Focus Expansion in Plant Disease. I: The Constant Rate of Focus Expansion
Phytopathology
|September 11, 2025
Abstract:
According to theory, a focus of disease in a crop expands radially at a rate that asymptotically approaches a constant value. This value can be calculated from the time kernel, contact distribution, and gross reproduction. Time kernel describes the inoculum production through time and contact distribution describes inoculum dispersal. Gross reproduction is the total number of victimized individuals produced by a single infectant placed in a population consisting of suscepts only. Definitions and mathematical evidence are given.
More Related Videos
Related Concept Videos
02:26Defenses Against Pathogens and Herbivores
29.5K
Plants present a rich source of nutrients for many organisms, making it a target for herbivores and infectious agents. Plants, though lacking a proper immune system, have developed an array of constitutive and inducible defenses to fend off these attacks.
29.5K
01:56Plant Hormones
27.3K
Plant hormones—or phytohormones—are chemical molecules that modulate one or more physiological processes of a plant. In animals, hormones are often produced in specific glands and circulated via the circulatory system. However, plants lack hormone-producing glands.
27.3K
02:36Meristems and Plant Growth
49.1K
Plants grow throughout their lives; this is called indeterminate growth, and it distinguishes plants from most animals. Although certain parts of plants stop growing (e.g., leaves and flowers), others grow continuously—like roots and stems.
49.1K