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| Syria-Lebanon-Iran |
| Virulent wheat fungus spreads to Iran, could threaten crops in Asia |
| 2008-03-05 |
| A virulent wheat fungus, previously found in East Africa and Yemen, has spread to Iran, and a UN food agency warned Wednesday that it could be heading across Central and the Indian subcontinent. The Rome-based Food and Agriculture Organization said that about 80 percent of all wheat varieties planted in Asia and Africa are susceptible to wheat stem rust - a fungus capable of destroying entire fields. Laboratory tests have confirmed the presence of the fungus in western Iran, a development which raises the alert for crops of major wheat producers like Afghanistan, India, Pakistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan, the FAO said in a statement. "The detection of the wheat rust fungus in Iran is very worrisome," said Shivaji Pandey, director of the FAO's Plant Production and Protection Division. "The fungus is spreading rapidly and could seriously lower wheat production in countries at direct risk." Could be an interesting year. |
| Posted by:phil_b |
| #8 Like North Korea, if they now want to eat, they need to stop building nukes. |
| Posted by: www 2008-03-05 21:22 |
| #7 Oil, gold, wheat - scarcity of supply. Can't eat oil or gold. Neither once you pull it out of the ground can you regenerate it for next year. The oil exporting nations want to raise the price of oil which now appears to be raising the price of wheat/grains. Who's in the better position to deliver the latter? |
| Posted by: Procopius2k 2008-03-05 21:20 |
| #6 Mass production versus genetic security. |
| Posted by: JosephMendiola 2008-03-05 21:00 |
| #5 Good point. TW. Although it will be too late for this years crop. World wheat production |
| Posted by: phil_b 2008-03-05 19:34 |
| #4 We can easily supply law-abiding Afghanis with seed for resistant varieties of wheat suitable to their climate and growing season, I imagine. To India and those who choose to be our allies, too, although not enough for complete replacement. A very interesting year, indeed. |
| Posted by: trailing wife 2008-03-05 19:10 |
| #3 Message to Iran: Allah doesn't like you. |
| Posted by: Barbara Skolaut 2008-03-05 18:42 |
| #2 Very bad news. I think the Green Revolution started with the development of rust resistant wheat. And that was when the world had less than 1/2 the current population. |
| Posted by: ed 2008-03-05 18:32 |
| #1 Gosh darn it, Karl Rove is GOOD! |
| Posted by: Bobby 2008-03-05 18:18 |