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| ISSUE 68: SEPT-OCT 2021 |  |
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| TFNet organizes the 2021 International Symposium on Tropical Fruits | ||
The 2021 International Symposium on Tropical Fruits (ISTF 2021) was held on 28-30 September, organized by the International Tropical Fruits Network (TFNet) and co-organized with Malaysian Agricultural Research and Development Institute (MARDI), African-Asian Rural Development Organization (AARDO), Centre for Agriculture and Bioscience International (CABI), Indonesian Fruits Research Institute (ITFRI), Fruit Tree Research Institute (FTRI), Guangdong Academy of Agricultural Sciences (GDAAS), and the Indian Institute of Horticultural Research (ICAR- IIHR). Burleigh Dodds Science Publishing was the media partner for ISTF2021. |
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| TFNet co organizes the Malaysia Banana Congress 2021 | |||||
| The Malaysia Banana Congress 2021 was held online on 7-8 September 2021, after a pre-event workshop on 3-6 September, organized by the Centre for Research in Biotechnology for Agriculture (CEBAR), University of Malaya, Malaysia, with International Tropical Fruits Network (TFNet) was one of its co-organizers. | |||||
SCHOLARSHIP |
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| Australia’s Edith Cowan University offers a PhD horticulture scholarship, with a jackfruit focus | |||||
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TROPICAL FRUIT NEWS FROM AROUND THE WORLD |
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ECUADOR: Banana exports decreased in the first 8 months of the year |  |
CHINA: A greenhouse in Shanghai successfully planted bananas on the water | ||||
| Data published by the Central Bank of Ecuador confirms that banana and plantain exports between January and August 2021 have decreased when compared to the same period of the previous year. | In the tropical fruit greenhouse of Kaitaiyu Base in Jinshan District, Shanghai, the farm has built a special greenhouse for bananas. |
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INDIA: Scientists explore tea, banana waste to develop non-toxic activated carbon |  |
AUSTRALIA: Exclusive license agreement to market mango varieties will be awarded | ||||
| A team of Indian scientists has used tea and banana waste to prepare non-toxic activated carbon, which could useful for industrial pollution control, water purification, food and beverage processing, and odour removal. | The Queensland Government is offering three elite mango varieties for commercial development that have the potential for domestic and export markets. | ||||||
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AUSTRALIA: Banana waste proving to be complete package |  |
CAMEROON: 17,842 tons of banana exported in Oct 2021, up 7.3% YoY | ||||
| An Adelaide company that has spent more than 15 years perfecting its system of turning banana plantation waste into food packaging has completed a factory-scale trial to demonstrate the commercial viability of producing pizza boxes, burger clamshells, meal containers and dishes. | Cameroon exported 17,842 tons of banana in October 2021, up by 7.3% year on year, according to figures compiled by the Banana Association of Cameroon (Assobacam). | ||||||
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INDIA: Farmer grows mangoes that look like apples and taste like bananas |  |
AUSTRALIA: Bartle Frere Bananas using IoT and data to improve banana traceability | ||||
| In the South Indian state of Karnataka, a farmer who grows about 119 varieties of mango, many of which are unique to his paddy farm. | Everything from weather monitoring stations, soil moisture sensors, and RFID tags are helping Bartle Frere Bananas improve the way its bananas are grown and moved through the supply chain. | ||||||
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SPAIN: Farmers despair as volcano ravages La Palma’s banana crop |  |
SPAIN: Volcanic island’s banana growers get a lift from navy | ||||
| In more than 50 years growing bananas on the Spanish island of La Palma, Antonio Brito Alvarez has never seen anything like the devastation wrought by the Cumbre Vieja volcano, which has been spewing out molten rock and ash. | The Spanish Navy has started helping farmers on the volcanic island of La Palma to reach their lava-surrounded banana plantations by sea, Spain’s Defense Ministry said on Thursday. |
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USA: Plan to pay more for bananas |  |
COLOMBIA: Mangos the size of soccer balls are harvested | ||||
| Banana producers and exporters in Latin America warn the high costs of supplies and the low international price for the fruit are negatively impacting sustainability and competitiveness in the industry. | Photographs of mangos as big as soccer balls that were harvested in the department of Santander, Colombia went viral. | ||||||
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AUSTRALIA: Mango shoot looper detected in North Queensland |  |
SOUTH AFRICA : Timing is everything for stable mango yields | ||||
| Mango shoot looper, the invasive pest from Asia, has been found in Mareeba, Mutchilba and Biboohra in North Queensland according to Biosecurity Queensland at Department of Agriculture and Fishing. It’s the first time the exotic moth has been detected in the country. | Any crop can be seen as ‘easy’ or ‘difficult’ to cultivate, depending on how you manage it and your yield expectations. This is especially true of mangoes,” says Johann du Preez, general manager of Bavaria Fruit Estates in Hoedspruit, Limpopo. | ||||||
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SINGAPORE: Innovator turns pineapple leaves into sneaker, denim-ready fibers |  |
MEXICO: Pineapple exports going strong | ||||
| Nextevo is putting an unconventional spin on sustainable fibers and yarns, turning to pineapples as the source of its spun fabric with the help of local farmers in Thailand and Indonesia. | With an average volume of 73,000 tons, Mexico was ranked the world’s seventh largest exporter of fresh or dried pineapples during 2016-2020, with a 1.9 percent share in global sales of fruit. | ||||||
