It is apparent that wilt diseases continue to be a major problem in crop production because of the number of crops affected, the number and genetic variability of pathogens involved, and their widespread occurrence throughout tropical and temperate regions under a variety of cropping systems. It is also apparent, however, that new understandings and approaches, often in combinations not previously discerned, offer exciting new prospects for research, understanding and practical control methods. The current state-of-the-art and fields for further studies were discussed by researchers actively engaged in a wide range of areas from ecological studies of physical and biological factors in the host-parasite-environmental interactions in the soil, through physiological and biochemical studies of host-parasite recognition and interaction that determine relative colonization of the host, through genetic-molecular studies of these interactions, to the most practical field studies of disease control.

Inhalt
LIFE CYCLES OF PATHOGENS, COLONIZATION OF HOSTS AND PATHOGENESIS.- Dynamics of Colonization of Plant Roots by Verticilliumdahliae and other fungi.- Colonization of the Vascular System of Plants by Fungal Wilt Pathogens: A Basis for Modeling the Interactions between Host and Parasite in Time and Space.- Host Colonization and Pathogenesis in Plant Diseases Caused by Fastidious Xylem-Inhabiting Bacteria.- Pathogenesis in Vascular Diseases of Plants.- Biology and HostParasite Relations of Fusariumoxysporum f. sp. radicislycopersici.- Diagnosis of Bacterial Infections by Immunological Methods.- Colonization and Pathogenesis in Chickpeas Infected by Races of Fusariumoxysporum f. sp. ciceri.- Current Status of Verticillium Wilt of Cotton in Southern Spain: Pathogen Variation and population in Soil.- A Leaf Injection Technique for the Enhancement of Low populations of Clavibactermichiganensis subsp. Sepedonicus.- Sources and Pathways of Contamination of Potatoes by Soft Rot Erwinias in Scotland.- RECOGNITION AND RESPONSE BETWEEN HOST AND PARASITE AS DETERMINANTS IN RESISTANCE AND DISEASE DEVELOPMENT.- Recognition and Response between Host and Parasite as Determinants in Resistance and Disease Development.- Secondary Metabolites Produced in Resistant and Susceptible Host Plants in Response to Fungal Vascular Infection.- Induced Resistance to Fusarium wilt Diseases.- Physiological and Biochemical Mechanisms in Host Resistance and Susceptibility to Wilt Pathogens.- Exopolysaccharides Produced by Pseudomonassolanacearum.- Cross Protection among Strains of Verticilliumdahliae on Sunflower.- Accumulation of Phytoalexins in Susceptible and Resistant Near-Isogenic Lines of Tomato Inoculated with Verticilliumalbo-atrum or Fusariumoxysporum f. sp. lycopersici.- Fusarium Wilt of OilPalm: Transmission, Isolate Variation.- GENETIC AND MOLECULAR BASES FOR RESISTANCE OR SUSCEPTIBILITY OF THE HOST AND VIRULENCE OR AVIRULENCE OF THE PARASITE.- Implications of Genetic/Molecular Evidence with Respect to Virulence/Avirulence of Fungal Wilt Pathogens.- Molecular Bases for Virulence and Avirulence of Fungal Wilt Pathogens.- Virulence and Avirulence of Bacterial Pathogens and Designation of Races.- Organization and Expression of the hrp Gene Cluster in Pseudomonassyringae pv. Phaseolicola.- The Analysis of Verticillium Strain Relationship.- Selection, Characterization, Pathogenicity and Virulence of Pectinase - Deficient Mutants of Verticilliumalbo-atrum.- ENVIRONMENTAL INFLUENCES ON DISEASE INCIDENCE AND SEVERITY.- Nutritional Factors Affecting Fusarium wilt Incidence and Severity.- Soil Temperature Interactions with the Biotic Components of Vascular Wilt Diseases.- Microbial populations and Mechanisms Determining SoilSuppressiveness to Fusarium Wilts.- Role of Competition for Carbon and Iron in Mechanisms of Soil Suppressiveness to Fusarium Wilts.- Epidemiology of Fusariumoxysporum f. sp. radicis-lycopersici.- On the Influence of Environmental Factors on Disease Development.- Factors Affecting Potato Blackleg Development.- Characteristics of Greek Isolates of Pseudomonassolanacearum.- A COMPREHENSIVE SYSTEM OF CONTROL MEASURES.- Problems and Prospects in Controlling Verticillium Wilt.- Manipulation of Soil Environment to Create Suppressiveness in Soils.- Allelopathic Control of Fusariumoxysporum f. sp. radicis-lycopersici.- Biocontrol of Verticillium Wilt of Eggplant and Potato.- The Biological Control Induced by Soil Solarization.- Strategies for the control of Bayoud Disease of the Date Palm Caused by Fusariumoxysporum f. sp. albedinis.- Races ofFusariumoxysporum f. sp. ciceri Infecting Chickpeas in Southern Spain.- Inhibition of Microsclerotium Formation in Verticilliumdahliae by Thioglycolic Acid in Infected Cotton Stems.- Studies on Selectivity and Systemicity of Sterol Biosynthesis Inhibitors in Transformed Roots Inoculated with Fusariumoxysporum.- Cultural Practices: The Effect of Plant Density and Irrigation Regimes on Verticillium Wilt of Cotton.- Effect of Crop Rotation and Metham-Sodium on Verticilliumdahliae.- Preliminary Studies on the Control of Potato Blackleg by a Hot Water Treatment of Seed Tubers.- Biological Control of Pseudomonassolanacearum.- Participants.