Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Autologistic Model Of Spatial Pattern Of Phytophthora Epidemic In Bell Pepper: Effects Of Soil Variables On Disease Presence, M. L. Gumpertz, J. Graham, J. B. Ristaino

Conference on Applied Statistics in Agriculture

The pathogen Phytophthora capsici causes lesions on the crown, stem, and leaves of bell pepper, and rapidly causes the plant to die. The spatial patterns of disease in an agricultural field contain information about pathogen dispersal mechanisms and can be useful for developing methods of control of disease. Soil water content, soil pathogen population density, and disease incidence data were collected on a 20 x 20 grid in two naturally infested commercial bell pepper fields. In one field the initial pattern of disease closely matched the soil water content pattern and disease developed in areas where the pathogen population levels …