Host-parasite interaction during development of major seed-borne bacterial diseases

Abstract

Parasitic species demonstrate a wide range of population structures and life cycle plan, including various transmission modes, life cycle complication, survivability, and dispersal ability with and without the presence of their hosts. A prominent feature of hosts and parasites is based on their genetics which can be regulated by coevolution. Infections measured under laboratory conditions have shown that the environment in which hosts and parasites interact might substantially affect the strength and specificity of selection. An effective defense response is the precursor of evolution in plant immunity which restricts the potential onset of disease by microbial pathogens (parasites). In plants, the primary immune response, pathogen-associated molecular pattern (PAMP)-triggered immunity (PTI), is one of the best examples of evolution to acknowledge general characteristics of microbial pathogens. Such type of coevolution was manifested in host-parasite interactions, but the knowledge is very less. The behavior of parasite and environmental factors also affects the host-parasite interactions. The environmental conditions such as moisture content, temperature, wind velocity, and availability of food are major factors in host-parasite interaction. The environment provides a suitable condition for the establishment of host and their parasite. In this book chapter, we are focusing on coevolution, environmental effect, and specificity during host-parasite interactions.