Emerging infectious diseases of crop plants in developing countries: impact on agriculture and socio-economic consequences

Abstract

Emerging infectious diseases (EIDs) caused by plant pathogens can develop into unexpected and very serious epidemics, owing to the influence of various characteristics of the pathogen, host and environment. Devastating epidemics, having social implications by increasing the rate of urbanization, occurred in the past in Europe, and many other EIDs still occur with high frequency in developing countries. Although the ability to diagnose diseases and the technologies available for their control are far greater than in the past, EIDs are still able to cause tremendous crop losses, the economic and social impact of which, in developing countries, is often underestimated. In the present article, four of the most important EIDs in developing countries are considered from the standpoint of their origin, characteristics, symptoms, mode of spread, possible control strategies, economic impact and the socio-economic consequences of their dissemination. They are Cassava Mosaic Virus Disease,capable of reducing yields by 80–90% and causing the suspension of cassava cultivation in many areas of East Africa; Striga hermonthica, a parasitic weed affecting cereals in an area of at least 5 million hectares in Sub- Saharan Africa; Xanthomonas Wilt of Banana, a bacterial disease that caused around 50% yield losses at the beginning of 21st century in Uganda and is threatening the food security of about 70 million people owing to its impact on an important staple crop; and race Ug99 of the rust fungus Puccinia graminis f. sp. tritici, which is having a tremendous impact on wheat in Uganda, and is also threatening most of the wheat-growing countries of the world

Biotechnology for Conservation and Utilization of Agricultural Plant Genetic Resources in Nepal

“…Diseases in crops, caused by viruses, bacteria, fungi and nematodes, threaten food security in resource-poor countries and cause heavy damage and economic loss every year (Vurro et al 2010). Early and accurate detection and diagnosis of plant pathogens is indispensable for minimizing the risk posed by pathogens during research and production.…”

Farmers’ knowledge and perception of enset Xanthomonas wilt in southern Ethiopia

“…Forty years after its initial discovery in Ethiopia, Xcm was reported in central Uganda in 2001 [12], and thereafter the disease rapidly spread and developed into a full-blown epidemic on banana, spreading to neighboring countries, including Tanzania [13], the Democratic Republic of Congo [14], Rwanda [15], Burundi [16] and Kenya [17], where it reportedly caused 80-100% crop loss, especially in beer bananas (ABB genome). Such losses drastically affected poor and vulnerable farmers who depended on the consumption of the crop and where there are already high or medium levels of food insecurity [18].…”

Stability and Hopf Bifurcation Analysis of a Plant Virus Propagation Model with Two Delays

“…Tremendous crop losses and global threat to food security have been caused by plant diseases [1,2]. In recent years, plant diseases have attracted the interest of many mathematical modeling researchers and epidemiologists [3][4][5][6][7].…”