Scientists warn of wheat disease Ug-99
Scientists say poorer populations in vulnerable countries are in trouble if a disease called Ug-99 hits yields hard enough to push up wheat prices. Ug-99 is a form of black stem rust that prevents wheat taking up nutrients and can wipe out whole harvests.
agencies are concerned about the impact of high food prices. Scientists at the
John Innes Centre, in
with a natural resistance to the disease.
They are testing a wide
variety of native wheats from Asia and
to see if they can find natural resistance to the disease and breed new
varieties from them. But this could take more than five years, by which time
Ug-99 could already be causing wide spread harvest failure.
The UN World Food Programme has warned that the
rise in basic food costs could continue until 2010 because of rising energy and
grain prices. Some food prices rose 40% last year, and the WFP fears the world’s
poorest will buy less food, less nutritious food or be forced to rely on
aid.
Related website:
John Innes
Centre
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