Doomsday bugs in plant world?

mensplace · August 6, 2014

Having just seen an excellent FRONTLINE segment re the many forms of virus, bacteria, etc.. that are cropping up in the medical world on a global basis, I was reminded of the Irish potato famine that took so many lives. Are there counterparts to the antibiotic resistant strains of bacteria and viruses in the plant world? Any known threats to agricultural crops that have already emerged? Many drug companies apparently have pulled out of antibiotic research due to the relatively low return on investment and costs of up to a billion dollars to launch new drugs. Is there any concern or planning for such in the realm of agricultural crops?

August 6, 2014	#1
mensplace Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Dec 2009 Location: USA Posts: 1,013	Doomsday bugs in plant world? Having just seen an excellent FRONTLINE segment re the many forms of virus, bacteria, etc.. that are cropping up in the medical world on a global basis, I was reminded of the Irish potato famine that took so many lives. Are there counterparts to the antibiotic resistant strains of bacteria and viruses in the plant world? Any known threats to agricultural crops that have already emerged? Many drug companies apparently have pulled out of antibiotic research due to the relatively low return on investment and costs of up to a billion dollars to launch new drugs. Is there any concern or planning for such in the realm of agricultural crops?