Mathematical biology tackles destructive plant virus

Plant diseases pose a serious threat to global food security, especially in developing countries, where millions of people depend on consuming what they harvest. In sub-Saharan Africa, one plant disease in particular — maize lethal necrosis — is ravaging one of the region’s preferred crops for food, feed and income. But understanding its biology in order to manage the disease is difficult because the disease arises from two viruses interacting — which is where mathematics comes into play. …read more