Changing management practices and the environment:impact on soilborne pathogens and biological control

Abstract: Climate change is a regional, national and global environmental policy issue thatundoubtedly will be a major economic force for the rest of the 21st century and beyond as nationsdevelop alternatives to traditional fossil fuels to drive and sustain their economic growth. Thispaper discusses how changes in regional and local environmental conditions, predicted to occuras a result of climate change, may impact crop management practices, diseases and theirbiocontrol agents. This paper focuses on the Pacific Northwest, located in the Northwest cornerof the USA. More specifically, it focuses on wheat production and soilborne diseases in centraland eastern Washington State and well-studied Pseudomonas spp. that suppress these diseases.What is currently known about the impact of environment and management practices onpopulations of indigenous Pseudomonas spp. that provide natural biocontrol can be used topredict how climate change could impact the biogeography and disease suppressive activity ofthese biocontrol agents.