Development of molecular diagnostic tools for plant pathogens.
Prevention of diseases requires accurate and rapid detection of the causal agents.  However, current PCR- and antibody-based methods are expensive and require samples to be sent and tested in a sufficiently equipped laboratory by trained staff, thus resulting in slow disease diagnosis.  Therefore, methods that can be performed on-site in the field can significantly reduce time spent in diagnosis.  One such method is the Loop-mediated DNA Amplification (LAMP), which can be performed inexpensively using a simple water bath or heating block in less than an hour.  LAMP occurs at isothermal conditions because it uses a DNA polymerase with strand displacement activity.  Currently, we are developing LAMP protocols for several important plant pathognes.  Our goal is to enable growers and quarantine officials to rapidly identify pathogens so that immediate management and containment protocols are implemented.