He is Faculty Member & Director of Plant Molecular Disease Diagnostic Lab,and also Dept. of Plant Pathology in the University of Georgia, Tifton, Georgia, United States.
Abstract
The diseases are severely affected multibillion-dollar agriculture industry by plant pathogens including fungi, bacteria, and viruses. Many of the diseases in plants have similar signs and symptoms, making it difficult to diagnose the specific problem pathogen. Incorrect diagnosis leads to the delay of treatment and excessive use of pre and post-harvest chemicals. Proper identification of damage, defects, diseases, and disorders is the first step in solving the issue and producing quality crops. There are many methods for diagnosing pathogens on plants. Traditional methods include symptoms, morphology, and microscopy identification. These have been followed by nucleic acid detection and onsite detection techniques. Many of these methods allow for rapid diagnosis, some even within the field without much expertise. There are several methods that have great potentials, such as high-throughput sequencing and remote sensing. The utilization of these techniques for disease diagnosis allows for faster and accurate disease diagnosis and a reduction in damage and cost of control. Understanding each of these techniques can allow researchers to select which method is best suited for their pathogen of interest.