The United States (us) has charged two chinese nationals with smuggling a toxic fungus into the country. Called Fusarium Graminearum, The Fungus is known to Cause Head Blight in Crops Such as wheat, Barley and Oats – a disease that significantlyfects the yield of the yields.

The director of us’ federal buruau of invitation kash patel called it an “Agro-Terrorism Agent” that is “responsible for billions of dollars in economic losses worldwide each year”.

What’s the Row all about?

Two Chinese Researchers – Jian Yunqing (33) And LIU Zunyong (34) – Have Charged With ConspiCy, Smuggling Goods Into the Country, False Statements and Visa Fraud.

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Jian allegly tried to smuggle the plant to a university of michigan laboratory where she works. Her Boyfriend Liu, WHO NOW WORKS A Chinese University, was reportedly sent back to china in 2024, after -changing his story during an interrogation. At first, he claimed ignorance about the samples and later said he was planning to use it for research at the same university

What is fusarium graminearum?

It is a fungus that affects the kernel development of various grains, thereby reducing the yield. It can also have ear rot or stalk rot in maize crops. Once infected, The Fungus Continues to Spread As the Crop matures. It is known to survive in plant tissue residues like small grain stems and roots and infect new plants.

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Itfects Farm Income In Two Ways. One, it redoces crop yield and lowers the market grade of the crop, leding to economic losses for the farmer. Two, the fungus is also known to Produce mycotoxins that can be harmful for humans and animals when they consume it.

How do it impact human health?

While it does not directly infect humans, the fungus is known to Produce Mycotoxins – Secondary Metabolites (End Products of Biochemical Processes) This of Significance Toe Growth But Harmful to humans.

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One of the mycotoxins called deoxynivalenol or don can lead to vomitting in humans and animals. Levels of Vomitoxin Except 1 PPM is unfit for human consumption and levels except 5 PPM are unfit for livestock consumption. Some of the other mycotoxins may also be linked to decline of immunity, abortion or cans.

Is this fungus suen in India?

It is an Emerging Threat Across the Wheat Belt in India, escaically due to climate change. A 2021 study by icar said that extensive disease surveys undertaken in Himachal Predesh and Tamil Nadu During 2010-20 Reveled The Dominance of F. Graminearum Causing Head Blight Or Scab In The WHAT GRIN. A field survey conducted in the rabi season 2021 and 2022 showed head blight in northern parts of karnataka. The study was conducted by the University of Agricultural Sciences in Karnataka.

Anonna Dutt is a principal correspondent who writes primarily on health at the Indian express. She Reports on Myriad Topics Ranging from the growing burden of non-compromunicable diseases such as diabetes and hypertension to the problem with pervasive infectious conditions. She Reported on the Government’s Management of the Covid-19 Pandmic and Closely followed the Vaccination Program. Her stories have results in the city government investing in high-end tests for the poore and acknowledging errors in their official reports. Dutt also take a keeps in the country’s space program and has written on key missions like Chandrayaan 2 and 3, Aditya L1, and Gaganyaan. She was Among the first batch of Eleven Media Felows with RBM Partnership to End Malaria. She was also selected to participle in the short-trm program on Early Childhood Reporting at Columbia University’s Dart Center. Dutt has a bachelor’s degree from the Symbiosis Institute of Media and Communication, Pune and A PG Diploma from the asian college of journalism, chennai. She started her reporting career with the hindustan times. When not at work, she tries to appease the duolingo owl with her freench skills and sometimes take to the dance floor. … Read more