tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11301787506109756192012-01-05T17:05:03.224-08:00BSPP webmanagerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13359360083258737595noreply@blogger.comBlogger1031100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1130178750610975619.post-31612267712488513752010-07-26T15:24:00.000-07:002010-07-26T15:55:15.289-07:00

Jeff has added several entries to the new blog: read about the agriculture of Machu Picchu (you get to see it even if you're not interested) and Catching Fire, a new book. I'm just back from Pakistan and Sri Lanka. Pretty damn hot in Islamabad, though fortunately not so humid. I can bear 43oC with some equanimity provided the air's not that wet. In Bangladesh at 33oC and higher humidity you

Eric Boahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07181657425555493299noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1130178750610975619.post-34905105410594288092010-07-11T14:56:00.000-07:002010-07-11T15:32:01.178-07:00

I haven't managed a single entry in over six months. That tells you something about other things that have got in the way. How do people keep blogs going? Is someone paying them? Is it fame? Infamy? Bigamy? Pygmy? Or simply a love of words. A bit of everything I suspect. Book deals there are none. And the Blessed Foundation from the Pacific NorthWest has yet to bite. But they may still.OK,

Eric Boahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07181657425555493299noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1130178750610975619.post-27167412489444962832009-12-21T15:11:00.000-08:002009-12-21T16:24:56.438-08:00

Poor old Simon Cowell. He's made so much money from pandering to base instincts that there was bound to be a backlash. Best known for musical talent shows, I can now reveal that Simon is planning a new show. The Impact Factor (IF) will pitch the talents of research scientists against each other, with promises of prizes and professorships. Many are keen to take part, but there's only room for a

Eric Boahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07181657425555493299noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1130178750610975619.post-70810409037310102352009-12-14T15:18:00.000-08:002009-12-14T15:58:39.318-08:00

I was pleased to learn that Paul Vincelli and Rob Wick both carry guitars when they go to conferences. My kind of plant pathologist! I met them at the National Plant Diagnostic Network second national meeting last week, having been kindly invited by Jim Stack. The NPDN is an impressive organisation, bringing together 62 labs across the country. Prior to 2001 they sort of linked together (but not

Eric Boahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07181657425555493299noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1130178750610975619.post-60709593924247741542009-11-26T13:58:00.000-08:002009-11-26T15:13:48.957-08:00

Not the mythical journey to Homer's island (Ithaka), but a real life treck to upstate New York and the home of Cornell University. I was visiting with Rebecca Nelson, who helps to manage programs sponsored by the McKnight Foundation, and meeting with people who work in international development. I also had the pleasure of meeting Per Pinstrup Andersen, a notable (great) Dane who won the World

Eric Boahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07181657425555493299noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1130178750610975619.post-26168898192388723182009-11-13T18:14:00.000-08:002009-11-14T14:11:09.656-08:00

I say this because the politics of Nicaragua are intimately involved with work. Scientists and extensionists are affected (afflicted?) by their perceived allegiances, and it seems never more so than today. It's a sad reflection on the struggle to create a fairer society. Revolution today means endless revolving doors for political groups. Should allegiances determine who wins and who loses?But

Eric Boahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07181657425555493299noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1130178750610975619.post-3332825850404652402009-11-11T13:55:00.000-08:002009-11-11T14:07:36.533-08:00

The Guardian Quick Crossword usually starts with simple clues then trips you up with some 16th century Italian painter you couldn't possibly have heard of. But there is at least one fiendishly difficult setter, and he or she has been on for the last few days. I got there eventually with 'in opposition to' the last clue: not contra, or against (too many letters) but versus. Scut was a hare's tail

Eric Boahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07181657425555493299noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1130178750610975619.post-296453205210460562009-11-09T14:35:00.000-08:002009-11-09T14:47:17.315-08:00

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?

Eric Boahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07181657425555493299noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1130178750610975619.post-41026070366038518082009-11-08T12:23:00.001-08:002009-11-08T12:31:41.813-08:00

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

Eric Boahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07181657425555493299noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1130178750610975619.post-12359366683291402272009-11-07T08:59:00.000-08:002009-11-07T11:40:47.505-08:00

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

Eric Boahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07181657425555493299noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1130178750610975619.post-51659193369977542852009-05-20T14:57:00.000-07:002009-05-20T15:38:18.479-07:00

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

Eric Boahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07181657425555493299noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1130178750610975619.post-22396347807955413992009-05-06T12:23:00.000-07:002009-05-06T15:51:41.404-07:00

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

Eric Boahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07181657425555493299noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1130178750610975619.post-51528950074830795192009-04-27T02:49:00.000-07:002009-04-27T03:33:39.557-07:00

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

Eric Boahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07181657425555493299noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1130178750610975619.post-61600092307241778832009-04-26T01:25:00.000-07:002009-04-26T03:59:56.462-07:00

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

Eric Boahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07181657425555493299noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1130178750610975619.post-62186763657364052962009-04-16T10:05:00.000-07:002009-04-16T12:28:52.048-07:00

Pleasant avenues, charming people and even a hint of virus symptoms on vegetables. My first day's impression of Lahore will expand over the next week and a half so await further developments. Impressions of violence and disorder are always magnified in news report though there's no doubt that mayhem is an underlying threat. Still, lots of things to do: plant doctor course next week and workshop

Eric Boahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07181657425555493299noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1130178750610975619.post-37818988934189877582009-03-24T03:59:00.001-07:002009-03-24T10:33:03.083-07:00

The latest book on failing development projects has been published. This time the author is Zambian and female but some things never change: she's another economist. While I'm converted to the robust analyses that economists make, I'm still sceptical about the conclusions they reach. And it's getting a little wearisome to read yet another downer on development.It started recently with the White

Eric Boahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07181657425555493299noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1130178750610975619.post-29984789229586027452009-01-21T14:56:00.000-08:002009-01-21T15:26:04.306-08:00

