Quantitative evolution of aggressiveness of powdery mildew under two‐cultivar barley mixtures

Abstract

The effects of cultivar mixtures on the evolution of aggressiveness of barley powdery mildew (Blumeria graminis f.sp. hordei) were modelled. It was found that the rate and direction of evolution of pathogen aggressiveness in a race‐non‐specific system and value at equilibrium, depends on initial resistance levels, proportions of component cultivars, autodeposition rates, the relative magnitude of the benefit of autoinfection, and the cost of alloinfection of spores. In the model, mixing cultivars in any proportions tended to reduce the aggressiveness of pathogens at equilibrium compared with pure stands, but this effect decreased when two mixture components were extremely unbalanced in proportion. Under low and medium autodeposition rates, the best control of the evolution of the pathogen was achieved by mixing two components in roughly equal proportions. The magnitude of aggressiveness at equilibrium increased as autodeposition rates increased. Though the level of initial resistance of mixture components did not have an impact on the aggressiveness of pathogens at equilibrium, it strongly influenced the transient values of aggressiveness and therefore the total amount of disease caused over an evolutionary period. The cost to the pathogen of alloinfection and benefit of autoinfection per se did not affect the final level of aggressiveness, but did affect the time to reach equilibrium. However, the ratio of the cost to the benefit did influence the final aggressiveness of the pathogen.