Movement, Multiplication and Pathology of X. fastidiosa

1.    Movement in plants

• Study xylem fluid composition and morphology; relate these parameters to the ability of X. fastidiosa to move within plants.
  
  

• Determine how X. fastidiosa moves in systemic (e.g., grape, blackberry) and non systemic (e.g., willow) plant hosts.

2.   Effects of temperature on X. fastidiosa

• Determine the effects of temperature of growth and spread of PD in grapes and other key plants.

3.   Pathology of X. fastidiosa and transmission of Pierce’s disease

• Develop transformation/transposon mutagenesis systems for PD using existing or novel bacterial transformation vectors.  Use PD mutants to identify bacterial genes that mediate pathogenicity, movement, or insect attachment in plants (take advantage of the Brazilian genome data).
  
  

• Identify plant factors that influence transmission and inoculation efficiency of PD by GWSS on different host plants (link to priorities under Plant Resistance to PD).