A global assessment of the state of plant health

Authors: SAVARY, SERGE - Institut National De La Recherche Agronomique (INRA); ANDRIVON, DIDIER - Institut National De La Recherche Agronomique (INRA); ESKER, PAUL - Pennsylvania State University; FREY, PASCAL - Institut National De La Recherche Agronomique (INRA); HUBERLI, DANIEL - Government Of Western Australia; KUMAR, J - Consultant; MCDONALD, BRUCE - Eth Zurich; MCROBERTS, NEIL - University Of California, Davis; NELSON, ANDREW - University Of Twente; PETHYBRIDGE, SARAH - Cornell University; ROSSI, VITTORIO - Università Cattolica Del Sacro Cuore; SCHREINEMACHERS, PEPIJN - World Vegetable Center; WILLOCQUET, LAETITIA - Inrae; BOVE, FEDERICA - Università Cattolica Del Sacro Cuore; SAH, SONAM - Consultant; SINGH, MANJARI - Consultant; DJURLE, ANNIKA - Swedish University Of Agricultural Sciences; XU, XIANGMING - National Institute Of Agricultural Botany (NIAB); OJIAMBO, PETER - North Carolina State University; PAUL, PIERCE - The Ohio State University; DEL PONTE, EMERSON - Universidade Federal De Vicosa; KUHNEM, PAULO - Biotrigo Genetica, Ltda; MARCELO, CARMONA - Universidad De Buenos Aires; FRANSISCO, SAUTUA - Consultant; Chen, Xianming; XIA, XIANCHUN - Chinese Academy Of Agricultural Sciences; KANG, ZHENSHENG - Northwest A&f University; SAFNI, IRDA - University Of Sumatera Utara; CASTILLA, NANCY - International Rice Research Institute; NGUYEN, NGA THI THU - Can Tho University; MA, ZHANHONG - China Agricultural University; WU, BOMING - China Agricultural University; KUMAR, LAVA - International Institute Of Tropical Agriculture (IITA); BANDYOPADHYAY, RANAJIT - International Institute Of Tropical Agriculture (IITA); ORTEGO-BELTRAN, ALEJANDRO - International Institute Of Tropical Agriculture (IITA); MENKIR, ABEBE - International Institute Of Tropical Agriculture (IITA); GARRETT, KAREN - University Of Florida; ANDRADE-PIEDRA, JORGE - International Potato Center; KREUZE, JAN - Consultant; ACUNA, IVETTE - Instituto Nacional De Investigaciones Forestales Y Agropecuarias (INIFAP); KROMANN, PETER - Wageningen University And Research Center; DAVEY, TRIONA - Scottish Agricultural Science Agency; HAUSLADEN, HANS - School Of Life Sciences And Bioengineering; LEGG, JAMES(PETER) - International Institute Of Tropical Agriculture (IITA); FIABOE, KOMI - International Institute Of Tropical Agriculture (IITA); TRIPATHI, LEENA - International Institute Of Tropical Agriculture (IITA); VILJOEN, ALTUS - Stellenbosch University; MAHUKU, GEORGE - International Institute Of Tropical Agriculture (IITA); KUBIRIBA, JEROME - National Agricultural Research Organization - Uganda; ARMENGOL, JOSEP - Universitat De València; CALONNEC, AGNES - Inrae; MARZACHI, CRISTINA - Istituto Di Protezione Sostenibile Delle Piante; Bock, Clive; DEWDNEY, MEGAN - Citrus Research And Development Foundation, Inc; COX, KERIK - Cornell University; AVELINO, JACQUES - Cirad, France; GARCIA-FIGUERA, SARA - University Of California, Davis; COLETTA-FILHO, HELVECIO DELLA - Centro De Citricultura; VICENT, ANTONIO - Instituto Valenciano De Investigaciones Agrarias; DRENTH, ANDRE - University Of Queensland; FOURIE, PAUL HENDRIK - Citrus Research International (CRI); CHANGYONG, ZHOU - Southwest University; LEGESSE, WUBETU BIHON - World Vegetable Center; KENYON, LAWRENCE - World Vegetable Center; SRINIVASAN, RAMASAMY - World Vegetable Center; SANTINI, ALBERT - National Research Council - Italy; GUERIN, MAXIME - Consultant; PINON, JEAN - Inrae; DESPREZ-LOUSTAU, MARIE-LAURE - Inrae; DENMAN, SANDRA - Forest Research; DUCOUSSO, ALEXIS - Inrae; FRANKEL, SUSAN - Us Forest Service (FS); JUZWIK, JENNIFER - Us Forest Service (FS); RIZZO, DAVID - University Of California, Davis; WOODS, ALEX JOHN - British Colombia Ministry Of Forests And Range; MUNCK, ISABEL - Us Forest Service (FS); LEON, ANNA - Weyerhaeuser Company; RAMSFIELD, TOD - Canadian Forest Service; CARNEGIE, ANGUS - Forest Service (FS); O'GARA, EMER - Department Of National Parks And Wildlife Conservation; MAKINSON, ROBERT - Consultant; HARDY, GILES - Murdoch University; BRENES-ARGUEDAS, TANIA - University Of California, Davis; ARNOLD, ELIZABETH - University Of Arizona; COLEY, PHYLLIS - University Of Utah; SPEAR, ERIN - Smithsonian Tropical Research; ZALAMEA, PAUL-CAMILO - University Of South Florida; LEBRUN, MARC-HENRI - Inrae; MIKABERDZE, ALEXEY - University Of Reading; YUEN, JONATHAN - Swedish University Of Agricultural Sciences

