Nematode Vectors of Plant Viruses

Viruses transmitted by nematodes are responsible for many economically important diseases of crops. Thus, when in the late 1950s, this mode of disease propagation was demonstrated by proof of the transmission of grapevine fanleaf disease by Xiphenema index. It marked the start of a significant and fruitful period of research. After the initial enthusiasm associated with the discovery of new vectors and new viruses, there followed a spell of consolidation in which researchers sought the answers to intriguing questions about the nature of the association between virus and vector, as well as more mundane, but equally compelling questions about life-cycles, geographical distribution and the taxonomy of groups of vector species. With the introduction of molecular biology, new approaches became available with which to investigate nematode-virus-plant interactions and these techniques are being exploited to provide new insights. Numerous reviews have been published on different aspects of nematode transmission of plant viruses and the nematode transmitted viruses themselves. However, until now there has been a lack of any source which draws all of this research together. This book fills this need by providing a valuable overview of the last 40 years of research into the transmission of viruses by nematodes as well as setting the agenda for future investigations. This book is an important resource for all nematologists and plant virologists, as well as others concerned with crop protection.