Breaking the brown bridge for residue-borne fungal disease control in broadacre agricultural systems. A review
Abstract
Crop residues, plant material remaining post-harvest, provide critical ecosystem services, including reducing erosion, conserving soil moisture, and building soil organic matter. Globally, a “residue revolution” is underway, with substantial increases in the quantity and persistence of residues driven by the expansion and intensification of annual crop production systems, widespread adoption of conservation agriculture principles, and growing recognition of the system benefits gained through residue retention. However, crop residues also act as reservoirs for damaging fungal crop pathogens, allowing them to persist between seasons and initiate residue-borne disease epidemics via inoculum carryover. Current management relies heavily on in-season management via genetic resistance and chemical controls, rather than preventative strategies that address off-season inoculum carryover. Consequently, broadacre production systems are increasingly vulnerable, as pathogens adapt to overcome genetic and chemical controls, partly due to the large populations persisting on residues. Despite this growing risk, previous review articles have overwhelmingly focused on individual pathogens or in-season management, with limited examination of the universalities of residue-borne diseases with respect to off-season survival and reproduction on residues. Here, we review an interdisciplinary body of research to address this gap. We (i) summarize key aspects of residue-borne pathogen biology, including reproduction, survival, and dispersal; (ii) outline global trends in agriculture collectively driving residue-borne disease risk; (iii) evaluate current and emerging management strategies that target residue-borne pathogen inoculum using an integrated disease management pyramid, with emphasis on breaking the “brown bridge” of off-season inoculum carryover; (iv) highlight key social and economic barriers to the adoption and integration of these management strategies; and (v) outline future research and investment priorities for the development of sustainable, systems-integrated solutions. This review provides growers, agronomists, and researchers with a framework for managing crop residues to reduce residue-borne disease risk while preserving the agronomic and ecological benefits of crop residue retention.
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BibTeX
@article{taylor2026breaking,
title = {{Breaking the brown bridge for residue-borne fungal disease control in broadacre agricultural systems. A review}},
author = {Katia Taylor and Frédéric Suffert and Valérie Laval and Simon R. Law and Mohamed Cassim Mohamed Zakeel and Luke G. Barrett and Susan J. Sprague},
journal = {Agronomy for Sustainable Development},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.1007/s13593-026-01146-2},
url = {https://hal.science/hal-05793437v1},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Breaking the brown bridge for residue-borne fungal disease control in broadacre agricultural systems. A review
AU - Katia Taylor
AU - Frédéric Suffert
AU - Valérie Laval
AU - Simon R. Law
AU - Mohamed Cassim Mohamed Zakeel
AU - Luke G. Barrett
AU - Susan J. Sprague
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/10
JO - Agronomy for Sustainable Development
DO - 10.1007/s13593-026-01146-2
UR - https://hal.science/hal-05793437v1
AB - Crop residues, plant material remaining post-harvest, provide critical ecosystem services, including reducing erosion, conserving soil moisture, and building soil organic matter. Globally, a “residue revolution” is underway, with substantial increases in the quantity and persistence of residues driven by the expansion and intensification of annual crop production systems, widespread adoption of conservation agriculture principles, and growing recognition of the system benefits gained through residue retention. However, crop residues also act as reservoirs for damaging fungal crop pathogens, allowing them to persist between seasons and initiate residue-borne disease epidemics via inoculum carryover. Current management relies heavily on in-season management via genetic resistance and chemical controls, rather than preventative strategies that address off-season inoculum carryover. Consequently, broadacre production systems are increasingly vulnerable, as pathogens adapt to overcome genetic and chemical controls, partly due to the large populations persisting on residues. Despite this growing risk, previous review articles have overwhelmingly focused on individual pathogens or in-season management, with limited examination of the universalities of residue-borne diseases with respect to off-season survival and reproduction on residues. Here, we review an interdisciplinary body of research to address this gap. We (i) summarize key aspects of residue-borne pathogen biology, including reproduction, survival, and dispersal; (ii) outline global trends in agriculture collectively driving residue-borne disease risk; (iii) evaluate current and emerging management strategies that target residue-borne pathogen inoculum using an integrated disease management pyramid, with emphasis on breaking the “brown bridge” of off-season inoculum carryover; (iv) highlight key social and economic barriers to the adoption and integration of these management strategies; and (v) outline future research and investment priorities for the development of sustainable, systems-integrated solutions. This review provides growers, agronomists, and researchers with a framework for managing crop residues to reduce residue-borne disease risk while preserving the agronomic and ecological benefits of crop residue retention.
SN - 1774-0746
SN - 1773-0155
ER -