Fungus threatens wheat around world

UPI ^ | 14 June 2009 | No Byline

[The Pack Knight]

Scientists are trying to develop wheat strains resistant to a fungus that has spread from Africa to Iran and is likely to show up soon in India and Pakistan. The Ug99 fungus, also known as stem rust, is likely to spread worldwide, either through wind-blown spores or carried inadvertently by people, food industry analysts said.

"It's a time bomb," Jim Peterson, an expert on wheat genetics at Oregon State University in Corvallis, told the Los Angeles Times. "It moves in the air, it can move in clothing on an airplane. We know it's going to be here. It's a matter of how long it's going to take."

Stem rust is a longtime bane of wheat farmers and afflicted wheat's wild ancestors before that. The United States has had major outbreaks of fungus, most recently in 1962 when more than 5 percent of the crop was killed.

Resistant strains of wheat apparently overcame the problem. But a new strain appeared in Uganda in 1999 and began spreading from there.

Government scientists at the Cereal Disease Laboratory in St. Paul, Minn., have begun work on wheat resistant to the latest fungus. But the process can take a decade or so.

[The Pack Knight]

Interesting in itself, this could be particularly important in Iran. Potential food shortages aren't going to do much to calm things down there.

[coconutt2000]

Buy wheat futures?

[SMARTY]

Let’s see, USA to the rescue..AGAIN??? Maybe ought to stick it to them over wheat the way they do to us over oil?

[Myrddin]

Ed Dames, the remote viewer, warned that this would happen 10 years ago. He warned of food shortages including an impact on beef production in the U.S.

[I see my hands]

Turn on.
Tune in.
Drop trou.

[EggsAckley]

Some food shortages and let’s also throw in an earthquake, say......7.3. That might be a distraction from the current BS going on in Iran right now.

[50sDad]

No, no! That's FRANKENFOOD! Let's just stick to our existing highly suseceptable wheat, it's all natural! Or if it has to be done, let those incredibly clever Muslims, with all their ten-thousand year old culture and high-tech scientists do it!

[/SARCASM]

[DonaldC]

According to the latest national geographic, the world’s fool problems are the west’s fault... :( They seem to miss their own data that many countries have not managed growing food the way we told them and other countries would rather buy guns than develop food sources, but I guess that is our fault as well. :( It’s all our fault.

[mysterio]

Soon, wheat thins will be worth their weight in gold. Maybe we’ll be able to use stockpiles of them to back the US dollar.

[50sDad]

No, no! That's FRANKENFOOD! Let's just stick to our existing highly suseceptable wheat, it's all natural! Or if it has to be done, let those incredibly clever Muslims, with all their ten-thousand year old culture and high-tech scientists do it!

[/SARCASM]

[DonaldC]

oops, I meant food problems, but we have a fool problem as well that is our fault...lol

[MyTwoCopperCoins]

The Subcontinent produces about 100 to 110 million tons of wheat every year, the highest on the planet.

[the invisib1e hand]

Apparently there are is no hate-speech code for fungi.

[Puppage]

At ease, disease. There’s fungus amongus

[Texas Fossil]

But a new strain appeared in Uganda in 1999

Isn't it amazing the number of plagues that we transplant Out-Of-Africa?

[the invisib1e hand]

is are

[Dr. Bogus Pachysandra]

“There’s fungus amongus”

Hey! I have that album on vinyl! Earl King. Great stuff!

[dfwgator]

But Gus the gardener’s left now and you went with him, too
The fungus there reminds me of the fun Gus is having with you

-Benny Hill

[Dr. Bogus Pachysandra]

Duh! I meant Earl Hooker!

[freekitty]

Courtesy of Obama