The need and demand to feed the ever-increasing global population pose major challenges for increasing crop productivity in an eco-friendly manner. The cultivation of crops under input-intensive conditions has however resulted in an enhanced vulnerability of high-yielding cultivars to a multitude of pests and pathogens at all phenological stages. The disease spectrum and intensity are continuously changing because of the dynamic nature of crop systems, pests and pathogens. Disease management has therefore become the major functional component of the crop production systems.

This...