Source: Daily Times

By Ijaz Kakakhel

ISLAMABAD: Current wheat crop (2008 harvest) will not be attacked by UG99, as the race is not in our terrain. Experimental tests of the local stem rust strain found in Sindh is not UG99 as this local race has not attacked a wheat test variety unequivocally susceptible to UG99 in field and controlled environmental testing conditions.

Stem rust on wheat has caused international concern due to its occurrence, damage potential, systematic spread across wheat growing areas in several countries coupled with the threat it poses to Pakistan and countries beyond our borders. The rust UG99 from Uganda spread into Kenya and Ethiopia, then crossed into Yemen and has recently been reported in Iran. This proximity presence and its wind borne spore spreading nature threatens Pakistan wheat areas particularly Sindh and lower Punjab where stem rust is to be a problem.

The situation is more acute as Pakistani wheat germplasm tested in Kenya over the past few years did not give encouraging signs that our varieties possess adequate resistance levels to combat the race posing the threat. Currently we are more prone to be affected with this danger at our footsteps than 2005. Thus volatile efforts are needed to be in place to address the perplexing situation.

However, gauging the swift move of the pathogen into Yemen and now into Iran compels Pakistani researchers to enhance efforts to protect national wheat productivity over the next crop cycle (2008-09). The Pakistan Agriculture Research Council (PARC) / NARC and national wheat programmes are pursuing the task diligently across three scenarios. The first is via introduction, adaptation and release of high yielding germplasm selected from the elite bread-screening nursery provided to Pakistan by CIMMYT, Mexico.

These have resistance to UG99 based upon testing by CIMMYT scientists and their colleagues in Africa hot spots. The second tier of lines are those that are present in the International stem rust screening nursery which are excellent candidates to be used in any national wheat programme that targets on recombination breeding around efficient breeding strategies for swift outputs.

The third route is to exploit the identified genes for resistance reported by CIMMYT and collaborators aided by marked / linked genes via efficient breeding technology. The additional latent phase is a programme that can harness unique resistance diversity of wheat relative species through international testing in UG99 hot spots and then exploiting this diversity in national recombination programmes.

Pakistani researchers are actively engulfed in integrated activities to combat the pathogen. The know how is perfectly in place and the task ahead chalked out with the facets of scientific cooperation, financial assistance and political will all operating in tandem.

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Tags: Crop, Stem rust, UG99, Wheat