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SOUTH AFRICA : Pineapple farmers feel the input cost pinch |  |
UK: Banana price war in supermarkets is hurting farmers, growers warn | ||||
| Despite improved producer prices, pineapple farmers are feeling the pinch of rising input costs. | The huge popularity of bananas makes them a weapon in UK supermarket price wars, but the tactic is hurting farmers amid soaring production costs, growers have said. | ||||||
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ETHIOPIA: Avocado farmer’s ‘transformational’ crop |  |
USA: Chefs declare war on a trendy fruit because of its enormous carbon footprint | ||||
| Bogale Borena set up an avocado nursery in Yirgalem in the south of Ethiopia, and has been so successful with the venture that he was named as one of 17 Food Heroes by the UN’s Food and Agriculture Agency. | Chefs at restaurants across the globe are scratching avocados from their menus, replacing popular dishes like guacamole with alternative dips made from beans and seeds that have smaller carbon footprints. | ||||||
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FIJI: Fresh fruit import bill stands at $17m |  |
CHINA: Southeast Asian fruits continue to sell well, Vietnam pitaya fruits enter the peak of trading | ||||
| Fiji imports $17million worth of fresh fruits annually, including grapes, oranges, apples, pears and kiwi fruit together with $3.8million worth of processed fruits. | Due to the continuous influence of the double-festival effect, the market for imported fruit transactions in October still showed a strong sales trend. | ||||||
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AUSTRALIA: Avocado gluts as lockdowns keep brunchgoers away |  |
NEPAL: Baglung sees commercial farming of dragon fruit | ||||
Australia is swimming in avocados thanks to bumper harvests and months of stay-at-home orders that have kept people away from cafe brunches. |
Baglung has witnessed increasing commercial farming of dragon fruit that has drawn a huge demand in the market, of late. | ||||||
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MALAYSIA: Striking big with guavas |  |
CHINA: Pomelo prices plummet, remain low for all varieties | ||||
| After facing difficulties in selling vegetables and losing thousands of ringgit each day following the movement control order last year, Abdul Halim Abdullah decided to turn to Lohan guava (GU16) farming. | In recent years, China has seen a high turnover in pomelo varieties, with some quality varieties that previously enjoyed great popularity now falling from favor. | ||||||
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MALAYSIA: Durian export value grows by RM74.8mil (USD 17.9mil) since 2016 |  |
VIETNAM: Bac Giang secures successful lychee crop in trying time | ||||
| In the five years since 2016, the value of durian exports abroad has grown by RM74.8 million or 107 per cent, said Deputy Agriculture and Food Industries Minister I Datuk Seri Ahmad Hamzah. | Striving to concurrently fight against the pandemic and promote lychee sale, this northern province took flexible and creative measures to secure a successful crop. | ||||||
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JAPAN: Sugar apples touted |  |
USA: Tropical larvae found in fruit shipped from Costa Rica | ||||
| Taiwan is turning to Japan to find new customers for its sugar apples after top buyer China suspended imports of the luxury fruit amid festering tensions between Beijing and Taipei. | The U.S. government ordered the destruction a $15,000 shipment of pineapples from Costa Rica after agriculture inspectors in Mississippi found butterfly larvae that they said could be harmful. | ||||||
RECENT LITERATURE ON TROPICAL FRUIT RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT |
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Organelle DNA sequence data provide new insights into the maternal and paternal lineages of Musa species germplasms Effects of short-wave ultraviolet light, ultrasonic and microwave treatments on banana puree during refrigerated storage Suppression of Banana Fusarium Wilt Induced by Soil Microbiome Reconstruction Through Green Manure Intercropping |
Characteristics of mango leaf photosynthetic inhibition by enhanced UV-B radiation Effects of Fresh Mango Consumption on Cardiometabolic Risk Factors in Overweight and Obese Adults Biochemical studies of enzyme-induced browning of African bush mango (Irvingia gabonensis) fruit pulp |
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Universal primers for detection of novel plant capsid-less viruses: Papaya umbra-like viruses as example A Carica papaya L. genotype with low leaf chlorophyll concentration copes successfully with soil water stress in the field Evaluation of chemical resistance inducers in maradol papaya against Phytophthora nicotianae var. parasitica |
Effect of extrusion and steam pressure on fiber and nutritional properties of pineapple peels The SAGA of pineapple: genome-wide identification and tissue-specific expression of Spt-Ada-Gcn5-acetyltransferase (SAGA) complex Chitosan-based antimicrobial coating for improving postharvest shelf life of pineapple |
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The effect of hydrothermal treatment on metabolite composition of hass avocados stored in a controlled atmosphere Efficacy of potential control agents against rosellinia necatrix and their physiological impact on avocado Penetration by Botryosphaeriaceae species in avocado, guava and persimmon fruit during postharvest |
Edible coating based on banana starch and chitosan for postharvest conservation of guava Effects comparation of different mulching methods on soil in pitaya orchards Acute toxicity and anti-hyperglycemic activities of pomelo (Citrus grandis (L.) Osbeck) peel extracts in the Mekong Delta of Vietnam |
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