Research on the fungus threatens wheat production

Research on the fungus threatens wheat production
According to a study published in the journal Genome Biology, the spread of fungal pathogens on plants caused a serious threat to wheat production in the UK. This study uses a new monitoring technique can be applied on an international scale to cope with the spread of a variety of plant diseases. Wheat is a staple food crops provide 20% to 25% more calories and protein for humans.
According to a study published in the journal Genome Biology, the spread of fungal pathogens on plants caused a serious threat to wheat production in the UK. This study uses a new monitoring technique can be applied on an international scale to cope with the spread of a variety of plant diseases.
 
Wheat is a staple food crops provide 20% to 25% more calories and protein for humans. Rust caused by Puccinia striiformis f. sp. tritici (Pst) is one of the major diseases of wheat and is spreading throughout the region's largest wheat producer in the world. Diseases caused grain quality and yield significantly reduced and may even cause the seasons. The new strain has recently appeared to adapt to warmer temperatures, more severe degree and have passed a lot of major defense genes in wheat.

Lead author of the study was Diane Saunders of the Centre for Analysis Genes (TGAC), UK, said: "The disease increased toxicity, the increasing globalization and climate change increases the scale and frequency disease on the productivity of plants and threatens global food security.

This study shows that in the UK is emerging a new kind of fungus on wheat plants. Through the use of new monitoring techniques, we not only monitor and deal with the constant threat of stem rust on wheat but also opens the door for tracking real pathogens Other materials, including ash from dried plants died.

Researchers from the John Innes Centre, the Sainsbury Laboratory, Institute of Botany TGAC and agriculture were identified genetic sequences from 39 wheat samples collected from PST fungal infection of the British 17th seed.

By comparing the RNA of fungus diseases with the common fungus disease between 1978 and 2011, the researchers found that there was a rapid change in PST fungus can seriously influence Wheat production in the UK.

The new PST collected samples showed genetic variation, reflecting the evolution of fungal pathogens increasingly be strengthened to overcome disease resistance of wheat.

Of the 39 samples of wheat above, 11 samples were genetically similar to a fungal strains PST called "Warrior". This fungal species appeared in 2011 and is a serious threat to wheat production in Europe due to its toxicity.

This new diagnostic technique can be applied on an international scale to cope with the spread of a variety of plant diseases. By quickly identifying a type of fungal genes from the field form, this technique can confirm the disease in wheat varieties and provide an effective means to confirm whether wheat Resistant previously disabled by virulent strains of pathogens or not. This contrasts with the current techniques that must perform in the long, costly and can only sample a relatively small proportion.

In this study, the collection and analysis of data only takes a few months, this is significant in improving the disease surveillance system today. The information can help predict morbidity in agricultural crops.