Francisco Ochoa Corona

co-author of "Detection and Diagnostics of Plant Pathogens"

November 4, 2015

Dr. Ochoa Corona's research contributes scientific input to regulatory plant health emergencies and forensic plant pathology to agriculture and water biosecurity in the U.S. and other regions of the world. His research program focuses on development and adaptation of technologies for sampling, molecular identification of genomic landmarks and signatures of value for detection and discrimination of plant viruses and microbes, implication of genetic data on taxonomical relationships, host-pathogen associations and their dynamics, tracking pathogens global dispersal routes and biogeographic distribution including the use of bioinformatic tools.

A quick and reliable detection method in combination with decision support systems is fundamental to reduce the damages caused by pathogens, thus reducing the number of treatments and containing the potential losses. The book provides good examples of application in overlapping Biosecurity and microbial forensics sectors. All to support international organizations to secure global trade and agriculture all over the world. The authored chapter discuses that although most plant diseases are the result of natural or unintentional causes, cropping systems and essential natural plant resources such as forests and grasslands also are considered vulnerable to actions of nefarious intent. Microbial forensics is defined as the application of scientific approaches to solving a crime that involves a microorganism; its goal is to investigate and present unbiased scientific evidence useful for attributing the crime to a perpetrator. Recent programs intended to enhance general capabilities in microbial forensics have included specific attention to plant pathogens. Compared to the strategies employed by traditional plant disease diagnosticians, forensic applications of plant pathogen diagnostics require unusually high levels of stringency, reliability, and prior validation. These assays must be paired with court-defensible sampling methods, chain of custody, and other traditional and non-traditional methods of forensic investigation.

URL: https://library.okstate.edu/news/celebratingbooks/2016-honorees/francisco-corona

Last Updated: 12 January 2022