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Plant pathogens include fungi, viruses, viroids, bacteria, phytoplasmas, and nematodes - cause billions of dollars in economic losses each year to agriculture, landscape, and forest settings in the United States. These diseases damage natural ecosystems, reduce crop yields, lower product quality or shelf-life, and, sometimes, contaminate food and feed with toxic compounds.
Plant Pathogens
Spotlights
USDA. NAL. National Invasive Species Information Center
Species profile for Citrus Greening also known as Huanglongbing, yellow shoot disease, or yellow dragon disease. Native to China the disease was found in Florida in 2005. The disease may threaten 20% of total citrus production.
Science Daily. December 3, 2007.
Scientists at Wageningen University and Research Center have identified a new virus as the cause for the tomato disease known in Mexico as "Marchitez".
Susan Cerulean. Terrain.org
The laurel wilt fungus, Raffaelea lauricola is rapidly spreading along the U.S. southern coastal plain. The fungus is devastating native redbay trees, sole host to the caterpillar stage of the palamedes swallowtail butterfly.
USDA. Agricultural Research Service
Triangulation Identification for Genetic Evaluation of Risks (TIGER) is a new tool for the rapid identification of microbes in samples of soil, water, air, blood, or in plant materials.