Citizen Scientist with Sample
vidual species has been referred to
as the most important pathogen of
avocado roots in South Africa, a
biological bulldozer of natural systems in Australia, and a reason to
switch forest plantation species in
the south-eastern United States. In
South Africa, P. cinnamomi not only
affects the avocado industry, but
also eucalyptus and pine plantations, silver trees in natural systems
and botanical gardens, peach and
grape growers, as well as many
commercial Protea cultivation operations. This species is also known
for causing widespread root rot
throughout the native and endemic
vegetation of the fynbos biome,
illustrating the potential of an individual Phytophthora species to affect both agricultural and natural
systems.
As mentioned previously, hundreds
of Phytophthora species are estimated to exist that have not been
discovered or studied. Whether or
not these species pose similar
threats as P. cinnamomi or P. infestans is to be determined with
time, but the determination can be
catalysed with research. However,
research-funding agencies generally
prefer to fund research directly ap-
Author
plicable to the problems at hand.
This reactive approach, parallel with
‘learning from our mistakes’, limits
the effectiveness of biosecurity
measures. Until recently, Phytophthora species were rarely studied in natural systems, but now
there is recognition for the importance of studying these organisms in their native environments,
conducting risk assessments, initiating resistance programs, and encouraging regulations to prevent
their effects rather than waiting for
their accidental introduction. This is
the basis for the initiative Cape Citizen Science (see below).
Unfortunately, as consequence to
the luxury and efficiency of global
trading, plant pathogens are frequently (accidentally) spread
around the world. This means that
a Phytophthora species in a natural
system on the other side of the
world, could eventually threaten
the sustainability of agricultural and
natural systems here in South Africa. Although it is less frequent in
agriculture, there are many historical examples of plant pathogens
that were accidentally spread to
new natural systems causing catastrophic impacts. For example, Phy-
Citizen Scientist attempting
to isolate Phytophthora
tophthora ramorum was accidentally introduced into the forests of the
southwestern United States where
it causes Sudden Oak Death, threatening mature tanoak trees with extinction and negatively affecting
many industries. Prior to the alarm
of millions of oak trees dying
throughout California, Phytophthora ramorum was unknown to science—it had not been identified or
studied. The point is, since this species was unknown to science, there
were no regulations in place to prevent its introduction.
Pressure to improve food security
increases with population growth
while new pests and diseases in
agriculture and forest systems continue to emerge. The sustainability
of agricultural systems in the future
will depend on our ability to regulate and control these challenges.
One initiative to improve our ability
to prevent the emergence of new
diseases caused by Phytophthora is
Cape Citizen Science, a project
starting soon in the Western Cape.
Cape Citizen Science is a project
designed to survey Phytophthora
species present in the f ynbos biome. Although Phytophthora cinnamomi has been implicated as the