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BACTERIA
Title: PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
Phone: () -
THE NEEDFOR MORE RAPID, PRECISE DETECTION OFPLANT PATHOGENS IN PLANT MATERIALS IN ORDER TO ASSURE HIGH CROP PRODUCTIVITY AND PROTECT AGAINST EPIDEMICS OF IMPORTANT PLANT PATHOGENS HAS BEENSTRESSED BY THOSE CONCERNED WITH CROP GERMPLASM RESOURCES CERTIFICATION OF VEGETATIVELY PROPAGATED MATERIALS AND SEED LOT ANALYSIS. WE PROPOSE TO TEST THE FEASIBILITY OF DEVELOPING A NEW DIAGNOSTIC PROCEDURE FOR BACTERIAL DISEASES BASED ON NUCLEIC ACID HYBRIDIZATION TECHNOLOGIES THAT WOULD ACCURATELY DETECT PATHOGENIC BACTERIAL STRAINS IN HEALTHY AND DISEASED PLANT TISSUE. BACTERIAL DISEASES HAVE BEEN CHOSEN BECAUSE OF OUR VESTED INTEREST IN THESE DISEASES AND THE NEED FOR IMPROVED DIAGNOSTIC PROCEDURES FOR ACCURATE DETECTION OF BACTERIAL PATHOGENS. THE SOFT ROT ERWINIAS WILL BE OUR TEST SYSTEM IN THE INITIAL FEASIBILITY STUDY BECAUSE OF DATA AVAILABLE ON GENETICS AND ECOLOGY OF SOFT ROT ERWINIAS AND THEIR IMPORTANCE IN CERTIFICATION OF OUR MICROPROPAGATED POTATO LINES. PHASE 1 REASEARCH GOALS ARE TO ESTABLISH A LIBRARY OF DNA CLONES FOR E. CAROTOVORA VAR. ATROSEPTICA (ECA) AND ISOLATE DNA CLONES FROM ECA WHICH ARE NOT FOUND IN NON-SOFT ROT AND NON-PATHOGENIC ERWINIA SPP. DURING PHASE 2, THE DNA CLONES SELECTED ABOVE WILL BE FURTHER AMONG STRAINS WITHIN THE 'CAROTOVORA' GROUP. SENSITIVITY AND ACCURACY OF DNA HYBIRDIZATION PROBES WILL BE COMPARED TO EXISTING DIAGNOSTIC METHODS (PLATING AND SEROLOGY) WE EXPECT A DIAOGNOSTIC NUCLEIC ACID PROBE(S) TO BE MORE RAPID PRECISE TECHNIQUE THAN THOSE EXSISTING BECAUSE OF EFFICIENCY AND INHERENT CONSISTENCY OF THE METHODOLOGY PROBES CAN BE FURTHER DEVELOPED FOR USE IN PLANT BREEDING AND CERTIFICATION, AND IN DETERMING MORE EFFICIENT USE OFAGRICULTURAL CHEMICALS.
* Information listed above is at the time of submission. *