Molecular Methods in Plant Disease Diagnostics


Book Description

Using molecular methods for plant disease diagnosis provides diagnosticians with a number of advantages over more traditional methods. They can allow the identification of morphologically similar species, for example, or the detection of infection prior to symptom formation. Not only can molecular tools help by increasing the efficacy, accuracy and speed of diagnosis; their common technological basis provides further benefits, especially where resources are limited and traditional skills are hard to sustain. This book provides protocols for nucleic acid-based methods currently applied to plant pathogen detection and identification. It takes the practitioner through the full range of molecular diagnostic and detection methods and, as these generic techniques are appropriate for use on any target with minimal modification, also provides a useful resource for students of plant pathology and plant pathologists. Beginning with the background and future directions of the science, it then addresses DNA barcoding, microarrays, polymerase chain reactions (PCR), quality assurance and more, forming a complete reference on the subject.




An Introduction to the Diagnosis of Plant Disease


Book Description

The diagnosis of plant disease; The microscope; The autoclave; The preparation of media for fungal and bacterial growth; Detection of fungal pathogens in infected plant tissues; Detection of bacterial pathogens in infected tissues; Koch's postulates; The diagnosis of a nematode prblem; Viruses and plant virus diseases; Mycoplasma as agents of plant disease.




Current Trends in Plant Disease Diagnostics and Management Practices


Book Description

Plant diseases play an important role on our daily lives. Most of plant diseases are visible and are caused by biotic and/or abiotic factors. Symptoms are usually the results of a morphological change, alteration or damage to plant tissue and/or cells due to an interference of the plant’s metabolism. All basic structures of vascular plants are subject to attack by pathogens. The failure in accurate disease diagnosis and management may lead to huge losses in plant production and related commodities, which causes nutritional food scarcity. Typically, the appearance of a biotic symptom will indicate the relatively late stage of an infection and/or colonization of a pathogen. Expert detection, accurate diagnosis, and timely management play a significant role in keeping plants free from pathogens. In this book expert scholars share their research knowledge and key literature which are vital toward the diagnosis of plant diseases across the globe, addressing traditional plant pathology techniques, as well as advanced molecular diagnostic approach.




Principles of Diagnostic Techniques in Plant Pathology


Book Description

The correct diagnosis of a plant disease is an essential prerequisite of its successful control. Diagnostic methods today include a number of traditional techniques such as direct observation or microscopy, as well as more recently developed procedures such as those based on immunological or nucleic acid analysis. This book provides a text reviewing the principles of all these techniques that will be suitable for advanced students of plant pathology who already have some basic background in the subject. The theories behind the methods are described and illustrated with numerous examples of plant diseases caused by fungi, bacteria and viruses, and the strengths and limitations of different techniques are compared. The book includes a number of colour photographs and will provide a very useful overview of this rapidly developing subject.




Fungal Plant Pathogens, 2nd Edition


Book Description

This substantially updated edition now in full colour provides key techniques used when working with fungal and fungal-like plant pathogens. As a practical manual it also deals with disease recognition, detection and identification of fungi, plus methods to characterise and curate fungi and handle them under quarantine and quality assurance systems. Fungal Plant Pathogens: Applied Techniques, 2nd edition provides a valuable guide to investigating fungal plant diseases and interpreting laboratory findings for postgraduate and advanced undergraduate students, extension plant pathologists, consultants and advisers in agriculture, forestry and horticulture, and the food supply chain.




Improving Diagnosis in Health Care


Book Description

Getting the right diagnosis is a key aspect of health care - it provides an explanation of a patient's health problem and informs subsequent health care decisions. The diagnostic process is a complex, collaborative activity that involves clinical reasoning and information gathering to determine a patient's health problem. According to Improving Diagnosis in Health Care, diagnostic errors-inaccurate or delayed diagnoses-persist throughout all settings of care and continue to harm an unacceptable number of patients. It is likely that most people will experience at least one diagnostic error in their lifetime, sometimes with devastating consequences. Diagnostic errors may cause harm to patients by preventing or delaying appropriate treatment, providing unnecessary or harmful treatment, or resulting in psychological or financial repercussions. The committee concluded that improving the diagnostic process is not only possible, but also represents a moral, professional, and public health imperative. Improving Diagnosis in Health Care, a continuation of the landmark Institute of Medicine reports To Err Is Human (2000) and Crossing the Quality Chasm (2001), finds that diagnosis-and, in particular, the occurrence of diagnostic errorsâ€"has been largely unappreciated in efforts to improve the quality and safety of health care. Without a dedicated focus on improving diagnosis, diagnostic errors will likely worsen as the delivery of health care and the diagnostic process continue to increase in complexity. Just as the diagnostic process is a collaborative activity, improving diagnosis will require collaboration and a widespread commitment to change among health care professionals, health care organizations, patients and their families, researchers, and policy makers. The recommendations of Improving Diagnosis in Health Care contribute to the growing momentum for change in this crucial area of health care quality and safety.




Plant Pathology


Book Description

Plant diseases can have an enormous impact on our lives. In a world where total crop failure can quickly lead to human misery and starvation, accurate diagnostics play a key role in keeping plants free from pathogens. In Plant Pathology: Techniques and Protocols, expert researchers provide methods which are vital to the diagnosis of plant diseases across the globe, addressing all three categories of plant pathology techniques: traditional, serological, and nucleic acid. Chapters examine recent and developing issues with crop identity and authenticity, allowing workers to genotype samples from two major food groups. Composed in the highly successful Methods in Molecular BiologyTM series format, each chapter contains a brief introduction, step-by-step methods, a list of necessary materials, and a Notes section which shares tips on troubleshooting and avoiding known pitfalls. Authoritative and reader-friendly, Plant Pathology: Techniques and Protocols is an incredible guide which will soon prove to be indispensable, both to novices and expert researchers alike.




Diagnostics of Plant Diseases


Book Description

Digital farming is an approach to farming in which crop yield is maximized while environmental impact is minimized. Integral to this approach is diagnostic sensing of plant disease and stress. This book examines innovative sensing technology such as satellite- and unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV)-based RGB and thermography imaging as well as hyperspectral, infrared, reflectance and Raman spectroscopy.




Phytobacteriology


Book Description

This comprehensive manual of phytobacteriology is heavily illustrated with over 200 colour photographs and line illustrations. It begins by outlining the history and science of bacteriology and gives an overview of the diversity and versatility of complex bacteria. It then explains the characterization, identification and naming of complex bacteria, and explores how bacteria can cause disease and how plants react to such disease. The book also discusses the economic importance of bacterial diseases as well as strategies for their control and the reduction of crop losses. It concludes with fifty examples of plant pathogenic bacteria and the diseases that they cause.




The Epidemiology of Plant Diseases


Book Description

Plant disease epidemiology is a dynamic science that forms an essential part of the study of plant pathology. This book brings together a team of 35 international experts. Each chapter deals with an essential component of the subject and allows the reader to fully understand how each exerts its influence on the progress of pathogen populations in plant populations over a defined time scale. This edition has new, revised and updated chapters.