Samuel, C.J.A. (2005) Approaches in Great Britain and Ireland to the genetic improvement of broadleaved trees. Forestry (Oxford) 78(2), 163–173.

Savill, P.S., Spencer, R., Roberts, J.E. and Hubert, J.D. (1999) Sixth year results from four ash (Fraxinus excelsior) breeding seedling orchards. Silvae Genetica 48(2), 92–100.

Savill, P., Evans, J., Auclair, D. and Falck, J. (1997) Plantation Silviculture in Europe. Oxford University Press, Oxford, UK.

Ash dieback – where are we now?

Image courtesy of Fera

The spread of ash dieback in the UK hit the headlines last year bringing the issues of forest health to the fore (see Ash dieback hits British countryside. But what is the current status of the disease?

Much has been done since outbreak, a helpline has been set up and The Forestry Commission has been tracking the dieback and has recently published a map with 378 confirmed findings of the diseases (as of the 18^th Feb). In addition, a key scientific facts paper has been prepared by the expert group led by the government’s Chief Scientific Adviser, Sir John Beddington.

The Food and Environmenta Research Agency (Fera) has a  website with images of disease symptoms and also some videos of the brief history, life cycle and symptoms of Chalara (http://www.fera.defra.gov.uk/plants/plantHealth/pestsDiseases/chalaraInfo.cfm), and the UK Plant Sciences Federation has recently introduced a new website that collates the latest research information on ash dieback (http://treehealth.plantsci.org.uk/).

A great amount of information has been made available to the public to check for ash dieback, examples include The Ash Dieback Pocket Guide produced by the Woodland Trust, and a ‘how you can help’ page on the National Trust website (http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/what-we-do/big-issues/nature-and-outdoors/ash-dieback/).