Wheat disease on the move

A virulent new strain of rust, a disease that attacks wheat and other grains, has spread to Iran a year or two earlier than expected due to a cyclone in the region last year. The move into Iran is an unwelcome harbinger given other stresses to the world food supply, such as Australia's drought and soaring grain prices.

Scientists warn that UG99's arrival in Iran is unwelcome because of it's proximity to major Asian wheat-growing regions. UG99 has developed resistance to all the rust-resistant strains of wheat grown worldwide, and new strains to replace them are several years away.

Here's a New Scientist alert on the problem last month and an article with a U.S. perspective, as well as some former posts on related topics: ethanol's impact on grain prices, the increasing interdependence of world food markets, and the growing political turbulence that's developing around the world in response to spikes in grain prices.