Crop scientists in Ontario are concerned about a potentially devastating mutation in a fungus that affects wheat.
Agronomist Peter Johnson says Stripe Rust can destroy a crop in just a few days, but it was never a serious problem for Ontario farmers because it usually is warmer here than the fungus can tolerate.
Normally we don't see a lot of stripe rust, in my career this is a first," he says. "It may not be the last because we are pretty sure the fungus has mutated and we now have a more heat tolerant Stripe Rust."
Johnson says the fungus is carried by the wind from the United States but in the past it stopped being a threat in temperatures about 21 C.
However new mutations are surviving in temperatures as warm as 28 C and possibly warmer.
He says it has the potential to devastate wheat yields in just a few days.
Story by Simon Crouch, BlackburnNews.com contributor.
