The mission of the Laboratory is to solve problems related to the management and control of agriculturally important plant diseases. The Laboratory’s research program involves comprehensive studies of plant diseases caused by three major types of pathogens: 1) subcellular pathogens (viruses, viral satellites, and viroids); 2) prokaryotes (phytoplasmas, spiroplasmas, and walled bacteria); and 3) eukaryotic pathogens (fungi). The research addresses the molecular biology, biochemistry, ecology, morphology, systematics and genomics of plant pathogens; the biochemistry and genetics of host-pathogen interaction and host resistance; the development and use of virus-based vectors for the expression of foreign genes in plants; and the development of new diagnostic approaches and safe disease control mechanisms. Crops under current study include wheat, sugarbeet, potato, citrus, strawberry, and soybean.