Virus And Virus Like Diseases Of Major Crops In Developing Countries

It appears that a comprehensive and up-to-date book on the impact of virus diseases on the major crops in developing countries is now much needed, especially as there have been rapid advances in the biological and molecular characterization and detection of the pathogens and possible approaches for their control. On the other hand, the economic losses caused by many of these diseases are tremendous and much of the accumulated knowledge to diminish the crop losses has not filtered through, or cannot be applied. This book is focused on the important crops. Each chapter on a specific crop will include inter alia, geographical distribution, the viruses - symptoms, damage, detection - a brief description of the viruses concerned, and present and future ways for their control. Experts from India, Nigeria, UK, USA, France, Germany, Peru, Japan, Australia, Netherlands, Venezuela, Kazakhstan and Israel (many of them from the International Research Institutions) have contributed chapters to this book.

Around the globe, besides fungal and bacterial diseases, both virus and viroid diseases have acquired greater importance in the realm of plant pathology and call for effective management measures as they are responsible for heavy yield losses and are a matter of vital importance and concern to farmers, horticulturists, gardeners and foresters. Understanding disease epidemiology is of vital importance for formulating viable disease management practices in a given agro-ecosystem. The development and progress of plant disease epidemics are variable from region to region. Epidemiology is not a static process, but rather a dynamic course that varies with a change in the ecology, host, vector and virus systems.

Seeds provide an efficient means in disseminating plant virus and viroid diseases. The success of modern agriculture depends on pathogen free seed with high yielding character and in turn disease management. There is a serious scientific concern about the transmission of plant viruses sexually through seed and asexually through plant propagules. The present book provides the latest information along with the total list of seed transmitted virus and viroid diseases at global level including, the yield losses, diagnostic techniques, mechanism of seed transmission, epidemiology and virus disease management aspects. Additional information is also provided on the transmission of plant virus and virus-like diseases through vegetative propagules. It is also well known that seed transmitted viruses are introduced into new countries and continents during large-scale traffic movements through infected germplasm and plant propogules. The latest diagnostic molecular techniques in different virus-host combinations along with disease management measures have been included. The book shall be a good reference source and also a text book to the research scientists, teachers, students of plant pathology, agriculture, horticulture, life sciences, green house managers, professional entrepreneurs, persons involved in quarantines and seed companies. This book has several important features of seed transmitted virus diseases and is a good informative source and thus deserves a place in almost all university libraries, seed companies and research organizations.

Plant virus and sub-viral pathogens pose severe constraints to the production of wide range of economically important crops worldwide. The crops raised both through true seed and vegetative propagated materials are affected with number of virus and virus-like diseases. The virus may enter into plants through seed planting materials or by vectors. Once the virus is in the field, it multiplies and spreads following definite patterns depending upon the nature of the vector and agro-meteorological conditions. Disease free crops and plants are great economic and social importance in feeding the world's population. Detection of virus and sub-viral agents at initial stages of infection is critical to reduce economic losses. For nearly two decades, ELISA and its variants played a major role in large scale virus testing and also in the production of virus-free planting materials.

Biosecurity roughly means "safe life" and involves a variety of measures designed to prevent disease - causing agents from entering a region and there being spread. Food supplies are easy to disrupt and the provision of biosecurity at la- land borders is especially challenging if trade is to be maintained and when very few travellers are subjected to thorough inspection. WithinthecontextoftheNATOsponsoredworkshopthatwasheldinKiev, Ukraine during May 4-7, 2005, the pathogens were viruses that infect plants and the region encompassed developing states on the verge of acceding into the European Union. In publishing the papers presented at the workshop, we take this opportunity to thank the sponsors including particularly the NATO Science committee and also the contributors for making the discussions - tertaining and bene?cial. Under United Nations FAO auspices, the International Plant Protection Convention aimed to secure common and effective activities against pests and pathogens. Now, most countries party to that convention have laws and regulations in place to sustain agricultural production under natural threat. National plant protection services exist to inspect growing crops and imp- tations and to determine when and how introduced pathogens might be era- cated. The member states of the European Union, through their national [and also the regional plant protection service (The European and Mediterranean Plant Protection Organisation)], advise national governments and develops speci?c protocols (identi?cation, containment and eradication) that aim at managing pests and pathogens in ways that have minimal impact on trade.

This impressive new reference presents state-of-the-art biological, molecular, and immunological advances surrounding the causes and strategies for diagnosing and controlling virus diseases of stone fruits. The book's vivid color images aid in the visual identification of symptomatology while distribution data and improved laboratory techniques provide reliable information and tools for higher diagnostic accuracy. It includes information on economic impact, biology, distribution, taxonomy, genomes, epidemiology, pathogenicity detection, and control measures. This will be an important resource for anyone working with these high-value crops.

This volume consists of 85 chapters that highlight recent advances in our knowledge of the viruses that infect plants and fungi. It begins with general topics in plant virology including movement of viruses in plants, the transmission of plant viruses by vectors, and the development of virus-resistant transgenic plants. The second section presents an overview of the properties of a selection of 20 well-studied plant viruses, 23 plant virus genera and a few larger groups of plant viruses. The third section, which is abundantly illustrated, highlights the most economically important virus diseases of cereals, legumes, vegetable crops, fruit trees and ornamentals. The last section describes the major groups of viruses that infect fungi. The most comprehensive single-volume source providing an overview of virology issues related to plant and fungi Bridges the gap between basic undergraduate texts and specialized reviews Concise and general overviews of important topics within the field will help in preparation of lectures, writing reports, or drafting grant applications

Published since 1953, Advances in Virus Research covers a diverse range of in-depth reviews providing a valuable overview of the current field of virology. In 2004, the Institute for Scientific Information released figures showing that the series has an Impact Factor of 2.576, with a half-life of 7.1 years, placing it 11th in the highly competitive category of Virology. * Edited by an experienced plant pathologist who has over 50 years experience in plant virus epidemiology* Covers topics such as Evolutionary epidemiology of plant virus disease, The control of tropical plant virus diseases, and Control of plant virus diseases* A valuable resource for students and researchers alike