Wageningen University & Research, ENDURE’s Dutch partner, has reported on the success of social-ecological modelling of potato late blight in providing important insights for farmers, breeders, potato traders, retailers and governments. In particular, this approach has demonstrated the important role resistant varieties can play in disease control providing there is adequate cooperation between all stakeholders in the potato sector.
As Wageningen University & Research (WUR) reports, potato late blight caused by Phytophthora infestans is a significant problem currently controlled by the liberal use of fungicides which have negative effects on the environment. Furthermore, chemical control with synthetic pesticides is not an option in the organic sector and the Dutch organic potato crop suffered significant damage in 2016.
The article on the WUR website focuses on the PhD recently completed by Francine Pacilly, ‘Social-ecological modelling of potato late blight’. It reports: “In Francine Pacilly's PhD research, computer models have been used to investigate how the disease spreads in an agricultural landscape and to analyze the effect of growing resistant varieties. These models show that an increase in the number of potato fields with resistant varieties increases the risk that aggressive strains of the pathogen emerge and spread. This risk decreases if more than 50% of the acreage of potato fields consists of resistant varieties.”
Limited disease-resistant varieties are currently available in the Netherlands, though this situation should improve over the coming three years following the signing of an agreement between organic farmers, plant breeders and supermarkets to prioritise robust varieties. Around 10 to 12 robust varieties are expected to be available by 2020, when the organic sector will grow only disease-resistant varieties.
Currently, various strategies are available to limit the breakdown of disease resistance, such as the spatial allocation of crops in combination with judicious use of fungicides to limit the environmental impact. Potatoes with multiple resistance genes are expected to be available in the near future reducing the risk of susceptibility to late blight.
“Last year workshops with farmers were organized to increase awareness about the risk of resistance breakdown,” reports WUR. “In these workshops, the computer model was used to present several model scenarios to conventional and organic farmers. These workshops were very useful for showing farmers how the disease spreads in a landscape over time and space and for showing the effects in the long term.
“After the workshop farmers agreed that resistance management is important to increase the durability of resistant varieties and that collaborative action is needed. The workshops were useful to bring farmers together and to discuss strategies in the control of late blight to reduce the impact of the disease.”
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