Plant disease threats to food security in the Northern Great Plains of North America

Abstract

Plant disease epidemics are responsible for millions of tons of yield loss from crops annually. To provide sufficient nutritious food, feed, fiber, and fuel for a growing world human population on a non-expanding land resource, yield loss caused by plant pathogens must be minimized. The Northern Great Plains (NGP) region of the United States is a major crop-producing region, but crop production in this region is threatened by climate variability, new pathogen or pathogen race development, limited in-field management practices, pathogen synergism, and fungicide resistance in some fungal pathogens. To sustain stable food, feed, fiber, and fuel production from plants, concerted efforts from all stakeholders must be harnessed to develop new varieties that are resistant to plant pathogens and less sensitive to climate variability, promote use of integrated disease management (that incorporates resistant/tolerant varieties, plant disease prediction, and accurate disease diagnosis and assessment), and enhance early detection capabilities of new pathogens/races. Here, we review the current and near-future likely plant disease epidemic concerns in the NGP of the United States and propose some actions to prevent or lessen the extent of the next plant disease epidemic development.

Near‐term problems in meeting world food demands at regional levels: A special issue overview

“…Experts on the panel were in 90 to 100% consensus on three hot topic issues: soil health and water usage, climate and environmental factors, and research and collaboration (more data on the topics, interdisciplinary collaboration, and sharing of information within research groups as well as with farmers). In addition, workforce training (see Erickson & Fausti, 2021), accessibility of germplasm (see Smith et al., 2021), chemical usage, (including weed resistance (see Clay, 2021 and disease problems discussed in Byamukama et al., 2021), and economic stability and governmental policy focused on the agricultural sector (discussed in Joshi et al., 2021, and Barrera et al., 2021) were recognized as urgent topics that must be addressed to continue to have sustainable production agriculture in the future.…”

“…Byamukama et al. (2021) examine risk factors that increase chances of crop disease epidemics. The changing global climate, increases in seed trade, and movement of agricultural produce and people around the world all contribute to the chances for introducing new pathogens to new environments resulting in new diseases and new epidemics.…”

“…Outbreaks of plant diseases are of great concern to food security as the region plays a significant role in food and feed production for the nation and worldwide. Byamukama et al (2021) examine risk factors that increase chances of crop disease epidemics. The changing global climate, increases in seed trade, and movement of agricultural produce and people around the world all contribute to the chances for introducing new pathogens to new environments resulting in new diseases and new epidemics.…”