I'd never heard of this phrase 'Farmer First' until people started using it regularly in the 1990s. It denoted a different approach to studying agriculture. Production isimportant but so are the people who produced it. I'm looking for a link here to explain Farmer First simply but can't find anything in Wikipedia or similar. If you want to buy the book (it's well written, which makes a change for

Eric Boahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07181657425555493299noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1130178750610975619.post-33720343718308188482009-01-19T14:45:00.000-08:002009-01-19T15:15:39.746-08:00

Masterchef has it's own brilliant recipe. Take six aspiring cooks who want to 'open a restaurant' then put them in a kitchen and get them to cook from the same ingredients. Judge the results and select three who can then chose two dishes. All contestants are keen amateurs who apparently relish the hellhouse that is a professional restaurant. You don't believe me? Read Heat by Bill Buford or

Eric Boahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07181657425555493299noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1130178750610975619.post-7001046457532617062009-01-13T15:18:00.000-08:002009-01-13T16:01:21.320-08:00

Christmas loses its charm without children. I started to get fed up with listening to the same songs some years ago and with the enforced jollity of buying presents. The list of Christmas cards to send got longer and being out of the country until the week before in previous years didn't help get ready for the end of year. This year I got back two weeks before Christmas and was able to gently

Eric Boahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07181657425555493299noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1130178750610975619.post-57692832119938954682008-12-19T13:04:00.000-08:002008-12-19T13:32:01.629-08:00

Rob Reeder and I went to see Jo today, to review the video material of clinics, training and surveillance from October. All eight hours of it, but compressed into half this time as we fast forwarded through the scenic parts. We stopped to listen to the interviews and to discuss how we're going to present the information.The filming/videoing (never quite sure what to call it) was completed over a

Eric Boahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07181657425555493299noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1130178750610975619.post-64971224556382408892008-12-18T16:09:00.001-08:002008-12-19T00:50:36.169-08:00

The hills around Besishahar look steep but not that steep. Rob, Raj, Bed and myself headed out for a Saturday walk. Saturday is day off in Nepal. Sunday back to work. My legs felt fine all the way up and all the way back down. After two hours we'd got to the Hindu temple, about 800m above Besishahar.The views were astounding and I had the wonderful feeling of climbed closer to the sky. Annapurna

Eric Boahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07181657425555493299noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1130178750610975619.post-42276202971583709362008-12-17T14:42:00.000-08:002009-01-21T15:28:00.213-08:00

Besishahar is northwest-ish from Kathmandu. Five hours by car and probably twice as long by bus. December is a good time to visit Nepal. You can see the mountains clearly, though not as clear as September through November, when the monsoon has cleared all that dust out of the air.Rob Harling arrived a few days before me, at the beginning of December. We headed off on Thursday to Besi and to meet

Eric Boahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07181657425555493299noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1130178750610975619.post-6083858718442086992008-11-28T15:27:00.000-08:002008-11-28T16:07:09.959-08:00

I was due to go to Mumbai on Sunday. In October I visited North Kivu and in September I was in Georgia. So far Nepal is quite and I hope no one mentions too loudly that I will be arriving on Wednesday to run a course and help World Vision set up plant health clinics.It's been a long gap since my faithful reader (my sister) saw anything appear here. That's because I've been writing the Big

Eric Boahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07181657425555493299noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1130178750610975619.post-63885282109657412062008-09-22T01:14:00.000-07:002008-09-22T01:46:37.786-07:00

All the international flights arrive here in the morning. Very early. If you take British Midland from Heathrow the arrival is 0130. The others come in closer to 0400. So the roads were always going to be calm, with those empty spaces that seem typical of Soviet-style building. Big square in the centre of town, broad avenues and, as I said, warm.I'm not used to warm in Eastern Europe. It wasn't

Eric Boahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07181657425555493299noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1130178750610975619.post-52945613661343754542008-08-02T05:32:00.000-07:002008-08-02T05:55:22.499-07:00

I came across the Dictionary of Fungi when I was a PhD student. The detailed yet concise information on genera I'd never heard of, people I didn't know (there were mini-biogs of key mycologists) and terms I didn't understand created a strong impression. It was around this time that I thought about coming a taxonomist. Soon after the encounter with Ainsworth and Bisby's masterpiece - then in it's

Eric Boahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07181657425555493299noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1130178750610975619.post-67835747832434850602008-07-25T13:56:00.000-07:002008-07-25T14:15:28.190-07:00

I was watching School of Rock with my wee son and he said the headmistress was played by Joan Cusack. I scoffed. No way that's Joan Cusack. She's the lady who played opposite Matt Damon in the Bourne Ultimatum. I offered a bet of £5 and Duncan refused, though he still maintained it was Joan Cusack. He was right. The Bourne Ultimatum lady is Joan Allen.I did a similar thing with my younger brother

Eric Boahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07181657425555493299noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1130178750610975619.post-39612752034260490002008-07-23T16:12:00.000-07:002008-07-29T04:35:09.411-07:00

Many thanks to Vincent Corver and Christine Corver of Lucerne Pianos. I get an urge to go into piano shops and it becomes unstoppable when I see gorgeous Bechsteins on display. I was brought up on an upright Bechstein, little realising how wonderful this was until I started to compare it with other pianos. Nothing came close until I got he sneaky chance to play a Steinway in the Grand Hall of

Eric Boahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07181657425555493299noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1130178750610975619.post-65013828734058812422008-07-21T15:11:00.000-07:002008-07-22T04:23:27.495-07:00

Furenalp is almost vertically above Engelberg, a small and charming town south of Zurich. I didn't know my Alps before. Now I've got a better idea. The small train climbs what appears to be an impossible slope then levels off in the valley where Engelberg nestles. Just beyond the town, and within easy walking distance (unless you're an innovations workshop from CABI) is a cable car. It goes

Eric Boahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07181657425555493299noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1130178750610975619.post-71643076874570173122008-07-10T15:57:00.000-07:002008-07-11T03:16:23.265-07:00

