China has launched a remote sensing system for plant pests and disease monitoring and forecasting, according to the Aerospace Information Research Institute of the Chinese Academy of Sciences. During an online conference focusing on plant pests and disease remote sensing on Aug. 29 and 30, the monitoring and forecasting system was introduced with its multi-source, multi-scale and multi-mode Big Earth Data covering vegetation parameter inversion, monitoring of pest and disease habitats, disaster identification and early warning, as well as loss assessment of farming and animal husbandry.
A new study published in the journal Nature may help prevent locusts from gathering in large swarms that cause widespread damage to crops. A research team, led by the Institute of Zoology under the Chinese Academy of Sciences, has found that a smelly compound emitted by locusts can attract the insects in the wild, forming a giant cluster.
Researchers from the Aerospace Information Research Institute of the CAS drafted a report on the core breeding areas and migration path of desert locusts in Asia and Africa between 2018 and 2020, as well as assessment of losses to agriculture and animal husbandry caused by desert locusts in hard-hit countries including Pakistan, Ethiopia and Kenya.
Chinese scientists have discovered a chemical compound called 4-vinylanisole (4VA) that prompts solitary locusts to form massive swarms, a breakthrough that could lead to more effective and environmentally friendly strategies to stop the spread of these voracious insects.
Earth observation and crop monitoring on a massive scale are neither easy nor inexpensive exercises, but both are necessary for proper food security planning. Yet, many developing countries simply don't have access to required tools, either due to technology deficits or costs. China aims to help bridge this technology gap by offering developing countries access to its earth observation satellite system for crop monitoring, CropWatch, in partnership with United Nations Commission on Science and Technology for Development (CSTD), under the secretariat of UNCTAD.
The CropWatch research team from the Aerospace Information Research Institute released a report, which provides comprehensive description on world-wide crop conditions between October 2019 and January 2020, as well as insights on the crop production outlook for 2020.
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