Modelling the combined effect of moisture and temperature on secondary infection in a coupled host-pathogen FSPM

Weather conditions are an important driver of disease development. For example for yellow spot in wheat, warm and moist conditions favour secondary infection. Although the relationship between environment and disease development is the basis of many epidemiological models, changes in plant architecture and growth have an effect on disease progress and severity as well. Functional-structural plant models (FSPMs) are well suited to study the interactions between pathogen, climatic conditions and growing host crop. In this study we focused on simulating the effect of weather conditions on the progression of secondary infection in yellow spot and the interaction with growing wheat canopy. Simulations were performed using a coupled host-pathogen FSPM with standard meteorological data input. The model develops on previous coupled host-pathogen FSPMs by combining response functions to temperature and wetness duration and calculating the hourly progression of secondary infection. The simulated diseased area differed with different combinations of temperature and moisture response models. Changes in dispersal pattern were observed mainly in relation to spore release rate.