April 2012

Most-Read Papers

Plant Disease

Verticillium Wilt, A Major Threat to Olive Production: Current Status and Future Prospects for its Management

A Comparison of Standard and High-Fidelity PCR: Evaluating Quantification and Detection of Pathogen DNA in the Presence of Orchid Host Tissue

MPMI

N-Terminal Motifs in Some Plant Disease Resistance Proteins Function in Membrane Attachment and Contribute to Disease Resistance

XopR, a Type III Effector Secreted by Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzae, Suppresses Microbe-Associated Molecular Pattern-Triggered Immunity in Arabidopsis thaliana

Phytopathology

A Real-Time PCR Assay for Detection and Quantification of Verticillium dahliae in Spinach Seed

The Area Under the Disease Progress Stairs: Calculation, Advantage, and Application

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Editors' Picks

Phytopathology Editor's Pick
Dr. George Sundin, Editor-in-Chief

Kroon et al. provide a comprehensive review of the current 100+ validly-described Phyophthora species in 10 recognized clades. Approximately 50 new species have been published in the last 15 years. This work summarizes new knowledge including host information and other general characteristics with a critical assessment of species delineation and phylogenetic analyses. In addition, information is provided on nine "lost" Phyophthora species that were not included in recent phylogenetic analyses due to the lack of culture availability. Read more...

Plant Disease Editor's Pick

Dr. R. Michael Davis,
Editor-in-Chief

In the April issue of Plant Disease, Tang and colleagues elucidate the causes of apple ring rot and other diseases of apple and pear caused by Botryosphaeria dothidea. Using culture morphology, pathogenicity, and sequences, the authors demonstrate that the fungus causes a variety of symptoms, depending on conditions, and suggest that apple ring rot in Asia and white rot of apple in the U.S. are the same disease. The study has important trade implications between China and the U.S. Read more...

MPMI Editor's Pick

Dr. Gary Stacey, Editor-in-Chief

Cell wall degrading enzymes are generally thought to play an important role in both fungal and bacterial pathogenicity. However, functional redundancy among the genes encoding these enzymes has made it very difficult to confirm their role genetically. In the April issue of MPMI, Srivastava et al. show that mutations in the transcription factor, Abvf19, significantly reduced virulence of Alternaria brassicicola. Of the 74 genes apparently regulated by Abvf19, 24 encode cell wall degrading enzymes. Read more...

Plant Disease Feature Article

In this month's Feature Article, B. Mandal and colleagues discuss emerging diseases caused by tospoviruses and their distribution in the Indian subcontinent. The authors discuss virus relationships, vectors, and epidemiology of the five tospoviruses known to occur there. Of the five, Groundnut bud necrosis virus and Watermelon bud necrosis virus are becoming increasingly important in vegetables. Interestingly, TSWV and Impatiens necrotic spot virus, two widely established tospoviruses on vegetables throughout much of the world, are not known to occur in India. Read more...