Glyphosate: European Parliament to set up special committee
The decision follows concerns over an EU glyphosate risk assessment, with a special committee to assess potential failures and conflicts of interest of 30 members, over a nine-month term.
Xylella additional measures due to come into force
On 1 March, additional measures to try and control xylella will include annual inspections of production sites, plants to be sampled and tested before movement, suppliers and recipients must hold records for three years, additional inspections of host plants if they are imported from outside the EU, and more rapid demarcation of outbreak areas to [...]
What is being done to develop biocontrols against orchard pests?
The SIVAL horticultural trade show in Angers, France, this week (16-18 January) heard about several initiatives to promote more environmentally sustainable orchard growing.
Planting exotic pines "increases threat of needle blight to native trees" say researchers
Widespread planting of exotic pine trees for timber has introduced new races of fungi and raised the threat posed to native Scots pine from Dothistroma needle blight (DNB) in Scotland, according to new research.
Ball Horticultural make impatiens downy mildew breakthrough
Ball Horticultural Company and KeyGene have announced the complete genome sequence and assembly of Impatiens walleriana.
Dümmen Orange and Koppert launch pest management to produce chrysanthemum cuttings with minimal chemical use
Dümmen Orange and Koppert Biological Systems have launched an Integrated Pest Management (IPM) protocol called GreenGuard.
Research showed that beneficial nematodes can control agapanthus gall midge
The agapanthus gall midge causes serious economic damage to 400,000 container plants and 1.25 million cut flowers in the UK, according to Bionema.
Can buyers of Italian nursery stock be confident it is disease-free?
The bacterium Xylella fastidiosa is currently European horticulture's biggest phytosanitary worry, and nowhere more so than in Italy, whose sizeable nursery stock industry, centred on the Tuscan town of Pistoia, is largely dependent on exports - including, substantially, to the UK.
The year ahead
Kick off 2018 with our traditional annual bumper preview of the year ahead for the horticulture industry.
RHS act on xylella
The RHS is adopting six new principles that will guide its activity across gardens, shows and garden centres and is hiring three new senior staff who will oversee plant health issues.