Natural And Engineered Resistance To Plant Viruses

Viruses are a huge threat to agriculture. In the past, viruses used to be controlled using conventional methods, such as crop rotation and destruction of the infected plants, but now there are more novel ways to control them. This volume focuses on natural and engineered virus resistance, the two major strategies used for crop protection. * Contributions from leading authorities * Informs and updates on all the latest developments in the field

Viruses are a huge threat to agriculture. In the past, viruses used to be controlled using conventional methods, such as crop rotation and destruction of the infected plants, but now there are more novel ways to control them. This volume focuses on topics that must be better understood in order to foster future developments in basic and applied plant virology. These range from virus epidemiology and virus/host co-evolution and the control of vector-mediated transmission through to systems biology investigations of virus-cell interactions. Other chapters cover the current status of signalling in natural resistance and the potential for a revival in the use of cross-protection, as well as future opportunities for the deployment of the under-utilized but highly effective crop protection strategy of pathogen-derived resistance. Contributions from leading authorities Informs and updates on all the latest developments in the field

This book is a first attempt to link well-known plant resistance phenomena with emerging concepts in molecular biology. Resistance phenomena such as the local lesion response, induced resistance, "green islands" and resistance in various crop plants are linked with new information on gene-silencing mechanisms, gene silencing suppressors, movement proteins and plasmodesmatal gating, downstream signalling components, and more.

The introduction of novel genes into plants by genetic transformation holds great promise for plant breeding, and many crop species have been rendered virus-resistant by expression of viral sequences. However, it is essential to also evaluate the potential risks associated with this new technology. Among the types of genetically modified plants that could represent potential ecological risks, ones expressing viral sequences pose questions of particular interest. In this volume special attention is given to recombination in plants expressing sequences of RNA or DNA viruses, heterologous encapsidation or other forms of complementation in plants expressing coat protein genes, potential deleterious effects of satellite RNAs associated with cucumber mosaic virus, and sexual transmission of virus resistance genes to potentially weedy relatives.

Concern about the environmental consequences of the widespread use of pesticides has increased, and evidence of pesticide-resistant virus vectors have continued to emerge. This volume presents a timely survey of the mechanisms of plant resistance and examines current developments in breeding for resistance, with particular emphasis on advances in genetic engineering which allow for the incorporation of viral genetic material into plants. Discusses the mechanisms of innate resistance in strains of tobacco, tomato, and cowpea; various aspects of induced resistance, including the characterization and roles of the pathogenesis-related proteins; antiviral substances and their comparison with interferon; and cross-protection between plant virus strains. Also presents several papers which evaluate the status of genetic engineering as it relates to breeding resistant plants. Among these are discussions of the potential use of plant viruses as gene vectors, gene coding for viral coat protein, satellite RNA, and antisense RNA, and practical issues such as the durability of resistant crop plants in the field.

A bibliography containing 181 citations in English that have been derived from the National Agricultural Library's AGRICOLA database. Entries include books, journal and audiovisuals. Citations include, where applicable: title, author, publisher, NAL call number, place and date of publication, volume and issue number, no. of pages, media format length, and description. Many entries include abstracts. Indexed by author and subject.

It has been ten years since the publication of the third edition of this seminal text on plant virology, during which there has been an explosion of conceptual and factual advances. The fourth edition updates and revises many details of the previous editon, while retaining the important older results that constitute the field's conceptual foundation. Key features of the fourth edition include: * Thumbnail sketches of each genera and family groups * Genome maps of all genera for which they are known * Genetic engineered resistance strategies for virus disease control * Latest understanding of virus interactions with plants, including gene silencing * Interactions between viruses and insect, fungal, and nematode vectors * New plate section containing over 50 full-color illustrations.