Fundamentals and Advances in Plant Problem Diagnostics

Abstract

Plant disease/problem diagnostics and pathogen detection are fundamental components of successful agriculture. Any corrective action for poor plant performance should arise out of thorough assessment and diagnosis of the problem(s), to be followed by appropriate management suggestions. Among the factors to consider in the choice of diagnostic techniques are speed, cost, accuracy, availability of technology, training, value of the crop, and likelihood of generating a successful management strategy. Many exciting new technologies are entering the field of diagnostics, and plant disease/problem diagnostics and pathogen detection are not exceptions. Among the favorites are molecular-based tests that rely on the specificity of gene sequences, serological tests in various formats, direct and indirect biosensor technologies, and spectral imaging. We have entered an era in which the entire biome both inside and outside a plant can be identified, diseased plants can be analyzed non-destructively, and the overall health of an entire crop is quickly discernible. Now we must learn how to interpret all that data and put it to practical use. In spite of the enormous potential of all these new developments, successful disease diagnosis will still depend fundamentally on basic skills that have been honed and perfected in practice for more than a century. Without the foundational information from thorough and focused observation on-site and access to all horticultural information and inputs for the crop in question, no amount of advanced technology can reliably correct for deficiencies in the primary steps in diagnosis.