EuroXanth: Integrating science on Hanthomonadaceae for integrated plant disease management in Europe

Bacteria of the family Xanthomonadaceae, including species of Xanthomonas and Xylella fastidiosa, belong to the most devastating plant pathogens continually challenging food security. Many of the pathogens are listed as quarantine organisms in the EU and their study is of uttermost importance. The concerned pathogens infect all kinds of crop plants, such as cereals, forage crops for ruminant feed, vegetables, fruits, shrubs and trees. This COST Action will bring together some of the brightest and best minds to join in an interdisciplinary network to develop strategies for sustainably protecting plants and significantly reducing yield losses. Specifically, this initiative will address several key aspects of the pathogen-vector-host interactions from the cellular to the population level. A better insight into population structures and virulence mechanisms of the pathogens, together with the exploration of the molecular mechanisms underlying disease resistance to the pathogen, will enable development of durably resistant plant cultivars and exploitation of bio-control schemes tailored to population and pathogen. This Action will generate a platform that gathers experts from different disciplines, such as molecular diagnostics, molecular host-microbe interactions, plant resistance breeding, and applied microbiology. Joining their efforts will help to develop and implement effective plant protection schemes, be it via resistant crop cultivars or via other control mechanisms. This goal will be achieved by mobilizing and training scientists from major European institutions, regulatory bodies and commercial companies working on the various aspects of this complex of problems