Plant Protection Today - PPQ’s Karnal Bunt Program Draws Closer to Disease-Free Status
Cover Photo: The value of U.S. global wheat, wheat flour, and wheat product exports totaled nearly $7.6 billion in calendar year 2021.
Aligned and Committed in the Desert Southwest
By Sharon Lucik
In less than a year, the Karnal Bunt (KB) Program of USDA's Plant Protection and Quarantine (PPQ) removed another 52,467 field acres from the list of regulated areas in Arizona. This means KB’s footprint moving forward is 57 percent smaller, with complete deregulation as the primary goal.
“There’s no Karnal bunt regulated area in La Paz County anymore,” said PPQ’s State Operations Coordinator Gary Russell. “We deregulated over 20,000 field acres, and that means the Colorado River Indian Tribes Reservation is officially free and clear too. We also reduced over 1,000 regulated field acres on Ak-Chin Indian Community land, and more than 7,000 field acres on the Gila River Indian Community Reservation.”
Karnal bunt is a disease of wheat and triticale (a hybrid of wheat and rye) that is harmless to people and animals. Eighty-seven U.S. trading partners, however, consider it a quarantine disease and will not accept our wheat unless it is certified to be from KB-free areas. Days before the new year, PPQ Deputy Administrator Mark Davidson signed a Federal Order (185.01 KB) that lifted quarantine regulations in various parts of Arizona.
“For years we’ve been whittling away at these quarantine areas, and our efforts are really paying off,” said Russell. “Our program partners, including the wheat industry, Arizona Department of Agriculture, and Native American Tribes, have been all-in, and we would not be in the position we are today without their cooperation.”
Karnal bunt is caused by the fungus Tilletia indica (Mitra). It was discovered in 1931 on wheat grown near Karnal, India, and was named accordingly. Over half a century later in 1996, it was first detected in the United States in Arizona, and then later in Texas and California.
The PPQ Karnal Bunt Program imposes quarantines to contain the spread of Karnal bunt in the United States and deregulates field acres only after they have met strict eligibility requirements. PPQ also leads an annual voluntary survey of grain delivered to elevators to check for Karnal bunt across the country. The use of quarantines and the national survey are the basis upon which APHIS is able to certify to other countries that U.S. wheat exports are KB free.
#
#
APHIS protects the health of U.S. agriculture and natural resources against invasive pests and diseases, regulates genetically engineered crops, administers the Animal Welfare Act, and helps people and wildlife coexist. We also certify the health of U.S. agricultural exports and resolve phytosanitary and sanitary issues to open, expand, and maintain markets for U.S plant and animal products.
USDA touches the lives of all Americans each day in so many positive ways. In the Biden-Harris Administration, USDA is transforming America’s food system with a greater focus on more resilient local and regional food production, fairer markets for all producers, ensuring access to safe, healthy and nutritious food in all communities, building new markets and streams of income for farmers and producers using climate smart food and forestry practices, making historic investments in infrastructure and clean energy capabilities in rural America, and committing to equity across the Department by removing systemic barriers and building a workforce more representative of America. To learn more, visit www.usda.gov.