March 26, 2009

New wheat disease may become global issue

Wheat diseases that can travel with the wind have the potential to spread far more quickly than expected, threatening global wheat production, according to a new study done by scientists at Oregon State University (OSU) and other institutions.

Historical studies showed that some pathogens that can be carried through the wind can actually accelerate as they move, and can become widespread problems much faster than had been thought possible, the study said.

The study suggested that a new fungal pathogen of wheat that emerged a few years ago in Uganda may pose a much more urgent threat to global wheat production than initially thought.

The research had used stripe rust of wheat, which has spores that can spread on the wind, as a model to help explain how this and other pathogens can move.

If there are no crops that are resistant to wheat stem rust, there would not be a wheat industry, and the study has confirmed it is critical to get prepared for the rapid spread of a new variety of wheat stem rust that appeared in Uganda in 1999, said Chris Mundt, a professor of plant pathology at OSU.

The disease has already spread to Iran, and the research shows that its spread may accelerate and become a global problem within a few years, he said.

Hopefully people working on this problem will be able to develop wheat varieties that are more resistant to the disease, Mundt.

However, Mundt warned that the new understanding of the spreading speed suggests there may not be much time to waste.