Oat Research Appropriations
The National Oat Improvement Committee (NOIC) and North American Millers’ Association (NAMA) endorse the Cereal Rust Disease Initiative. An aggressive, coordinated research effort is needed to reduce critical vulnerability of US oat, wheat, and barley production to rust diseases. Immediate, critical research needs include 1) rust pathology and assessment; 2) germplasm enhancement, gene discovery, and development of molecular markers; 3) regional programs for variety development; and 4) international exchange and pathogen monitoring. These activities will be supported in 27 states in every region of the country.
Cereal Rust Disease Initiative
Amount requested: $5,000,000 to USDA-ARS Salaries and Expenses
Recommendation: The National Wheat, Barley, and Oat Improvement Committees, National Associations of Wheat and Barley Growers, American Malting Barley Association, and North American Millers Association strongly recommend funding of a nationally coordinated initiative to reduce US vulnerability to Cereal Rust Diseases. Annual funding of $5 million is requested through an increase in appropriations, not redirections, to support cooperative USDA-ARS and Land-Grant university cereal research efforts in 29 states where personnel, expertise and facilities are already established.
Background: The previous Administration and Congress have both recognized the need to take action. However, three years have elapsed and no funding has been appropriated to address this critical vulnerability in US agriculture. For FY07, the President’s budget proposed an increase of $1.9 million for cereal stem rust research. The Senate and House Agricultural Appropriations bills recommended an increase of $1.6 and $1.0 million, respectively, for cereal rust research. However, all increased funding proposed for ARS was eliminated in the final FY07 appropriations bill. In FY08, the President’s budget again proposed an increase of $1.9 million for cereal stem rust research. The Senate and House Agricultural Appropriations bills recommended an increase of $1.5 and $1.0 million, respectively, for plant disease research. Again, all increased funding proposed for ARS was eliminated in the final FY08 appropriations bill.
For FY09, the Senate Agricultural Appropriations bill again recommends an increase in $1 million for cereal rust research. The previous Administration proposed an $8.94 million Initiative for Crop and Animal Protection and $3.5 million Initiative for Agricultural Genomics, Germplasm, and Collections; some of which could be directed to support cereal rust research. Final appropriations have yet to be decided, however. These funds would be an important step, but remain critically inadequate to fund an aggressive, coordinated national response to the rust threat. The appropriations fail to provide sufficient funds to support collaborative ARS research with key partners and programs at the Land-Grant Universities.
Justification: Highly virulent and aggressive new races of stem, leaf, and stripe rust have appeared in the world, which now threaten the entire US production of wheat, barley, and oats. A new race of stem rust, ‘Pgt-TTKS’ (isolate Ug99) appeared in Africa in 1999. Evaluations by USDA-ARS have confirmed that nearly all varieties in the US spring wheat region (MN, SD, ND, and MT) are susceptible to this race, placing 16 million acres and 500 million bushels of production at critical risk. Varieties grown on up to half of the 30 million acres that comprise the US hard winter wheat region (TX, OK, CO, KS, NE, and SD) also are highly susceptible. In 2006, a variant of Ug99 was identified in Kenya which is virulent on the resistance gene Sr24. In 2008, a variant of Ug99 was identified in Kenya which is virulent on the resistance gene Sr36. As a result, over 75% of US winter wheat acreage is now considered highly vulnerable. If these stem rust races were to be introduced and become established in the US, wheat production losses of more than 1.4 billion bushels per year, worth approximately $10 billion at the farm gate, are possible. All commercial barley varieties grown in the US are also highly susceptible to Pgt-TTKS. This race threatens 4.2 million acres of barley planted throughout the Great Plains with potential economic losses of more than $500 million.
Since first identified in Uganda in 1999, the Ug99 race of stem rust has spread to Kenya, Ethiopia, Sudan, Yemen, and Sudan. In 2007 Ug99 was confirmed in Iran. It now threatens critical wheat and barley producing areas of Iraq, Pakistan, India, Syria, and Turkey. In 2008, the Sr24 variant of Ug99 was found widespread in Kenya. It is expected to spread quickly throughout the region, similar to the original Ug99. This comes at a time when world wheat stocks are at historic lows. The time for US cereal researchers and breeders to respond is growing very short.
