Wheat Is in Trouble. Can Science Save It?

Wheat is a crucial global food source, but fungal rusts pose a significant threat, causing widespread crop damage and food insecurity, particularly in developing nations. Scientists are developing early warning systems, using data from experts, farmers, and online media, to predict and manage rust outbreaks, enabling timely intervention with fungicides and safeguarding wheat production.

Wheat's Importance

• 00:00:05 Wheat is the most widely grown crop globally, providing one-fifth of human caloric intake. Any threat to wheat production, such as fungal rust, has severe implications for global food security and can exacerbate food shortages and price increases, especially in countries already facing challenges like droughts.

Fungal Rust Threat

• 00:00:28 Fungal rusts, like stem rust and leaf rust, are a major threat to wheat crops, causing reddish-orange splotches and siphoning nutrients from the plants, potentially killing entire crops within a month. These rusts have plagued wheat crops throughout history and can severely impact global food supply, creating shortages and rising food prices.

Historical & Current Control Efforts

• 00:01:26 Farmers have long sought to manage wheat rust, including the eradication of barberry plants, a potential rust host, and breeding rust-resistant wheat varieties. However, new strains of rust can overcome resistance, and the rapid spread of rust, often by wind, requires timely intervention with fungicides.

Early Warning Systems

• 00:03:03 Researchers developed an early warning system for wheat rust in Ethiopia, using expert reports, farmer calls, computer simulations, and weather data to predict rust outbreaks. The system provides alerts to farmers and authorities, enabling targeted fungicide application and mitigating crop losses.

Adaptation & New Technologies

• 00:04:00 The Ethiopian early warning system has been adapted for use in Nepal, incorporating online media reports from neighboring countries to track potential sources of infection. Other researchers are developing AI-based methods to automatically detect wheat rust using images, potentially eliminating the need for on-site experts.