Project Number: 5302-22000-008-00
Project Type: Appropriated

Start Date: Mar 15, 2007
End Date: Mar 14, 2012

Objective:
The overall goals of this project are to reduce losses due to Xf-caused diseases during crop production and to develop effective, sustainable disease and insect vector management strategies by characterizing the host-pathogen-vector-environment interactions of these complex pathosystems. Specific objectives for the project are outlined below: Objective 1: Determine the epidemiology of exotic, emerging, re-emerging, and invasive diseases in California, including (but not necessarily limited to) Xf-caused diseases of horticultural, agronomic, and ornamental crops. Objective 2: Determine the nature and mechanism(s) of susceptibility/resistance to Xf infection and subsequent disease development in horticultural and agronomic crops, including (but not necessarily limited to) Vitis species and Prunus species. Objective 3: Develop effective, economical, environmentally sound strategies to manage exotic, emerging, re-emerging, and invasive diseases, including (but not necessarily limited to) xylella diseases. Objective 4: Improve sensitivity and specificity of diagnostics utilizing new biomarkers based on the DNA sequence of the Liberibacter bacterium associated with Huanglongbing (citrus greening) and Zebra chip diseases. (NP 303; Component 1; Problem Statement 1A)

Approach:
Determine the epidemiology of Xylellae diseases in California. Characterize the complex host-pathogen-insect vector-environment interactions of these pathosystems. Determine the biochemical, physiological, genetic and mechanistic bases of resistance to XF infection and subsequent disease development in Vitis and selected Prunus species. Utilize genomic sequences of Liberibacter bacteria associated with Huanglongbing and Zebra Chip diseases to develop new PCR-based assays for pathogen detection. Formerly 5302-22000-007-00D. FY10 Program Increase $112,500.00.