Leaf rust causes serious losses in wheat production nearly every year. From 2000 to 2004, US losses to leaf rust were estimated at more than 100,000,000 bushels, worth more than $350 million. In 2007, losses in Kansas alone were estimated at 50,000,000 bushels. The leaf rust pathogen evolves rapidly in response to deployment of new resistant varieties. Most varieties and genes are defeated within a few short years of release. Breeders are now exhausting genes and sources of resistance to combat this serious disease.
Since 2001, major shifts in stripe rust virulence have caused devastating losses in the southern and central Plains, eastern wheat region, and Pacific Northwest. In 2004 alone, US losses to stripe rust were estimated at $360 million. Resistant varieties have been identified, but their resistance is based on relatively few genes. US production is highly vulnerable to this rapidly evolving pathogen.
Program Solution: Immediate action must be taken to assess US vulnerability, identify new sources of genetic resistance, and deploy more durable disease resistance in US cereal varieties. Critical research activities include:
- Rust pathology, race monitoring, and assessment of germplasm to current and newly identified races of the rust organisms throughout the world.
- Gene discovery, germplasm enhancement, development of molecular markers to identify and exploit new and existing resistances to rust diseases.
- Develop regionally adapted varieties with improved, more durable rust resistance. Establish and coordinate uniform rust screening nurseries and utilize molecular markers to introduce and pyramid effective seedling and adult plant resistance genes.
- Collaborate with international research centers to monitor development and spread of new rust races and establish vulnerability of US varieties before races are introduced into the US. Coordinate international nursery evaluations and exchange of germplasm with enhanced rust resistance.
Budget and Justification: USDA-Agricultural Research Service must take the leadership role in this effort, but the scientific resources of the entire wheat, barley, and oat research communities must be mobilized to prevent major production losses to new and evolving races of stem, leaf, stripe, and crown rust diseases. Funding is to be targeted to ARS cereal research units and to Land-Grant universities through Specific Cooperative Agreements and Regional Action Plans to maximize impact and exploit existing personnel, expertise, and facilities.
| Rust Pathology, Assessment, and Race Monitoring | $750,000 | ||||||||
| USDA-ARS, Cereal Disease Laboratory, St. Paul, MN | |||||||||
Germplasm Enhancement, Gene Discovery, Development |
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| Of Molecular Markers | $1,600,000 | ||||||||
| USDA-ARS Cereal Genetics Research Units | |||||||||
Manhattan, KS; Raleigh, NC; Fargo, ND; Pullman, WA; |
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| Wheat Genetic Resource Center | |||||||||
| Kansas State University | |||||||||
| Barley Genomics Project | |||||||||
Oregon State University, University of Minnesota, North Dakota |
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| Regional Variety Development, Evaluation, and Implementation | $1,900,000 | ||||||||
| Plains Spring Wheat Region (USDA-ARS, St. Paul) | |||||||||
South Dakota State University, North Dakota State University, |
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| Eastern Wheat Region (USDA-ARS, Raleigh) | |||||||||
Virginia Tech, University of Georgia, University of Florida, |
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| Plains Winter Wheat Region (USDA-ARS, Lincoln) | |||||||||
Texas A&M University, Oklahoma State University, |
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| Western Wheat Region (USDA-ARS, Pullman) | |||||||||
Washington State University, Oregon State University, |
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| Barley Western and Eastern Regions (USDA-ARS, Aberdeen, Raleigh) | |||||||||
Oregon State University, Washington State University, |
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| Plains Spring Barley Region (USDA-ARS, St. Paul) | |||||||||
University of Minnesota, North Dakota State University, |
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| Oat, Spring and Winter Regions (USDA-ARS, St. Paul, Raleigh) | |||||||||
North Carolina State University, University of Florida, |
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| International Exchange, Coordination, Evaluation, Pathogen Monitoring | $250,000 | ||||||||
International Centers for Maize and Wheat Improvement (CIMMYT) |
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| Germplasm introduction, screening, distribution (USDA-ARS, Aberdeen) | |||||||||
| Oklahoma State University, Texas A&M, Oregon State University | |||||||||
| ARS Overhead (10%) | $500,000 | ||||||||
Suggested Report Language: Cereal Rust Disease Initiative: Highly virulent and aggressive new races of stem, leaf, and stripe rust have appeared in the world, which now threaten the entire US production of wheat, barley, and oats. The Committee provides an increase of $5,000,000 in FY10 to fund the Cereal Rust Disease Initiative. The Initiative is to be administered by USDA-ARS to support cooperative cereal rust research efforts by ARS and Land-Grant university scientists throughout the US.
last updated February 6, 2009
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