This is the fourth instalment in our series on the Plantwise knowledge bank in which we hope to demystify some of the key aspects of the knowledge bank. This week we’re focusing on pest and disease distribution.
When accessing the knowledge bank for the first time, it is advisable to select the country or region that you are interested in, so that the content you see, including pest distribution information, is relevant to you. There are three ways to access this information on knowledge bank.
- List of pests in your location – this section contains links to all of the pests that have been reported as being present in your location. The pests are sorted by their preferred common names. Scroll through the letters of the alphabet to view all pests present in your location.
- Diagnostic search – the diagnostic search allows you to easily filter pests in your location by crop. The list of pests for which your chosen crop is a major host, appear first (sorted alphabetically), with more minor pests further down.
- Distribution map – the Plantwise map is an interactive tool that allows you to plot crops, pests, clinics and diagnostic support centres. You can pan around and zoom into areas, as well as share links to your custom map with friends and colleagues.
- The maps allow you to plot up to 3 species at one time. This can be any combination of pests and/or crops. For example, you can plot maize and Maize Streak Virus to see the spread of the disease in countries where the crop grows.
- For a key to the icons plotted on the map, see the ‘Map key’ tab, at the top of the page.
- Each point has information about the source – just click the point to see more details. At the global view, you may have to click ‘Zoom in’ before the details appear.
- This box also has a small envelope in the top right hand corner which can be used to provide updated distribution information.
- To share a map view, click the green star in the top right had corner. This generates a link to the map you have created, and anyone with that link will be able to view the map for the species you plotted.
- There are several sources of pest distribution which are used in the map. To change the source of distribution information click the ‘Data providers’ tab.
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