May 15, 2006

New rust threatens wheat production in Pakistan and India
 

Wheat production in Pakistan and India may suffer drastic declines due to a new kind of rust from Africa which is now heading towards South Asia, an international agriculture expert said Saturday to the Daily Times in Pakistan (May 13).

No pesticides or spray have been developed to stop the rust as yet. To make matters worse, current varieties are especially vulnerable to the rust which is believed o have come from the East African countries of Tanzania and Uganda.

The new rust could potentially cut wheat production in the two countries by half over the next few years, the expert said. Meanwhile, it would take at least eight or nine years to develop a variety that would resist infection.

The rust is transmittable through air and its spread would depend on the air direction. The fungus grows extensively and produces relatively large pustules that may produce about 1,000 spores daily, each one capable of re-infecting wheat crop.

Some strains of the rust has been found in the province of Sindh in Pakistan and would spell trouble for the country if it spreads to the wheat growing region of Punjab in the north.