Welcome to Bacterial Plant Diseases UK

There is growing concern about potential and existing threats to UK plant (including tree) health and biosecurity from the wider spread and more common occurrence of both emerging and indigenous bacterial diseases. Contributory factors include environmental change and greater movement of potentially contaminated plants or plant materials in trade. These pathogens (and their invertebrate vectors) threaten crop production, forestry, commercial and amenity horticulture, as well as woodlands and broader biodiversity within the wider environment. They have the potential to cause widespread and severe economic, environmental and social impacts on landscapes and ecosystems, both rural and urban.

Bacterial phytopathogens are diverse and cause many types of diseases. Their transmission may be airborne, soil-borne or via invertebrate vectors. When introduced to new areas their spread is unpredictable, but often highly invasive. They are difficult to control with chemicals and, unlike many other plant pathogens, frequently have a large number of potential hosts.

BBSRC, NERC, Defra and the Scottish Government obtained funding from the Strategic Priorities Fund to support nine diverse and exciting high quality projects that address bacterial threats.

This is an informational hub about each these projects, showing the team members, their outreach activities, the scientific protocols that they are employing and most importantly where their data can be accessed.

Collaboration is the theme that passes through each of these projects so if you or your organisation want to be involved then please contact the Coordination Team.

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Latest Bacterial Plant Diseases News

- December 2nd 9am-1pm: BRIGIT- Development and implementation of diagnostic tools for Xylella. Virtual Event.
- More information here.
- Register here before November 30th.

- December 16th 9am-1pm: BRIGIT- New Xylella Data for UK Risk Assessment and Policy. Virtual Event.
- More Information here.
- Register here before December 14th.

- September 7th 2020: Please download a flyer that introduces the BPD programme.
- July 15th 2020: UKRI announce funded projects in Phase II of Bacterial Plant Disease programme (URL)

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Bacterial Plant Disease Projects

BRIGIT

BAC-STOP

Surveillance and response capacity for Xylella fastidiosa
Description: The long-term objective of the project is to improve our understanding of how plants respond to infection with insect-transmitted plant pathogens and how symptoms develop.

CALIBER

Benign infections or damaging epidemics: the influence of biology, the environment and agricultural practice on vector-borne phytobacteria
Description: Understand the biology and societal impact of the insect vectors of Candidatus Liberibacter solanacearum.

PSEUDOMONAS-PRUNUS

Predicting the emergence of host adapted plant pathogens: Pseudomonas-Prunus system
Description: Take a multidisciplinary approach to investigate the interactions between Pseudomonas spp and bacterial canker of UK cherry trees

DISEASE SUPRESSIVE MICROBES

Harnessing and integrating disease suppressive microbes and synthetic soils for sustainable, low input horticulture
Description: Investigate the microbiome that characterises disease-suppressive soils and look to develop synthetic growth materials for sustainable farming.

RALSTONIA PHAGE CONTROL

Using phages as a precision tool to control pathogen abundance and virulence in the plant rhizosphere microbiome
Description: Investigate the potential of phage therapy to tackle the tomato pathogen Ralstonia solanacearum

BAC-STOP: Advancement of control and knowledge to save threatened oak and protect them for future generations
Description: Investigate the microbial and vector biology as well as the community impact of Acute Oak Decline

XANTHOMONAS THREATS

Xanthomonas plant diseases: mitigating existing, emerging and future threats to UK agriculture
 Description: Utilise extensive Brassica germplasm to investigate the genetics, demography and diagnosis of Xanthomonas spp

FUTURE OAK

Future Oak: Characterising and engineering the oak microbiome to future-proof an arboreal icon
Description: Investigating the role of the disease suppressive microbiome in oak trees

BLACKLEG (DES-BL)

Building a decision support tool for potato blackleg disease
Description: Investigate the relationship between Pectobacterium atrosepticum and nematode vectors in the spread of blackleg disease of potato

Workshops and Events

The Coordination Team will be organising both wet-lab and dry-lab training workshops on topics relevant for the BPD project. In addition we will organise conferences that bring together project participants. We hope these will be possible after the COVID crisis has reached a new phase in 2021.