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NEWS RELEASE
Using Genetic Mapping to Save Wheat Production
MADISON, WI, DECEMBER 20, 2010 – Stem rust disease has the potential to devastate wheat production worldwide. In the 1950s, large epidemics spread across North America and through other parts of the world. Developing a stem rust resistant gene stopped the spread of the disease. In 1999, a new race of stem rust was discovered in Uganda and identified as Ug99. Previously developed stem rust resistant genes are no longer effective against Ug99.
The study was funded by the USDA Agriculture and Food Research Initiative and by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. Results of the study can be reviewed in full detail in the November-December 2010 issue of Crop Science.
Crop Scienceis the flagship journal of the Crop Science Society of America. It is a top international journal in the fields of crop breeding and genetics, crop physiology, and crop production. The journal is a critical outlet for articles describing plant germplasm collections and their use.