Plant and Insect Mycoplasma Techniques

✍ Scribed by D. B. Archer, M. J. Daniels (auth.), M. J. Daniels, P. G. Markham (eds.)

• Publisher: Springer Netherlands
• Year: 1982
• Tongue: English
• Leaves: 366
• Edition: 1
• Category: Library

✦ Synopsis

Only 14 years have passed since the first publication appeared which implicated mycoplasmas as agents of plant disease. The diseases them­ selves have been known for much longer; indeed clover phyllody, a typical example, was described in the seventeenth century, well before any animal mycoplasma diseases had been documented. The early history of plant mycoplasmas is described in Chapter 2 and one obvious conclusion to be drawn from the frustrating experiences of the earlier workers is that the experimental methods at their disposal were simply inadequate for the task. Progress in science depends critically upon the development of new methods. Although important advances have been made in plant and insect mycoplasmology, notably in the discovery of spiroplasmas, many intractable problems remain. Most plant myco­ plasmas cannot yet be cultured in vitro, and their natural plant habitat, the phloem, is one of the most difficult plant tissues for the experi­ menter to handle, placing severe restrictions on the type of experiments which can be performed in vivo. It is clear that radically new methods may be required to solve these problems. A survey of the progress which has been made shows that application of techniques from a wide range of disciplines has been necessary. A successful individual or group of workers must possess the skills of a plant pathologist, a plantsman, a plant physiologist, a light-and electron microscopist, a bacteriologist, a biochemist, an immunologist, an ento­ mologist, a virologist and a molecular geneticist.

✦ Table of Contents

Front Matter....Pages 3-8
The Biology of Mycoplasmas....Pages 9-39
Plant and Arthropod Mycoplasmas: A Historical Perspective....Pages 40-81
The ‘Yellows’ Plant Diseases: Plant Hosts and their Interaction with the Pathogens....Pages 82-100
Light and Electron Microscopy....Pages 101-151
Chemical Treatment for Control of Plant Mycoplasma Diseases....Pages 152-173
Media and Methods for Culture of Spiroplasmas....Pages 174-200
Culture of Other Microorganisms from Yellows-Diseased Plants....Pages 201-239
Serological Characterisation of Spiroplasmas and Other Mycoplasmas....Pages 240-267
Physicochemical Characterisation of Plant and Insect Mycoplasmas....Pages 268-306
Insect Vectors....Pages 307-326
Miscellaneous Methods....Pages 327-358
Back Matter....Pages 359-369

✦ Subjects

Science, general