Climate Change and Plant Diseases
2
Editorial Climate change and plant diseases Global atmospheric concentration of radiatively active gases has been increasing largely due to anthropogenic influences. Rising concentration of CO 2 is affecting agri- culture and natural ecosystems by directly influencing plant growth and productivity. Crop yield, for instance, inc rea ses by an ave rag e of 17% from a ‘fe rti liz ation eff ect’ of ele vat ed CO 2 . Other int era cti ng ele men ts of cli- mate including temperature and rainfall are also chang- ing. There is heightened concern for global food security under a changing climate and many commentaries and projections are available. But projec tions come from studies that largely ignore the impacts of pest and dis- eases. This is despite weather being a key driver of plant diseases and many disease forecasting models routinely use short-term weather data for disease management. Plant disease epidemics have historically caused famines killing and disrupting human lives and continue to ham- per quality and quan tity of agricu ltural produc e and ther eby threa tenin g food secur ity. Se veral re vi ews and books ha ve spec ul at ed and predicted how the adaptive capacity of agriculture may be affected by shifting disease dynamics due to changing climate. Much of the literature has been pre-occupied with impact assessment and risk mapping. A synthesis of current information on host and pathogen biology and their interaction under changing climate to identify gaps in knowledge has been lacking. More importantly, there is precious little on strategies that may be required to manage diseases under a changing climate. For instance, whether the current physical, chemical and biological control tactics including the disease resistant varieties wouldoffereffec tiv e pro tectio n or whe the r the re is a nee d to develop and deploy new management strategies have nev er bee n add res sed. Thi s compil ati on of twe lve rev iews and overviews on selected topics synthesises the limited published literature and unpublished work, highlights gaps in our knowledge and addresses ways to improve understanding and management of plant diseases under clima te chang e. While the emphasis has been on collating and review- ing empirical evidence and approaches rather than pro- jecti ons from mode lling, variou s artic les have not ignore d key aspects of modelling research in coping with com- ple xit y and uncertainty in cli mate cha nge , in dea ling wit h chan ging geographic al distri butio n of hosts and their pathogens or in modelling the dynamics of pathogens in plant canopies. Internationally recognised contributors have used their research experience and scholarly apti- tude to critic ally reviewexisting knowledge , ident ify gaps andofferopini onson theway for war d. Contri but ion s are more tha n a rev iew of lit era tur e; the y off er opinion, approach, strategy, critique and road map to help make progress in thi s neg lec ted fie ld of stu dy. Thi s eff ort wil l be worthwhile if members of the plant protection commu- nity including researchers, educators, plant protection specialists and practitioners, policy makers and general pub lic int ereste d in issu es of cli mate cha nge , pla nt dis ease and food securi ty find it useful and be ne fitfrom this com- pilat ion. Inspi ring stude nts, resea rcher s and speci alists to con sider cli mat e cha nge in thecontext of pla nt pat hol ogy research andpolicy developme nt will be an add edbonus. This spe cialissue of Plant Patho logy is ded ica ted to the late Professor David F. Karnosky in recognition of his significant contribution to plant pathogens and diseases under elevated CO 2 and O 3 . Dave was a visionary and pioneer in global climate change research. He founded the Aspen FACE research project and made significant cont ribut ions to global climate change science and for- estry. The United States Forest Service has dedicated a labor atory in Rhine lande r, Wisco nsin to his memory. My thanks and gratitude goes to all authors who have generously given their time to contribute to this special iss ue; the reviewers, who eva lua ted and off ere d cou ntl ess useful suggestions to improve the papers; Bruce Fitt for edi ting thepaper s which I hav e co-aut hor ed; Ric har d and Jenny Shattock for their inspiration, support and patience; and to the British Society for Plant Pathology and Wiley-Blackwell. Sukumar Chakraborty CSIRO PlantIndustry, 306Carmo dy Rd, St Luc ia, QLD4067, Aus tra lia E-mail: [email protected] ª 2011 CSIRO Plant Pathology ª 2011 BSPP 1 Plant Pathology (2011) 60, 1 Doi: 10.1111/j.1365-3059.2010.02415.x
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8/12/2019 Climate Change and Plant Diseases
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Editorial
Climate change and plant diseases
Global atmospheric concentration of radiatively activegases has been increasing largely due to anthropogenicinfluences. Rising concentration of CO2 is affecting agri-culture and natural ecosystems by directly influencingplant growth and productivity. Crop yield, for instance,increases by an average of 17% from a ‘fertilizationeffect’ of elevated CO2. Other interacting elements of cli-mate including temperature and rainfall are also chang-ing. There is heightened concern for global food securityunder a changing climate and many commentaries andprojections are available. But projections come from
studies that largely ignore the impacts of pest and dis-eases. This is despite weather being a key driver of plantdiseases and many disease forecasting models routinelyuse short-term weather data for disease management.Plant disease epidemics have historically caused famineskilling and disrupting human lives and continue to ham-per quality and quantity of agricultural produce andthereby threatening food security.
