Rigorous mathematical modeling and physiological experimentation reveal that Ralstonia wilt pathogens consume an in planta diet of amino acids with a dash of sugar

Abstract

Ralstonia are infamously aggressive bacterial wilt pathogens that invade plant roots and spread through the xylem vessel network. The pathogen population grows tremendously within the xylem vessels and then extensively in the stem cortex apoplast. The biomass accumulation clogs the xylem vessels, causing a fatal wilt disease. Despite knowing the infection outcome, linking pathogen physiology to population dynamics in planta has been challenging. In an article recently published in New Phytologist, Baroukh et al. (2024; doi: 10.1111/nph.20216) address this knowledge gap by using Monod-type mathematical modeling to mechanistically simulate the nutritional environment that drives Ralstonia's population dynamics within xylem vessels.

‘The integration of mathematical modeling and experimental data allows researchers to investigate infection conditions that are difficult to achieve in reality.’