A risk assessment of the threat of PCN species under future climates is essential to guide adaptation strategies, according to scientists who published the results of their research in the journal Plant Pathology. Data defining the spatial coverage of potato crops in Great Britain were combined with probabilistic climate change data and a newly developed PCN life cycle model to project the future risk to potato crops from PCN in Great Britain. It was found that projected increases in soil temperature could result in increased survival to female maturity for three prominent PCN populations (Globodera pallida, G. rostochiensis, and G. pallida), with greater increases expected for Scotland, followed by Wales then England.
The potential impact of several agronomic adaptation strategies on projected PCN risk were also investigated. The results from the model suggest that soil infestation levels would have to be reduced by up to 40% in order to negate projected increases in PCN risk, and that advancing the start date of the growing season or modifying planting patterns could be successful strategies to reduce future PCN risk. More
