THURSDAY, AUGUST 20, 2015
VOL. 93 | NO. 34 | $4.25
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Trick roper LaRue Olson performs during the 11th Annual Sid Hartung Memorial Rodeo held in Vulcan, Alta., Aug. 15-16. | MIKE STURK PHOTO
CEREAL CROP RESEARCH
Old war against stem rust rages on Research centre in Morden, Man., carries on the work as new strain spreads in East Africa BRANDON BUREAU
MORDEN, Man. — Tom Fetch admits his job description makes little sense at first glance. Fetch is an Agriculture Canada research scientist who specializes in stem rust in cereal crops, but Canada hasn’t had an outbreak of stem rust in decades. “I’ve been working for Ag Canada for 15 years and when I was hired we hadn’t seen (stem) rust on the Prairies for probably 30 years,” Fetch said. “And (people) were wondering why I should be working here.” Fetch explained the reasons for his study during an open house at
the Agriculture Canada research centre in Morden. Former Ag Canada scientists, current employees and residents of Morden celebrated 100 years of research at the centre Aug. 12. Following the 2014 closure of the Cereal Research Centre in Winnipeg, Morden became home to more than 15 plant pathologists who study diseases in cereal, pulse and oilseed crops. The federal government built a new building to accommodate the new staff and their work, and it is the only Level 3 lab in Canada where scientists study hazardous plant pathogens. Stem rust hasn’t been an issue in
North America since the 1950s because plant scientists developed varieties with resistance to the disease. But in 1998, a new type of stem rust, Ug99, emerged in Uganda and has since spread across eastern Africa. The Ug99 outbreak may be thousands of kilometres from Western Canada but it’s a threat to cereal crops here for several reasons: • Stem rust is a devastating disease in cereal crops and can destroy yields in infected fields. • Prevailing winds can transport fungal spores across countries or potentially oceans. • An estimated 90 percent of
global wheat varieties are susceptible to Ug99. “Our Canadian wheat, I’ve tested it to these strains,” Fetch said. “About 80 percent of it is susceptible, so I still have a job to do.” He and his colleagues study Ug99 fungal spores at the Morden lab under highly controlled conditions. The Level 3 lab operates under negative pressure so air cannot flow out of the room. As well, the scientists work with Ug99 only in winter and do not wear laboratory clothes outside of the building. “You do your work, then you SEE WAR AGAINST RUST, PAGE 5
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BY ROBERT ARNASON