Plant Health Archives - Page 14 of 15

Burundi holds sensitization workshop on aflatoxin

A workshop to sensitize stakeholders and partners on the status and effects of aflatoxin in Burundi was jointly organized by Institut des Sciences Agronomiques du Burundi (ISABU) and IITA on 4 May at the King’s Conference Centre in Bujumbura. The event was officially opened by Séverin Bagorikunda, the Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Agriculture…

Picture of DDG Kenton Dashiell cuts the ribbon to launch the new AgResults Aflasafe laboratory at the Business Incubation Platform, Ibadan

IITA launches state of the art AgResults-Aflasafe laboratory at the BIP

The AgResults-Aflasafe laboratory built exclusively for the study of aflatoxin in Africa was officially launched on 6 May by Kenton Dashiell, Deputy Director General for Partnership and Capacity Development. The foundation brick of this lab was laid by IITA Director General Nteranya Sanginga on 24 March 2015. The AgResults-Aflasafe project works with private and public…

Picture of Ranajit Bandyopadhyay (right) explains Aflasafe production to KALRO management team

IITA to partner with KALRO to produce Aflasafe in Kenya

The top management of the Kenyan Agricultural and Livestock Research Organization (KALRO) paid an official visit to IITA-Ibadan, Nigeria, to learn first-hand about IITA’s work on aflatoxin research in Africa, discuss the modalities of operationalizing production of AflasafeTM in a modular manufacturing plant that is currently being constructed by IITA for KALRO in Katumani, Kenya,…

Picture of Virologist Lava Kumar, project lead, explains the importance of the CDS platform

IITA and NAQS pilot digital Cassava Disease Surveillance platform

IITA has launched a digital surveillance platform called Cassava Disease Surveillance (CDS) to facilitate cassava disease surveillance in Nigeria. “The CDS is a virtual network for rapid diagnosis of cassava diseases, communication, and coordinated deployment of emergency response,” said Lava Kumar, IITA Virologist and lead investigator of the CDS project. This interactive program—accessible through any…

Picture of Farmers during the field day.

Farmers’ field day demonstrates use of fertilizer and AflasafeTM technologies to revive groundnut production

IITA and the Agricultural Research Institute (ARI)-Makutupora organized a farmers’ field day in Kongwa District, Dodoma Region, Tanzania to create awareness on improved farming methods to increase groundnut production in the region. Kongwa District is among the top producers of groundnut in the country; however, its production is being threatened by climate change and aflatoxin…

Picture of Baijukya giving a briefing on the long-term trials

What are the long-term effects of fertilizers and inoculants? N2Africa project tries to find out

“We are asking farmers to use inoculants and fertilizers while growing their soybean. We know some of the applied nutrients such as P and K remain in the soil as not all is taken up by the crop. We also ask farmers to rotate soybean and other crops such as maize and they also use…

Picture of USAID delegation visiting the aflasafe and BIP facilities in Ibadan, Nigeria with IITA staff.

USAID delegation visits Aflasafe project at IITA-Ibadan

A delegation of three from the US Agency for International Development (USAID), IITA’s foremost donor and co-funding agency of the AgResults Aflasafe pilot project, recently concluded a field visit to IITA-Ibadan to better understand the Project and the planned Africa-wide commercialization of Aflasafe™. The one-day visit, which took place on 4 February, comprised a briefing…

Picture of large population of B. tabaci adults feeding on the underside of a young cassava leaf

Researchers on one of the world’s most destructive agricultural pests, whitefly, converge in Arusha, Tanzania

The 2nd International Whitefly Symposium (IWS2) is taking place in Arusha, Tanzania, this week, 14-19 February. It has brought together more than a hundred scientists from all over the world to discuss one of the world’s most destructive agricultural pests, the whitefly. In sub-Saharan Africa, whiteflies are a key threat to food security and efforts…

Stakeholders at Kongwa prepare to be shown how to apply the aflasafe in the field.

IITA builds capacity of staff and partners in Tanzania on aflatoxin control

IITA recently trained its staff, partners, and farmers in Kongwa District, Tanzania, on how to control aflatoxin using Aflasafe, an effective and safe biological control product developed by researchers at the Institute and partners. Kongwa is a major maize and groundnut growing and consuming area. Both are important basic ingredients in complementary weaning foods in…

Team at IITA Tanzania preparing the Aflasafe in the laboratory.

IITA supports Tanzania, Malawi, and Mozambique in developing Aflasafe to reduce aflatoxin contamination

IITA has produced and dispatched over 10 tons of experimental biological control products (Aflasafe), which will be tested in field trials for their efficacy to reduce aflatoxin contamination in three countries in Eastern and Southern Africa. The production took place at IITA’s research facilities in Tanzania. This is part of the Institute’s efforts to develop…