Policy and Development Implications and Way Forward

Wheat rusts remain a challenge for wheat production at national, regional and global levels. Empirical evidence shows the emergence of new races and their quick spread across countries and continents with devastating consequences.In response to Ug99 crisis, CIMMYT and ICARDA in partnership with a number of National Agricultural Research Systems (NARS) have initiated the Borlaug Global Rust Initiative (ex GRI) under the leadership of the late Nobel Prize laureate Dr Norman Borlaug. Development and deployment of resistant varieties, adequate surveillance systems and effective plant protection strategies are important elements of an integrated wheat rust control strategy to replace widely grown susceptible varieties and ensure national, regional and global food security. Accordingly the achievements and lessons learned in this book present critical research, development and policy implications both at global/regional and national levels.