It’s a mystery no more. In 2003, an unknown killer started attacking watermelon crops in Southwest Florida. It became known as watermelon vine decline, or WVD. Researchers now know the culprit: the squash vein yellowing virus, which is spread by whiteflies. And they’re looking for ways to combat the disease, which in 2005 alone caused $60 million in losses for Florida’s watermelon growers, according to a report by Science Daily. More
Sphere: Related ContentBarbara L. Minton
NaturalNews
The nation’s food supply may soon be under significant threat as the result of a Bush administration decision to move its research on one of the most contagious animal diseases from an isolated island laboratory to the U.S. mainland, placing it near herds of livestock.
According to an April 11th Associated Press article by Larry Margasak, concerns about a catastrophic outbreak of hoof and mouth disease have prompted Congressional Democrats to demand internal documents they believe highlight the risks and consequences of this decision. An epidemic of this dreaded disease could devastate the livestock industry. Read more
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Bird flu is continuously spreading to different regions of the country. Anisur Rehaman, West Bengal’s Animal Resources Development (ARD) Minister confirmed a new H5N1 virus outbreak in the Darjeeling region of eastern India. The bird flu attack in Darjeeling district brings the total number of West Bengal regions that have been hit by the virus in the existing year to 15.
The minister confirmed that the blood samples of dead birds picked up from the Himalayan foothills of West Bengal were infected with the highly pathogenic bird flu virus. He also said that culling would begin shortly in the region. Read more
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