Gary A. Secor

TL;DR: Five attributes of this oomycete pathogen that maintain this constant attention are explored, including the historical tragedy associated with this disease (Irish potato famine), the devastation caused by the pathogen, the genomics revolution, and there remain many compelling unanswered questions.

TL;DR: Transmission electron microscopic observation of ZC-affected tissues revealed the presence of bacteria-like organisms (BLOs) in the phloem of potato and tomato plants inoculated by grafting and psyllid feeding, which confirms the association of 'Ca. L. solanacearum' with potatoes affected by ZC in the United States, Mexico, and Guatemala.

TL;DR: The rapid, sensitive, specific and reliable multiplex qPCR showed its potential to become a powerful tool for early detection and quantification of the new Liberibacter species associated with potato ZC, and will be very useful for the potato quarantine programs and seed potato certification programs to ensure the availability of clean seed potato stocks and also for epidemiological studies on the disease.

TL;DR: Observations suggest that pink rot and leak could become significant problems in the future, particularly in those areas where resistance has been detected, and monitoring the sensitivity of the pathogen population to mefenoxam in all production areas should be considered and integrated as a part of the overall disease management strategy.

TL;DR: The tomato late blight pandemic of 2009 made late blight into a household term in much of the eastern United States and many home gardeners and many organic producers lost most if not all of their tomato crop, and their experiences were reported in the mainstream press.