Tag

Plant Pathology

All articles tagged with #plant pathology

environment2 years ago•3 min saved

Emerging Threats: Scientists Warn of a Mysterious Pest and Beech Leaf Disease

Scientists are sounding the alarm over a new subspecies of nematodes, known as Litylenchus crenatae mccannii, that are causing significant damage to beech trees in North America. These microscopic pests feast on the buds and leaves of beech trees, leading to dark bands, crinkling, and thinning of the crown, ultimately resulting in the trees' death. The nematodes have spread rapidly, and researchers are still trying to determine their origin and mode of transmission. The disease, known as beech leaf disease, poses a threat to the extensive range of American beech trees and has already caused substantial financial losses for nurseries. Increased funding and research are needed to understand and combat this destructive pest.

via NBC News|

#beech-leaf-disease #environment #forest-health

science-and-technology2 years ago•2 min saved

"Revolutionary Approach: Eliminating Gray Mold in Crops Safely and Sustainably"

Researchers at the University of California, Riverside have discovered that gray mold, a fungus that causes significant crop losses, uses lipid-based bubbles called extracellular vesicles to communicate with and infect its host plants. These vesicles contain small RNA molecules that suppress the plants' immune systems. By targeting a specific protein called tetraspanin on the surface of these vesicles, the researchers were able to reduce the mold's ability to secrete and deliver the RNA-containing bubbles. This finding could lead to the development of eco-friendly RNA fungicides that effectively combat gray mold and other fungal pathogens, without the use of toxic chemicals.

via Phys.org|

#crop-protection #extracellular-vesicles #gray-mold

science2 years ago•4 min saved

Discoverer of Smallest Infectious Agent Dies at 102.

Theodor Diener, a plant pathologist, discovered viroids, the smallest known infectious agent, while investigating spindle tuber disease in potatoes. Viroids are one eightieth the size of many viruses and are made only of RNA, without a protein coat or the ability to encode proteins. Since Diener's discovery, scientists have identified over 30 different viroids that cause diseases in plants. Viroids have implications for scientific understanding of the origins of life and for medicine, contributing to breakthroughs like the use of messenger RNA to develop vaccines for Covid-19.

via The New York Times|

#agricultural-research #origins-of-life #plant-pathology

science2 years ago•3 min saved

Viroid Discoverer Theodor Diener Passes Away at 102

Theodor Diener, a Swiss-born scientist who spent three decades as a plant pathologist at the Agricultural Research Service, discovered the viroid, the tiniest known agent of infectious disease, while investigating potato spindle tuber disease. He determined that the cause was not a virus, as other scientists had speculated, but rather a new, far smaller pathogen — the viroid. A viroid functions in a manner similar to that of a virus, invading a cell and making it reproduce the viroid’s RNA. Dr. Diener’s discovery created “new avenues of molecular research into some of the most serious diseases afflicting plants, animals, and humans.”

via The Washington Post|

#infectious-disease #national-medal-of-science #plant-pathology