Identification of differentially expressed root genes upon rhizomania disease.

Rhizomania is one of the most devastating sugar beet diseases. It is caused by Beet necrotic yellow vein virus (BNYVV), which induces abnormal rootlet proliferation. To understand better the physiological and molecular basis of the disorder, transcriptome analysis was performed by restriction fragment differential display polymerase chain reaction (RFDD-PCR), which provided differential gene expression profiles between non-infected and infected sugar beet roots.

Thermal and chlorophyll-fluorescence imaging distinguish plant-pathogen interactions at an early stage.

Different biotic stresses yield specific symptoms, owing to their distinct influence on a plant's physiological status. To monitor early changes in a plant's physiological status upon pathogen attack, chlorophyll fluorescence imaging (Chl-FI) and thermography, which respectively visualize photosynthetic efficiency and transpiration, were carried out in parallel for two fundamentally different plant-pathogen interactions. These non-destructive imaging techniques were able to visualize infections at an early stage, before damage appeared.