A theoretical assessment of methods to reduce the spread of insect vectored plant pathogens

Many insect vectored plant pathogen systems share several common features. Specifically, insect vectors often prefer habitats outside the affected crop and acquire the pathogen from a non-crop plant host. Inoculative vectors then move into the crop, causing primary pathogen spread. This may or may not be followed by secondary pathogen spread within the crop. In some cases, vector movement into the affected crop may be incidental and in others the vector may reside and reproduce in the crop. A spatially-explicit simulation model was used to evaluate effectiveness of reducing vector populations in the affected crop or the source habitat and removing infected plants from the affected crop or source habitat. Simulations were run under different assumptions about extent of secondary pathogen spread and vector reproduction in the affected crop. The results indicate that the best management strategy depends on assumptions about primary versus secondary pathogen spread and primary reproductive habitat of the vector.