Opium Poppies. Have they met their fungal match? (Wiki Commons)

Afghan poppy farmers, who grow a big chunk of the poppies used to supply the world with opium, are accusing NATO of infecting their fields with a poppy-killing fungus. They just might be right.

According to Fungus hits Afghan opium poppies:

A serious disease is affecting opium poppies in Afghanistan, Antonio Maria Costa, the head of the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) has said.

Mr Costa told the BBC that this year’s opium production could be reduced by a quarter, compared to last year’s yield.

He said the disease – a fungus – is thought to have infected about half of the country’s poppy crop. Afghanistan produces 92% of the world’s opium.

It’s already having an affect on the price of opium.

Fungi Fighting the War on Drugs?

It could be a natural occurrence, but nature could be getting some help. A blog post at Nature.com points out the fact that an opium biocontrol project is known to exist. According to Bio-control of Afghan opium crop?:

An investigation by the BBC’s Panorama programme in 2000 revealed that the United Nations Drugs Control Programme was leading a research project on, Pleospora papaveracea, a pathogenic fungus that kills the opium poppy. The programme was mainly funded by the US with Britain making a US$147,800 (£100,000) contribution.

The Panorama programme says both London and Washington pledged to use the fungus against Afghanistan poppies only with the consent of the Afghan government.

The BBC article from 2000 on the Pleospora papaveracea fungus is still available. Conspiracy theorists, start your engines.

More on Fungal Biocontrol of Poppy Plants

Kill or cure: Bio-weapons in the war on drugs

Production of Pleospora papaveracea biomass in liquid culture and its infectivity on opium poppy (Papaver somniferum) (abstract) (Full Text PDF)

Evaluation of Infection Processes and Resulting Disease Caused by Dendryphion penicillatum and Pleospora papaveracea on Papaver somniferum

Three Abstracts of New Publications from US Government Scientists on Biological Eradication of Opium Poppy

Defund the Taliban

Since 1998, Doug Boyette (ARS Southern Weed Science Research Unit, Stoneville, MS) has been working with the fungus Myrothecium verrucaria, which has shown an abililty to rapidly and effectively attack  kudzu.