Assunta Bertaccini - Böcker

This work is to compile our current knowledge on GY phytoplasma biology at the genomic, transcriptomics, proteomics and metabolomics level, as well as to summarize the approaches for their detection.Phytoplasma are the most poorly characterized plant pathogenic bacteria from the Mollicutes class.

The book covers major chapters on an up to date progress of phytoplasma research, and then phytoplasma diseases associated with vegetable, pulse, oils crops, cereals, sugar crops, fruit crops, ornamentals, medicinal plants, palms species, forest tress and weeds.

Phytoplasma-associated diseases are a major limiting factor in the context of the quality and productivity of many ornamental, horticultural and other economically important agricultural crops worldwide. Annual losses due to phytoplasma diseases vary, but under pathogen-favorable conditions they have disastrous consequences for the farming community. As there is no effective cure for these diseases, the management options focus on their exclusion, minimizing their spread by insect vectors and propagation materials and on the development of host plant resistance.This book discusses the latest information on the epidemiology and management of phytoplasma-associated diseases, providing a comprehensive, up-to-date overview of distribution, occurrence and identification of the phytoplasmas, recent diagnostics approaches, transmission, losses and geographical distribution as well as management aspects.

The book covers major chapters on an up to date progress of phytoplasma research, and then phytoplasma diseases associated with vegetable, pulse, oils crops, cereals, sugar crops, fruit crops, ornamentals, medicinal plants, palms species, forest tress and weeds.

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.