Several reviews and books have speculated andpredicted how the adaptive capacity of agriculture maybe affected by shifting disease dynamics due to changingclimate. Much of the literature has been pre-occupiedwith impact assessment and risk mapping. A synthesis of current information on host and pathogen biology and
their interaction under changing climate to identify gapsin knowledge has been lacking. More importantly, thereis precious little on strategies that may be required tomanage diseases under a changing climate. For instance,whether the current physical, chemical and biologicalcontrol tactics including the disease resistant varietieswouldoffereffective protection or whether there is a needto develop and deploy new management strategies havenever been addressed. This compilation of twelve reviewsand overviews on selected topics synthesises the limitedpublished literature and unpublished work, highlightsgaps in our knowledge and addresses ways to improveunderstanding and management of plant diseases underclimate change.
While the emphasis has been on collating and review-ing empirical evidence and approaches rather than pro-jections from modelling,various articles have not ignored
key aspects of modelling research in coping with com-plexity and uncertainty in climate change, in dealing withchanging geographical distribution of hosts and theirpathogens or in modelling the dynamics of pathogens inplant canopies. Internationally recognised contributorshave used their research experience and scholarly apti-tude to critically reviewexisting knowledge, identify gapsandofferopinionson theway forward. Contributions aremore than a review of literature; they offer opinion,approach, strategy, critique and road map to help makeprogress in this neglected field of study. This effort will be
worthwhile if members of the plant protection commu-nity including researchers, educators, plant protectionspecialists and practitioners, policy makers and generalpublic interested in issues of climate change, plant diseaseand food security find it useful and benefit from this com-pilation. Inspiring students, researchers and specialists toconsider climate change in thecontext of plant pathologyresearch andpolicy development will be an added bonus.
This specialissue of Plant Pathology is dedicated to thelate Professor David F. Karnosky in recognition of hissignificant contribution to plant pathogens and diseasesunder elevated CO2 and O3. Dave was a visionary andpioneer in global climate change research. He foundedthe Aspen FACE research project and made significant
contributions to global climate change science and for-estry. The United States Forest Service has dedicated alaboratoryin Rhinelander, Wisconsin to his memory.
My thanks and gratitude goes to all authors who havegenerously given their time to contribute to this specialissue; the reviewers, who evaluated and offered countlessuseful suggestions to improve the papers; Bruce Fitt forediting thepapers which I have co-authored; Richard and
Jenny Shattock for their inspiration, support andpatience; and to the British Society for Plant Pathologyand Wiley-Blackwell.
Sukumar ChakrabortyCSIRO PlantIndustry,
306Carmody Rd,St Lucia, QLD4067, Australia
E-mail: [email protected]
ª 2011 CSIRO
Plant Pathology ª 2011 BSPP 1
Plant Pathology (2011) 60, 1 Doi: 10.1111/j.1365-3059.2010.02415.x
