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Wheat Rusts and the Costs of Genetic Diversity in the Punjab of Pakistan
Author(s) -
Heisey Paul W.,
Smale Melinda,
Byerlee Derek,
Souza Edward
Publication year - 1997
Publication title -
american journal of agricultural economics
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.949
H-Index - 111
eISSN - 1467-8276
pISSN - 0002-9092
DOI - 10.2307/1244415
Subject(s) - cultivar , rust (programming language) , genetic diversity , biology , resistance (ecology) , diversity (politics) , yield (engineering) , agronomy , microbiology and biotechnology , sociology , political science , population , computer science , demography , law , materials science , metallurgy , programming language
The theory of impure public goods is used to demonstrate why farmers may not grow wheat cultivars with the socially desirable level of rust resistance. First, they may grow cultivars that are high yielding though susceptible to rust. Second, many farmers may grow cultivars with a similar genetic basis of resistance. Expected rust losses can be reduced by ( a ) more diversified genetic background in released wheat cultivars; ( b ) greater spatial diversity in planted cultivars; or ( c ) use of a temporally changing list of cultivars known to be rust resistant. Yield trade‐offs associated with these policies illustrate potential costs of increasing genetic diversity.