Plant Virus-Host Interactions, Epidemiology, and Management of Plant Virus Diseases in Idaho Crops

Overview

Idaho has a large and diverse crop production agriculture, with a significant impact on the state and national economies. The State of Idaho is the largest producer of potatoes in the U.S., with about one-third of the national production and more than 30% of the acreage in 2008. Other significant crops grown in Idaho include sugar beet, dry beans, peas and other cool season food legumes. In all these crops, virus diseases cause significant losses and require attention with respect to monitoring viruses and managing disease problems. Understanding the infection cycle, virus-host interactions, transmission, epidemiology, and strain composition of viruses affecting major Idaho crops facilitates development of more profitable and sustainable management practices for crop protection and production.