The 1830 comedy spot on Radio 4 is a bit hit or miss. But when it hits (Trevor's World of Sport; Ed Reardon's diary) it goes BANG. Give Fags, Mags and Bags a try. It's set in a corner shop in Lenzie, run by an Indian brought up in Scotland. The Wall of Crisps ... well, listen to the latest episode and find out. Do chicken crisps taste of chicken?I made a photosheet for Fruit and Nut Blight of

Eric Boahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07181657425555493299noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1130178750610975619.post-13154994514016935822008-07-08T15:43:00.000-07:002008-07-09T09:02:50.329-07:00

This may sound surprising, since previously Italy had held the record for being the only European power to lose against an African army (Eritrea/Ethiopia). Germany lost several countries after the Second World War."And, loyal subjects. to the victor go all the spoils, including Tanganyika." Nothing that strange of course since there used to be a healthy trade in countries. USA bought Alaska,

Eric Boahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07181657425555493299noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1130178750610975619.post-19400671321902052542008-07-02T15:52:00.000-07:002008-07-03T06:03:56.936-07:00

That's funny: I just composed an entry and Bloodyblogger decided a) not to publish it and b) not save a draft. So I'm starting again. Not so funny after all.Whatever musical abilities I have began with my mum. So it's right and proper that she gets her own video link. Enjoy this rollicking version of something rag (can't remember), played on the lovely Broadwood (see photo) in Clipston. It's in C

Eric Boahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07181657425555493299noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1130178750610975619.post-35636455527306960552008-06-28T16:42:00.000-07:002008-06-28T16:52:37.258-07:00

This marvellous video is from Bangladesh and was captured by Jeff Bentley. It's a message in a bottle, or rather song and dance. The dancer captures the attention: lithe, attractive, energetic and rather tiny. The extension message is about IPM, using natural enemies and relying less (or not at all) on chemicals.In the background is a pre-Windows version of Powerpoint. I love the drawings and the

Eric Boahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07181657425555493299noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1130178750610975619.post-13959793625541948102008-06-27T01:10:00.000-07:002008-06-27T01:25:04.077-07:00

You may not have heard of these, but they're a little marvel. This video is in French, but you should get the gist of what Ferdinand Ngezahayo is saying. Look out for the farmer with the T shirt saying Gagnez millions (win millions). It's common to find bizarre designs in the remotest spots. This is south of Bujumbura in Burundi.An FTA card allows you to squash plant material and therefore carry

Eric Boahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07181657425555493299noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1130178750610975619.post-31381482009369462432008-06-25T16:14:00.000-07:002008-06-27T01:10:47.268-07:00

I thought the MB looked a bit tatty on the outside and wondered who would be interested in a seven year old German car. Over 50 phone calls later and now I know. The advert was taken off the Autotrader website as soon as it was sold. But the print ad is stil there for everyone to read. I've been getting phone calls from some strange places and more accents than I thought existed.Mobile rings.

Eric Boahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07181657425555493299noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1130178750610975619.post-18942959605969188732008-06-17T15:46:00.000-07:002008-06-18T01:37:19.704-07:00

I'm working my way through all the data that the plant health clinics have collected in the last few years. Shamie in Sierra Leone has got the government to agree to run them and they're rolling them out now. Eventually Sierra Leone will have 14 clinics. Terrific stuff.Back to the crucial data. What I've got is a bit of a hotch-potch. Some clinics record detail well, while others are poor. We've

Eric Boahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07181657425555493299noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1130178750610975619.post-40358094327647999832008-06-13T16:12:00.000-07:002008-06-14T02:24:51.528-07:00

There is now a Global Plant Clinic YouTube site, which David, Tim and Phil have kindly linked to from the official CABI blog. Good on them. We talked this week about writing on the web, which as soon as I've read it sounds deadly dull. So I won't go on for too long. The gist of it was that the lousy formatting tools provided by blogger (Google software) can be ignored if you use LiveWriter.

Eric Boahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07181657425555493299noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1130178750610975619.post-21417022717717612502008-05-19T13:13:00.000-07:002008-05-19T13:55:49.871-07:00

I was thinking of doing this for some and finally succumbed. I've created a page for the Global Plant Clinic and left it to be edited and added to by anyone. Have a look. It doesn't look particularly exciting at the moment since I've got to wait four days before I can upload photos. Entering the text is straightforward but for someone not use to HTML (or the Wikipedia version) you have to learn a

Eric Boahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07181657425555493299noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1130178750610975619.post-62631256598043671392008-05-07T16:20:00.000-07:002008-05-07T16:38:30.750-07:00

I'm listening to Chick Corea and Gary Burton from The New Crystal Silence and it's rather late. The Sennheisers are plugged into the Dell and the sound is bloody fantastic for good old iTunes and the MP3 file. (Confession: I copied this legally from the CD.)There's a moment in Brahms Requiem when a ripple goes down my spine. I know when it's coming, I've heard it many times and each new time it

Eric Boahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07181657425555493299noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1130178750610975619.post-15422265218311249242008-05-06T14:54:00.000-07:002008-05-06T15:33:48.947-07:00

Counting the hits in YouTube is dangerously addictive. There are now 45 short videos available at 'ericboa', from teaching people how to do a field diagnosis in Bangladesh (please watch this - it's near the bottom of the list) to handling samples for phytoplasma analysis. Ericka blue gloves has been the biggest success so far with over 600 hits. Amazing to find how many hard-core phytoplasma fans

Eric Boahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07181657425555493299noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1130178750610975619.post-7431068062226206212008-05-04T15:24:00.000-07:002008-05-04T16:41:26.410-07:00

People don't normally sing the national anthem at the end of a course. This rendition of the Congo national anthem, by school pupils in Butembo, was very touching. I'm about to write a short account of our work in DRC and wanted to counteract the relentlessly negative news that characterizes this country. Particularly in the east, where a mess of militia has created mayhem for so many. The three

Eric Boahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07181657425555493299noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1130178750610975619.post-87540502775230310232008-05-01T15:51:00.000-07:002008-05-01T16:22:58.310-07:00

