Energy News  
FARM NEWS
Liberia threatened by new wave of crop-eating pests: FAO

Liberian army worms march into Guinea
Army worms that have already devastated Liberian crops entered neighbouring Guinea over the weekend, national radio announced Wednesday. Several villages in the Yomou region, some 1,200 kilometers to the southwest of the capital Conakry, were invaded by the insects. The army worms, a kind of caterpillars, can lay waste to an entire crop in a matter of days. "Urgent action is being taken to halt this pest which can endanger crops and destroy new shoots," the radio station said. "The ground, the vegetation is black with the caterpillars, we don't know how to deal with this. They devour everything on their path," a local agriculture official told AFP. Liberia on Monday declared a state of emergency with thousands of people affected by the invasion of the crop-destroying army worms. Authorities there say more than 53 towns and villages in Liberia have now been affected by the insects and warn that tens of thousands of Liberians face hunger due to the invasion.
by Staff Writers
 Monrovia (AFP) Jan 28, 2009
 The United Nations' Food and Agriculture Organization warned Wednesday that Liberia could soon face a second wave of crop-destroying caterpillars as the pests reproduce.

"We are at the stage where many of the pests are getting to the pupa stage. At this stage they go into the soil, they are there for about seven to 12 days, before the adults' moths will emerge," FAO spokesman Winfred Hammond told a press conference.

Adult moths can reproduce quickly and lay some 1,500 eggs within a week which can mature into the voracious caterpillars, known as army worms, in only a few days.

"The farming production for this year is at serious risk if we do not consider these factors and find a solution that will tackle the problem from the roots," Hammond said.

"The need may be more but we are preparing en emergency request of about 1.2 million dollars (912,000 euros)."

The FAO has brought two etymologists from Sierra Leone and Ghana who are experts on army worms in order to help Liberia prevent the pests from coming back.

The expert from Sierra Leone, Ibrahim Shamie, warned that a new infestation was inevitable.

"The second emergence will be devastating. We had the experience in Sierra Leone, in 1979, about 30 years ago," he said. "When the second emergence occurs, that will be the biggest population."

Liberia has declared a state of emergency and called on the international community to help it deal with the plague, but authorities said Wednesday that they had not received substantial financial help so far.

According to reports, the army worms have already passed into neighbouring Guinea.

Liberia's other neighbour, Sierra Leone, announced Monday it had started a massive drive sending chemicals and spraying personnel to the border districts to keep the invading insects at bay.

Share This Article With Planet Earth
del.icio.usdel.icio.us DiggDigg RedditReddit
YahooMyWebYahooMyWeb GoogleGoogle FacebookFacebook



Related Links
 Farming Today - Suppliers and Technology


Memory Foam Mattress Review
SPACE MEDIA NETWORK PROMOTIONS
 Solar Energy Solutions
Tempur-Pedic Mattress Comparison ...
Newsletters :: SpaceDaily :: SpaceWar :: TerraDaily :: Energy Daily
XML Feeds :: Space News :: Earth News :: War News :: Solar Energy News


FARM NEWS
New Insights Into A Leading Poultry Disease And Its Risks To Human Health
 Tempe AZ (SPX) Jan 29, 2009
 Biodesign Institute at Arizona State University associate research scientist Melha Mellata, a member of professor Roy Curtiss' team, is leading a USDA funded project to develop a vaccine against a leading poultry disease called avian pathogenic E. coli (APEC).






ENERGY TECH
  • Analysis: Mexico's Pemex production down
  • Analysis: Nabucco gets little more support
  • Analysis: Lower oil prices plague Nigeria
  • Geo-engineering 'useful' against climate change: study

    • CIVIL NUCLEAR
  • Progress Energy Nuclear Plants Set Generation Record In 2008
  • Union Leader Urges The Government To Push Ahead With Nuclear Energy
  • Nuclear Fusion-Fission Hybrid Could Contribute To Carbon-Free Energy Future
  • Siemens gives up stake in Areva

    • BLUE SKY
  • Science In The Stratosphere
  • Americans Owe Five Months Of Their Lives To Cleaner Air
  • Does Global Warming Lead To A Change In Upper Atmospheric Transport
  • Greenhouse gas emissions study released

    • WOOD PILE
  • Leftist groups meeting in Brazil call for Amazon protection
  • Congo must do more for forests: NGO
  • Tree Deaths Have Doubled Across The Western US
  • New Study Links Western Tree Mortality To Warming Temperatures, Water Stress

    • FARM NEWS
  • New Insights Into A Leading Poultry Disease And Its Risks To Human Health
  • Sorghum gene code could lead to drought-tolerant crops: study
  • Liberia threatened by new wave of crop-eating pests: FAO
  • EU map of alien plant invasions is created

    • CAR TECH
  • Development Center For Hybrid And Electric Vehicle Battery Systems
  • Toyota Eco-Friendly Dealerships Lead In Environmental Construction
  • Plan unveiled for electric car charging network in Denmark
  • Children, cell phones and traffic don't mix: study

    • AEROSPACE
  • New Turbines Can Cut Fuel Consumption For Business Jets
  • Air China expects to post 'significant loss' for 2008
  • Nations demand climate plan from air, maritime industries
  • Cathay defers completion of new cargo terminal due to downturn

    • NUCLEAR SPACE
  • Nuclear Power In Space - Part 2
  • Outside View: Nuclear future in space
  • Nuclear Power In Space

    • The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2007 - SpaceDaily.AFP and UPI Wire Stories are copyright Agence France-Presse and United Press International. ESA Portal Reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. Advertising does not imply endorsement,agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by SpaceDaily on any Web page published or hosted by SpaceDaily. Privacy Statement