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See also: Aquatic Invasive Species Fact Sheets for additional species information

See also: Aquatic Invasive Species Fact Sheets for additional species information

See also: Aquatic Invasive Species Fact Sheets for additional species information

See also: Aquatic Invasive Species Fact Sheets for additional species information

See also: Aquatic Invasive Species Fact Sheets for additional species information

See also: Aquatic Invasive Species Fact Sheets for additional species information

See also: Aquatic Invasive Species Fact Sheets for additional species information

See also: Aquatic Invasive Species Fact Sheets for additional species information

See also: Aquatic Invasive Species Fact Sheets for additional species information

See also: Aquatic Invasive Species Fact Sheets for additional species information

See also: Aquatic Invasive Species Fact Sheets for additional species information

See also: Aquatic Invasive Species Fact Sheets for additional species information

See also: Aquatic Invasive Species Fact Sheets for additional species information

See also: Aquatic Invasive Species Fact Sheets for additional species information

See also: Aquatic Invasive Species Fact Sheets for additional species information

The ongoing spread of wheat rusts, a group of fungal plant diseases that stymy the production of the staple grain and other crops, is raising concern in Central Asia and the Middle East and sparking closer international collaboration to study, detect and prevent the threat from advancing further.

FAO launched today a three-year Global Action for Fall Armyworm Control to scale up efforts to curb the growing spread of the invasive pest which is causing serious damage to food production and affecting millions of farmers across the world. Fall Armyworm (FAW), a crop pest native to the Americas, has rapidly spread through Africa, and to the Near East and Asia in the past four years. "It (Fall Armyworm) threatens food security of hundreds of millions of people and the livelihoods of smallholder farmers," said FAO Director-General Qu Dongyu. He made the remarks at the launch of the Global Action on the sidelines of the FAO's Council, the Organization's executive body. "This is a global threat that requires a global perspective," he stressed, urging the FAO member states "to greatly scale up the existing efforts" to prevent the further spread of this harmful pest to new regions.

Scientists and staff at the Agricultural Research Service have been studying Covid-19 for over a year-and-a-half to ensure that America’s agricultural system is safe. The aim of the research was to confirm that farm animals were not susceptible to the SARS-CoV-2 virus and remove potential concerns of farm animals becoming infected and transmitting the virus to people through direct contact or through agricultural products.

Sometimes reaching a height of more than 100 feet tall with trunk diameters often well over 10 feet, the American chestnut was the giant of the eastern U.S. forests. There were once billions of them and their range stretched from Georgia and Alabama to Michigan, but the majestic tree was gone before forest science existed to document its role in the ecosystem. Notes left by early foresters including Gifford Pinchot, the founder and first chief of the USDA Forest Service, suggest that its ecological role was as impressive as the tree's size. Mature American chestnuts have been virtually extinct for decades. The tree's demise started with something called ink disease in the early 1800s, which steadily killed chestnut in the southern portion of its range. The final blow happened at the turn of the 20th century when a disease called chestnut blight swept through Eastern forests. But, after decades of work breeding trees, The American Chestnut Foundation, a partner in the Forest Service's effort to restore the tree, is close to being able to make a blight-resistant American chestnut available.