Current and emerging molecular technologies for the diagnosis of plant diseases – An overview

Abstract

Plant diseases caused by numerous pathogens such as bacteria, viruses, and fungi are responsible for substantial economic losses in the agricultural industry worldwide. Specific, sensitive, and efficient diagnostic tools have been developed worldwide to mitigate and prevent the pathogenic threat. The diagnostic tools have revolutionized from classical methods to more advanced molecular diagnostic approaches such as enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), conventional polymerase chain reaction (PCR), real-time PCR, loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP), biosensor, and next-generation sequencing (NGS). Hence, this review describes the current and emerging molecular diagnostic tools to distinguish and identify pathogens in crops.