Driven by the shift toward higher temperatures and increasingly variable and intense rainfall for short durations, wheat stripe rust is flourishing in new areas of the world. Aggressive new strains have decimated wheat crops, notably in 2010 when an epidemic destroyed some 400,000 hectares in Ethiopia and caused losses of up to 80 percent in some parts of the Middle East and North Africa.
A new research center is offering strategic support to farmers and countries affected by the growing threat of wheat rust – an extremely destructive disease that is now endemic in many wheat-producing countries and spreading fast with the impact of climate change. (more…)
When a major stripe rust epidemic struck Ethiopia in 2010 the country was highly susceptible to major crop losses: Ethiopian farmers had limited access to resistant seed and the country’s ability to respond to demand in the immediate aftermath of an outbreak was constrained by a poorly functioning infrastructure. (more…)
Crop research – the breeding of disease-resistant wheat varieties – is the chief line of defense for wheat crops against stripe rust, and in fact, for all rust diseases. However, although disease-resistance can be built into wheat, the development cycle is typically about ten years for new varieties to be released and made available to farmers. (more…)
The science and strategies needed to contain the threat of posed by wheat stripe rust are well known to the agricultural research community. In the area of crops science, for instance, pathogenic variability, a narrow genetic base resistance, and host preference change are all necessary.
Wheat stripe rust poses a significant threat to global wheat production: new aggressive rust races are spreading and they are present in most of the world’s wheat-growing areas. They are also emerging in new areas as a result of climate change, and appear earlier in the growing season.
Crop science – the development and use of resistant cultivars – is widely considered the most economically-feasible and environmentally-appropriate means of combating rust diseases. (more…)
Despite awareness of the solutions needed to fundamentally tackle wheat stripe rust, the disease is spreading and is now endemic in many countries, bringing disaster for farmers and rural communities worldwide. (more…)
Rust never sleeps – but it abides in East Africa. Not only is the region the cradle of mankind, it is one of the key cradles for the birth of new rust strains. The stem rust Ug99 first appeared in Uganda and many stripe rust outbreaks and epidemics also have their origins in the region. (more…)