A Global Assessment of the State of Plant Health
Authors: Acuña Ivette , Andrade-Piedra Jorge , Andrivon Didier , Armengol Josep , Elizabeth Arnold A. , Avelino Jacques , Bandyopadhyay Ranajit , Bihon Legesse Wubetu , Bock Clive H. , Bove Federica , Brenes-Arguedas Tania , Calonnec Agnès , Carmona Marcelo , Carnegie Angus J. , Castilla Nancy P. , Chen Xianming , Coletta-Filho Helvecio Della , Coley Phyllis D. , Cox Kerik D. , Davey Triona , Del Ponte Emerson , Denman Sandra , Desprez-Loustau Marie-Laure , Dewdney Megan M. , Djurle Annika , Drenth André , Ducousso Alexis , Esker Paul , Fiaboe Komi M. , Hendrik Fourie Paul , Frankel Susan J. , Frey Pascal , Garcia-Figuera Sara , Garrett Karen A. , Guérin Maxime , Hardy Giles E. St. J. , Hausladen Hans , Hu Xiaoping , Hüberli Daniel , Juzwik Jennifer , Kang Zhensheng , Kenyon Lawrence , Kreuze Jan , Kromann Peter , Kubiriba Jerome , Kuhnem Paulo , Kumar J. , Lava Kumar P. , Lebrun Marc-Henri , Legg James P. , Leon Anna , Ma Zhanhong , Mahuku George , Makinson Robert O. , Marzachi Cristina , McDonald Bruce A. , McRoberts Neil , Menkir Abebe , Mikaberidze Alexey , Munck Isabel A. , Nelson Andrew , Nguyen Nga Thi Thu , O’Gara Emer , Ojiambo Peter , Ortega-Beltran Alejandro , Paul Pierce , Pethybridge Sarah , Pinon Jean , Ramsfield Tod , Rizzo David M. , Rossi Vittorio , Safni Irda , Sah Sonam , Santini Alberto , Sautua Francisco , Savary Serge , Schreinemachers Pepijn , Singh Manjari , Spear Erin R. , Srinivasan Ramasamy , Tripathi Leena , Vicent Antonio , Viljoen Altus , Willocquet Laetitia , Woods Alex John , Wu Boming , Xia Xianchun , Xu Xiangming , Yuen Jonathan , Zalamea Paul-Camilo , Zhou Changyong 
Published: May 2023

The Global Plant Health Assessment (GPHA) is a collective, volunteer-based effort to assemble expert opinions on plant health and disease impacts on ecosystem services based on published scientific evidence. The GPHA considers a range of forest, agricultural, and urban systems worldwide. These are referred to as (Ecoregion × Plant System), i.e., selected case examples involving keystone plants in given parts of the world. The GPHA focuses on infectious plant diseases and plant pathogens, but encompasses the abiotic (e.g., temperature, drought, and floods) and other biotic (e.g., animal pests and humans) factors associated with plant health. Among the 33 (Ecoregion × Plant System) considered, 18 are assessed as in fair or poor health, and 20 as in declining health. Much of the observed state of plant health and its trends are driven by a combination of forces, including climate change, species invasions, and human management. Healthy plants ensure (i) provisioning (food, fiber, and material), (ii) regulation (climate, atmosphere, water, and soils), and (iii) cultural (recreation, inspiration, and spiritual) ecosystem services. All these roles that plants play are threatened by plant diseases. Nearly none of these three ecosystem services are assessed as improving. Results indicate that the poor state of plant health in sub-Saharan Africa gravely contributes to food insecurity and environmental degradation. Results further call for the need to improve crop health to ensure food security in the most populated parts of the world, such as in South Asia, where the poorest of the poor, the landless farmers, are at the greatest risk. The overview of results generated from this work identifies directions for future research to be championed by a new generation of scientists and revived public extension services. Breakthroughs from science are needed to (i) gather more data on plant health and its consequences, (ii) identify collective actions to manage plant systems, (iii) exploit the phytobiome diversity in breeding programs, (iv) breed for plant genotypes with resilience to biotic and abiotic stresses, and (v) design and implement plant systems involving the diversity required to ensure their adaptation to current and growing challenges, including climate change and pathogen invasions.