Sunday, November 9, 2008

Wheat Conference Tackles Wheat Stem Rust Ug99


Norman Borlaug


With concerns wheat stem rust Ug99 could decimate the grain around the world, the International Conference on Wheat Stem Rust Ug99 was held in New Delhi to look at the potential threat.

Dr. Norman Borlaug, who identified the potent danger in Ug99, talked to those attending via a video conference. He was one of the leaders in developing the Borlaug Global Rust Initiative (BGRI) in 2007. A number of universities, organizations and charities support BGRI, including the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

The results of the conference were to formulate the Delhi Declaration, whose purpose was to generate global cooperation and a unified plan of action.

While there are a lot of recommendations and preparations made, the question is how all of them will be implemented.

Ug99 was first found in a Uganda nursery in 1999 and has spread to a number of countries.

Good article explaining Ug99 here.

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