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New UN-supported farming application efficient against Sahel pest
26.06.2018 15:41 "Agro Perspectiva" (Kyiv) —
As of recent, the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and Pennsylvania State University have launched a talking mobile phone applicatin whose name is Nuru which can identify a crop pest Fall Armyworm, Ukrinform says referring to the FAO report.
It is to be admitted, the Fall Armyworm is a crop pest that’s threatening the food security of 300 million people globally.
As to the report, with the Nuru launched, farmers within sub-Saharan Africa have a new digital weapon within their agricultural armoury to fight against the Fall Armyworm.
«Many African farmers might have heard about Fall Armyworm but are seeing it for the first time,» the report reads. «Often (they are) unable to recognize it or unsure of what they are facing.»
As to the report, thanks to the Nuru application, identifying a Fall Armyworm infestation is as simple as holding a mobile phone next to a sick plant.
Confirmation is immediate, FAO says, adding that the software works on a standard Android phone.
Soon, in addition to English, Nuru will be able to speak Swahili, French and Twi.
It is to be admitted, Fall Armyworm ¬- Spodoptera frugiperda is native to tropical and subtropical regions of the Americas.
The insect first appeared within the West Africa within 2016, then spread rapidly across all countries within the sub-Saharan Africa within 2017, infecting millions ha maize.
It is to be mentioned, the bug prefers maize, but can feed on more than 80 species of plants, including rice, sorghum, millet, sugarcane, vegetable crops and cotton.
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