Wheat is one of the most important food crops worldwide, which provides one-fifth of the protein and calories to more than 4.5 billion people. Yellow rust (also called stripe rust) is one of the most destructive wheat diseases, which can result in significant yield losses or huge investment in chemical control.

The extended Himalayan region serves as a center of diversity of the pathogen and the putative origin center of the pathogen, while the Middle East is the origin center of common wheat along with the source of high-temperature adapted strains. These areas are critical for wheat yellow rust epidemic around the world. There is a dire need for collaborative efforts at the regional and global level to combat the disease. It is, therefore, crucial to provide a comprehensive background of various research work done in these hotspot regions.

The book entitled Wheat Yellow Rust in the Extended Himalayan Regions and the Middle East edited by Dr. Mingju Li (Agricultural Environment and Resources Institute, YAAS, China) and Dr. Sajid Ali (Hazara University, Pakistan) published by China Agriculture Press in the past few days, which is an attempt to compile a comprehensive collection of knowledge on wheat yellow rust in the extended Himalayan regions and the Middle East.

The contributors involved the leading scientists from the concerned countries such as China, Nepal, Pakistan, Iran, Iraq and Egypt. The book includes 6 chapters, one chapter from each country. The contents encompass disease epidemiology, host resistance, resistance gene utilization and resistance mechanisms, pathogen population structure, pathogenicity mechanisms, effector proteome, integrate management, as well as future perspectives etc.

The book should serve as a good reference book on the topic and should serve as a starting point for a long term collaboration among these scientists, to work at regional level to combat the invasions of this nasty pathogen. （Reviewer: Yanjie Luo）