Sustainable agriculture: the role of plant pathology

A sustainable system of crop production is one that may be used continuously for many years, is soundly based on the potential and within the limitations of a particular region, and does not unduly deplete its resources or degrade its environment, makes best use of energy and materials, ensures good and reliable yields, and benefits the health and wealth of the local population at competitive costs. Plant pathology can and should contribute in each of these respects--by assessing the immediate and potential dangers to crops from diseases, by forecasting their incidence and severity, by deploying the best methods of control in the short and longer term, by evaluating the risks particularly by integrated use of the methods, by exploiting the potential for disease control in new systems of crop production, by recognizing the critical importance of extension and training in getting farmers to adopt the best practices, and by research at the highest levels on pathogens and diseases to provide the scientific base upon which major improvements in the technology of disease control will depend.