Aphids, grasshoppers and other bugs aren’t the only pests that can quickly wipe out a crop. Many harmful bacteria have evolved ways to bypass a plant’s defenses.
Aphids, grasshoppers and other bugs aren’t the only pests that can quickly wipe out a crop. Many harmful bacteria have evolved ways to bypass a plant’s defenses. A once-healthy tomato plant can quickly turn sick and blotchy, thanks to microscopic foes armed with an arsenal of tricks.
In a recent study, researchers at Washington University in St. Louis have identified a tool that helps the bacteria Pseudomonas syringae turn a plant’s fundamental biology against itself. The findings, recently published in the prestigious journal mBio, could eventually lead to new approaches to protecting crops, said co-author Barbara Kunkel, a professor of biology in Arts & Sciences. “If we can understand the mechanism behind the infection, we can potentially stop it,” she said.
The lead author of the study is Chia-Yun “Cynthia” Lee, who was a graduate student in Kunkel’s lab at the time of the research and is now a postdoctoral researcher in biology. Maya Irvine, an undergraduate research assistant at the time of the research, is another co-author.
Read more at: Washington University in St. Louis
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