date:Jul 03, 2013
USDA scientists and their partners have found a molecular tool that will help control wheat stem rust, a fungal disease threatening much of the worlds wheat supply.
First reported in 1999 in Uganda, wheat stem rustcaused by the Ug99 pathogenis a devastating disease in several countries in Africa and the Middle East where losses can be up to 70 percent. Many experts predict this specific strain could spread rapidly, causing a wheat shortage affecting food security worldwide. Ninety percent of th