New menace to our front desk
Author: Masooma Naseer Cheema
Author: Masooma Naseer Cheema
Wheat being staple diet of people in Pakistan occupies a central position in agricultural policies. It contributes 13.1 % to the value added in agriculture and 2.8 % to GDP.Area and production under wheat crop has been increased for year 2008-2009 i-e 5.9 % more area and 5.5% more yield than the previous year. But still per hectare yield is lower than the yield of other countries because the crop is affected by many biotic as well as abiotic stresses. Crop is affected by aphids and rust attacks in wheat growing areas, as well as, high temperature stress at grain formation affected the productivity of the wheat crop. Shortage of irrigation water, delayed planting, poor plant protection, imbalanced fertilizer use, inappropriate soil management and poor land preparation also contribute towards less production. Low wheat productivity is also the result of outdated technology prevalent on farm sector particularly among the farmers. Besides these huge list of problems the upcoming risk to our wheat is the new threat of stem rust Ug-99.Although many races of stem rusts attacks our wheat crop but this new race is the most virulent and destructive one. Data shows that Ug-99 may causes 71-80% yield losses. It was first discovered in Uganda in 1999, it is virulent strain of fungal pathogen and now spread throughout East Africa, Yemen, Sudan and Iran and its further predicted spread towards North Africa, Middle East, and Asia and beyond has raised serious concerns of major epidemics that could destroy the wheat crop in various areas. Presence of Ug-99 has been confirmed in Iran in some areas of Broujerd and Hamedan in western Iran. As Iran also suffers from this devasting disease, its next targetll be Pakistan, so we must have to work over that. We should check our wheat material to screen and identify the resistant genes to be incorporated in domestic wheat varieties. Last year it was take note that this race was seemed in some areas of Southern Punjab but after laboratory testing, was prove that it was another strain of rust not Ug-99 Many legendary Institutes and organizations are working to get some solutions of this disease. Research activities are now on there peak as a wheat variety is released by Ayub Agriculture Research Institute, Faisalabad named as Lasani-08 which was claimed to be resistant to race of stem rust but still there is an urgent need to improve the level and diversity of stem rust resistance in our previously existing wheat varieties and cultivars that are grown for many years by our farmers as soon as possible. The resistant varieties need to be better in yield and other attributes than the current existing varieties and must be distributed among the farmers. Our next strategy will be such that when this diseasell enter in our country we should be fully equipped to fight with this devasting race Ug-99 otherwise must ready for another famine. Written by NIDA AMIN About the Author:
MASOOMA NASEER CHEEMA, LECTURER, NIDA AMIN,DEPARTMENT PLANT BREEDING & GENETICS, UNIVERSITY OF AGRICULTURE FAISALABAD, PAKISTAN