KUMAMOTO, Dec. 1 – The tomato leaf miner, a serious pest of tomatoes and other Solanaceous plants, was detected in Japan for the first time in Kumamoto Prefecture in November. The insect, a species of leaf eating moth, is referred to as “tomato Ebola” in some countries because of the severe damage it causes to crops, threatening tomato production worldwide. Farmers must take pest control measures to detect it quickly and prevent an outbreak in Japan. The pest, which originates from South America, has been detected in at least 80 countries. After it invaded Spain in 2006, it spread quickly to Europe, Africa, Southeast Asia, Taiwan and China. It has … Continue reading →

TOKYO, Nov. 28 – Shine Muscat grapes, a premium variety developed in Japan, were grown in China in the area of at least 53,000 hectares in 2020, according to an investigation by the Japan Association for Techno-innovation in Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries. The cultivation area was more than 30 times that in Japan. The growing area in China for Benihoppe strawberries, also developed in Japan, totaled 44,000 hectares in 2019, 8.4 times the cultivation area in Japan for all strawberry varieties. While Japan revised the Plant Variety Protection and Seed Law in April to prevent brand fruits and other newly developed plant varieties from being taken abroad, the figures indicate … Continue reading →

ISHIKAWA, Nov. 27 – Participants of the International Conference on Globally Important Agricultural Heritage Systems (GIAHS), held in Nanao, Ishikawa Prefecture, adopted a communique on Nov. 26, calling for continuing sustainable use of natural resources, ecosystems and harmony with environment cultivated in GIAHS sites. The GIAHS is a project established by the United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) with the purpose of maintaining the land use that protects biodiversity, traditional agriculture and farming methods that make full use of the environment, rural culture and landscapes. There are currently 62 systems in 22 countries that have been designated as GIAHS. Officials of the FAO, the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and … Continue reading →

TOKYO, Nov. 11 – The United States has lifted an import ban on Japan-grown fresh melon fruit, the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries announced on Nov. 10. Melons can be shipped to the U.S. after meeting certain requirements, including obtaining a phytosanitary certificate issued by the Plant Protection Station stating they are free of cucumber green mottle mosaic virus that causes crop diseases. The ministry estimates that Japan will make shipments worth about 3 million yen to the U.S. in a year following the lifting of the ban. The U.S. government had been prohibiting imports of fresh melon fruit from Japan to prevent pest intrusion. As there had been … Continue reading →