Mitigation and adaptation to climate change of plant pathogens

The literature shows that different pathosystems respond in different ways to climate change. Changing climate can affect plant-pathogen interactions by altering the life cycle of pathogens, expression of host resistance, disease epidemiology and severity of outbreaks, development of new races, virulence and distribution of geographical area of pathogens. Bebber, et al. [6] made a comprehensive review of reported latitudinal trends of the irst reports of plant pests (in the broad sense) since 1960. In most cases there were movements poleward for arthropod pests, fungi, oomycetes and bacteria; exceptions seem to be nematodes and viruses, which appear to have moved to the equator. In the case of viruses, the trend seems to be reversed. Many viruses are vectored by insects in the Hemiptera and Thysanoptera where movement is most de initely poleward and one interpretation of these trends is that the movement of viruses lags behind that of their vectors [7].