Principles of Plant-Microbe Interactions

Plants interact with small organisms in their environment, such as bacteria, fungi, oomycetes, nematodes and insects. Some of these can cause diseases and pests whereas others can have a plant-beneficial action, such as (i) protecting plants against diseases, (ii) enhancing plant growth and productivity, (iii) reducing plant stresses caused by attackers, draught and salts, and (iv) cleaning soils from pollutants. Our understanding of plant-microbe interactions advances rapidly and the application of beneficial microbes in agriculture and horticulture - presently USD 1.7 billion annually - is increasing fast. Therefore, there is a strong need to present the principles of these interactions to a broad public. In this book, the basics of all interactions mentioned above are explained in an easily understandable way. Modern state-of-the-art technology on visualization of these interactions and on DNA techniques will be highlighted. Successful examples of progress are presented in the section "Paradigms of Plant-Microbe Interactions". Finally, a number of innovative ongoing research projects will be presented. Presently, plants are mainly protected from diseases and pests by using agrochemicals. However, many of these chemicals pollute the environment and can be a health threat for animals and humans. This book show that microbes can help to reduce chemical input and can also be used in combination with chemicals, or even replace agrochemicals. It is generally accepted that the use of microbes will cause a breakthrough in agriculture and horticulture, making it more sustainable in a cost-effective way. Major chemical companies are buying microbial biotech companies. This book is aimed at everybody working in or interested in one of the many fields of plant-microbe interactions and who wants to become quickly familiar with (other) aspects of this broad field.