Escalating Threat of Wheat Rusts

Abstract

Last month, nearly 600 scientists from more than 80 countries convened in St. Petersburg, Russia, at the International Wheat Conference to discuss the world's most widely planted crop. This came on the heels of a Borlaug Global Rust Initiative (BGRI) workshop that focused on the rapidly spreading fungal diseases known as wheat rusts, which are causing epidemics that require urgent action. If we are to prevent devastating crop losses, nations must coordinate to enact short-term solutions; they must also expand long-term efforts in research, plant breeding, and surveillance.