Crop production worldwide is highly vulnerable to emerging
and variable pathogens that can cause devastating economic losses
and threaten global food security [1]. The introduction of exotic
plant pathogenic microbes has continually challenged US agriculture, e.g., recent threats to citrus production in Florida, soybean
production in the Midwest, and native stands of oaks and forests in
California [2]. The ornamental industry in Texas is vulnerable to
importation of quarantined pathogens as a result of the large-scale
movement of soil and plant material from out-of-state as well as
offshore producers [3]. Federal and state regulators recently
responded to the introduction of Phytophthora ramorum and Ralstonia
solanacearum race 3 biovar 2 (R3B2) on ornamentals to quarantine
and eradicate infected plants. To meet these new and growing
challenges caused by plant pathogenic microbes, there is a critical
need for the development of innovative technologies for rapid,
accurate, and cost-effective detection and identification of such
etiologic agents in field settings.