Phytopathological biotechnologies
2002
Martelli, G.P. (Università di Bari (Italy). Dip. Protezione delle Piante dalle Malattie)
Plant disease control has been traditionally based on the use of chemicals, which have evolved from simple inorganic elements to organic compound expressing increasingly higher specificity and efficacy. New concepts have developed with time and new innovative strategies have been successfully applied. At the turn of the century, however, following implementation of biotechnological techniques, diagnosis of pathogens and control of the diseases they elicit have undergone what appears to be a veritable revolution. The most spectacular advances were registered in the management of virus diseases for which no chemical control is possibile. A variety of biotechnological applications have been exploited for producing "clean" nursery material for propagation and providing more advanced reagents for the sensitive serological and molecular detection and identification of plant pathogens. The use of recombinant DNA and the optimization of plant transformation systems, together with the transfer into practice of the concept of "pathogen-derived resistance" has opened new very promising ways for the obtention of crop plants that tolerate or resist attacks by pests and pathogens, including viruses.
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This bibliographic record has been provided by International Center for Advanced Mediterranean Agronomic Studies - Mediterranean Agronomic Institute of Montpellier