Latest Situation Updates
The Turkey-ICARDA Cereal Rust Biosafety Laboratory (CRBL) become operational after the official inauguration of Regional Cereal Rust Research center (RCRRC) on May 30, 2018. Following the inauguration, the CRBL has received official import permits from Food and Control Directorate of Turkey for importing cereal rust pathogens from outside Turkey and to conduct race analysis of Puccinia striiformis, P. graminis, and P. triticina at CRBL. The Turkey-ICARDA RCRRC is now fully operational and the first report on stem rust samples is now available (Turkey-ICARDA RCRRC 2018 Preliminary Stem Rust Race Analysis Report). This report presents the race analysis data of wheat … Continue reading
Unusual and severe epidemics of yellow rust were observed on several continents in 2017. In a number of cases, epidemic sites at different continents were inter-related by prevalence of genetically identical yellow rust genotypes and races. Key highlights South America: Three distinct genotypes were detected in severe yellow rust epidemics in Argentina in 2017. These genotypes have been associated with recent rust epidemics in Europe/northern Africa. Central Asia/East Africa: Region specific genotypes were prevalent in Central Asia. One of these (PstS11) was also detected in East Africa in 2016, prevalent in severe yellow rust epidemics in Ethiopia. The spread of PstS11 was … Continue reading
Out of Uganda: An Aggressive Crop Killer That Threatens Global Food Fungal disease in wheat crops has been a serious but controllable problem, but a newer strain of what’s called “stem rust” has scientists worried. January 8, 2018 by Kerstin Hoppenhaus & Sibylle Grunze The video below is the first part in a six-part series examining the scourge of Ug99, a type of fungus that causes disease in wheat crops — one that scientists worry could threaten global food supplies. Visit our series archive for all published episodes. There was a time when one of the most dangerous crop diseases … Continue reading
New, ground-breaking stem rust research is highlighted in the prestigious journal Science published on Dec 22 2017. A perspective entitled “The Quest for Durable Resistance” by Matthew J. Moscou and Peter van Esse provides context and outlines the significance of two research papers that independently identify two Avr effectors from the fungal pathogen Puccinia graminis f.sp. tritici, the causal agent of wheat stem rust. These research papers are considered a milestone in terms of improving our understanding the biology of rust pathogens. In the first research paper entitled “Variation in the AvrSr35 gene determines Sr35 resistance against wheat stem rust race Ug99”, Andres Salcedo … Continue reading
Scientists at the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU) are reporting that stem rust has returned to Sweden. In a recently released press release, lead researcher Anna Berlin from the Department of Forest Mycology and Plant Pathology outlines an unusually intense stem rust attack in wheat fields in Almunge, Uppland in the summer of 2017. The last major stem rust outbreak reported from Sweden was in 1951, so this latest outbreak and the initial indications that it is a sexual population emerging from barberry is a major cause for concern. Full details of the report from the Swedish University of … Continue reading