About this Research Topic

Background

This Research Topic is focused on the plant wilt disease caused by the bacterial pathogen, Ralstonia sp. We hope to provide a dedicated publishing platform to the worldwide community of researchers interested in “all things related to plant pathogenic Ralstonia”. This globally-distributed group of pathogens inflicts major losses on many economically important crops; in addition, it is a model system for fundamental research plant-microbe interactions. We believe that it is of particular interest to launch this Research Topic now, as we are hosting the 6th International Symposium on Bacterial Wilt in Toulouse, France from the 3rd to the 7th of July. This symposium, held every 5 years, unites an unusual diversity of basic and applied researchers from all over the world.

In this Research Topic, we welcome contributions (Original Research, Methods, Protocols, Hypothesis & Theory, Review, Mini Review) dealing with different aspects of research involving this widespread bacterium and its interactions with plants. This includes:
-studies on the environmental and integrative microbiology of this bacterium, ranging from ecology and epidemiology to the evolutionary dynamics of Ralstonia sp.
-studies on the genomic diversity and molecular analysis of the bacterial regulation networks and virulence determinants as well as the host plant responsesmportantly,
-contributions that highlight means of controlling bacterial wilt, both in terms of plant genetic improvement and agricultural practices.

We are especially enthusiastic about publishing with Frontiers in Plant Science because it is an open-access journal, available even to colleagues in resource-poor universities in the tropics where bacterial wilt diseases have the greatest human impact. We hope that this Research Topic will be a successful gathering of research papers and opinions to contribute to advancing both our knowledge and our strategies to control this high-impact plant pathogenic bacterium.

Keywords: Ralstonia spp., Bacterial wilt, microbiology, plant breeding

Important note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.

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