Islamabad, Pakistan
May 22, 2008
USDA/FAS GAIN report number PK
8017
Report Highlights:
Pakistan is on high alert
following detection of the deadly Ug99 wheat stem rust
disease in Iran in March 2008. Initial steps have already
been taken by the Pakistan Agriculture Research Council and
the National Wheat Program to develop wheat varieties with
resistance to the deadly disease. It is predicted that Ug99
could reach Pakistan within 2 to 3 years. To date, Ug99 has
not been detected in Pakistan’s 2008 wheat crop. The
Government of Pakistan has allocated 40 million rupees (USD
645,000) for agricultural research to combat the threat to
the domestic wheat crop. Two Pakistani plant scientists will
attend training this year on Ug99 at the International Maize
and Wheat Improvement Center in Mexico under USDA’s Borlaug
Fellowship Program.
The Food and Agriculture
Organization (FAO) of the United Nations put Pakistan and five
other wheat-producing countries on high alert following
confirmed reports that Ug99 wheat stem rust had been detected in
major wheat-growing areas in western Iran. Pakistan, located to
the east of Iran, is in the predicted, immediate pathway for
windborne spread of the deadly wheat fungus spores –
particularly in Sindh and lower Punjab.
No Ug99 in Pakistan Yet – But the Clock is Ticking
Wheat rusts are not new to Pakistan. The country faced its first
challenge in 1977 when a rust epidemic decimated what crops and
forced the GOP to import over 2 million tons of wheat to meet
domestic demand. Following the 1977-78 outbreak, Pakistan
established strong linkages with research institutions including
the Mexico-based International Maize and Wheat Improvement
Center (CIMMYT) and the Syria-headquartered International Center
for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas (ICARDA). Through
collaborative efforts, Pakistani
plant breeders receive germ plasm from these centers for use in
ongoing wheat strain breeding programs.
According to a survey conducted by the Pakistan Agriculture
Research Council (PARC), there is currently a low overall
incidence of wheat stem rust in Pakistan’s 2008 wheat crop and
only one suspected case of Ug99 has been reported. The case,
detected in wheat-producing Sindh Province, proved to be a local
strain of wheat rust and not the feared Ug99. The good news may
be short-lived as scientists fear that Pakistan has only a
window of 2 to 3 years before Ug99 is found within its borders.
Dr Mujeeb Qazi, Program Director of Pakistan’s National Wheat
Program, warns against complacency. According to Dr. Qazi, the
swift movement of Ug99 from Yemen to Iran within just one year
has raised alarm bells within Pakistan’s scientific community.
Pakistani researchers will have to expedite efforts to protect
wheat productivity over the next crop cycle (2008-09) by locally
introducing Ug99-resistant wheat seed. Dr Qazi warned that, as
with 80 percent of all wheat varieties planted in Asia and
Africa, the germ plasm of all major Pakistani wheat varieties
tested in Kenya over the past few years did not provide adequate
resistance to Ug99. Danger is at the doorstep.
40 Million Rupees Allocated to Combat the Threat
The Government of Pakistan has allocated 40 million rupees (USD
645,000) to combat the threat of Ug99. The effort includes
revitalizing Pakistan’s wheat research capacity and implementing
a wheat rust early warning system. An aggressive breeding
program has been established utilizing new bio-technological
molecular markers and haploids and active collaborative with
international centers such as CIMMYT and ICARDA.
Three-Tier Strategy Begun
The Pakistan Agriculture Research Council (PARC) and the
National Wheat Programme have devised a three-tier strategy to
protect the Pakistan wheat crop from Ug99. First, highyielding
germ plasm selected from the elite screening nursery at CIMMYT
will be introduced, adapted and then released. These varieties
have shown resistance to Ug99 based on testing in Africa’s hot
spots. Secondly, material from the international stem rust
screening nursery will be integrated with commercial wheat
crops. Thirdly, agricultural scientists hope to identify
rust-resistant plant genes and incorporate them into wheat
strains via traditional plant breeding programs. Disease
surveillance and wheat breeding is already underway to monitor
for wheat rust and to develop Ug99 resistant varieties.
Dr Mujeeb Qazi, Program Director of Pakistan’s National Wheat
Program, warns against complacency. According to Dr. Qazi, the
swift movement of Ug99 from Yemen to Iran within just one year
has raised alarm bells within Pakistan’s scientific community.
Pakistani researchers will have to expedite efforts to protect
wheat productivity over the next crop cycle (2008-09) by locally
introducing Ug99-resistant wheat seed. Dr Qazi warned that, as
with 80 percent of all wheat varieties planted in Asia and
Africa, the germ plasm of all major Pakistani wheat varieties
tested in Kenya over the past few years did not provide adequate
resistance to Ug99. Danger is at the doorstep.
Borlaug Fellowship Program Funds CIMMYT Training
Two Pakistani wheat stem rust scientists will attend training at
CIMMYT later this year under USDA’s Borlaug Fellowship Program. |
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