Signal Fungal pathogens threaten key crops with potential yield losses of up to 20 percent

Summary

The report sees fungi as a growing threat to key crops around the world. Potential yield losses from fungal disease could reach 20 percent, posing a significant risk to food security. It links this danger to the fact that the role of fungi in ecosystems and microbiomes is still poorly understood. In public health, too, the emergence of multidrug-resistant strains is making a fungal health crisis a realistic possibility. In response, tools such as metagenomics, CRISPR-Cas and advanced imaging are reshaping the capacity to analyse and respond. The report warns that ignoring these signals means accepting rising risks to health, food security and ecosystem stability.