dylandejonge - Unsplash
Resistance

Resistance

The SuMCrop symposium in October 2022, Designing and Using Resistant Varieties for More Sustainable Agriculture, generated great interest among researchers, businesses, and agricultural sectors. The discussion during the symposium raised shared questions that need to be addressed.

Italso highlighted the strategic value of resistance conferred by plant immunity, which remains the key lever for achieving an agroecological transition, particularly regarding crop fungal diseases. The discussion reaffirmed the crucial need for epidemiological surveillance associated with the deployment of resistances to anticipate possible erosions or circumventions. What kind of breeding is needed to build sustainably resistant stands? How can functional diversity be generated and managed within stands, beyond the classic approaches of species or genotype mixtures? Should we breed for reduced sensitivity to pests rather than complete resistance? How can resistance management be implemented at the farm level? What is the perception of resistance and its durability by growers, depending on the sectors? What are the supporting practices to best delay circumventions (prophylaxis, safety treatments, etc.)? Can resistance be managed as a common good within sectors and production areas, and if so, under what economic and organizational conditions?

In this folder

© waldemar - unsplash

The cultivation of genetically resistant plants is an environmentally-friendly and effective means of controlling pathogen populations. However, pathogens can quickly overcome plant resistance.

© david-maunsell - unsplash

Genetic resistances are an indispensable resource and a key lever in the successful transition to an agriculture less dependent on chemical protection. The management of these resources in local areas remains imperfect due to a lack of information, preconceived ideas, and controversy (cf. Lannou et al, 2020; SuMCrop 2022 transdisciplinary resistance seminar). To make resistance a lever for sustainable disease management, it is necessary to establish a transdisciplinary dialogue with stakeholders in farming areas and supply chains.

© Naïma Minet, ISA | Acidification of the rhizosphere by Arabidopsis roots. In vitro culture of 10-day-old Arabidopsis seedlings. Yellow areas indicate an acidic pH below 5.2, while purple areas indicate a pH above 6.8.

Soil, plants, and pathogenic or beneficial microorganisms form dynamic associations in permanent interactions, influencing each other, with multiple consequences on access to nutrients and life cycles. Rhizodeposits directly influence both rhizospheric microbial composition and plant development, which are important determinants of plant susceptibility to biotic and abiotic stresses.