The Conference on Pseudomonas syringae which started in 1973 as an informal meeting of a group of scientists working on these bacteria in Angers, France, has become more and more important with time. Many meetings have been held since then: 1984, 1987, 1991, 1995, and 2002 in Cape Sounion, Greece; Lisbon, Portugal; Florence, Italy; Berlin, Germany; and Maratea, Italy; respectively. This Conference is considered as the most important scientific forum in which recent advances in different research aspects on Pseudomonas syringae, a plant pathogenic bacterial species that includes a high number of pathogens (referred as pathovars) and Related Pathogens such as Acidovorax, Burkholderia, Ralstonia, affecting several economically important crops. The proceedings resulting from these meetings are considered as valuable sources of information related to this group of pathogens. The interest in organising this conference regularly is reflected by the attendance of more than 80 scientists from 20 countries worldwide, who participated at the 7th International Conference on Pseudomonas syringae pathovars and related pat- gens organized by the Institut Agronomique et Veterinaire Hassan II in Agadir, Morocco, from 13th to 16th November 2006."

The Conference on Pseudomonas syringae which started in 1973 as an informal meeting of a group of scientists working on these bacteria in Angers, France, has become more and more important with time. Many meetings have been held since then: 1984, 1987, 1991, 1995, and 2002 in Cape Sounion, Greece; Lisbon, Portugal; Florence, Italy; Berlin, Germany; and Maratea, Italy; respectively. This Conference is considered as the most important scientific forum in which recent advances in different research aspects on Pseudomonas syringae, a plant pathogenic bacterial species that includes a high number of pathogens (referred as pathovars) and Related Pathogens such as Acidovorax, Burkholderia, Ralstonia, affecting several economically important crops. The proceedings resulting from these meetings are considered as valuable sources of information related to this group of pathogens. The interest in organising this conference regularly is reflected by the attendance of more than 80 scientists from 20 countries worldwide, who participated at the 7th International Conference on Pseudomonas syringae pathovars and related pat- gens organized by the Institut Agronomique et Veterinaire Hassan II in Agadir, Morocco, from 13th to 16th November 2006."

This volume mainly reports on new and recent advancements on different aspects of Pseudomonas syringae, a plant pathogenic bacterial species that include a high number of pathogens of important crops, which is an interesting model organism in plant pathology. In addition some related fluorescent Pseudomonas spp., responsible of new and emerging diseases, as well as some pathogens previously included in the above genus and now classified in the genera Ralstonia, Acidovorax are also considered. The tremendous recent advancements on: the ecology and epidemiology and, in particular, the adaptation of P. syringae to stresses and adverse environmental conditions; the function and regulation of genes involved in the production of phytotoxins and on their mechanism of action in the interaction with the host cells; the structure, function and regulation of type three secretion system (TTSS) and the transport of the effectors proteins in the host cells; the possibility to control diseases through the induction of the systemic acquired resistance (SAR); the development of molecular techniques for the highly specific and sensible identification and detection of pathogens; the determination of the causal agents of new and emerging diseases as well the classification of the different pathovars of P. syringae; are reported in 76 chapters cured by leading scientist in the respective fields.