Genetic Research, Epidemiological Factors, Surveillance and Management of Crop Diseases

Dear Colleagues,

Plants are affected by diseases since time immemorial and diseases such as rust, mildew and blight caused famine and affected the economy of several nations. Worldwide, an estimated 20–40% of crop losses are encountered due to various plant diseases. Crop losses in rice, wheat, maize, potatoes and sweet potatoes directly influenced food security and nutrition whereas losses of crops like banana, sugarcane, coffee and other plantation crops affected livelihoods and national economies. Sometimes, they may cause severe catastrophic effects on the people who depend on the crop for food and this occurs mostly in less-developed economies where access to disease-control methods is very limited. Moreover, the threat of plant diseases is increased by climate fluctuations, which hinders progress in achieving food and nutrition security. Therefore, protecting the crops from various pathogens by different management strategies which include genetic engineering, breeding for disease-resistant varieties, limiting the epidemiological factors, prevention by exclusion, eradication and quarantine approaches, mitigation by chemical and biological approaches etc. are highly warranted to ensure the livelihood of the farming community and also to enhance the economy of different nations. Changing crop cultivation from field to controlled environments also brings new disease challenges.

In the case of the genetic approach, unraveling the genetics of both the resistance (R) and pathogenicity (Avr) genes are prerequisite to understanding the molecular mechanism of resistance/susceptibility, which in turn facilitates the management of crop diseases by either improving resistance or suppressing the invasion/spread of the pathogens. The resistance governed by single genes can easily be incorporated through the conventional breeding approach and developing a molecular marker for resistant genes will accelerate the resistance breeding program. Resistance can also be improved either by over-expression of R genes and/or editing of susceptible factors or using the genetic elements from a pathogen's own genome (pathogen-derived resistance) through genetic engineering approaches. However, pathogens frequently adapt and overcome the resistance which is determined by major genes. Thus, the durability of the resistance has to be enhanced by the pyramiding of R genes or incorporation of QTLs (combination of major and minor genes). In such cases, the genomic selection (GS) model is a highly accurate method compared to MAS to develop improved lines with durable resistance against major and minor genes.

It is also very important that a thorough knowledge of epidemiological factors associated with the disease is warranted under the changing climatic conditions to manage the diseases effectively. In this regard, studies related to the disease-causing agents, either soil/seed-borne or air-borne, dispersal, deposition, germination, penetration, establishment/ latency, multiplication, weather factors, host susceptibility and exposure, pathogen survival, pathogen evolution etc. are to be addressed suitably.

Plant disease surveillance is highly valuable in biosecurity systems for the early detection, delimiting the spread of the disease, improving the disease management decisions and identification of high-risk pathways. This enables raising awareness among the growers and other stakeholders to limit the disease spread.

Preventive measures to avoid the losses due to the diseases include exclusion, quarantines, certification of planting materials, time of sowing/planting, eradication, immunization, etc. and integrated disease management by combining chemicals, resistant varieties/hybrids, microbial formulations, method of application. In addition, new advancements are happening in the delivery of plant protection chemicals that include drone-based applications using artificial intelligence, new formulations of bioagents and lateral flow assays for field diagnosis of various pathogens. Additionally, bioimmunization, nano-formulations of pesticides and microbial biopesticides also serve as candidates for disease management.

In this regard, a Special Issue on ‘Genetic Research, Epidemiological Factors, Surveillance and Management of Crop Diseases’ will bring out new developments and opportunities in these areas for the benefit of the scientific community.

Dr. Rasappa Viswanathan
Dr. Raman Thangavelu
Guest Editors

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• plant diseases
• resistance
• susceptibility
• genetics of resistance
• disease epidemiology
• surveillance
• artificial intelligence
• biocontrol
• disease management, induced resistance
• molecular diagnostics
• field diagnostic kits