Chapter 8: Invasive Plant Pathogens and Their Impacts on Major Crops: Identifying the Worst Offenders of the European Union

Plant pathogens are microorganisms, such as viruses, bacteria, and fungi, native to specific geographical regions. Since development, globalisation, import/export, and travel across continents increased exponentially, these pathogens taken advantage of these additional opportunities to reach new habitats and affect the ecosystem, with severe consequences. These species are invasive pathogens and cause serious environmental, economic, and social threats to existing ecosystems. These invasive species have the potential to affect both wild and managed landscapes and deteriorate healthy ecosystems that are is vital to native plants, animals, and human life as well. These exotic and invasive species modulate the endemic structure and processes of introduced communities. In some other cases, invasive species may interrupt or alter the existing beneficial interaction mechanisms among native species, creating a severe ecological imbalance that can push native species toward the endangered species category or even in some cases to extinction. Considering the potential threat, the European Union (EU) drew up a list of 20 top-priority invasive species as quarantine pests based on the potential harm they can create. The current chapter discusses invasive plant pathogens, their modes of infestation, and their potential impacts on fruit crops in EU member states.