Category: Threats

Scientists at the USDA Small Grains and Potato Germplasm Research Unit at Aberdeen, Idaho, have been combing old records in their search for wheat that may be resistant to UG99 and other types of stem rust. Nearly 8500 accessions from all around the world have been tested since 1988. Those tests did not include UG99, of course, which first emerged in 1999, but they are still useful to identify likely candidates. Farmers’ varieties from Chile, Ethiopia, Turkey and Bosnia and Herzegovina are showing promise, and several are being shipped out to east Africa to be trialled in the real world where UG99 runs riot.

The article in the USDA’s magazine is just one of several that discuss cereal breeding. There’s an editorial on the need for global cooperation ((Doh! It’s a global problem.)), an overview of UG99 (which we blogged earlier) and others on breeding soybeans and common beans.

An article in the November issue of Agricultural Research magazine, house organ of the US Department of Agriculture, warns: “World Wheat Supply Threatened!” complete with exclamation point. Well, yes, as we have indeed pointed out before. However, the article’s subtitle explains: “Luckily, research is under way to defend this grain of life.”

Phew! They had me worried.

Hidden in the write-up, which is to-the-point and interesting, is what struck me as a pretty off-the-wall suggestion. US scientists plan to focus resistant varieties (if and when they are developed) in southern states such as Texas, Georgia and Louisiana. The spores of UG99 can overwinter in the warm climates of the South, so the hope is that by preventing the disease getting a hold there, they can prevent it spreading to the rest of the country. Intriguing idea, but I wonder whether it really stands a chance.

There’s more in the article, on the resistance genes that might be inserted into US wheats and on the vital role of properly trained people in the field, who spotted UG99 early on and were able to sound the alarm.