An Open Access Resource Portal for Arthropod Vectors and Agricultural Pathosystems: AgriVectors.org

Arthropod vectors of plant pathogens cause enormous economic losses and are a fundamental challenge for sustainable food production. To develop more effective control of plant pathogens and pests, data pertaining to disease systems need to be consolidated, made accessible, searchable and amenable to data mining. The AgriVectors™ platform is an open access and comprehensive resource for growers, researchers and industry who are working on insect-vectored plant pathogens. The portal connects established public repositories with ‘pathosystem-specific’ data repositories. Current resources include the Asian citrus psyllid, the potato psyllid and the bacterial pathogens they transmit to citrus and Solanaceous plants. Expansion to include resources for other important Hemipteran vectors (whiteflies, leafhoppers, planthoppers, scale, mealybugs etc.), thrips. and mites is planned. There is also the capacity to set up private and protected databases for protected access as needed. Linking visual data with gene expression profiles using 3D microCT technology will expand the understanding and use of diverse and complex data. The AgriVectors portal will extend this model beyond gene-centric omics-data to the broader Systems Biology Pathosystem-wide information, with integrated pest management, behavior, plant health, soil health and climate data so that users can rapidly incorporate phenotyping information from greenhouse and field trials. This will establish a foundation for more effective identification and development of solutions for the control of plant diseases. AgriVectors portal creates a user-friendly platform that fosters interdisciplinary collaborations among researchers of diverse plant pathosystems, to simplify data sharing, ideas, and technologies to develop solutions for managing plant diseases.