Variation in aggressiveness in Phytophthora infestans populations on potatoes

Aggressiveness is a specific trait of the late blight pathogen (Phytophthora infestans) related to the amount of disease caused in a given set of circumstances (e.g. crop outbreak). It is often discussed in relative terms; that is the aggressiveness of one type of blight (i.e. pathogen population) is compared to another. It is a key component of pathogen fitness which governs the longer-term ‘success’ of each particular type of blight.

This review was written in 2006 and summarisies the information that was available at the time. It includes sections on:

• How aggressiveness is measured
• What was known about the aggressiveness of GB P. infestans populations
• What increased pathogen aggressiveness would mean for growers