I was 11 when Heart of Midlothian got to the Scottish League Cup and heartbroken because I couldn't attend the final, against Rangers. My cold and streaming nose seemed to affect both sides. They drew. My father and I sat in the stand as Rangers won the replay (2-0 I think) and I burst into tears. The Rangers fan next to me said 'don't worry, they'll win the next time'. He gave me half a crown

Eric Boahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07181657425555493299noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1130178750610975619.post-81257462460123542212008-04-24T00:54:00.000-07:002008-04-29T03:13:08.191-07:00

It wasn't that difficult. Change one US dollar and get the amazing amount of 80 million Zimbabwe dollars. Spend it quick, however, since the money has an expiry date. Buy a wheelbarrow so you can go shopping - that's if there's anything to buy.The border post between Zimbawe and Zambia at Chirundu was remarkably quiet yesterday. I sort of expected a greater throng of people leaving ... I was

Eric Boahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07181657425555493299noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1130178750610975619.post-54126489016709419432008-04-20T22:17:00.000-07:002008-04-20T22:42:44.392-07:00

This was a first for me. Fireworks but no flashes in the sky. Rat-a-tat-tat but not a catherine wheel in sight. This all happened as we sat in the Cirque Nautique, next to Lake Tanganyika, on the edge of Bujumbura, last Thursday. For more about what really happened, read here. Yes, it sounds serious, but I wasn't that worried at the time. And next day all appeared calm. Still, people suffered and

Eric Boahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07181657425555493299noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1130178750610975619.post-46902500942098472532008-04-16T13:51:00.000-07:002008-04-26T23:49:52.583-07:00

That's the order of eating when Fen, Jules, Komi and myself sit by the lake (Tanganyika) these balmy evenings. The Primus beer is fine and there are no kupu-kupu malam around. I always liked the Indonesia euphemism (it means 'night-time butterflies'). Fen's fish tonight wasn't so good. Last night was much better, though we waited hours for the food. And I got green paint on my trousers. How did

Eric Boahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07181657425555493299noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1130178750610975619.post-82975204953335904582008-04-15T13:41:00.000-07:002008-04-15T14:59:12.914-07:00

This is not a joke. Well, it is, actually. What I meant to say was that painted cloth, like the example on the right, is commonly used in parts of West Africa. Eric Boa, Native Doctor is perhaps not the career that I will eventually take up, but I do have the poster should I ever decide to start selling medicinal plants on the road.Rob Harling has just been to Sierra Leone, working with Shamie

Eric Boahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07181657425555493299noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1130178750610975619.post-31987180737530625992008-04-15T00:57:00.000-07:002008-04-15T01:01:20.458-07:00

A couple of posts ago, Eric was musing on how many people were actually reading his blog. It's a shame that few people have made comments but certainly many of my colleagues read Eric's informative and colourful entries. I also installed some Google Analytics code recently and can report that the blog receives some 200 visitors a month. Nice one Eric ! The search is still on for a new blogger

BSPP webmanagerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13359360083258737595noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1130178750610975619.post-29062520994150119822008-04-05T15:28:00.000-07:002008-04-05T15:53:22.892-07:00

After we finished the plant doctor course in Huancayo, in February, Pablo and I talked with Rosario about running a Posta para Plantas. She said she was going to do this when she got back to work. And now she has. Marvellous.Why so? Because in development it's what people do that matters most. All the best knowledge in the world and technological advances will achieve nothing if people don't

Eric Boahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07181657425555493299noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1130178750610975619.post-77315255741101659352008-04-04T15:00:00.001-07:002008-04-04T16:06:20.547-07:00

There are two Eric Boa's that I know of. The other one plays in a Blues Band, is American and black. There are many John Stonehouses, but the one most people know is the Labour politician who famously disappeared on a beach. Reggie Perrin started it all, but he was fictional, a character created by the wonderful David Nobbs.The best John Stonehouse was an historian and entomologist. I first met

Eric Boahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07181657425555493299noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1130178750610975619.post-79675192726143780332008-03-31T16:07:00.000-07:002008-03-31T16:48:19.413-07:00

It can't have escaped your notice that the Gates Foundation (or the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, to give it it's full name) has become a prominent player in supporting science as well as development. It all began, I'm told with an interest in human health, stimulated by the World Bank's annual development reports. Investing in Health was the title of the 1993 opus. The burden of ill-health

Eric Boahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07181657425555493299noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1130178750610975619.post-591704099570050442008-03-26T17:09:00.000-07:002008-03-26T17:43:35.213-07:00

When I started writing last year I sort of imagined that there would be an interchange of ideas and comments. This is the 54th entry and nearing the end - sometime later this year I'll hand over the blog-baton to someone else. I've tried to cover a lot of topics to widen the scope for feedback, but so far there has been less then 10 comments. [The photo shows urban agriculture viewed from

Eric Boahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07181657425555493299noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1130178750610975619.post-49285491043480121182008-03-06T15:12:00.000-08:002008-03-07T10:04:07.891-08:00

The alfalfa has given a positive for phytoplasmas. So thanks to Ericka in the charming blue gloves for her diligence, and Nigel too. Ericka and Nigel also got a positive (for phytoplasma) from the clover growing at the edge of Moises' field. Always look around to see if there's anything unusual happening in border plants or weeds.But nothing from the lupin. Darn. Doesn't it look like a

Eric Boahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07181657425555493299noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1130178750610975619.post-2133428793719948812008-03-03T13:21:00.000-08:002008-03-03T13:59:59.837-08:00

I listened to myself describe Melia yellows in India - a video from a previous entry. Only a plant pathologist could get excited by disease, and only a very strange pathologist could get routinely excited by a phytoplasma. But the leaf formations are extrordinary and for me a thing of some wonder.Take a look at maize or corn stunt, a widespread phytoplasma disease in Central and South America.