Submitted to: Plant Disease
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 5/8/2023
Publication Date: 12/14/2023
Citation: Savary, S., Andrivon, D., Esker, P., Frey, P., Huberli, D., Kumar, J., Mcdonald, B.A., Mcroberts, N., Nelson, A., Pethybridge, S., Rossi, V., Schreinemachers, P., Willocquet, L., Bove, F., Sah, S., Singh, M., Djurle, A., Xu, X., Ojiambo, P., Paul, P., Del Ponte, E., Kuhnem, P., Marcelo, C., Fransisco, S., Chen, X., Xia, X., Kang, Z., Safni, I., Castilla, N.P., Nguyen, N., Ma, Z., Wu, B., Kumar, L., Bandyopadhyay, R., Ortego-Beltran, A., Menkir, A., Garrett, K.A., Andrade-Piedra, J., Kreuze, J., Acuna, I., Kromann, P., Davey, T., Hausladen, H., Legg, J., Fiaboe, K., Tripathi, L., Viljoen, A., Mahuku, G., Kubiriba, J., Armengol, J., Calonnec, A., Marzachi, C., Bock, C.H., Dewdney, M., Cox, K., Avelino, J., Garcia-Figuera, S., Coletta-Filho, H., Vicent, A., Drenth, A., Fourie, P., Changyong, Z., Legesse, W., Kenyon, L., Srinivasan, R., Santini, A., Guerin, M., Pinon, J., Desprez-Loustau, M., Denman, S., Ducousso, A., Frankel, S.J., Juzwik, J., Rizzo, D.M., Woods, A., Munck, I., Leon, A., Ramsfield, T., Carnegie, A.J., O'Gara, E., Makinson, R.O., Hardy, G.E., Brenes-Arguedas, T., Arnold, E., Coley, P.D., Spear, E.R., Zalamea, P., Lebrun, M., Mikaberdze, A., Yuen, J. 2023. A global assessment of the state of plant health. Plant Disease. 107(12):3649–3665. https://doi.org/10.1094/PDIS-01-23-0166-FE.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1094/PDIS-01-23-0166-FE

Interpretive Summary: In relation to disease, the trend in global plant health is in decline. The Global Plant Health Assessment (GPHA) is a collective, volunteer-based effort to provide expert opinion based on scientific, published evidence across a range of forest, agricultural, and urban plant systems worldwide. The GPHA focuses on infectious plant diseases and plant pathogens, but does include reference to abiotic (temperature, drought, and floods) and other biotic (e.g., animal pests, and humans) factors associated with plant health. The findings indicate a combination of negative forces, including climate change, species invasions, and mismanagement affect plant health through disease. Plant health emergencies, such as in sub-Saharan Africa, and the need for food security in the most populated parts of the world where the poorest live are at greatest risk. Healthy, disease-free plants ensure provisioning (food, fiber and material), regulation (climate, atmosphere, water, and soils), and cultural (re-creation, inspiration, and spiritual) services. All the services are threatened by plant diseases. The associations among the factors are complex, and depend on the Ecoregion and Plant System involved. Some directions for research are suggested to better address plant health. A major need is to better understand the interaction of disease and plant physiology under climate-change induced abiotic stresses; another major need is the development of breeding programs to incorporate biotic-abiotic adaptations to develop climate smart and disease-resistant varieties; another need is a more sophisticated understanding of the phytobiome in annuals and perennials under a changing climate. Effective public advisory systems for farmers must be bolstered both in the Global South and the Global North alike, and a new generation of plant scientists trained with a view to address plant health in relation to climate, nature, spirituality, and food.

Technical Abstract: The global state of plant health is not good. The overall trend of global plant health is in decline. The Global Plant Health Assessment (GPHA), a collective, volunteered-based effort to assemble expert opinion based on scientific, published evidence takes us across a range of forest, agricultural, and urban systems worldwide. The GPHA focuses on infectious plant diseases and plant pathogens, but ebcompasses the abiotic (temperature, drought, and floods) and other biotic (e.g., animal pests, and humans) factors associated with plant health. Much of what we found is driven by a combination of negative forces, including: climate change, species invasions, and mismanagement. There are emergencies, such as the state of plant health in sub-Saharan Africa, or the need to ensure food security in the most populated parts of the world, such as in South Asia, where the poorest of the poor, the landless farmers, are at greatest risk. Healthy plants ensure provisioning (food, fiber and material), regulation (climate, atmosphere, water, and soils), and cultural (re-creation, inspiration, and spiritual) services. All these services are threatened by plant diseases. The associations among these many factors are complex, and depend on the [Ecoregion × Plant System] considered. Formal conclusions often are hard to scientifically establish, and generalizations are dangerous. However, some directions of research nevertheless emerge. One is the need to better understand disease and plant physiology of the diseased plant under climate-change induced abiotic stresses (heat, drought, floods); another is the development of breeding programs where biotic-abiotic stresses are combined to develop climate smart and disease-resistant varieties; another yet is a better understanding of the functioning of phytobiomes in annuals and perennials under climate change. Urgent needs include re-instating of effective public advisory systems for farmers in the Global South and the Global North alike, and training a new generation of plant scientists with a view of addressing collective goods: plant health, climate, nature, spirituality, and food.