Abstract
Food losses due to crop infections from pathogens such as bacteria, viruses and fungi are persistent issues in agriculture for centuries across the globe. In order to minimize the disease induced damage in crops during growth, harvest and postharvest processing, as well as to maximize productivity and ensure agricultural sustainability, advanced disease detection and prevention in crops are imperative. This paper reviews the direct and indirect disease identification methods currently used in agriculture. Laboratory-based techniques such as polymerase chain reaction (PCR), immunofluorescence (IF), fluorescence in-situ hybridization (FISH), enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), flow cytometry (FCM) and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) are some of the direct detection methods. Indirect methods include thermography, fluorescence imaging and hyperspectral techniques. Finally, the review also provides a comprehensive overview of biosensors based on highly selective bio-recognition elements such as enzyme, antibody, DNA/RNA and bacteriophage as a new tool for the early identification of crop diseases.
Highlights
Global food security as determined by the balance of global food production and demand has become an important international issue in recent years [1,2,3]
Two orchid viruses—Cymbidium mosaic virus (CymMV) and Odontoglossum ringspot virus (ORSV)—have been detected with specific oligonucleotide probes with a fluorescent moiety attached to one end of DNA while a quenching moiety attached to the opposite end
We reviewed the currently existing methods for detection of plant diseases caused by pathogens such as bacteria, viruses and fungi
Summary
Global food security as determined by the balance of global food production and demand has become an important international issue in recent years [1,2,3]. It was estimated that the demand for food will continue to increase for another 40 years due to the continuous increase in human population. Over one billion people are suffering from different situations of malnutrition due to lack of food supply and approximately twice that population do not have access to sufficient nutrients or vitamins to meet their daily nutrition needs [6]. The situation can be attributed to the continuous decline in agricultural land area that causes a decrease in productivity. Decrease in agricultural productivity can be attributed to a variety of reasons, damage caused by pests and pathogens plays a significant role in crop losses throughout the world. The economic losses due to infections are estimated at 40 billion dollars annually in the United States alone [9,10]. In order to minimize the disease induced damage in crops during growth, harvest and postharvest processing, as well as to maximize productivity and ensure agricultural sustainability, advanced disease detection and prevention in crops are highly important
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