Scientists are currently developing wheat capable of resisting a new variant of rust disease, which threatens large losses to Australia's six-billion-dollar annual grain crop.
According to 7NEWS.com.au, "wheat stem rust can attack" the plants' all above-ground parts that include the "stem, leaves and inflorescence."
Wheat plants that are infected may also yield the so-called "shriveled grain." An untreated infection, on the other hand, could decrease grain production by a maximum of 90 percent.
The new variant called Ug99, which was discovered in Uganda in 1999, is a strain of wheat stem rust originally discovered in Africa and the Middle East that, the said report specified, "has overcome 17 out of 34 stem rust resistance genes" detected in wheat.
Spreading from Plant to Plant
As specified in the research, wheat rust can swiftly mutate, making it more difficult for wheat growers to respond fast through the use of conservative breeding.
The disease is spreading from plant to plant through spores, which a similar Yahoo! News report says are small, light, and last for several days.
On top of being spread through wind, spores can easily attach to tools, machinery, and even clothing, enabling movement and spread between regions and farms.
The application of this new in-built resistance technology would be an essential tool for combined pest management, decreasing the need for fungicides and increasing the robustness of the management tools designed for farmers.
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