For the past century, it has been known that plants possess genetically inherited resistance mechanisms to combat phytopathogenic fungi, bacteria and viruses, and that the relationship between pathogens and host plants is highly specialized and complex. As techniques of molecular biology have developed over the past 25 years, our understanding of the molecular basis of these relationships has advanced significantly. Molecular Plant Pathology , the fourth volume in the Annual Plant Reviews series, discusses the ways by which molecular plant pathology can be exploited to control disease and thereby maximize crop yield. It covers the three main areas of plant pathology: how pathogens cause disease; (the molecular signaling that takes place between plant and pathogen); how plants resist disease (what is known about resistance genes, apoptosis, and systemic-acquired resistance); and, how molecular plant pathology can be exploited to control disease.Since disease control is directly related to increased crop production, the topics covered in this book are of major economic significance. This economic importance coupled with the clear, concise coverage of the materials, render Molecular Plant Pathology an extremely useful reference for academic and industrial researchers in plant pathology and other related areas of study.