I would like to express my sincere gratitude to my major advisor, Dr. Hanu Pappu, for the tremendous support, guidance, encouragement and most of all the numerous opportunities that he made available to me during the time I spent working with him. Dr. Pappu has been an exceptional mentor who has been a constant source of inspiration to me. I would also like to thank Dr. Patricia Okubara, Dr. Ken Eastwell and Dr. Gary Chastagner for their advice, guidance and helpful discussions throughout my tenure. I wish to extend my gratitude to Keri Druffel, who taught me numerous techniques in the laboratory and for all the work she did that made my work so much easier. A special thanks to Robert Brueggeman for technical assistance. I am also grateful to the faculty and staff of the Department of Plant Pathology for all the help and support during my graduate studies at Washington State University. A special thank you to Dr. Tim Murray, for arranging departmental financial support and for giving me the opportunity to serve as a teaching assistant. I would also like to thank the Samuel and Patricia Smith Endowment for Dahlia Virus Research, created by the American Dahlia Society for the financial support for this study. Thank you to all my friends in Pullman for their friendship and support. I am very much indebted to my parents for their constant support, love and encouragement. This achievement would not have been possible without their assistance, especially after the birth of my son. Last but not least a heartfelt thank you to my husband Shantanu for his love, encouragement and patience, throughout my graduate program. Finally, to my son Adheesh for putting a smile on my face even on the toughest day
