Plant Viruses: From Crop Pathogens To Key Players In Bio-Nanotechnology

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Orchid infected with the Tobacco mosaic virus. Department of Plant Pathology Archive North Carolina State University - USDA Forest Service

Plant viruses are sub-microscopic parasites that have been studied primarily because they cause devastating diseases in crop plants. But in recent years, scientists have discovered they’re not just bad news; they also form symbiotic relationships with plants and the microbes they host.

Moreover, plant virus genomes have been engineered for use in gene delivery and are also being increasingly used as nanoparticles in bio-nanotechnology.