The United States Department of Agriculture broke ground yesterday on a new facility at the University of Minneapolis in St Paul, for studying stem rust and other fungal diseases in wheat.
“By expanding our commitment to research that targets crop diseases like Ug99, we can strengthen food security and reduce hunger and poverty in countries like Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Ethiopia and Pakistan,” said Robert Bertram, head of USAID’s Office of Agriculture, Research and Technology. “This research concurrently helps U.S. scientists protect America’s wheat crops.”
The groundbreaking ceremony was part of a four-day research conference sponsored by the Borlaug Global Rust Initiative. Not coincidentally, a report from a recent wheat-rust meeting at ICARDA is winging its way towards the experts attending the conference. You can download your own copy direct from ICARDA.