Crossing below-ground boundaries: conceptualizing a framework for soil-borne pest spillover

Soil-borne plant parasites and pathogens in agricultural landscapes can persist and disperse over time, yet their movement across habitat boundaries remains an underexplored but ecologically important process. While edge effects and cross-boundary movement have been widely studied in above-ground systems, below-ground dynamics-shaped by soil structure, host distribution and seasonal cycles-have received far less attention. In this review, we synthesize current knowledge on below-ground spillover, define key ecological mechanisms influencing its dynamics and propose a framework for understanding how soil-borne pests move, survive and interact across space and time-focusing on soil-borne parasites. We emphasize the role of habitat boundaries, edge permeability and seasonal feedback, integrating insights from landscape ecology, plant pathology and movement theory. To capture these dynamics, we introduce the Soil Spillover Framework (SSF), a multi-variable model incorporating persistence potential, trophic interactions, vector pathways, dispersal cost, buffering effects and biotic flow. We argue that buffer zones, soil structure and connectivity shape spillover probabilities in ways that are often nonlinear and temporally delayed. By conceptualizing below-ground boundaries as filters or amplifiers of spillover, this synthesis offers a foundation for predictive modelling and integrated management. Understanding how soil-borne pests move and persist across boundaries is critical for managing crop diseases, conserving biodiversity and designing resilient agroecosystems in a fragmented world. This article is part of the theme issue 'Wild plant pathosystems'.