by Jess Banham

Scientists in Medway are trying to stop the spread of a deadly crop virus which could cause the death of millions of people in East Africa.

A team from the Natural Resources Institute based at the Medway campus of the University of Greenwich are attempting to tackle the virus which is threatening to cause famine thousands of miles away.

UN scientists have warned that brown streak disease, which attacks a plant known as cassava, is nearing an epidemic in some parts of Africa and are warning urgent action is required to help solve the problem.

Susan Seal, who works at the NRI, said: "The cassava root is the third most important staple food crop in the world – it looks a bit like a sweet potato – it’s the root which produces the carbohydrates that are so important to two hundred million people in Africa."

She added: "A real serious threat is the brown streak disease which is caused by a tiny virus that’s spread by a white fly. At the moment, it’s moving through Africa and when it actually fails and there isn’t enough of this crop, you do get people starving."

Now scientists are trying to find varieties of the cassava root that have the highest resistance to the virus and recent tests have found a variety of the crop that contains just one percent of the virus that is found in other more susceptible strains.

These tests will now be taken to Africa to try and teach scientists there how to identify the best varieties of the plant to grow.

Audio: Kmfm's Jess Banham talks to Susan Seal about how you could get involved in her research

Read more details on the work of the Natural Resources Institute.