Fall armyworm in Botswana: impacts, farmer management practices and implications for sustainable pest management.

Background: Since first reported in Botswana, fall armyworm (FAW) continues to be a threat to crop production. This study aimed to estimate impacts of FAW on yield and farmers' livelihoods in Botswana, and to obtain data that could be extrapolated to national level. Further, farmer knowledge of the pest, management practices and pesticide use for FAW management were assessed.

The draft genome sequence of Xanthomonas species strain Nyagatare, isolated from diseased bean in Rwanda.

We announce the genome sequence for Xanthomonas species strain Nyagatare, isolated from beans showing unusual disease symptoms in Rwanda. This strain represents the first sequenced genome belonging to an as-yet undescribed Xanthomonas species known as species-level clade 1. It has at least 100 kb of genomic sequence that shows little or no sequence similarity to other xanthomonads, including a unique lipopolysaccharide synthesis gene cluster.

Pathotype IV, a New and Highly Virulent Pathotype of Didymella rabiei, Causing Ascochyta Blight in Chickpea in Syria.

The causal agent of Ascochyta blight disease of chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) is highly variable because of the presence of a sexual phase (Didymella rabiei). There is also selection pressure on the pathogen due to wide adoption of improved resistant chickpea cultivars in some countries.

Development, characterization and linkage analysis of microsatellite loci for the Ascochyta blight pathogen of faba bean, Didymella fabae.

Eighteen microsatellite markers were developed for Didymella fabae, seventeen of which were highly polymorphic among a sample of D. fabae isolates from Syria. Genetic linkage analysis assigned the markers to eight linkage groups.