Milling Journal - Q2 2008 - (Page 36) “In early June 1953 it was calculated that there were 4,000 tons of urediospores, with about 150 billion spores per pound, on four million acres of wheat in northern Oklahoma and south-central Kansas. Winds carried spores northward from this area into the Dakotas and Minnesota.” E.C. Stakman University of Minnesota Ug99 stem rust has spread throughout eastern Africa and is now working its way across the Middle East to Iran and possibly India. Elias, durum breeder at North Dakota State University (NDSU), the only public durum breeding program in the U.S. “Some lines were found to be resistant to Ug99 and some are suceptible. So we have a whole range of differences. But now they are finding that some varieties in Africa that were initially resistant are breaking down. The fungus is changing, so this requires continuous testing,” says Dr. Elias. Head Start on Breeding “USDA-ARS is working with U.S. wheat and barley breeders to get a head-start on breeding for genetic re- sistance to Ug99,” says Kay Simmons, National Program Leader, Plant Genetics & Grain Crops, USDA-ARS, Bethesda, Md. “New sources of resistance and varieties with some resistance have been identified through field screening in Eastern Africa. “Now, USDA scientists are working with university and private sector researchers to accelerate breeding efforts to develop more resistant varieties for the U.S.” “USDA scientists are also conducting national surveys to monitor for new and emerging strains of cereal stem rusts. USDA agencies are also sharing information and plans to facilitate chemical management using fungicides. “Importantly, U.S. scientists are collaborating with international research centers and disease experts to try to contain the spread of Ug99,” concludes Simmons. Past Losses The U.S. experienced significant crop losses during the stem rust epidemics of the early decades of the 1900s, especially during the 1950s. According to Dr. Stakman, “In early June, 1953, it was calculated that there were 4,000 tons of urediospores, with about 150 billion spores per pound, on four million acres of wheat in northern Oklahoma and south-central Kansas. Winds carried spores northward from this area into the Dakotas and Minnesota, where they were deposited at the rate of 3.5 million an acre in an area comprising 40 thousand square miles.” Makes you stop and think, doesn’t it? Sally Soluguk Backman is a public relations/communications specialist for Northern Crops Institute at North Dakota State University, Fargo. She can be reached at 701-231-6538 or sally.soluguk@ndsu.edu. Tough Rugged Convertible Gates Manual rack & pinion Air operated Electric rack & pinion PO Box 256 • Hortonville, WI 54944 800-343-3404 • FAX: 920-779-6980 • www.tom-cinmetals.com 36 Second Quarter 2008 Response No. 361 MILLING JOURNAL http://www.tom-cinmetals.com http://www.grainnet.com/enews http://www.tom-cinmetals.com
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