In the Middle Ages, the infamous ergot fungus spread fear and panic: Thousands died from eating infected grains. Harmful fungus caused crop failure, resulting in famine.
Today, as farmers work with fungicides, science has made most important foods more resistant to pests. Nevertheless, the establishment of harmful fungi There is still damage to farms and arable land all over the world. One.
Harmful fungus: Mass crop failure
All important arable crops contain harmful fungi, say frank shuberta of spectrum of scienceWhether wheat, rye, corn, soybean or rice. It is estimated that one fifth of the world’s crop is affected. In North-Western Europe alone, about 14 million tons of wheat is destroyed by fungal attack every year.
Given the world’s ever-increasing population that has to supply food, harmful fungi are a huge problem. That’s why researchers are flat working on solutions, Schubert says. In the podcast he explains the defense mechanisms of plants and also explains why fungi often predominate anyway. One reason for this is that they are very friendly. For example, mushrooms can change the way they reproduce as needed.
flexible insect
The fact that harmful fungi are still prevalent around the world still affects the way people farm today, Schubert says. Often pruned in agriculture for maximum yields, vast monocultures and densely planted fields make them susceptible to pests. Therefore, agricultural measures can also help in eradicating fungal diseases.
