International scientists warn of growing threat of wheat rust epidemics worldwide
Wednesday, April 20, 2011 - 10:30
in Earth & Climate
Researchers meeting at a scientific conference in Aleppo this week reported that aggressive new strains of wheat rust diseases called stem rust and stripe rust have decimated up to 40% of farmers' wheat fields in recent harvests. Areas affected are North Africa, the Middle East, Central Asia and the Caucuses, including Syria, Egypt, Yemen, Turkey, Iran, Uzbekistan, Morocco, Ethiopia, and Kenya.