Phytoplasmas: Plant Pathogenic Bacteria - III Genomics, Host Pathogen Interactions and Diagnosis

Phytoplasma III is the last of three books in the series covering all the aspects of phytoplasma-associated diseases. Phytoplasmas are a major limiting factor in the quality and productivity of many ornamental, horticultural and economically important agriculture crops worldwide, and losses due to phytoplasma diseases have disastrous consequences for farming communities. As there is no effective cure for these diseases, management strategies focus-on exclusion, minimizing their spread by insect vectors and propagation materials, and developing host plant resistance. 

This book provides an update on genomics, effectors and pathogenicity factors toward a better understanding of phytoplasma-host metabolic interactions. It offers a comprehensive overview of biological, serological and molecular characterization of the phytoplasmas, including recently developed approaches in diagnostics, such as transcriptomics studies, which have paved the way for analyzing the gene expression pattern in phytoplasmas on infection and revealed the up-regulation of genes associated with hormonal response, transcription factors, and signaling genes. Although phytoplasmas remain the most poorly characterized pathogens, recent studies have identified virulence factors that induce typical disease symptoms and have characterized the unique reductive evolution of the genome. Reviewing the advances in cultivation in axenic media together with the perspectives for future research to reduce the global incidence of these pathogens and the associated agricultural losses, the book is a valuable resource for plant pathologists, researchers in agriculture and PhD students. 

Dr. Assunta Bertaccini is a Professor of Plant Pathology at the University of Bologna, Italy. In more than 40 years of research, she has focused on studying plant diseases associated with phytoplasmas and bacteria, particularly their biology and epidemiology. She was an invited speaker at national and international meetings and seminars. Among her major awards is the Emmy Klienenberger-Nobel for distinguished research in mycoplasmology. She has mentored dozen of students in phytobacteriology and is the author of about 800 publications. She is the Editor-in-Chief of Phytopathogenic Mollicutes, Senior Editor of Phytopathologia Mediterranea and founder and leader of the International Phytoplasmologist Working Group (IPWG) (http://www.ipwgnet.org/).  

Dr. Kenro Oshima is a Professor of Plant Pathology at the Hosei University, Japan. He has 20 years of research experience in the field of plant pathology, especially the genomes and pathogenicity of phytoplasmas. He is Associate Editor of the Journal of General Plant Pathology. He has published more than 60 peer-reviewed articles in international publications and has delivered numerous oral and poster presentations at national and international meetings. He received the Kitamoto Award from the Japanese Society of Mycoplasmology in 2018. 

Dr. Michael Kube is a Professor and Head of the department of Infection Biology Plant – Livestock at the University of Hohenheim, Germany. He has been working on phytoplasmas and other bacterial pathogens for more than a decade, and his research covers topics in the disciplines of molecular biology and microbiology with a focus on omics-technologies. His findings are documented in more than 100 research publications. He participated as an invited speaker at several national and international conferences, meetings and seminars. 

Dr. Govind Pratap Rao is working as a Principal Scientist in Plant Pathology at the Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi, India. He has 30 years of research experience in the field of plant pathology, especially virus and phytoplasma diseases of several cultivated crops. He has published over 135 research publications and authored or edited 20 books. He is the Editor-in-Chief of Phytopathogenic Mollicutes and has received numerous national and international awards. He has given invited talks and training, pursued research, and participated in panel discussions and workshops and conferences around the globe.