Wheat disease’s global spread concerns researchers 11 April 2023 https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-023-01043-8
Genomic analysis reveals that the wheat blast fungus spread independently from South America to two other continents. Scientists warn that this lineage could strike elsewhere, or develop worrying traits such as fungicide resistance and the ability to affect other important food crops..
Magnaporthe oryzae infects wild and cultivated grasses, most notably rice and wheat. Researchers first detected the pathogen in Brazilian wheat crops in the 1980s. The fungus has since marched across South America, causing periodic outbreaks and limiting wheat cultivation in some areas.