A ProMED-mail post
<http://www.promedmail.org>
ProMED-mail is a program of the
International Society for Infectious Diseases <http://www.isid.org>
7 February 2009
Source: China View [edited]
<http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2009-02/07/content_10776740.htm>
The Ministry of Agriculture (MOA) warned of the wide spread of
the fungus _Puccinia striiformis_, also known as stripe rust, a
wheat disease that could cause huge losses. It is bad news for
China's summer harvest [of 2009] as the nation continues its war
against rare drought conditions.
The fungus, one of the most dangerous wheat diseases, was likely
to prevail across the nation due to the abnormal climate, MOA
said in an emergency notice. The disease has affected more than
11.3 million mu
(753 000 hectares) of wheat in 7 provinces by 5 Feb [2009], 4.6
million mu more than the same period last year [2008]. The
northwestern Gansu [province] and Ningxia [autonomous region]
saw the worst outbreak in 19 years. The situation in the
southwestern Sichuan and Guizhou provinces was worse than ever
before, according to data released by the MOA on Friday [6 Feb
2009].
The ministry urged local authorities to attach great importance
to disease control while fighting against the rare drought that
has gripped north China. Local government should take preemptive
measures to protect the summer harvest. Disease control
knowledge should be spread via television, radio, text message
and print bulletins to keep every farmer well-informed, MOA
said. The ministry will also enhance crackdown on fake pesticide
producers and scams targeted at desperate farmers.
[Byline: Mu Xuequan]
--
Communicated by:
ProMED-mail <promed@promedmail.org>
[Stripe rust (also called yellow rust) of cereal crops is caused
by the fungus _Puccinia striiformis_ var. _striiformis_ and
occurs mostly in cooler climates. It causes yellow leaf stripes,
stunting of plants, and reduces grain production with yield
losses of 40 to 100 percent. It affects wheat, some barley
varieties, triticale (wheat-rye hybrids), and a number of grass
species. Spores are wind dispersed in several cycles during the
cropping season. Grasses and volunteer wheat may generate a
"green bridge" providing inoculum for the next cropping season.
Disease management includes the use of resistant varieties,
fungicide applications, and control of volunteer wheat.
Disease monitoring is important so timely action can be taken to
limit the spread of the pathogen as well as build-up of
inoculum.
Last year (2008), a quarter of the wheat growing area in China
was reported to be affected by stripe rust (see ProMED-mail post
no.
20080408.1297), and it appears that the situation has become
worse.
New pathogen strains with increased virulence have been reported
in recent years from wheat growing areas in Europe, North
America and Australia, and resistance breeding programmes have
been set up to counteract this trend. It remains to be clarified
whether a new strain may be contributing to the difficulties of
controlling the disease in China.
For more information on stripe rust see links and previous posts
below.
Maps
China:
<http://www.chinapage.com/map/map.html> and <http://healthmap.org/promed?v=36.5,103.9,4>
Provinces of China:
<http://www.sacu.org/provmap.html>
Pictures
Stripe rust leaf symptoms on wheat:
<http://utextension.tennessee.edu/fieldCrops/wheat/Wheat_photos/Wheat_StripeRust.jpg>
and
<http://www.grdc.com.au/uploads/images/Stripe%20rust%20Colin%20Wellings%20ACRCP.JPG>
Stripe rust on wheat head:
<http://cril.cimmyt.org/gallery/main.php?g2_view=core.DownloadItem&g2_itemId=950&g2_serialNumber=2>
Stripe rust on resistant and susceptible wheat cultivars:
<http://www.oznet.ksu.edu/path-ext/factSheets/wheat/Wheatimages/wheats1.jpg>
Barley with stripe rust:
<http://www.ipmcenters.org/cropprofiles/docs/Graphics/WAbarleyStripeRust.jpg>
Ryegrass with stripe rust:
<http://plant-disease.ippc.orst.edu/plant_images/ryegrass_stripe_rust.jpg>
Links
Information on wheat stripe rust:
<http://pnw-ag.wsu.edu/smallgrains/Stripe%20Rust.html>,
<http://www.ars.usda.gov/Main/docs.htm?docid=9918&pf=1&cg_id=0>,
<http://www.dpi.nsw.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0006/158964/stripe-rust-in-wheat.pdf>
and
<http://www.oznet.k-state.edu/path-ext/factSheets/Wheat/Wheat%20Stripe%20Rust.asp>
Stripe rust management:
<http://www.grdc.com.au/uploads/documents/striperustmgt.pdf>
and <http://www.ipm.ucdavis.edu/PMG/r730100511.html>
Examples of stripe rust resistance breeding:
<http://www.weeklytimesnow.com.au/article/2009/01/14/41411_grain-and-hay.html>
and
<http://jag.igr.poznan.pl/2005-Volume-46/3/pdf/2005_Volume_46_3-259-263.pdf>
_P. striiformis_ taxonomy:
<http://www.indexfungorum.org/Names/NamesRecord.asp?RecordID=427989>
- Mod.DHA]
[see also
in the
archive:
2008
----
Stripe rust, wheat - Australia (02): (VIC) 20080916.2897 Stripe
rust, wheat - Australia: (QLD, NSW), alert 20080716.2156 Wheat
stripe rust, oilseed rape sclerotinia - China 20080408.1297
Stripe rust, wheat - Denmark: new strains 20080211.0542
2007
----
Stripe rust, wheat - Australia (SA): new strain 20070921.3135
Stripe rust, wheat & wheat streak mosaic - Australia (SA, WA)
20070830.2860 Fungal diseases, wheat & pulses - Australia (SA)
20070821.2729 Ergot & stripe rust, cereals - USA (MT)
20070706.2144 Stripe rust, wheat - USA, Australia 20070614.1950
Wheat stripe rust, wheat - China 20070413.1230
2005
----
Stripe rust, wheat - Australia 20051031.3173 Wheat stripe rust -
USA (FL) 20050601.1521
2004
----
Wheat stripe rust - Australia (NSW) 20040928.2683 Wheat stripe
rust - Australia (NSW): alert 20040810.2215 Wheat stripe rust -
China 20040429.1191 and older items in the archives]