DOOM: Deadly Wheat Stem Rust

Mutating and migrating stem rust pathogen could soon spread across the world.

"Scientists are warning of a new threat to the world’s wheat crops. They say there are four new genetic mutations of Ug99, a strain of a wheat pathogen known as stem rust.

The mutations of the reddish-brown fungus called races are overcoming existing genetic resistance that was developed to safeguard wheat crops. Stem rust can spread very quickly by the release of spores.

Wheat experts from around the world are meeting this week in St. Petersburg, Russia. One of them is Dr. Hans-Joachim Braun, director of the Global Wheat Program at the Mexican-based International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center.

“The concern,” he says, “is that stem rust is historically the most important disease of wheat. And that’s why it got a lot of attention some 50 years ago when breeders successfully developed stem rust resistant varieties,” he says. (...)"

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[link to www.nature.com]
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