A New Wheat Straw Rust resistant Variety-Jimai 20

Identified by the International Maize improvement Center in Kenya, Jimai 20 is the only wheat resistant to Ug99 new straw rust among 116winter wheat in China.

On April 12, the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization warned that a new type of wheat stem rust called Ug99 had spread from East Africa to Yemen. This new type of wheat straw rust could pose a threat to 80% of wheat varieties in Africa and Asia, and global food production will suffer heavy losses if it spreads widely.

Wheat straw rust is a fungal disease caused by plants, which is named after the diseased site and appearance color of plants. The wheat straw rust virus, called Ug99, causes rust stains on the stems and tops of grains and gradually destroys plants, with a crop loss rate of up to 40 per cent. Scientists at the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization have warned that 80 per cent of wheat varieties in developing countries are not resistant to Ug99. Among the wheat breeding materials that can be used by breeders around the world to resist Ug99, 36% can be infected by Ug99, 63% are unknown (of which 60% are estimated to be infected by Ug99), and only 0.3% can show some resistance to Ug99.

Scientists are working on new varieties, hoping to protect them from the Ug99 virus. At present, Jimai 20 is the only variety resistant to new wheat stem rust among 116 winter wheat varieties in China.