It's sort of like

Monica Elliott of the U Florida explains a simple technique for teasing fungi such as Phytophthora out of diseased tissue. Oops! Did you spot the deliberate mistake? Phytophthora is no longer a fungus. It is now officially fungus-like. Great news when you're teaching agronomists what types of organisms cause disease. "We've just added a new group of pathogens."So when is a fungus not a fungus? When it's fungus-like.

I urge taxonomists to go further. I'd like to encourage the introduction of bacterium-like, virus-like and nematode-like. Even phytoplasma-like. We did have mycoplasma-like organisms at one time, so there is a precedent. Let's not stop with pathogens (and pathogen-like organisms) and have diseases that are blight-like, wilt-like and rot-like.

But there is a serious question here: how do you describe the symptoms shown above on chilli in Georgia. The plants are clearly diseased, with yellowing, decline and hints of a wilt. If I knew more about chillies I might have a better idea of what's happening. Could be anything, but it more closely resembles a virus. Let me know, like, if you can help.

Maiden century

I refer to blogs and not cricket, a sport that few Scots would get worked up about. So what goodies are there in store for blog 100? First, an unusual set of symptoms on Forsythia. See what you think: is this evidence of climate change in Dorset?

Back in August held a quality control course in Bolivia. This includes going to observe and analyse a clinic in action. I wandered round Los Negros and ended up with Agapito in his agrochemical shop. He very kindly agreed to an interview.

Listen to Raman Murthy of Biocontrol Research Laboratories in Bangalore explain his group's idea of a plant health(care) system. Then compare with another group's diagram shown in the photograph. I like the first group's thoughtful analysis of how people, services and skills link together. Lots of scope for improvement.

Oops, forgot to blog

Not quite. Got out of the habit. It's not difficult to write a few words every few days. Except other things get in the way. You open email and get depressed by the number of messages in your inbox. What's your target? Mine's over 100. I have about 35 folders, more sub-folders and make sure I file emails once dealt with. A colleague who shall be named (hi Dannie) had over 17 000 email in her inbox. I know because her Outlook account appeared on screen at a workshop. Oops!

Lots to briefly mention. Visit to Colombia and Bolivia in August, the first to catch up with colleagues and see what was happening with clinics and diseases. I got to visit a farm near Zipaquira and saw little leaf disease of orgegano. Watch the video. In September I returned to Uganda and North Kivu. More action from a successful trip: we trained 43 extension officers who work for ESCO Kivu srl in field diagnosis. What a marvellous venture: they've registered 6000 farmers for organic cocoa, of which 3000 are already supplying. There's hardly a development project in sight. Who needs them when a private company is doing such public good?

Meanwhile, Banana Xanthomonas Wilt (BXW) continues to exact a heavy loss on one of several key crops attacked by damaging disease. Coffee wilt was the first example, beginning in DRC in the 1990s. Then came cassava mosaic disease. BXW is the latest example - and you can see what it does in this video.

Just back from Bangalore where another enlightened company sponsored training. Biocontrol Research Laboratories (BCRL) are part of Pest Control (India). No, we haven't sold our souls to the devil. BCRL produce biopesticides. Dr Malvika Chaudhary describes one product used against soil fungi and nematodes in this video.

We held two pilot clinics: one in Yelahanka Farmers' Market and another in Byrapura, just north of the city.

We're in the Guardian

After many months of talking to journalists here in the UK, we finally managed to get an article on the Socadido plant health clinic on the Guardian website. I'm not sure if it will appear in the newspaper, but never mind. The oxygen of publicity. Love it. The success of this clinic is down to the hard work of local staff, such as George Oruka but in particular the efforts of Rob Reeder and the indefatigable Flavia Kabere. Flavia worries everyone into doing things, doggedly pursuing information and reports.

My own personal publicity assistant (my Mum) has also been scouring London for suitable outlets. A Colombian journalist turned up at CABI yesterday to ask what we were doing in Latin America. I asked Silvia Bargans how she'd heard of us and she said my mum had talked to her. In Foyles, where Christine works. My mum's also indefatigable. Nice word that, with a similar feel to 'discombobulated' (upset) or brouhaha.

The guitar is almost ready (yes, that's it here). Mike Vanden is finishing it off and I will be collecting it in a few weeks time from Strontian. Will I play less piano? No. But I will need to learn some more chords and phrasings. Getting a little stale.

In addition to the above videos, have a look a students on a recent plant doctor course in Butare, Rwanda. They're doing the ABC test, a useful tool for field diagnosis. Dannie Romney is, bravely, giving the introduction to the course to some latecomers. We had 57 people for a course that we usually restrict to 30 maximum.

Radio programmes on YouTube

It doesn't sound quite right, but have a look at some of these videos and see what you think. I like radio as an extension method. It reaches lots of people at low cost. But you've got to think about the types of messages you can get across. My mate Paul Van Mele is sending out carefully crafted videos explaining agricultural topics to farmers which radio presenters can watch and explain. Now that's a clever idea. There are not enough experts in the world to give everyone the gold-plated treatment. Why not use radio presenters? If they can't understand the message then it's probably not right for farmers.

I was going to write more but I got side-tracked (again) in trying to embed YouTube videos on Google Maps and now Google Earth. For the life of me I can't figure out why it's not working. Yet Nepali colleagues can do it! I can embed videos in this blog but that's about it. Grrr.

Radish answer and Major Tariq

Major Tariq (retd.) was leaving Ferozepur Rd market in his car when he saw the clinic sign. He stopped and got a 'beautiful solution'. Ask a simple question, point the camera and record what the clinic user says. Major Tariq was concerned about citrus, a veritable cornucopia of health problems. Tristeza, gummosis, greening disease, aphids and many other health problems. Radish should not be so difficult, or so we thought until the blackened inside appeared. This is caused by Peronospora parasitica, a downy mildew. I sent the photograph to Martin McPherson of Stockbridge House who instantly recognized the symptoms. 'If only all our problems were this easy to recognize,' Martin told me. If only downy mildews were better known perhaps I would have considered this option. Abiotic, Biotic or Confused? I was definitely confused. It always helps when you bring in samples.

Radish Conundrum

Ferozepur Road Market has melons, goats, donkey carts, lorries, loquats, bottle gourd and the odd radish with a black inside. Let me explain. Thursday last we descended on the market, the pioneering plant doctors of Pakistan ready to exercise their skills. Nothing prepares you fully for the range of problems that growers enquire about. So you've got to do a clinic to learn more about the nature of demand. Next time you'll be better prepared, and more knowledgeable about recommendations. It's more difficult than you think. What do you do about watermelon plants that have stopped flowering? And what's wrong with this radish? The video doesn't show the symptoms. You'll have to guess what's going on from the photograph.

First question: abiotic or biotic? Can't make up your mind? Then you're confused. Hence the ABC method for Field Diagnosis. Got to start somewhere and the world is short of radish experts. Answer in next blog entry.