Friday, March 19, 2010

Red Menace: Stop the Ug99 Fungus Before Its Spores Bring Starvation | Magazine

Red Menace: Stop the Ug99 Fungus Before Its Spores Bring Starvation | Magazine: "The enemy is Ug99, a fungus that causes stem rust, a calamitous disease of wheat. Its spores alight on a wheat leaf, then work their way into the flesh of the plant and hijack its metabolism, siphoning off nutrients that would otherwise fatten the grains. The pathogen makes its presence known to humans through crimson pustules on the plant’s stems and leaves. When those pustules burst, millions of spores flare out in search of fresh hosts. The ravaged plant then withers and dies, its grains shriveled into useless pebbles."

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