Posted on 09/14/2010 6:35:30 PM PDT by SunkenCiv
In his quest for world domination, James Bond's nemesis Ernst Blofeld threatens to unleash a pathogen that would destroy global food supplies. Humankind now faces such a foe. But this villain doesn't care about world domination, and it needs no evil genius to release it. The fungus known as wheat rust, one of history's most feared and destructive plant pathogens, is already sweeping the planet. Wheat rust can turn a healthy crop into a black, tangled mess of broken stems and shriveled grains just weeks before harvest.
The battle between wheat and the fungus is an old one: Evidence suggests that wheat rust was a plague during biblical times. In ancient Rome it was considered a numen, a deity demanding appeasement via sacrifices and feasts.
Modern fungicides can fight rust, but the costs and quantities required often outweigh the benefits.
(Excerpt) Read more at sciencenews.org ...
Spread of a killer -- Stem rust strains that can overcome key resistance genes have recently spread across Africa and beyond. Some scientists worry that prevailing winds may soon carry spores to major wheat-growing areas of the Middle East and Asia.Redmal/iStockphoto, adapted by E. Feliciano
Iran, Yemen, Sudan, Uganda, Zimbabwe, South Africa...
A mostly muslim fungus?
God’s curse?
Archaeologists Trace Early Irrigation Farming In Ancient Yemen
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/chat/2049804/posts
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/07/080716140918.htm
The Nitrogen BombNearly 80 percent of the world's atmosphere is made up of nitrogen -- enough to feed human populations until the end of time. But atmospheric nitrogen is made up of extremely stable N2 molecules that are reluctant to react with other molecules. Bacteria convert some atmospheric nitrogen first into ammonia (NH3), then into nitrites (NO2- ) and nitrates (NO3- ), but not nearly enough for modern agriculture...
by David E. Fisher and Marshall Jon Fisher
Discover Vol. 22 No. 4
April 2001
By 1912 the Haber-Bosch process was a viable means of producing fertilizer. Haber and Bosch would later receive Nobel prizes for their efforts. How wonderful for Kaiser Wilhelm II was Fritz Haber's invention of industrial nitrogen fixation. In one stroke Germany would be able to produce all the fertilizer and explosives it needed -- provided the war didn't last too long. In 1913 the first nitrogen-fixing plant began operations at Oppau. A year later, Austria's heir to the throne, Archduke Franz Ferdinand, was assassinated in Sarajevo. Germany soon pushed Austria to declare war and loosed its own troops both east and west.
Look for Monsanto to “save the day”!
People laugh when I try to explain how fragile our food system is.
What movie did Blofeld threaten to release a pathogen to destroy the food supply?
Allow me to rebut..:>)
The USDA does not mess around with wheat rusts. When just a few samples of one variety of rust, called “karnal bunt” appeared in Arizona, they ordered the entire State’s crop destroyed, and forbade the growing of wheat for five years.
Wheat is grown in 42 US States.
When I get low on food I just jump in my gas guzzler and head for the store. Sure, I spend $20 in gas going to the discount place. But I save up to $1.38 on my grocery bill...and they usually have food...except for the day the food stamps hit...for peeple on food stamps they shore drive some nice cars...
You are correct sir but i love the hyperbole...:>)
What year was that?
Didn’t they decide ergot was the cause behind the Salem Witch Hunts?
No Blade of Grass?
Reality follows fiction....
Yeah and I read that they make meat there too so animals don’t have to be kilt.
People think the ‘food system’ is the grocery store.
They have no clue.
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