Karnal Bunt Update for March 1998 March 17, 1998 APHIS has just issued its plans for the 1998 national Karnal bunt survey. The plan shows the continuing effort to reduce emphasis on Karnal bunt as a quarantine issue. Included with the information I received is a memo from Charles Schwalbe, Associate Deputy Administrator of Plant Protection and Quarantine to Regional Directors which states " This plan is an important element in our strategy to move Karnal bunt from a quarantine pest to a quality pest or to a nonpest". This the first time I have seen a statement in writing proposing to deregulate Karnal bunt completely. A significant component of the survey plan is to sample wheat nationwide on the basis of one sample per one million bushels of production per state. On this basis the number of samples from Georgia will decline from 175 in 1997 to only 14 in 1998. Two of the 14 samples will be from UGA research stations and the other 12 will be from elevators at major purchasing points. All other states will see the same proportionate decline in numbers of samples taken. A major factor appears to be that negotiations with international trading partners has resulted in their acceptance of statements that regions of the U.S. are free of Karnal bunt based on the more limited surveys. Six countries including Brazil, Chile, Greece, South Africa, Morocco, and Canada are still maintaining a stronger stance. However, this seems to be a significant improvement in relations with the international community on the Karnal bunt issue. I will be sampling ryegrass from wheat fields in the Southeast again this season. I found 13 samples out of about 200 that had smut teliospores typical of ryegrass smut that was erroneously identified as Karnal bunt by APHIS in 1996. I will present my results at the Biennial Workshop on Smut Fungi at the University of Idaho in June. This will also be an opportunity to learn the latest developments on Karnal bunt from other researchers and USDA officials. Barry Cunfer
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Georgia Invasive Species Task Force |
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