Eric Boahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07181657425555493299noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1130178750610975619.post-34922766422307575422008-02-19T20:08:00.000-08:002008-02-19T20:20:45.672-08:00

Growing at 3400 masl. Behind the CIP experimental station here in Huancayo. Peru. I mention them since we in the UK perhaps don't think of lupins as a crop. Yet there they were, in serried ranks, catching my attention because there were some suspiciously yellow and stunted individuals. I shall go and look tomorrow, day two of module 1.CIP staff have been tremendously helpful. Jenny, the

Eric Boahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07181657425555493299noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1130178750610975619.post-67349234875879184632008-01-28T15:14:00.000-08:002008-01-28T15:34:40.853-08:00

John Gibbs, a kind and expert forest pathologist who worked for the Forestry Commission, is not the sort of person you imagine being stopped by police on country roads. Although I wasn't with him at the time, I imagine the following conversation:PC Plod: Excuse me sir, we have observed you wandering and gazing everywhere but on the road ahead. Have you been drinking, sir?JB: I'm been looking for

Eric Boahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07181657425555493299noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1130178750610975619.post-57191948218154785482008-01-20T14:59:00.000-08:002008-01-22T07:26:08.950-08:00

I attended a meeting of the Tropical Agriculture Association on Friday, where we discussed how to lobby the government. The acronyms flew thick and fast but the outcome was surprisingly useful. I say 'surprisingly', since discussions about policy often appear remote and removed from everyday events. That could explain why scientists are poor at getting the attention of politicians, and that when

Eric Boahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07181657425555493299noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1130178750610975619.post-13005730429261802342008-01-16T15:43:00.000-08:002008-01-16T16:26:00.119-08:00

I'll put the video in first before getting to the main story. There is a tenous link (Bengal) but the main reason for showing this video is to reveal a common Bangladeshi reply when answering a mobile phone: ' I'm on a rickshaw'. The illustration is of mango malformation, photographed at RDA in Bogra. Fusarium is the cause.OK, on with the famine story. Agrios lists a number of key diseases which

Eric Boahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07181657425555493299noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1130178750610975619.post-12073735808055219562008-01-12T15:33:00.000-08:002008-01-12T15:53:09.323-08:00

Anjara is in action, dealing swiftly with a diseased chili. See this short video. This wasn't the normal day for consultations - the event was held for our (Paula, myself and Tilly) benefit. It's a sign of the importance people give to visitors that they go to such an effort.The clinic (right) is a covered area with a table and is based in a village (Radhanagar, Amrool Union). Markets are very

Eric Boahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07181657425555493299noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1130178750610975619.post-28959836311245626562008-01-09T16:23:00.000-08:002008-01-10T16:05:22.294-08:00

This was the sixth course I taught this year. I've lost count to be honest. The 'how to become a plant doctor' curriculm comprises three modules, each of three days. Each course is suitable for scientists and people with less specialist knowledge, such as the lady doctors of Amrool Union, an administrative region near Bogra in BangladeshI've learnt never to under-estimate what people know and

Eric Boahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07181657425555493299noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1130178750610975619.post-42154617573134167302008-01-07T14:50:00.000-08:002008-01-08T16:18:51.713-08:00

A long silence because of poor internet connections overseas at the end of last year. It's almost six years since I last visited Bangladesh and while huge improvements have taken place (don't believe all you read), connectivity is still weak. (The baby taxis have become greener and run on compressed natural gas.) I was with Paula and my 11 year-old niece, Tilly, discovering all the great work

Eric Boahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07181657425555493299noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1130178750610975619.post-45464206267672205472007-11-19T16:08:00.000-08:002007-11-19T16:46:26.952-08:00

Some of the links to the videos are buried away in earlier entries, so here's a summary of them from earliest to most recent. The link is in the title. The illustration is from Guatemala.Louise and Jermin, DR CongoTwo students from the Université Catholique du Graben , Butembo do a short interview in front of schoolchildren, illustrating how a consultation might take place in a plant clinic.Young

Eric Boahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07181657425555493299noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1130178750610975619.post-47072025999004377022007-11-18T15:58:00.000-08:002007-11-19T06:12:32.672-08:00

This is the first broadcast advertisement for plant health clinics, from Bangladesh cable TV, that I've seen. Paula Kelly passed it on to me and I've now downloaded the video clip: have a look. It's in Bengali, of course, and features an animated green cross at the end. I need to check with Zakaria at the Rural Development Academy, Bogra who has filmed this, but congratulations to all who took

Eric Boahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07181657425555493299noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1130178750610975619.post-73572686759753820682007-11-10T10:05:00.000-08:002007-11-10T11:45:32.043-08:00

During a recent visit to North Sumatra (see earlier entries) Rob Harling and I came across these symptoms. Chili plants everywhere were affected: small leaves, yellowing, distortion, some stunting and generally knackered. Our first thought was that this was a virus disease. Yet tests for X, Y, Z at CSL failed to confirm this. What did surprise me was the discovery of phytoplasma, carefully

Eric Boahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07181657425555493299noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1130178750610975619.post-11606047527339649792007-11-08T19:09:00.000-08:002007-11-11T22:00:57.783-08:00

Yes, it's about the plant (ajonjolí in Spanish) and not a genie in a bottle (open sesame). Back to sesame the plant and a new video which I hope you can watch smoothly. (For the technophiles I've tried a new way to save AVI video files as MPEG4). The video includes an explanation about how to use 'la bastón' - a (walking) stick that Francisco's holding. It's an 'IPM technology' I suppose, but

Eric Boahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07181657425555493299noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1130178750610975619.post-24449931464517552322007-11-07T20:13:00.000-08:002007-11-07T21:26:30.128-08:00

I was introduced to blood disease of bananas when I lived in Indonesia. Simon Eden-Green took a lateral interest (we were meant to be looking at Sumatra Disease full time) and I had the opportunity to go and see the symptoms. I was still trying to cope with banana diseases generally so didn't have much of a clue about what to look for. The sudden rush of a milky fluid as I cut through the stem (

