This book describes interactions of plant viruses with hosts and transmission vectors in an agricultural context. Starting with an overview of virus biology, economics and management, chapters then address economically significant plant diseases of tropical and subtropical crops. For each disease, symptoms, distribution, economic impact, causative virus, taxonomy, host range, transmission, diagnostic methods and management strategies are discussed.

Viruses: Molecular Biology, Host Interactions, and Applications to Biotechnology provides an up-to-date introduction to human, animal and plant viruses within the context of recent advances in high-throughput sequencing that have demonstrated that viruses are vastly greater and more diverse than previously recognized. It covers discoveries such as the Mimivirus and its virophage which have stimulated new discussions on the definition of viruses, their place in the current view, and their inherent and derived 'interactomics' as defined by the molecules and the processes by which virus gene products interact with themselves and their host's cellular gene products. Further, the book includes perspectives on basic aspects of virology, including the structure of viruses, the organization of their genomes, and basic strategies in replication and expression, emphasizing the diversity and versatility of viruses, how they cause disease and how their hosts react to such disease, and exploring developments in the field of host-microbe interactions in recent years. The book is likely to appeal, and be useful, to a wide audience that includes students, academics and researchers studying the molecular biology and applications of viruses

Interesting studies of plant diseases in Jamaica have been conducted since the early twentieth century. This book gives an account of the history and development of the science of plant pathology and of plant disease control in Jamaica and shows how the activities have contributed to the development of the island's agricultural heritage. Coates-Beckford and Tennant draw together and integrate a wide range of material to provide a unique insight into how the major plant diseases in Jamaica have been, and still are being, overcome. The existing literature on tropical plant diseases is by no means extensive. While there are some up-to-date texts which give details of the diseases (and pests) of individual crops or pathogen groups, none of these give historical accounts of the overall background information on some of the main problems covered in this work. Three main sections deal separately with tree, field and plantation crops; shrubs and herbaceous crops; and the legal framework for plant disease control. For each crop discussed, its history in Jamaica is given, as well as the history, biology and management of the diseases. Coates-Beckford and Tennant have produced a significant and novel contribution to the literature on tropical plant pathology. This richly illustrated book is an essential reference for biologists, tropical agriculturalists and policymakers in the region.