The Role and Application of Bioinformatics in Plant Disease Management

Abstract

In recent years, rapid developments in genomics and proteomics have generated a large amount of biological data. Drawing conclusions from these data requires sophisticated computational analyses. Bioinformatics is the interdisciplinary science of interpreting biological data using information technology and computer science. The importance of this new field of inquiry will grow as we continue to generate and integrate large quantities of genomic, proteomic, and other data. As the amount of data grows exponentially, there is a parallel growth in the demand for tools and methods in data management, visualization, integration, analysis, modeling and prediction. Bioinformatics plays an essential role in today’s plant pathology with regards to the development of new plant diagnostic tools. Pathogen is among the traits considered in the primary interest of plant bioinformatics. The contribution of bioinformatics advances made possible the mapping of the entire genomes of many organisms in just over a decade. These discoveries, along with current efforts to determine gene and protein functions, have improved the ability to understand the root causes of plant diseases and find new cures. Furthermore, many future bioinformatics innovations will likely be spurred by the data and analysis demands of the life sciences. Bioinformatics have many practical applications in current plant disease management with respect to the study of host-pathogen interactions, understanding the disease genetics and pathogencity factor of a pathogen which ultimately help in designing best management options. This review paper describes some of the key concepts and databases used in bioinformatics, with an emphasis on those relevant to plant science. It also covers some aspects with regards to the role application of this endeavor science in today’s plant disease management strategies.

Keywords: Bioinformatics, Database, Diagnostic tool, Pathogen, Plant disease,