THE VIRTUAL PLANT - A NEW TOOL FOR THE STUDY AND MANAGEMENT OF PLANT-DISEASES

Computer software is now available for modelling the three-dimensional growth of plants. Visualisation of such models allows for representat ion and quantification of physical parameters which in the past have b een too difficult to measure. Such 'virtual plants' will help phytopat hologists to model disease dynamics and epidemiology by providing a be tter visual perception of a pathogen's interaction with a growing plan t. This article gives an introduction to the concept of virtual plants , develops and applies a virtual plant model to quantify the impact of anthracnose disease on the tropical pasture legume, Stylosanthes scab ra and briefly outlines the potential applications of virtual plants t o study the epidemiology and management of plant diseases. (C) 1998 El sevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.