About the book

Plant pathogens and diseases are among the most significant challenges to survival that plants face. Disease outbreaks caused by microbial or viral pathogens can decimate crop yields and have severe effects on global food supply. Understanding the molecular mechanisms underlying plant immune response and applying this understanding to develop biotechnological tools to enhance plant defense against pathogens has great potential for moderating the impact of plant disease outbreaks. Plant Pathogen Resistance Biotechnology’s main focus is an in depth survey of the biological strategies being used to create transgenic disease resistant plants for sustainable plant resistance

Plant Pathogen Resistance Biotechnology is divided into four sections. The first section covers biological mechanisms underpinning disease resistance in plants, while the second highlights case studies of important pathogen-crop groups and then considers why the application of important pathogen-crop groups, transgenic-based strategies designed to selectively target pathogens could benefit crop production. The third section provides information on the status of transgenic crops around the world, and finally the last part explores high-tech alternatives to genetic engineering for developing disease resistant traits in plants.

Contents:

Chapter 1 The Status and Prospects for Biotechnological Approaches for Attaining Sustainable Disease Resistance 1

Part I: Biological Strategies Leading Towards Disease Resistance 21

Chapter 2 Engineering Barriers to Infection by Undermining Pathogen Effector Function or by Gaining Effector Recognition 23

Chapter 3 Application of Antimicrobial Proteins and Peptides in Developing Disease‐Resistant Plants 51

Chapter 4 Metabolic Engineering of Chemical Defence Pathways in Plant Disease Control 71

Chapter 5 Arabinan: Biosynthesis and a Role in Host‐Pathogen Interactions 91

Chapter 6 Transcription Factors that Regulate Defence Responses and Their Use in Increasing Disease Resistance 109

Chapter 7 Regulation of Abiotic and Biotic Stress Responses by Plant Hormones 131

Part II: Case Studies for Groups of Pathogens and Important Crops. Why is it Especially Advantageous to use Transgenic Strategies for these Pathogens or Crops? 155

Chapter 8 Engineered Resistance to Viruses: A Case of Plant Innate Immunity 157

Chapter 9 Problematic Crops: 1. Potatoes: Towards Sustainable Potato Late Blight Resistance by Cisgenic R Gene Pyramiding 171

Chapter 10 Problematic Crops: 1. Grape: To Long Life and Good Health: Untangling the Complexity of Grape Diseases to Develop Pathogen‐Resistant Varieties 193

Chapter 11 Developing Sustainable Disease Resistance in Coffee: Breeding vs. Transgenic Approaches 217

Chapter 12 Biotechnological Approaches for Crop Protection: Transgenes for Disease Resistance in Rice 245

Part III: Status of Transgenic Crops Around the World 273

Chapter 13 Status of Transgenic Crops in Argentina 275

Chapter 14 The Status of Transgenic Crops in Australia 285

Chapter 15 Transgenic Crops in Spain 295

Chapter 16 Biotechnology and Crop Disease Resistance in South Africa 305

Part IV: Implications of Transgenic Technologies for Improved Disease Control 317

Chapter 17 Exploiting Plant Induced Resistance as a Route to Sustainable Crop Protection 319

Chapter 18 Biological Control Using Microorganisms as an Alternative to Disease Resistance 341

Chapter 19 TILLING in Plant Disease Control: Applications and Perspectives 365

Chapter 20 Fitness Costs of Pathogen Recognition in Plants and Their Implications for Crop Improvement 385