Ug99

Stem Rust has always been a problem for domesticated wheat crops. Over time, by and large, it had been brought under control. Until now. Ug99, named for Uganda 1999 — where and when this particular strain of Rust was discovered — has the potential to devastate world wide wheat production: perhaps by as much as an 80% reduction. Ug99's natural diffusion already puts Africa and Asia at imminent risk. And sooner or later the rest of the world's wheat crops will become exposed. (One might even suppose that a bio-terrorist could try to bring a container full of Ug99 into the U.S.) So there's a race against time to develop new, resistant varieties of wheat. Hopefully, Washington will spend enough on research to avert a catastrophe.