Summary
This mathematical epidemiological model integrates priming-induced cross protection—a previously overlooked immune mechanism—into the design of optimal host mixtures for polymorphic pathogen populations. The authors demonstrate that whilst substantial genetic diversity is typically needed to suppress disease because pathogen competition selects for intermediate virulence, incorporating plant priming immunity significantly reduces the number of cultivars required to achieve acceptable disease control. This work addresses a critical gap in host mixture theory relevant to agroecological disease management.
UK applicability
The findings are applicable to UK cereal and horticultural production systems where cultivar mixtures are used or considered for disease control. However, actual implementation would require validation against UK-endemic pathogen populations and cultivar availability, particularly for crops where resistance gene diversity is limited.
Key measures
Disease equilibrium prevalence; number of resistance genes deployed; pathogen virulence complexity; effect of priming on genotype requirements
Outcomes reported
The study developed an epidemiological model to evaluate how host mixtures with variable numbers of single-resistance cultivars affect disease equilibrium prevalence in pathogen populations polymorphic for virulence. The model quantified the impact of priming-induced cross protection on the genetic diversity required to achieve acceptable disease control thresholds.
Topic tags
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