PRO/PL> Wheat stripe rust - China

[Brian Edmonds]

WHEAT STRIPE RUST - CHINA
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Date: 26 Apr 2004
From: ProMED-mail <promed at promedmail.org>
Source: Xinhuanet [edited]
<http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2004-04/22/content_1435499.htm>

Emergency prevention against wheat disease urged
------------------------------------------------
The Ministry of Agriculture revealed on Thursday that 2 million hectares of 
wheat in China have been plagued by stripe rust and the infected acreage 
might reach 6.7 million hectares by the end of 2004. Minister Du Qinglin 
urged local governments to strengthen the early-warning system and to 
enhance efficiency in preventing and controlling the disease, hoping to 
restrain the infected areas within 5 per cent of the total wheat yield. The 
ministry set the wheat production goal for the summer of 2004 at an average 
rise of 5 kilograms per mu (0.067 hectare) over the same period of 2003.

Du stressed that both governments and farmers should improve defensive 
abilities against other disasters, such as drought, plant lodging [the 
bending or falling over of a crop plant], and hot wind. He also reminded 
farmers to focus on irrigation to ensure a sufficient water supply for 
wheat, which was now at its key growth period for the year.

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ProMED-mail
<promed at promedmail.org>

[Wheat stripe rust (also known as yellow rust) is caused by _Puccinia 
striiformis_. It occurs worldwide at higher altitudes in wheat production 
zones of the southern and northern areas of temperate regions. Yield losses 
can be considerable, ranging from about 40 per cent to complete destruction 
of the crop. Survival of the fungus is threatened by high temperature and 
dry weather. It survives primarily in dormant mycelium and uredinia on 
infected volunteer wheat. It also infects some barley cultivars. Disease 
management involves the use of resistant cultivars, control of seeding 
dates, elimination of volunteer seedlings and use of chemical fungicides.

Useful references:
<http://www.cdl.umn.edu/introduction/rusts.html>
<http://www.cimmyt.cgiar.org/Research/Wheat/map/developing_world/HistoryWBChina/pdf/HistWBChina_cap10.pdf> 

<http://www.cimmyt.cgiar.org/Research/Wheat/map/developing_world/HistoryWBChina/pdf/HistWBChina_cap5.pdf> 

<http://www.agriculture.com/worldwide/IDS/2004-04>

I also included 2 references from CIMMYT that deal with the disease in 
China. - Mod.DH]

[see also:
2003
---
Wheat stripe rust, new strains - Australia (SA)  20030930.2465
Wheat stripe rust - Australia (WA)               20030624.1553
Wheat stripe rust, first report - USA (Florida)  20030516.1220
2002
---
Wheat stripe rust - Australia (Western): alert   20020831.5198
2001
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Wheat stripe rust - USA (Great Plains)           20010715.1366
Wheat stripe rust - USA (Central)                20010629.1236
1999
---
Stripe rust, barley - Australia (Victoria & NSW) 19991116.2043]

..........................mpp/dh/pg/sh

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