Joseph (Josy) M. Bové Dedication

Abstract

5th International Research Conference on Huanglongbing, Florida, 2017 Joseph (Josy) M. Bove dedication J Ayres 1 , LW Timmer 2 , and T Gottwald 3 Fundecitrus, SP, Brazil; 2 University of Florida, FL, USA; 3 USDA, FL, USA. Citation: Ayres J, Timmer LW, Gottwald T. 2017. Joseph (Josy) M. Bove dedication. J Cit Pathol. iocv_journalcitruspathology_34815. Joseph (Josy) M. Bove was a consummate professional who made many important discoveries that have had a significant effect on plant pathology and on citrus industries worldwide. He was born in Luxemburg, in 1929, moved to France as a boy and became a French citizen in 1968. He did his doctoral work on the in vitro synthesis of plant viral RNA under Jacques Monod at the Pasteur Institute, but most of his career was dedicated to the investigation of systemic prokaryotes infecting citrus. He was Researcher at the French Institute for Citrus and Tropical Fruit Research at Versailles, France (1959-1970); iocv_journalcitruspathology_34815 Director of Research at INRA (French National Institute for Agricultural Research) campus of Bordeaux, France (1971-1975) and professor of microbiology at the University of Bordeaux (1976-1997), Head of Laboratory for Cellular and Molecular Plant Biology (1974-1994) and President of INRA-Bordeaux (1984-1994). Two of his most important discoveries were that the agent of citrus stubborn disease was not a virus as thought previously, but a bacterium and, more precisely, a helical mycoplasma to be named Spiroplasma citri. Similarly, the agent of citrus greening disease was not a virus, but also a bacterium, to be named Candidatus Liberibacter africanus for the disease in Africa and Ca. L. asiaticus for the disease in Asia. His group used antibiotic therapy and electron microscopy to demonstrate that the pathogen was a gram-negative bacterium. He also found that witches’ broom disease of lime, a disease that was devastating lime production in the Middle East, was associated with a mycoplasma Ca. Phytoplasma aurantifolia and transmitted by a leafhopper. Many colleagues and students were initially intimidated by his strong personality and his self- confidence, and he was often critical of weak papers and statements not supported with good data. But, he was always helpful to all, provided valuable suggestions, and was willing to share his knowledge and undertake projects of international cooperation. One of his major and unusual strengths was his ability to link the latest scientific findings with solutions to agricultural problems in the field. During his academic career, Bove published over 300 scientific articles in high impact journals. He served as Chairman of the International Organization of Citrus Virology and the International Organization of Mycoplasmology. He organized many scientific meetings and hosted numerous scientists and trainees in his lab and at his home with his wife Collette, who was a great scientist in her own right. Josy was a consultant for FAO on citrus diseases and traveled extensively. He was widely known everywhere and greatly respected for his insight into all types of problems. His list of countries visited was much longer than the ones he missed.