P-006 - Modeling regional scale fungicide resistance in Septoria tritici blotch with heterogeneous grower behavior to inform resistance management

Tuesday, August 5, 2025

9:30 AM - 10:15 AM HST

Location: Exhibit Hall 3

Presenting Author(s)

IM

Iona M.H McCabe

University of Cambridge
Cambridge, England, United Kingdom

Author(s)

NC

Nik Cunniffe

Professor
Department of Plant Sciences, University of Cambridge, UK
Cambridge, England, United Kingdom
AL

Ariane Le Gros

Syngenta
Basel, Basel-Landschaft, Switzerland
MC

Mladen Cucak

Syngenta
Basel, Basel-Landschaft, Switzerland

Abstract Text: Fungal crop diseases threaten global food security. Fungicides are commonly used to control these crop pathogens, but over time, fungi often develop resistance. Management strategies have been developed to optimize profit and yield while slowing the spread of resistance. Mathematical models have been instrumental in developing these management strategies and predicting their long term effects, but most only consider the isolated effects of resistance in a single field. Grower decision making models have also been developed to determine how growers decide between methods of control, but these models have primarily been focused on non-fungal plant diseases. We develop a landscape-scale model of fungal pathogen resistance and spread by expanding existing single-field models of Septoria tritici blotch (STB) to multi-field scales where different types of grower management can be included. Combinations of fungicide treatment strategies were tested to determine how resistance spreads in a landscape where grower disease management is heterogeneous and where growers make decisions in response to economic drivers. This can help inform resistance management decisions by, for example, determining a strategy’s tolerance to grower noncompliance or assessing the compatibility of multiple strategies.