Eric Boahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07181657425555493299noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1130178750610975619.post-8572661716665830822007-10-24T17:00:00.001-07:002007-11-14T21:53:43.919-08:00

Oh those wonderful ladies (and the occasional man) who work at the Southern Fruit Research Institute. In May, Jeff and Paula completed work on a project which really ended some time ago (long story). The spurious photo is me and Paul Van Mele doing the original project (in case you were confused). We'd eaten too many moon cakes. That's my excuse. Back to the present. Jeff and Paula worked with

Eric Boahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07181657425555493299noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1130178750610975619.post-21052402542355995702007-10-24T16:16:00.000-07:002007-10-28T17:06:24.229-07:00

Long time no post. I went on holiday, finished editing a few new disease records (and had a brainwave about an unresolved disease on Marula) and wrote an article for APSnet. But the star of this entry is Dr Yaima Arocha.Possessed of the energy of at least three scientists, Yaima has published more NDRs than anyone else I know. (Her record stands at 13. Can anyone beat this?). Here's a short video

Eric Boahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07181657425555493299noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1130178750610975619.post-4513281021162447342007-09-22T01:38:00.000-07:002007-10-01T08:12:25.221-07:00

Back in the UUUK. No more squiggly letters that I can't understand (Thai) or long Indonesia verbs. Also quicker connect times. So here's the first of several video clips from North Sumatra.The scene: Berastagi, main town of Tanah Karo. The sample: supposed to be clubroot on cauliflower (though the lady is a little confused). The spit: watch and savour.This is possibly the first time that the word

Eric Boahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07181657425555493299noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1130178750610975619.post-262692861351453492007-09-19T00:03:00.000-07:002007-09-20T21:48:44.524-07:00

When you open Blogger in another country it helpfully gives you all the instructions in ... bahasa Indonesia. So I can 'lihat blog' (view blog) and 'mempublikasikan posting' (publish blog). Indonesian is a delightfully simple language to speak, or at least get by in: magic words like 'sudah' (already done, as applied to last verb used) or 'silahkan' (polite yes, literally 'if you please').

Eric Boahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07181657425555493299noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1130178750610975619.post-49535626297291146352007-09-02T15:32:00.000-07:002007-09-03T01:00:07.994-07:00

The Australians invest a lot of money in detection of diseases and you can see why. Agriculture still makes the world go round for many people down under and discovery of citrus canker (photo, right) can wipe out your business. As happened not so long ago in Queensland. This is an excerpt from The Australian (weblink no longer exists from 2004):"Queensland citrus will be flowing into interstate

Eric Boahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07181657425555493299noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1130178750610975619.post-36691314827426899062007-08-30T07:17:00.000-07:002007-08-30T07:51:03.233-07:00

These pretty mushrooms appeared at the base of our garden some years ago. Final proof that Armillaria was having its evil way with the Laburnum. And the maple, the Lavateria and any other juicy woody stems that took its fancy. The general appearance of the tree or bush once Armillaria takes hold is often indistinct: a few dead branches here and there, but little of convincing evidence that

Eric Boahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07181657425555493299noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1130178750610975619.post-41797008594957010632007-08-22T14:33:00.000-07:002007-08-24T16:20:24.368-07:00

There can be few sounds more stirring than the bagpipes. Or more monotonous: Mull of Kintyre anyone? How could Paul McCartney write this and Blackbird? But if you were facing the enemy in a dank Glen, then the bagpipes might be a clever weapon. Though I seem to remember that the Scots didn't win all that many battles. Earplugs - that must have been the secret antidote.Midstream in Loch Nevis a

Eric Boahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07181657425555493299noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1130178750610975619.post-47205393474539934912007-08-08T14:21:00.000-07:002007-09-03T01:03:36.741-07:00

It's never been easier to take photos. Which is why it's disappointing to see so many bad examples. Or maybe it's that lots of people who click now didn't before. We get to see the blurs and random compositions that are amusing once (just) and then just tedious. It takes time and effort to click well.Can you teach good photography? I've been snapping since well before my PhD (nope, the exact

Eric Boahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07181657425555493299noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1130178750610975619.post-78524071409064854042007-08-03T14:43:00.000-07:002007-08-03T15:21:37.406-07:00

I went back to an article my PhD (nope, can't remember when this was) supervisor wrote some years ago and read about techniques. Not specific techniques but more the technique of techniques. Who teaches them? How well do we value practical skills? Who's improving them?The short article is well worth a look, if only to remind everyone that technique matters. Bad technique, bad results. No

Eric Boahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07181657425555493299noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1130178750610975619.post-85709971401274953232007-08-01T15:40:00.000-07:002007-08-01T16:10:03.101-07:00

I've just noticed a new book by Nicholas Money: The Triumph of the Fungi. David Ingram reviewed it in The Garden. He also referred to The Advance of the Fungi, which I have read, and is indeed sitting on my desk at the moment. Tom Preece warmly recommended it to me when I was a PhD student (nope, can't remember when that was) and he was right. Brilliant.I've been re-reading Large in parts, having

Eric Boahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07181657425555493299noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1130178750610975619.post-50232090464406162802007-07-29T06:29:00.000-07:002007-07-29T09:58:19.089-07:00

Apologies for the very bad pun. I think it's because we were talking at home about spoof announcements unwittingly broadcast at airports, under the guise of contacting recently arrived foreign friends. Some examples: Arhev Bin Fayed and Bybeiev RhibodieAynayda Pizaqvick and Malexa KriestAwul Dasfilshabeda and Nowaynayda ZheetThis has nothing to do with Oedema on Fig. A short explanation of this

Eric Boahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07181657425555493299noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1130178750610975619.post-65965108667524873242007-07-27T14:09:00.000-07:002007-07-27T15:33:44.267-07:00

I think a little more is needed on phytophthora canker of cinchona. It's one of these curiosities that a plant pathologist in Europe or North America might come across when delving into the literature. A host that's not particularly well known, even if some of it's history might be vaguely remembered, and a genus that's famous. If you were inclined to investigate further you wouldn't make much

