Beneficial plant pathogens in horticulture

Abstract

Tulipani kao i Božićna zvijezda opčinjavaju ljude svojom ljepotom već više stotina godina. Činjenica da tu ljepotu duguju patogenima, koje inače povezujemo s negativnim učincima na bilje upravo fascinira. Virusi i fitoplazme su važni biljni patogeni jer izazivaju bolesti jako velikog broja biljaka diljem svijeta. Inficirajući tulipane, virusi, a ponajviše virus šarenila cvijeta tulipana ili TBV, uzrokuju nejednaku distribuciju antocijana, što dovodi do prošaranosti latice. Također, taj isti virus uzrokuje degeneraciju same biljke pa su uzgajivači bili primorani razviti mnogobrojne tehnike hibridnog uzgoja kako bi i dalje imali prošarani cvijet tulipana koji raste na vitalnoj biljci. Božićna zvijezda ili poinzecija, iz porodice mlječika, drugi je primjer kako patogeni, u ovom slučaju poinsettia fitoplazma, mogu pozitivno djelovati na povećani uzgoj biljke, a samim time i na istraživanja o njoj. Fitoplazma pretvara uspravno i visoko stablo domaćina u kompaktnu biljku patuljastog rasta sa raznobojnim braktejama raspoređenim na vrhu biljke. Osim ovih, postoje još neki korisni patogeni poput snijeti iz roda Ustilago. Počevši svoj povijesni razvoj kao valuta za robnu razmjenu ili u ritualima, tulipan i poinzecija su do danas postali vrlo popularni među ljubiteljima ukrasnog bilja. Komercijalnim uzgajivačima ove biljke donose milijunske zarade. To ukazuje kako biljni patogeni mogu biti važni i iznimno korisni u hortikulturi.Tulips as well as poinsettias have enchanted humans with their beauty for many centuries. The fact that they owe this beauty to pathogens which we otherwise associate with negative impact on plants is fascinating. Viruses and phytoplasmas are important plant phatogens as they are responsible for diseases in hundreds of plant species worldwide. By infecting the tulips, viruses, especially tulip breaking virus, cause irregular distribution of anthocyanins, resulting in colour breaking. The same virus causes plant degeneration, which forced tulip cultivators to develop hybridization techniques so they could still have multicoloured flowers of tulips growing on a vital plant. Christmas star is another example of how pathogens, in this case poinsettia phytoplasma, can make a positive impact on cultivating plants and on scientific research about them as well. Phytoplasma turns a straight and tall host tree into a compact-sized plant with a multicoloured canopy. Apart from stated above, there are some other useful pathogens like smut from Ustilago genus. Tulip and poinsettia started their historical development as a currency for merchandise exchange or in rituals. Today they are very popular among admirers of decorative plants. To commercial cultivators these plants generate millions in income. This proves that plant pathogens can be important and especially usefull in horticulture