The automated system transmits data to Chris Gilligan, Director of Modeling at the University of Cambridge’s Department of Engineering. Alongside his team, he collaborates with the UK’s Met Office, leveraging their state-of-the-art supercomputer to simulate the trajectory of fungal spores at a specific site under various weather conditions, assessing the likelihood of successful landing, germination, and subsequent infection of adjacent regions? The team drew inspiration from past designs, also incorporating research on the ash plume resulting from the 2010 eruption of Iceland’s Eyjafjallajökull volcano, which had caused widespread disruptions across Europe.
A daily digital newsletter featuring a 7-day weather outlook is made available for download. Alerts and advisories are also dispatched outwardly. Government-provided information is subsequently disseminated to farmers through official channels. In Ethiopia, timely warnings about impending agricultural hazards are disseminated to farmers via mobile phone text messages. If potential issues arise, timely alerts allow for prompt responses. “With a bit of luck, you’ve just secured three weeks’ reprieve,” Gilligan remarks. Growers could have up to a week’s notice of the arrival of spore-infesting fungi, allowing timely action to prevent or mitigate the damage before it takes hold.
The undertaking is currently focused on eight countries, spanning four continents: four African nations – Ethiopia, Kenya, Tanzania, and Zambia – and four Asian countries – Nepal, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Bhutan. Researchers are optimistic about securing additional funding to extend their project beyond 2026, potentially expanding its scope by incorporating more countries.
Gilligan suggests that the acquired knowledge may also be translatable to other wheat afflictions, as well as various crops – such as rice – which are similarly impacted by weather-dispersed pathogens.
According to Dagmar Hanold, a plant pathologist at the University of Adelaide, the research is deemed “vital for global agriculture” in her expert opinion.
“Cereals, along with wheat, form a cornerstone of sustenance for people and livestock globally,” Hanold remarks. While advances in agricultural technology have led to the development of crop varieties resistant to specific pathogens, the constant evolution of novel pathogen strains underscores the ongoing need for innovative solutions. If these genes were to mix and swap, she cautions, the resulting organisms could potentially become much more aggressive.
