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Newly Discovered Fungus Threatens World Wheat Crop
RickRussellTX writes "The UN reports that a variety of the rust fungus originally detected in Uganda in 1999 has already spread as far north as Iran, threatening wheat production across its range. The fungus infects wheat stems and affects 80% of wheat varieties, putting crops at risk and threatening the food sources for billions of people across central Asia. Although scientists believe they can develop resistant hybrids, the fungus is moving much faster than anticipated and resistant hybrids may still be years away. Meanwhile, national governments in the path of the fungus are telling folks that there is nothing to worry about."
Work is being done to protect crops, but Norman Borlaug says "This thing has immense potential for social and human destruction." Oh yes, and you can say goodbye to cheap white bread.
.. paranoid crackpot leftover from the days of Amiga.
What's the definition of "central Asia"? Is there really "billions of people" there?
A few seconds research would've give you an answer (80 million for the lazy).
I think however that the range of the fungus is far wider than just central Asia. Africa, the Middle East and Central Asia (along with the countries they supply grain to] could be affected, along with the rest of the world if the fungus continues to spread.
New scientist has a better article (from almost a year ago).
There are shills on slashdot. Apparently, I'm one of them.
Eat your vegetables. Seriously.
> Sound to me like U.S. wheat farmers are going to clean up this year. Actually most US wheat farmers sold their crop for this year long ago. That's one of the reasons wheat prices are already through the roof. Most of the sales out there are people fighting over the small amount of wheat that is still available. Farmers saw $7 wheat prices and sold as fast as they could. Never did they imagine that wheat would go over $10.
I have been waiting for this day since I was diagnosed with C(o)eliac Disease ;) (well, it feeds half the world anyway)
Now everyone has to use rice flour!
jdb2
There is no resistance to it. Not a single person has survived exposure to the virus. The few supposed exceptions turned out not to be. The body cannot adjust to it. HIV is a polymorphic virus that mutates almost every replication. There is no evolutionary pressure to be resistant to it, because there is no survival rate. Same as there's no build-up in antibiotic-resistant bacteria when medication is taken correctly and appropriately. Resistant people in Africa or anywhere else is a nice fiction but should be left in Neuromancer.
It's a small world and it smells funny; I'd buy another if it wasn't for the money; Take back what I paid (SoM)
This is real scary. According to National Association of Wheat Growers, "The United State would also be highly vulnerable to Ug99, with recent assessments suggesting that more than 50% of hard winter wheat and more than 75% of hard spring wheat acreage are currently planted to varieties that are susceptible to Ug99". (I'd post the reference link, but the filter complained about the length!)
According to this page , world wheat reserves are the lowest in 25 years. I would not trust trying to buy one's food on the global market anytime soon.
"It's one thing to talk about the poetry of machines. Quite another to listen to it for yourself."
My understanding is that the USDA has a plan to combat this fungus. This involves planting highly resistant wheat in the south during the winter while the northern regions get too cold for the fungus to survive. With no place to take hold in the south and a death zone in the north, the fungus should go away. (source)
Finding God in a Dog
They BUTCHERED their citizens, not starved them. Literally. Do a Google before responding. There is a big difference. Next, you will be saying that these tyrants shot their citizens into space and asphyxiated them.
Probably the closest that there is, to a leader starving their citizens of the last 50 years is Mugabe of zimbabwe or even KIM Jong Il of North Korea. But both is due to incompetence, not due to an actual policy of starvation. You need to read up on history, or even just listen to more than Faux news. Thank God, others are brighter than you. Let me guess. "You was learned in Texas and are a republican"?
I would choose quinoa instead.
The book was:
The Botanist and the Vintner: How Wine Was Saved for the World
It was pretty good, a sort of murder mystery for grapevines. Lots of people in denial, until it's too late. A few scientists trying to figure out what's going on, and then formulate a response.
It didn't change my life, but I'm a pretty big wine geek, and it was interesting from that perspective. Also from the perspective of the political situation in France in the latter half of the 1800s.
Firstly, the US national "wheat stores" (the supply of wheat the country has on-hand at any given time) is at its near lowest point since records began. I'll be damned if I can find the official source now, but I actually browsed a quarterly report from whatever organization that tracks this (USDA perhaps) and read this a few months back. This food storage site (and blog) has been aware of the trends for a while, as his prices have gone through the roof.
On the anecdotal side: 1) Having livestock, I've witnessed the prices of non-corn 50-pound feeds nearly double in the past 6 months -- all were about $7/bag, and last time I bought them, wheat, oats, & barley were $15. Corn even went from about $7 to $9 over the same time; 2) The prices of food-grade wheat have gone from about $10/bag to over $20 (witnessed both on the Wheat Montanna site and a local Macey's store, which sells 50-pound bags of Walton Feed wheat; 3) While recently at a wine store, I witnessed a farmer talking about converting over to hops, because hop crops are being converted to corn for the ethanol subsidies.
This, of course, is also a general trend of the prices of food (and everything else) going up to reflect higher fuel costs. We normally buy whole wheat and grind it fresh -- it's much healthier, and is normally much chepaer. Howeverm due to large mills buying advanced contracts at a set price, the prices of wheat flour haven't caught up with that of whole wheat yet. Right now, it's cheaper to buy 2 25-pound bags of flour than it is to buy a 50-pound sack of whole wheat berries, which is the first time I've witnessed this imbalance in the 10 years my family has been buying whole wheat. (These are typical retail prices -- price club prices may be different.)
Oh, and I found this post while trying to find my link to US wheat stores numbers. Not proof positive of a coming "crisis", but when the the topic of wheat prices starts popping up on mainstream sites, it's worth taking note of. It's quite conceivable that this year we will see a doubling of prices for all wheat-based staples (flour, bread, pasta, etc.) and products which use wheat products will follow shortly thereafter. Even those of us who don't buy processed, pre-made stuff will be feeling the pinch. I really feel sorry for those who buy Eggo Waffles and frozen garlic bread in a box.
Method of processing duck feet
It means a region suited to and used for growing wheat. Based mainly on geography and climate. Flat open areas with little rainfall in summer.
Often, but not always associated with sheep. As in 'wheat and sheep country'. Both do well in similar climates.
It's really quite simple, and a simple google search shows both in common usage, and even that they aren't just colloquial Australian phrases either.
_
\\/ are accustomed' - First Lensman