Understanding the ecology and evolution of bacterial wilt disease in the plant microbiomes

As part of the 12th International Congress of Plant Pathology, colleagues from the Ralstonia Phage project are organising a satellite event focused on Ralstonia solanaceraum.

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Ralstonia solanaceraum is one of the most destructive bacterial plant pathogens worldwide, causing bacterial wilt and major crop losses, especially in the solanaceous plant family. While a solid understanding of the molecular interactions between the pathogen and crop plants have been established, these interactions are poorly understood in more complex rhizosphere microbiomes. Moreover, while increasing evidence suggests that plant-pathogen interactions can evolve rapidly, this is seldom recognised in the context of plant pathogen control. In this session, we will bring together experts from microbiome research, systems biology, plant pathology, experimental evolution and plant pathogen biocontrol to build a multidisciplinary view of the ecology and evolution of R. solanacearum in rhizosphere microbiomes. We aim to produce a holistic summary of how ecological and evolutionary information could be harnessed for bacterial wilt biocontrol and to identify key environmental drivers associated with disease outbreaks. We also welcome researchers interested in R. solanacearum pangenome to better understand its genetic diversity in space and time.