The plant vascular system consists mainly of two types of tissue: xylem and phloem. Xylem conveys water and dissolved minerals from the roots to the rest of the plant and provides physical support. Phloem transports carbohydrates (plant foods) produced by photosynthesis from the source leaf to where they are needed for growth and development. Some phytopathogenic bacteria can colonize plant vascular tissues and not only slow down or impede the translocation of water and nutrients through xylem and phloem, but also induce a series of characteristic symptoms including stunting, floral deformation, vascular wilt, soft rot, necrosis and tumor, and eventually plant collapse. These bacteria include (1) wall-less mollicutes (phytoplasma and spiroplasma), (2) walled phloem-limited bacteria such as Candidatus Liberibacter, (3) walled xylem-restricted bacteria such as Xylella and Curtobacterium, and (4) other bacteria (Ralstonia, Xanthomonas, Erwinia, Pantoea, Clavibacter, and Pseudomonas) that invade host plants through different infection sites and pathways, eventually colonizing the xylem tissues.

Phytoplasma causes “yellows disease,” flower abnormality and sterility, resulting in severe economic losses in commercial crops and ornamental trees. Spiroplama is a major cause of corn stunt disease and fruit deformities in citrus plants. Candidatus Liberibacter is responsible for citrus greening, the destructive worldwide citrus disease, which is called “huanglongbing” or “yellow dragon disease.” Xylella attacks plants with high economic value from grapevines to olive trees. Allorhizobium vitis can also affect grapevines, causing tumors known as crown gall disease. Curtobacterium causes potato ring rot and tomato wilt, while Erwinia induces wilt in cucurbits such as melon, pumpkin, and squash. Pantoea destroys corn, and Ralstonia targets solanaceous crops in the nightshade family, including eggplant. Black rot of cruciferous plants and rice bacterial blight are caused by Xanthomonas infection. Pseudomonas is the causal agent of bacterial canker or blast in various plants, especially stone and pome fruits. The growing impact of vascular-colonizing bacteria on agriculture, public gardens and the environment has sparked interest in understanding the mechanisms of how they cause disease.

The aim of this Research Topic is to highlight the research progress of plant vascular-colonizing bacteria and the crop diseases they cause. We welcome submissions of various types, including original research, methodology, mini-reviews, reviews, perspective articles and opinions, covering but not limited to the following scopes (sub-topics):

• Emerging and reemerging plant diseases caused by plant vascular-colonizing bacteria
• host–pathogen interactions
• genomics and other omics studies
• molecular mechanism of pathogenesis
• molecular diagnosis, epidemiology, and disease management
• ecology and evolution

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