Eric Boahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07181657425555493299noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1130178750610975619.post-52768032652450573312007-07-26T14:17:00.000-07:002007-07-27T07:53:14.045-07:00

It's Thursday morning and the course is over. We gave our 27 students their diploma and a group photo and they seemed pleased as punch. I was delighted with how well things had gone and was able to reflect on the need for more time spent in role play. When two people discuss a sample (doctor and plant patient) you quickly learn about asking questions and listening. And giving talks on what the

Eric Boahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07181657425555493299noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1130178750610975619.post-13000715272538055372007-07-25T14:42:00.000-07:002007-07-25T15:48:20.263-07:00

There's not been a lot of mention of plant diseases so far, so let's bring things up to date for DRC. for some reason not clear to me, it's a hotbed of major problems. First it was Verticillium wilt on cacao (see subtle streaks), which Paula and I looked at back in 2004. We were also shown a disease of papaya which took several attempts to confirm as papaya ringspot virus (OK, Moroccan Watermelon

Eric Boahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07181657425555493299noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1130178750610975619.post-66302274318341257752007-07-24T14:49:00.001-07:002007-07-29T07:19:39.173-07:00

It might sound incredibly dangerous, but there's not a lot involved in crossing from Uganda to Congo at Kasindi. Turn up, step out, fill out form, get stamp, drive to next border, step out, present visa, get stamp and leave. Except neither of us had a visa. This wasn't bad planning: last time we crossed we paid at the border. But now Congo asks you to get a visa beforehand.They changed the rules

Eric Boahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07181657425555493299noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1130178750610975619.post-24661105617182297522007-07-23T13:50:00.000-07:002007-07-24T00:46:39.721-07:00

A soggy return to the land of water. Last week it was cold and a little damp (Kampala). This week it's cold and soggy (New Malden). I've just returned from another excellent trip to East Africa, this time with the master of music, Dr Trance himself. Fen, Paula and myself started off in Kampala on the 5 July and headed south towards Rwanda. Road good, music so-so (apart from my selections), food

Eric Boahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07181657425555493299noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1130178750610975619.post-11396630623402653332007-06-25T15:54:00.000-07:002007-06-25T16:03:09.926-07:00

Thousands have not so far asked about the fig 'leprosis' photos yet I may just sense a teeny little desire to see them. Master Gates was unfairly maligned yesterday: photos were lurking on my desktop and this morning in the steamy heat of Broward County and I found them!I await the call to BA208 on yet another CABI trip but in the mean time here are the photos. Comments please from virologists

Eric Boahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07181657425555493299noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1130178750610975619.post-78839045430862183162007-06-24T10:25:00.000-07:002007-06-24T11:27:48.057-07:00

Back on the disease trail. What do you think of fig leprosis? It was collected by Chuck Hodges, who has graciously donated his time to help the diagnosticians of Nicaragua. [See how Chuck is concentrating on avocado scab.] Last week he saw his first Puesto para Plantas and was impressed with Yami in action. Meanwhile, he's been sniffing around and coming across all sorts of interesting specimens.

Eric Boahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07181657425555493299noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1130178750610975619.post-11324205076694778782007-05-21T11:33:00.000-07:002007-05-21T13:20:43.596-07:00

This could be the first and last showing for practising singers Don Walker ('Wherefor art thou John'), John Elphinstone ('I am here') and Rick Mumford ('Can you start again'). Note the fashion: sub-fusc, utilitarian and frankly rather dull. (What else did you expect from plant pathologists? I speak from experience.) Fortunately they didn't actually sing, though they were feeling jolly. (Hello

Eric Boahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07181657425555493299noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1130178750610975619.post-52570251872034095512007-05-10T14:42:00.000-07:002007-05-11T02:25:46.414-07:00

Phytoplasmas come to Europe. About time too - see this fascinating disease of maize which, it appears, has been around for '50 years or more'. I and other colleagues had never heard of 'maize redness' until alerted to its existence by Ivo Tosevski, a colleague based at our Swiss centre. Jovic and others have just published an informative article on the disease, which you can read online.The photo

Eric Boahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07181657425555493299noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1130178750610975619.post-78166169049307833962007-04-27T20:50:00.000-07:002007-04-28T07:30:02.047-07:00

Sometimes it appears that trouble follows me. I've been staying within 500m of the worst riots that Estonia and Tallinn has seen for a very long time. And yet apart from the police helicopter whirring around, and a few groups walking with an Estonia flag, all seems calm this morning. In January it was clashes between cocaleros and the citizens of Cochabamba. This time the row is about moving a

Eric Boahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07181657425555493299noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1130178750610975619.post-42772448391451532742007-04-20T14:48:00.000-07:002007-04-20T16:03:19.733-07:00

After a day of tomato diseases, booking flights and getting ready for Estonia, it's time for more music. I wasn't able to listen to Gary Burton via the link on a previous entry so let's try something else. Let me introduce you to the delights of superb piano playing. On second thoughts let's remove the 'superb' and just say 'outstanding'. Choosing the right epithet is important: spiffing piano

Eric Boahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07181657425555493299noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1130178750610975619.post-46108250434521747522007-04-18T15:12:00.000-07:002007-04-18T15:46:19.766-07:00

It's not every day you get so many eager listeners. Paula and I went to talk today about the Global Plant Clinic and Bangladesh to Little Bowden Primary School. We'd put together a short presentation to explain what was happening and to see if the school might raise money to support the plant doctors and their plant health clinics.We agreed on a short talk. Keep it simple - and I heartily

Eric Boahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07181657425555493299noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1130178750610975619.post-43003438252274442007-04-12T15:14:00.000-07:002007-04-12T15:56:19.513-07:00

Comarapa is in Bolivia and as far as I know (I'm going to check) has it's own website. Nope, can't find it, so I'll just have to post my own photo. The original website was set up with help from Phil Jones, now retired from Rothamsted and the GPC but a much feted visitor in the past. Comarapa has a very distinctive place in my travels since it was here that I came across a Community Plant Clinic

Eric Boahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07181657425555493299noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1130178750610975619.post-78097609279334839792007-04-11T14:10:00.000-07:002007-04-12T01:04:06.019-07:00

Who do you put as authors on a paper? Not an easy question to answer and a bone of contention and festering sore for many. Now consider research carried out in the North and South (in other words, developed and developing world) and that bone can become a bargepole. Tricky. One colleague has a simple solution: you want your name first, you write it and take charge of handling correspondence and

Eric Boahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07181657425555493299noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1130178750610975619.post-78622561117674303402007-04-06T05:23:00.000-07:002007-04-06T14:29:39.316-07:00

I forgot to post the gratuitous photo. Snapped in El Campello, between Alicante and Benidorm, just down the road from Aigues. I presume the dogs don't pay themselves.

