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ARS Home » Northeast Area » Beltsville, Maryland (BARC) » Beltsville Agricultural Research Center » Food Quality Laboratory » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #382204
Research Project: Development of Novel Tools to Manage Fungal Plant Pathogens that Cause Postharvest Decay of Pome Fruit to Reduce Food Waste

Location: Food Quality Laboratory

Title: A global analysis of postharvest fungal pathogens reveals temporal-spatial and host-pathogen associations linked with FRAC1 fungicide resistance

Author
item BRADSHAW, MICHAEL - ORISE FELLOW
item BARTHOLOMEW, HOLLY - ORISE FELLOW
item HENDRICKS, DYLAN - UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON
item MAUST, AUTUMN - UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON
item Jurick, Wayne

Submitted to: Phytopathology
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 4/29/2021
Publication Date: 11/14/2021
Citation: Bradshaw, M., Bartholomew, H., Hendricks, D., Maust, A., Jurick II, W.M. 2021. A global analysis of postharvest fungal pathogens reveals temporal-spatial and host-pathogen associations linked with FRAC1 fungicide resistance. Phytopathology. https://doi.org/10.1094/PHYTO-03-21-0119-R.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1094/PHYTO-03-21-0119-R

Interpretive Summary: Fungicides are an intricate part of agricultural systems and are a valuable asset that increases yields and agricultural efficiency. In the past 60 years, decreased fungicide efficacy has been reported due to the evolution of fungicide resistance. As the trading of goods results in the movement of fungicide resistant pathogens, growers of certain products, in particular regions, need to be aware of the potential harm of using fungicides and alternative control methods. The present study was conducted as a resource for countries, industry leaders, policy makers and farmers that are reliant on fungicides for the control of pre and postharvest pathogens. The compiled information and dataset can inform end users on the regions and hosts that are most prone to contain resistant phytopathogens and can assist decision matrices concerning fungicide resistance management strategies.

Technical Abstract: Fungicides are a valuable tool for the agricultural industry to control a wide range of pre and postharvest fungal pathogens. First reported in the 1960’s, fungicide resistance is a prevalent problem that is reducing fungicide efficacy. In the current study we conducted a meta-analysis, defined as a study that synthesizes previously acquired data, to evaluate patterns of fungicide resistance throughout the world. In total, data was acquired from 2647 specimens from GenBank and from 203 peer reviewed references. We revealed that there is an association between fungicide resistance with the year an isolate was collected, the pathogen genus, the pathogen host and the collection region. Fungicide resistance was revealed in 34 different fungal species on 36 hosts from 24 countries, revealing that fungicide resistance is globally distributed in a variety of pathosystems. Future research can use the data to make inferences on the amount of fungicides used, the probability and speed at which resistance develops in a population, and to generate predictive models concerning movement of fungicide resistance through space and time.