CABI

About: CABI is a nonprofit organization based out in Wallingford, United Kingdom. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Population & Introduced species. The organization has 789 authors who have published 1759 publications receiving 73843 citations. The organization is also known as: Centre for Biosciences and Agriculture International.

Tapping the full potential of the digital revolution for agricultural extension: an emerging innovation agenda

Abstract: Agricultural extension in the Global South can benefit greatly from the use of modern information and communication technologies (ICT). Yet, despite two decades of promising experiences, this poten...

Natural enemies of cerambycidae and buprestidae infesting living trees

Abstract: Several species of Cerambycidae are known to attack living trees in Europe. Conifers are attacked by Tetropium castaneum L., T. fuscum F., T. gabrieli Weise, Arhopalus rusticus (L.), Monochamus galloprovincialis (Olivier), M. sartor (F.) and M. sutor (L.). Broadleaved trees are damaged by Saperda populnea (L.), S. carcharias (L.), Lamia textor (L.), Cerambyx cerdo L. and C. velutinus Brulle. Among Buprestidae, the following European species are associated with living trees: Agrilus angustulus (Illiger), A. biguttatus (F.) (= pannonicus Piller and Mitterpacher), A. populneus Schaeffer (= suvorovi Obenberger), A. viridis (L.), Coraebus florentinus (Herbst), Coraebus undatus (F.), and Melanophila picta Pallas on broad-leave trees, and Phaenops cyanea (F.) on conifers. Although many studies have investigated various aspects of the biology, ecology, damage and control of these insects, the information on their natural enemies is surprisingly limited. Hardly anything is known of their associated pathogens and nematodes, and knowledge of predators is usually limited to nonquantified observations. Parasitoids have received more attention, particularly in a few target host species, e.g. Tetropium spp., Saperda spp. and A. viridis. However, most of these studies are old, often incomplete, and confined to a limited geographic area. Other species (e.g. Monochamus spp, L. textor, Cerambyx spp., C. undatus, M. picta, A. angustulus), have never been the target of specific studies. In most cases, information on parasitoids is restricted to unreliable host-parasitoid records in catalogues or taxonomic books. Tables 1-3 list most species mentioned as parasitoids in the literature in Europe. A preliminary sorting has been made in the tables to separate dubious records from reliable data, but this list probably still contains numerous errors.

Characterization of phytoplasmas detected in Chinaberry trees with symptoms of leaf yellowing and decline in Bolivia

Abstract: Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assays were used to detect phytoplasmas in foliage samples from Chinaberry (Melia azedarach) trees displaying symptoms of yellowing, little leaf and dieback in Bolivia. A ribosomal coding nuclear DNA (rDNA) product (1·8 kb) was amplified from one or more samples from seven of 17 affected trees by PCR employing phytoplasma-universal rRNA primer pair P1/P7. When P1/P7 products were reamplified using nested rRNA primer pair R16F2n/R16R2, phytoplasmas were detected in at least one sample from 13 of 17 trees with symptoms. Restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) analysis of P1/P7 products indicated that trees CbY1 and CbY17 harboured Mexican periwinkle virescence (16SrXIII)-group and X-disease (16SrIII)-group phytoplasmas, respectively. Identification of two different phytoplasma types was supported by reamplification of P1/P7 products by nested PCR employing X-disease-group-specific rRNA primer pair R16mF2/WXint or stolbur-group-related primer pair fSTOL/rSTOL. These assays selectively amplified rDNA products of 1656 and 579 bp from nine and five trees with symptoms, respectively, of which two trees were coinfected with both phytoplasma types. Phylogenetic analysis of 16S rDNA sequences revealed Chinaberry yellows phytoplasma strain CbY17 to be most similar to the chayote witches’-broom (ChWBIII-Ch10) agent, a previously classified 16SrIII-J subgroup phytoplasma. Strain CbY1 resembled the Mexican periwinkle virescence phytoplasma, a 16SrXIII-group member. The latter strain varied from all known phytoplasmas composing group 16SrXIII. On this basis, strain CbY1 was assigned to a new subgroup, 16SrXIII-C.