Science & Society
Special Issue: Systems Biology
How should we tackle the global risks to plant health?

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tplants.2014.02.010Get rights and content

Highlights

  • Plant health must be taken seriously – global problems require global action.

  • Improved policy coherence is needed.

  • Long-term and new forms of monitoring plant health and early-warning systems are needed.

The introduction and spread of plant pests and diseases has significant consequences for agriculture, horticulture, forestry, and natural habitats. Opportunities arising from scientific advances must be better used to inform regulation of trade and underpin chemical and alternative controls and breeding of plants resistant to biotic stress.

Section snippets

Control of trade in plants and plant products

The current controls on plant movement have been only partially effective in preventing entry, establishment, and spread of harmful organisms into new territories. Decision making has often been too slow and concentrates on known threats, whereas all countries need to prepare to cope with the consequences of globalisation in terms of new trade routes, as well as climate challenges and a more diverse range of pests and diseases 2, 3. This flexibility in preparedness should encompass the

Durable protection of plant health

Control of plant movement across borders must be accompanied by commitment to improving plant health durably in other ways: by decreasing the vulnerability of plants and ecosystems and by mitigating the impact once a hazard is established. This requires research and its translation in order to develop improved plant varieties, new chemical control measures, and novel approaches, such as the encouragement of associated microbial communities that naturally counter plant pests and diseases. No

Policy disconnects

Threats to world agriculture and ecosystem services, associated with risks to plant health, have been posited as among the existential crises facing humanity. If the scientific actions (Box 1) are to be successfully accomplished, it is also necessary to understand and resolve disconnects in the present policy landscape. These disconnects include:

  • (i)

    Inconsistency between willingness to invest in fundamental plant science research, while neglecting to use the outputs from research for innovation.

Acknowledgements

We thank all those who contributed to the discussion for preparing the EASAC report [EASAC (2014) Risks to Plant Health: EASAC Statement on European Union Priorities for Tackling Emerging Plant Pests and Diseases (http://www.easac.eu)].

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