Using crop modeling to find solutions for wheat diseases: A review

Abstract

Plant diseases have caused serious challenges in the production of food globally. This has led to hunger and food insecurity. Different solutions for crop diseases have been introduced in the recent past that include cultural control using farm management methods, chemical control, resistant cultivars, and recently, biocontrol. Each of these solutions has varied weaknesses. Faced with the changes in climate and the recurrences of crop diseases, new strategies incorporating preventive measures would be important by reducing risks to crop production from crop diseases, thus alleviating food insecurity. Strategies for the prevention of these diseases and/or forecasting favorable environmental conditions for disease development have not been fully employed as preventive measures. The use of crop modeling has been used to advise farmers on planting procedures that would bring maximum yields using different management procedures at the farm level. Little is known about the use of crop models in crop disease control. In order to increase the use of crop models for these objectives, this review provides the current status quo and will help to stimulate more research in this regard.