It was a discussion about wheat rust that initially fascinated Norman Borlaug and set him on the path of plant pathology, which ended up saving millions of lives. Borlaug's contributions to the development of disease-resistant wheat secured the crop's supply and even had it thriving in Mexico, Pakistan and India beginning in the 1940s and continuing into the 70s. A couple of weeks ago we asked who the next Norman Borlaug would be and it seems the answer to that question would certainly be helpful now.

Wheat rust isn't exactly a new problem (obviously since it piqued Borlaug's interest during his young adult days), however it's still a serious problem, as evidenced by the Ug99 fungus, which scientists estimate could destroy more than 80 per cent of the world's wheat crops. That's a pretty scary prediction, especially when food shortages and starvation are huge problems now and predicted to become much, much worse in the future. The problem has started in eastern Africa, but already spread as far as Iran and potentially ready to attack crops in northern India and Pakistan. And in the event you're thinking that that's too far away for you to have to worry about, consider that agriculture experts figure it's only a matter of time until the wind will bring the disease to Russia, China and North America.

When swine flu began to appear in multiple countries, it was all anyone could talk and worry about. It's probably safe to assume Ug99 won't receive the same attention, but the implications of it are just as scary. It's been coined a "time bomb" by industry experts and is the top threat to wheat, the world's most widely grown crop.

Scientists are working against a pretty intimidating deadline: develop wheat varieties that are immune to the fungus or watch famine spread across poor, developing countries. The process of doing so can take over a decade and by then, the disease may already have made its way west and wreaked havoc on crops. Then again, in the 1960s, nobody thought India had a prayer of surviving famine (scientists predicted millions of people would starve to death) due to lack of wheat, yet the country managed to double yields of the crop in a matter of five years thanks to Borlaug's work.

Could the 94 year old come out of retirement and do it again or is there another Borlaug waiting in the wings, ready to solve this potential crisis? There doesn't seem to be a lot of time to find out, so let's hope someone steps into his shoes soon.

» Los Angeles Times