Dale Walters – författare

The survival of plants on our planet is nothing short of miraculous. They are virtually stationary packages of food, providing sustenance for a vast array of organisms, ranging from bacteria and fungi, through to insects, and even other plants. But plants are master survivors, having coped with changing environments and evolving predators over much of the history of life on earth. They have surveillance systems and defences that would put most modern armies to shame. They need to have a formidable armoury, because their enemies have sophisticated weaponry of their own. In this often hostile world, battles are fought daily, often to the death. These battles are not trivial - they matter, because life on this fragile planet of ours depends on plants. In this book Dale Walters takes readers on a journey through these battlefields, exploring how predators try to fool plants' surveillance systems and, if they manage to do so, how they gain access to the nourishment they require. Incredibly, successful attackers can manipulate plant function in order to suppress any attempt by the plant to mount defensive action, while at the same time ensuring a steady supply of food for their own survival. Walters shows how plants respond to such attacks, the defences they use, and how the attacked plant can communicate its plight to its neighbours. These skirmishes represent the latest stage in an unending evolutionary war between plants and organisms that feed on them. These battles might be on a micro scale, but they are every bit as fierce, complicated, and fascinating as the battles between animal predators and prey.

Plant diseases worldwide are responsible for billions of dollars worth of crop losses every year. With less agrochemicals being used and less new fungicides coming on the market due to environmental concerns, more effort is now being put into the use of genetic potential of plants for pathogen resistance and the development of induced or acquired resistance as an environmentally safe means of disease control.This comprehensive book examines in depth the development and exploitation of induced resistance. Chapters review current knowledge of the agents that can elicit induced resistance, genomics, signalling cascades, mechanisms of defence to pests and pathogens and molecular tools. Further chapters consider the topical application of inducers for disease control, microbial induction of pathogen resistance, transgenic approaches, pathogen population biology, trade offs associated with induced resistance and integration of induced resistance in crop protection. The book concludes with a consideration of socio-economic drivers determining the use of induced resistance, and the future of induced resistance in crop protection.

The control of diseases in crops is still largely dominated by the use of fungicides, but with the increasing incidence of fungicide resistance, plus mounting concern for the environment resulting from excessive agrochemical use, the search for alternative, reliable methods of disease control is gaining momentum. The purpose of this important book is to examine the development and exploitation (or potential for exploitation) of a range of non-chemical approaches to disease control, with a focus on the need for a greater understanding of crop ecology as the basis for effective disease control in the field. Chapters in the book, written by international experts in the subject area, include coverage of: biological control methodshost-plant resistancethe exploitation of toleranceand the use of bacteriophagesCarefully edited by Professor Dale Walters, widely respected for his work in the area of crop protection, Disease Control in Crops is an essential reference book for plant pathologists, microbiologists, plant and agricultural scientists and crop protection specialists, including those working within, and providing consultancy to, the agrochemical industries. Libraries in all universities and research establishments where biological sciences and agriculture are studied and taught should have copies of this timely publication on their shelves.

Plant Defense provides an overview of all major aspects of plant defence, including defence against pathogens, parasites, and invertebrate and vertebrate herbivores. The book looks at defense mechanisms including structural and chemical defences, and constitutive and inducible defences. Including details of how plants 'sense' attack and how this is communicated within the plant and also to neighbouring plants, how plants coordinate defence responses to simultaneous multiple attacks, and the energy and resources expended by a plant in maintaining and implementing its defence systems.

Chocolate is the center of a massive global industry worth billions of dollars annually, yet its future in our modern world is currently under threat. In Chocolate Crisis, Dale Walters discusses the problems posed by plant diseases, pests, and climate change, looking at what these mean for the survival of the cacao tree.Walters takes readers to the origins of the cacao tree in the Amazon basin of South America, describing how ancient cultures used the beans produced by the plant, and follows the rise of chocolate as an international commodity over many centuries. He explains that most cacao is now grown on small family farms in Latin America, West Africa, and Indonesia, and that the crop is not easy to make a living from. Diseases such as frosty pod rot, witches' broom, and swollen shoot, along with pests such as sap-sucking capsids, cocoa pod borers, and termites, cause substantial losses every year. Most alarmingly, cacao growers are beginning to experience the accelerating effects of global warming and deforestation. Projections suggest that cultivation in many of the world's traditional cacao-growing regions might soon become impossible.Providing an up-to-date picture of the state of the cacao bean today, this book also includes a look at complex issues such as farmer poverty and child labor, and examines options for sustainable production amid a changing climate. Walters shows that the industry must tackle these problems in order to save this global cultural staple and to protect the people who make their livelihoods from producing it.

Most people are completely unaware of the threat posed by plant disease. Those who know, often underestimate the potential severity and impact of plant disease, nationally and globally. Although plant pathogens and the diseases they cause have been around for millennia, humans have played a major role in spreading them across the world. From the birth of farming, through to early exploration and later development of trade routes across the globe, we have been responsible for spreading plant pathogens around the world, often with destructive consequences to crops and natural systems. These threats seem to be on the increase. One concern, among many, is the bacterial pathogen Xylella fastidiosa, which is spreading around the world at an alarming rate. What makes this pathogen particularly dangerous is its wide host range, putting many crop, ornamental and wild plants at risk. Climate change also increases the threat posed by plant diseases, as the warming climate creates new opportunities for some pathogens to extend their geographical range. So, what do we do? This book looks at what we can do in the face of continued globalization of trade, including how we can use plant breeding and biotechnology to help plants, and us, survive the ever-present threat of plant disease. Written primarily for students, researchers and practitioners in plant science and related subject areas, the book is also accessible for a general audience interested in plants.