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Strategies
for the Prevention of Economic Damage Caused by Ralstonia
solanacearum in US Agriculture
Roger J. Sauve
Institute of Agricultural and Environmental Research
Seminar Series
Tennessee State University, Nashville, TN
October 7, 2004
Ralstonia
solanacearum race 3 biotype 2 is a high-risk plant pathogens to
agricultural industries in the United States and worldwide. Recently
this pathogen was introduced in North America on geranium cuttings. Once
identified, all known infected plants have been destroyed. Since the
geranium is the most likely vector for this pathogen, we propose to
transform this plant as well as two field crops and develop an outreach
program to educate producers, extension agents and regulatory plant
inspectors on disease identification and quarantine procedures. For
plant transformation, we will introduce antimicrobial peptide genes into
non-patented commercial geranium cultivars and proactively transform
important cultivars of two field crops: tomato and potato. For all
practical purposes, transformed plants will be non-hosts since they
would be essentially immune to Ralstonia. Transformed tomato and
potato cultivars will be maintained in tissue culture and ready to be
release for mass-propagation in the event that the pathogen would become
established in area where they are grown.
Propagation
of geraniums not susceptible to Ralstonia would be of immediate
importance to the $300 million geranium industry. Economic losses that
could result from Ralstonia, not including field crops such as
the potato, are estimated to in the tens of millions to Geranium
producers alone. Transformation and regeneration protocols developed in
this Transformation and regeneration protocols developed could also be
used for other agricultural and ornamental plant commodities as the need
arises.
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