Philippe Pieri

Bio: Philippe Pieri is an academic researcher. The author has contributed to research in topics: Climate change & Forest restoration. The author has an hindex of 2, co-authored 3 publications receiving 11 citations.

Climate change and potential future risks through wheat diseases: a review

Abstract: This review summarizes the most significant results from the so far existing, but fragmented studies on the potential effects of climate change on wheat pathogens and the diseases they cause. The analysis demonstrates that predictions are uncertain and future disease risk trends must be differentiated on a geographic and time scale. For example, disease incidence of Fusarium head blight in the United Kingdom might increase middle of this century, whereas disease severity of Septoria tritici blotch might decrease in France end of this century. Thus, wheat disease problems caused by a changing climate will probably not consistently worsen, as climatic changes may also improve the crop health situation in wheat depending on the location. The results of long-term simulations of future disease risk must be taken with caution, because different climate models and downscaling methods are used to make the projections and this can create considerable uncertainty. Being aware of this short-coming, plant pathologists recently started to assess the sources of uncertainty related to their long-term disease simulations. However, in spite of this progress there is still a significant lack of simulation studies related to different wheat diseases in various locations that could help to estimate future wheat grain losses due to climatic changes. Many more of these studies are certainly needed. Otherwise, the focus in the climate change debate will remain on the yield loss/gain potential due to changes in the environmental conditions only, which would neglect the important impact of altered biotic constraints such as diseases which are among the key factors in the estimation of future global wheat productivity.

Comparative biology of different plant pathogens to estimate effects of climate change on crop diseases in Europe

Abstract: This review describes environmental factors that influence severity of crop disease epidemics, especially in the UK and north-west Europe, in order to assess the effects of climate change on crop growth and yield and severity of disease epidemics. While work on some diseases, such as phoma stem canker of oilseed rape and fusarium ear blight of wheat, that combine crop growth, disease development and climate change models is described in detail, climate-change projections and predictions of the resulting biotic responses to them are complex to predict and detailed models linking climate, crop growth and disease development are not available for many crop-pathogen systems. This review uses a novel approach of comparing pathogen biology according to ‘ecotype’ (a categorization based on aspects such as epidemic type, dissemination method and infection biology), guided by detailed disease progress models where available to identify potential future research priorities for disease control. Consequences of projected climate change are assessed for factors driving elements of disease cycles of fungal pathogens (nine important pathogens are assessed in detail), viruses, bacteria and phytoplasmas. Other diseases classified according to ‘ecotypes’ were reviewed and likely changes in their severity used to guide comparable diseases about which less information is available. Both direct and indirect effects of climate change are discussed, with an emphasis on examples from the UK, and considered in the context of other factors that influence diseases and particularly emergence of new diseases, such as changes to farm practices and introductions of exotic material and effects of other environment changes such as elevated CO2. Good crop disease control will contribute to climate change mitigation by decreasing greenhouse gas emissions from agriculture while sustaining production. Strategies for adaptation to climate change are needed to maintain disease control and crop yields in north-west Europe.

Scientific review of the impact of climate change on plant pests: a global challenge to prevent and mitigate plant pest risks in agriculture, forestry and ecosystems.

Abstract: Climate change represents an unprecedented challenge to the world?s biosphere and to the global community. It also represents a unique challenge for plant health. Human activities and increased market globalization, coupled with rising temperatures, has led to a situation that is favourable to pest movement and establishment. This scientific review assesses the potential effects of climate change on plant pests and consequently on plant health. The evidence assessed strongly indicates that climate change has already expanded some pests? host range and geographical distribution, and may further increase the risk of pest introduction to new areas. This calls for international cooperation and development of harmonized plant protection strategies to help countries successfully adapt their pest risk management measures to climate change.

Linking Plant Disease Models to Climate Change Scenarios to Project Future Risks of Crop Diseases: A Review

Abstract: The objective of this review is to summarize and evaluate disease risk simulation studies, where crop disease models have been linked to climate projections derived from one or several global circulation models. Altogether, 70 single crop disease risk simulation studies were analyzed which meet this criterion. These studies refer to about 35 plant diseases in 15 different agricultural crops, whereby wheat (especially the diseases fusarium head blight, leaf rust, and septoria tritici blotch) was most often investigated followed by grapevine (especially the disease downy mildew) and oilseed rape (especially the disease phoma stem canker). Most studies refer to Brazil and different Western European countries (e.g. France, Germany, Italy, and United Kingdom). Few considered the entire globe. Interestingly, in about 40% of the studies, disease risk is projected to remain unchanged (seven cases) or to be reduced (22 cases) in the future, particularly in Brazil at the end of the 21st century, mainly due to supra-optimal temperature conditions for the development of some pathogens during the growing season and/or reduced rainfall and leaf wetness, respectively. However, survival of most pathogens, particularly under temperate climatic conditions, during winter-time is projected to be favoured in most simulation studies due to warming. These results suggest that projections of future pathogen/disease dynamics and ranges should include several climatic factors and several pathogen/disease life cycle stages to be more reliable. Only in three of the disease risk simulation studies an option for agronomic adaptation (timing of sowing, cultivar choice) is included in the model runs. Such approaches are particularly valuable because they comprise future options to manage disease risks and minimise potentially adverse effects on crop yield. Therefore, basic tools of the IPM toolbox should be included in disease risk simulation studies in order to take their potential disease risk mitigation capacity into account, which is particularly relevant where crop disease risk is projected to increase in the future.