Introduction to Plant Virology

Methods developed for plant virology have been of central importance to other branches of plant pathology. Fungal and bacterial pathogens were recognized and characterized in some detail by 1880, but it was not until after the turn of the century that viral pathogens were identified, and considerably later before they were clearly defined. The requirement to work with viruses at the subcellular level drove technology to develop new tools for their study. Since the 1930s, researchers in the field of plant virology have contributed greatly to universally applicable methodologies. Because plant viruses are simple in structure and easy to purify, they are now ideal candidates for molecular studies.