Editorial: Crop Traits for Defense against Pests and Disease: Durability, Breakdown and Future Prospects

With the Earth's population expected to reach 11.2 billion by 2100 there is a pressing need to maximize food production at a time when productivity of many crops is reaching a plateau. Minimizing losses to pests and diseases is therefore a crucial means of meeting this challenge and securing food supply. This research topic addresses some of the most important issues in the future sustainability of global crop production. The topic consists of 20 papers, of which 13 describe original research. There are six review papers, plus one hypothesis and theory contribution. The development of plants with resistance to the most damaging pests and diseases is increasingly important in the face of growing pressure to reduce synthetic chemical inputs, including pesticides, fungicides, and herbicides used for crop protection. This reduction is partly underwritten by legislative directives, consumer demands and indeed an overall reduction in available chemical controls for most crops (Hillocks, 2012), especially those outwith the main arable species. Additionally, losses due to pest and disease attacks represent a major financial cost in crop production and throughout the subsequent supply chain, even before the costs of control measures are considered. The move toward more sustainable production systems, based on integrated pest and disease management approaches, is gaining momentum, and the development of more resistant cultivars is a major factor contributing to the success of these systems. In addition, there is a recognized need for frameworks (e.g., Birch et al., 2011) which combine natural enemies with resistant cultivars and other management practices to reduce reliance on crop protection chemicals and maintain viable and sustainable future crop production. The development of resistant cultivars is crucial to the future of sustainable crop production practices, and there is a substantial need for the continued introgression of specific resistance genes or physical and structural traits, from existing or extended genetic resources. Recent advances in knowledge can aid this process, even in many minor crop species, where increased understanding of trait heritability and technological advances in genomics and bioinformatics are enabling the identification of genes controlling resistance, providing a framework for improved selection efficiency. Moreover, the advent of new technologies can provide significant benefits, as exemplified by the opportunities afforded by CRISPR-based tools in understanding plant-pathogen interactions; these are addressed in the review by Barakate and Stephens. The need for new resistance genes is crucial within many pathogen/crop systems, and Van Weymers et al. describe the …