Are Molecular Tools Solving the Challenges Posed by Detection of Plant Pathogenic Bacteria and Viruses?
María M. López, Pablo Llop, Antonio Olmos, Ester Marco-Noales, Mariano Cambra and Edson Bertolini Plant pathogenic bacteria, phytoplasmas, viruses and viroids are difficult to control, and preventive measures are essential to minimize the losses they cause each year in different crops. In this context, rapid and accurate methods for detection and diagnosis of these plant pathogens are required to apply treatments, undertake agronomic measures or proceed with eradication practices, particularly for quarantine pathogens. In recent years, there has been an exponential increase in the number of protocols based on nucleic-acid tools being those based on PCR or RT-PCR now routinely applied worldwide. Nucleic acid extraction is still necessary in many cases and in practice inhibition problems are decreasing the theoretical sensitivity of molecular detection. For these reasons, integrated protocols that include the use of molecular techniques as screening methods, followed by confirmation by o
