U.N.: New fungus threatens wheat crops

UNITED NATIONS, April 12 (UPI) -- A powerful fungus that can destroy entire wheat fields has spread from East Africa to Yemen, the United Nations warned.

If stem rust, also known as wheat black rust, were to spread to major wheat producing countries, global wheat production could be at risk, said Dr. Jacques Diouf, director general of the Food and Agriculture Organization, in a release Thursday.

"The fungus can spread rapidly and has the potential to cause global crop epidemics and wheat harvest losses of several billion dollars," said Diouf. "This could lead to increased wheat prices and local or regional food shortages."

An estimated 80 percent of all wheat varieties planted in Asia and Africa are susceptible to this new strain, the FAO said. The spores of wheat rust can be carried by wind over long distances.

The wheat rust found in Yemen was first discovered in Uganda in 1999. The Yemen strain is already more virulent than the one found in East Africa, the FAO said.

There is a high risk the disease could also spread to Sudan, the FAO warned, where food crops are finally rebounding after years of civil strife.

In the 1980s, a virulent strain of yellow wheat rust crossed from East Africa to Asia, where it ended up causing $1 billion in wheat losses.