Eric Boahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07181657425555493299noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1130178750610975619.post-91122249254201474192007-04-05T15:32:00.000-07:002007-04-05T16:24:30.409-07:00

Hugh Laurie, a schoolboy friend of John Stonehouse, was starring tonight in House. John's a friend of mine, so I sort of know Hugh then ...House is all about diagnosis. Incredible. Man discovers cause of disease in patient and it's all over in an hour. Yes, the patient survives and goes to act in another medical drama. Dr House has a team of juniors who are clever (but not cleverer) and of course

Eric Boahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07181657425555493299noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1130178750610975619.post-90375143791278820112007-04-04T15:32:00.000-07:002007-04-04T16:14:35.216-07:00

I think I'll remove my clothes. On second, third and many many other thoughts, no.I'm struggling to see how I can be 'brilliantly boring'. I know this is not JenniCam or something suitably salacious, juvenile or banal, and that's what puzzling me. This is meant to be a blog. Shouldn't someone be ranting or raving about the roadside picture from Sierra Leone? Martin tried to post a comment about

Eric Boahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07181657425555493299noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1130178750610975619.post-82524708158621734462007-03-31T15:26:00.000-07:002007-04-13T16:40:43.773-07:00

In 1996 I had a pair of torn trousers. Jon Hellin and I were about to go and survey rows of Gliricidia sepium for little leaf disease (yes, it's another phytoplasma disease and shown under a previous entry 'Hortense does it'). [By the way, you can eat the flowers. I had another munch last week - still not exactly tasty.]I left the trousers at the tailor's in Siguatepeque and off we trawled. This

Eric Boahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07181657425555493299noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1130178750610975619.post-53793278788916405312007-03-30T20:32:00.000-07:002007-03-30T22:04:37.857-07:00

That's it, almost done and dusted. Three courses - or modules as we're calling them - which take prospective plant doctors from field diagnosis and operating a plant health clinic (Puesto para Plantas) through plant healthcare towards extension messages. It may not look like a Crick and Watson moment, but having taught courses for over ten years it's a moment of real progress.Nicaragua, we have a

Eric Boahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07181657425555493299noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1130178750610975619.post-1775063103354558322007-03-23T23:59:00.000-07:002007-06-24T12:11:33.991-07:00

Jake and Jorge were ready and waiting, wearing their green plant doctor coats. That's Mercedes from Vision Mundial (World Vision) on the right, though, since Jorge had to leave. Unfortunately we didn't have anyone visit. All the plants in Ticuatepe were healthy today. Not exactly, but a combination of dry season and running the clinic inside the INTA office and on a Friday rather than a Wednesday

Eric Boahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07181657425555493299noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1130178750610975619.post-25094441637353611662007-03-22T21:48:00.000-07:002007-03-23T07:03:53.814-07:00

When we first started giving courses in Nicaragua in 2005 the idea was to explain how to diagnose plant health problems using symptoms - what we call a field diagnosis. Once the plant health clinics were up and running (now there are 11) we included exercises on filling out the register (bitácora) and prescription (receta). Next we tackled writing factsheets, a one sheet explanation of a

Eric Boahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07181657425555493299noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1130178750610975619.post-56111743712741837852007-03-16T15:30:00.000-07:002007-03-16T15:35:10.838-07:00

That was nice. So many people on the Miami flight that they took little old me and put me in a large seat that went up and down, sideways and round and ... Mustn't get too over-excited by a plane flight. Business class it was. I always want to stand up and say "how many of you paid for your own tickets". But there again I probably wouldn't be upgraded again.On to Managua in delightful American

Eric Boahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07181657425555493299noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1130178750610975619.post-240189996958969862007-03-14T16:15:00.000-07:002007-03-31T16:27:28.261-07:00

I hope you can see what's going on here. It's a field diagnosis guide to human ailments that occur in Sierra Leone. Note the enlargement of body parts and expulsion of various fluids. Julie was rather intrigued, though at first horrified. Hey, if the pedestrians of Freetown can cope with this everyday then surely Welsh vascular wilt specialists can too?We have just returned, by train, from a

Eric Boahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07181657425555493299noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1130178750610975619.post-23591456379397024162007-03-10T14:47:00.000-08:002007-03-10T15:29:55.075-08:00

I never thought that I would include ironing and running in the same sentence. But to think clearly you need to cut out extraneous sounds and events. Running I always hated, poisoned by the miserable runs from the Grammer School for Boys in T shirts and shirty weather. Up Limekiln Hill and on to the Beech Woods. Then back. Ironing is what other people do (for me), or rather did: the ironess told

Eric Boahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07181657425555493299noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1130178750610975619.post-34885728743272287702007-03-09T14:18:00.000-08:002007-03-09T15:34:50.735-08:00

My son is lacking in sympathy. Why would anyone want to write a blog on plant diseases? He's suggested that if you're close to the edge then reading about rots and wilts would help you on your way. There goes a man who doesn't appreciate the aesthetics of a fine witches broom. And if you've never seen one of those, here's an example on Gliricidia sepium. In fact it's the very first phytoplasma

Eric Boahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07181657425555493299noreply@blogger.com0