Integrated seed health approaches and models
Integrated seed health approaches provide a framework for combining three key seed health management components: formal seed purchase, disease resistant varieties, and on-farm management. Over-reliance on one component may be less effective than strategic combinations of the three components. Seed health models, in the R package seedHealth, support consideration of integrated seed health approaches by evaluating scenarios for combining these components. These results support training and decision-making by researchers, practitioners, policy makers, and project staff. In training applications, the seedHealth package in an online interface illustrates the likely outcomes from changing the three components. The online interface is accessible for users who are not familiar with R. The seedHealth package can also be used to evaluate the likely disease and yield outcomes for specific systems, when sufficient data are available about seed degeneration rates and responses. Application of the seedHealth package for decision-support modeling is accessible for users who can develop or access estimates of seed degeneration rates for their systems. Direct users would be familiar with R applications, while indirect users would collaborate with the direct users.
Seed degeneration model
This model provides estimates of seed degeneration risk at a location, as a function of factors such as weather conduciveness, crop disease resistance, and success rates for interventions such as positive selection and roguing. It also provides estimates of optimal timing for purchase of quality-declared
seed to maintain yield within acceptable bounds.
Tool description: Here
User guide:
More information and examples:
- Thomas-Sharma, S., A. Abdurahman, S. Ali, J. L. Andrade-Piedra, S. Bao, A. O. Charkowski, D. Crook, et al. 2016. “Seed Degeneration in Potato: The Need for an Integrated Seed Health Strategy to Mitigate the Problem in Developing Countries.” Plant Pathology 65 (1):3–16. PDF
- Thomas-Sharma, S., J. Andrade-Piedra, M. Carvajal Yepes, J. F. Hernandez Nopsa, M. J. Jeger, R. A. C. Jones, P. Kromann, et al. 2017. “A Risk Assessment Framework for Seed Degeneration: Informing an Integrated Seed Health Strategy for Vegetatively Propagated Crops.” Phytopathology. LINK
- Ogero, K.O.; Kreuze, J.F.; McEwan, M.A.; Luambano, N.D.; Bachwenkizi, H.; Garrett, K.A.; Andersen, K.F.; Thomas‐Sharma, S.; Vlugt, R.A.A. 2019. Efficiency of insect‐proof net tunnels in reducing virus‐related seed degeneration in sweet potato. Plant Pathology. ISSN: 0032-0862. 68: 8. pp. 1472–1480. LINK
Contact: Karen Garrett, karengarrett@ufl.edu, garrettlab.com
Management performance mapping
This tool is designed to identify candidate locations for development investments, by finding locations where management is likely to have the greatest impact.
Tool description: Here
Phytosanitary thresholds
Evaluate the likely outcome in a seed system for different phytosanitary thresholds determining the standards for acceptable disease levels in quality certified seed.
Tool description: Here