December 14, 2007

The most recent issue of USDA's Agricultural Research magazine focuses on a new strain of wheat stem rust that is threatening wheat overseas and the research USDA is conducting to identify and breed a rust-resistant strain. Check out the following notes and visit the on-line November-December 2007 issue to learn more.

Once Again, International Cooperation Key to Saving Wheat and Barley(PDF 43.8KB), a letter from M. Kay Simmons, USDA ARS National Program Leader for Plant Genetics and Grain Crops, and Rick Bennett, USDA ARS National Program Leader for Plant Health.

"Combating the new African rust pathogen through international collaboration is one main goal of the Global Rust Initiative, in which ARS plays a major role," write the authors as they explain how USDA scientists are researching and collaborating with other scientists to find a solution. The Global Rust Initiative is led by Nobel laureate Norman Borlaug, who helped lead the Green Revolution of the 1960s.

World Wheat Supply Threatened!(PDF 720KB)

"A new wheat stem rust strain is on a worldwide march, threatening a global food problem and wheat shortage on a scale unknown since the 1950s. At that time, a strain of stem rust reached epidemic proportions and destroyed 40 percent of the spring wheat crop in North America," writes the author, Don Comis of the USDA Agricultural Research Service. He describes the work to educate and train international researchers to recognize and identify new strains of wheat rust as they develop, becoming early warning signals worldwide.

Rust Proof! Idaho Experts Search for Stem-Rust-Resistant Wheat (PDF 692KB)

In this story Marcia Wood, ARS writer, describes the quest for wheat rust resistance and how researchers are turning to local wheats for possible answers. The ARS Small Grains and Potato Germplasm Research Unit at Aberdeen, Idaho has seeds of 25,000 local wheats among the 60,000 types of wheat stored there. While local wheats may not offer the yield benefits of today's wheat, they may offer resistant genes that could be successfully crossed with today's producers.

Also in this issue:

Beyond the Pond: A Low-Cost, Low-Tech Way to Mange Manure(PDF 752KB)

This article examines research at the U.S. Meat Animal Research Center at Clay Center to develop and test an alternative method of runoff control that avoids many of the disadvantages of traditional runoff control systems using temporary ponds or basins.

Uncorking Genetic Bottlenecks in Soy (PDF 621KB)

"for all its versatility, soy sits atop a narrow genetic base that, some researchers contend, could leave it vulnerable to exotic new diseases or insect pests - like Aphis glycines, the Asian aphidk which was first detected in Wisconsin in 2000. Researchers at the ARS Soybean Genomics and Improvement Laboratory in Beltsville, Maryland, are looking for efficient ways to uncork this so-called genetic bottleneck in today's soybean crop."

Tempering Beans- Reaction to Heat(PDF 152KB)

"Most common beans are adapted to relatively cool climates. But Porch is trying to equip U.S. beans with high-temperature adaptation and other traits such as drought tolerance and disease resistance." Bean types being researched include pinto, kidney, navy, red, black and snap.