Enhancing diversity to overcome resistance evolution

Abstract

We propose a revolutionary approach to pest management that will enhance the sustainability of crop production. Insecticide resistance evolution occurs when a single control agent is applied over extensive areas, causing consistent selection for rare resistance genes. To prevent these selective sweeps, we investigate how multiple fungal biopesticide strains can be used heterogeneously across agricultural landscapes, so that selection for resistance varies spatially. We also exploit the fact that the optimum genotype to defend against one pathogen is often highly sensitive to the environment; by overlaying variation in pathogen strain with variation in crop type, we decrease the consistency of selection even further, and thereby prevent resistance evolution. (AU)