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Research Priorities for the 1999 Overall Goal and Rationale
To promote health of plants and their
products in sustainable agricultural, landscape, and forest ecosystems through
environmentally sound and cost-effective approaches. Plant diseases, whether manifested in the field or during
storage and marketing, lower the yield of grain, fruit, or other plant parts; reduce
aesthetic and/or nutritional quality; and cause food/feed safety problems with toxic
microbial metabolites. Diseased plants also fail to utilize fertilizer and water
effectively, compete poorly with weeds, and return less organic matter to the soil.
Protection of the health of plants, thereby increasing plant yields, is a major
contributor to sustainability and profitability. Lack of protection leads to phytosanitary
and trade problems as well as decreased yields and profitability. Plant pathology research has been at the cutting edge of
increasing our basic understanding of host-pathogen interactions at the molecular level.
Resistance genes and pathogenicity determinants have been cloned and characterized. Plant
responses to entry by pathogens have been analyzed. Multidisciplinary teams of scientists,
using technology to the maximum in approaches ranging from DNA chips to precision
agriculture, continue to address the challenges and provide technology for practical
applications. Major High Priority Research Goals 1. Improve crop production and protection systems with plant-pathogen interaction knowledge. Improvements are likely to come from extending crop yield potential through the power of functional genomics, and from designing production and protection systems in which crops can yield to their full genetic potential. At the same time pest management and long-term ecosystem stability, with needed productivity, must be balanced for quality and profitability.
Agriculture affects the environment in many ways, both positively and negatively.
To assure natural resource protection and minimize environmental impacts, there must be an
understanding of air, soil, water quality and water-use issues, and a scientific basis for
sustainable management of the biologically complex agro-ecosystem. 3. Assure economic opportunities for U.S. agriculture with science-based risk assessments. Profitability of agriculture in the United States is affected by crop yield,
product marketability, government policies and regulations, international agreements and
treaties, food safety and quality, and natural resource issues. Biotechnology,
sanitary/phytosanitary standards, and other issues involve plant pathogens both nationally
and globally. Producers need science-based decision aids that incorporate all these
influences. Research Priorities 1. Genomics: Apply genomic approaches in plant and microorganism research to provide the basic knowledge and technology required to increase the productivity of plants through resistance. Conduct structural and functional genomics, initially focused on economically significant plant species.
Explore plant and microbial diversity and genetics to identify unique traits.
Conduct structural and fundamental genomics on microbial, nematode, weed and other pest species.
Find new approaches to providing crop varieties with genetic resistance to biological
stresses, using genomic research to develop plants that resist disease-causing pathogens. 2. Natural Resource Protection: Develop practical, sustainable, ecologically-based pest management systems for the protection of the food and fiber supply and of the natural resource base of the planet. Preserve, analyze and utilize genetic resources and diversity of germplasm
of plants and associated organisms. Include viruses, phytoplasma, bacteria,
fungi, and nematodes as pathogens associated with plants, and potentially
beneficial microorganisms. Improve the understanding of microbial pathogens and nematodes causing plant disease.
Develop handling, post-harvest storage and processing
systems to assure safety and quality while minimizing product loss. Particular attention
is needed to bacterial and fungal pathogens. Develop the science applied to site-specific agriculture, including precision agriculture, for profitable production and minimization of adverse environmental impact.
Define the physical, chemical and biological processes that improve soil health.
3. Economic and Policy Development: Develop mechanisms to enhance producer profitability, while minimizing risk of financial loss and ensuring food safety and security. Determine market needs and opportunities for current
and potential products, such as pesticide-free foods and engineered resistant crops, and
relate to products developed. Conduct analyses of the scientific validity of
national/international government policies and practices that impede marketing and trade
(eg. pesticide, sanitary and phytosanitary regulations, and artificial trade barriers);
assess the effectiveness of alternative government policies to assure food safety and
quality, natural resource preservation, and evaluate risks of global distribution of
invasive plant pathogens. Carol Windels, President, APS © Copyright 1999 by |
