Viruses and virus diseases of Poaceae (Gramineae)

This book is significant because it is the definitive resource on viruses that infect the plant species that make up the most important food crops in the world – Poaceae (Gramineae) – which include barley, maize, rice, rye, sorghum, sugarcane, triticale, wheat, forage, ornamental, and lawn. This grass family is among the largest of all plant families consisting of approximately 700 genera and 10,000 species. Nearly twenty percent of plant viruses are known to infect graminaceous hosts resulting in significant agricultural economic losses. The Poaceae are one of the most important plant families in terms of the number of species, worldwide distribution, ecosystems and as ingredients of human and animal food. It is not surprising that they support many parasites including more than 100 severely pathogenic virus species, of which new ones are being regularly described. This book results from the contributions of 150 well-known specialists and presents for the first time an in-depth look at all the viruses (including the retrotransposons) infesting one plant family.