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Wheat Fungus Threatens Global Crops
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by Barbara McPherson | March 18, 2009 at 09:04 am
364 views | 92 Recommendations | 5 comments
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A world food crisis of epic proportions is looming if scientists fail to develop wheat strains resistant to this fungus spreading out of Africa. It has gained a toehold in Iran and threatens to spread throughout the grain growing areas of Asia. N. America is vulnerable to its spread as well.
Wheat is an important food crop for billions of people. It is used as animal feed, the wheat straw has numerous uses and wheat berries form the basis for many nations' cookery.
This looming crisis underlines the need for maintaining crop diversity and the danger of relying on monoculture.
A devastating strain of stem rust (Puccinia graminis), a fungus that infects wheat, is moving out of Africa towards wheat growing regions on other continents. Called Ug99, it was identified in Uganda and classified in 1999. This week, experts are meeting in Ciudad Obregón, Mexico, to discuss how to tackle the rust, which is currently found in Kenya, Uganda, Ethiopia, Sudan, Yemen and Iran.
So is the world prepared for Ug99?
HJB: We need another three, four years where conditions are not suitable for the rust to multiply. Iran suffered last year from an extreme drought, which didn't allow the fungus to spread. But it is only a question of time before it moves into Asia through Afghanistan and Pakistan, and Iran also provides a path into central Asia.
Rumblings of this coming crisis were first brought to NP readers in Iran and a Weapon of Mass Destruction :: Maxine nearly a year ago,
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Most RecentMost Recommended Comments (5)
at 09:18 on March 18th, 2009
Thanks for this important reminder, Barbara.
at 11:51 on March 18th, 2009
this could have more implications that most realize I think if a solution isn't found really soon.
at 15:55 on March 18th, 2009
Important story. Point would be that other fungi awaited off-stage and could show up no matter what we planted.
"Ghia's will" gets done.
at 00:35 on July 9th, 2009
We have for this year as is a shortage of 17 million tons of wheat globally and it is not looking good for other crops either.
at 05:45 on June 17th, 2009
Wow, great references moonwolf. I just looked up the first one. It would be something farmers could start twittering ; surprise Monsanto and stop using what they want us to. It is amazing to see the wildplants grow no matter where they are. I had to take a simple course for my teaching certificate called nature study. We had to go to a swamp with the instructor and collect all kinds of wild plants. It was amazing. I still have my little book. I wish I had not given my other one away of all the ones I pressed. I have a little petunia I saw yesterday growing up through a very difficult corner..it was bright red..it was one of those moments that make me breathe at the true wonder of nature . It must have blown in there for petunias are annuals unless they were comebacks before scientist got them.
I listened by accident to a radio station program yesterday from Missouri. A farmer that has collected evidence on how the oil companies have hushed proof that there is plenty of wheat and corn. They are actually publishing propaganda for they do not want the farmers to get their roots in gas production. I have to find out so I will post here.
His program and site is called The Common Sense Coalition This man said for farmers to immediately purchase stills (yep, like the kind they made alcohol in the 20s) but I am sure much large before the government puts a clamp on their distribution. His claim is 2 or 3 farmers can produce enough gasoline to save tons of money! Well, I wonder about this for we know howthe government grabbed that money making enterprise from the people or do we..will we?
This reminds me of the Pharmaceutical Companies that do not want us to know about simple remedies too...take their drugs and have 50 side effects instead of using vit c and other proven things that have been run out of town. I think there was a movie about this..? Any one know maybe Emerald Forest?
I enjoyed this fact about Amaranth..interesting why things are controlled: (this is from your
Wikepedia reference)
Amaranth was used in several Aztec ceremonies, where images of their gods (notably Huitzilopochtli) were made with amaranth mixed with honey. The images were cut to be eaten by the people. This looked like the Christian communion to the Roman Catholic priests, so the cultivation of the grain was forbidden for centuries.[citation needed]