For the next three days, the entire settlement worked under Elias and Maya's direction. They constructed crude, hand-cranked wind machines from salvaged car parts to keep air moving through the grain, preventing dew from settling. They dug deep drainage ditches to lower the soil moisture, and applied a thick layer of alkaline wood ash to the base of the plants to alter the surface pH, creating a hostile environment for the fungal spores.
"Keep the fans turning!" Elias shouted to the settlement volunteers. "Don't let that air stagnate!" Plant Pathology, Fifth Edition
"It's not about killing it anymore, Maya," Elias said, pointing to a diagram of the disease triangle: Pathogen, Host, and Environment. "The Fifth Edition teaches us that disease only happens when all three intersect perfectly. We can't change the host—the wheat is already planted. We can't eliminate the pathogen—it's in the air, the water, everywhere. So, we have to attack the environment." For the next three days, the entire settlement
Maya crouched beside him, looking at the complex biochemical pathways illustrated in the book. "How? We can't control the weather." "Keep the fans turning
"We need to understand the infection court," Elias muttered to his apprentice, a quick-witted young woman named Maya who was currently scanning the perimeter for rival scavenger bands.
"Professor, English please," Maya said, not taking her eyes off the treeline. "We need to know how to kill it before it kills our dinner."
