Crop damage due to plant diseases could be minimized after MSU researchers discovered how one disease attacks crops.

MSU researchers have been studying a bacterial disease that has been affecting tomato crops across the country and has caused serious crop loss in recent years.

The researchers discovered how the disease destroys the plants and compared it to the way a disease attacks a human.

"Through our research, we have discovered that the pathogen is actually attacking the plant's defense mechanism," said Sheng Yang He, an MSU professor of plant biology, plant pathology and microbiology and molecular genetics and head researcher in the study. "We figured out its main weapon is to pump proteins into the tomato, and this makes it so the tomato can't defend itself. It is very similar to how a bacterial disease attacks humans."

He and his team of researchers have been working on the study for 10 years, and he said the constant sightings of the bacterial attacks across the country sparked his research.

He said one bacterial disease, the fire blight, had a huge effect on Michigan's apple orchards.

"This was the fire blight, which is a different pathogen, but still a bacterial one," He said. "Our research could lead to controlling pathogens such as the fire blight."

George Sundin, a professor in plant pathology who deals with the fire blight, said this disease and the effect it had on Michigan shows just how important He's research is.

"This is a severe disease, and enough of it can kill an apple tree," Sundin said. "When it hit the Michigan orchards, 20 percent of the trees were killed. Down the road, research that He is doing could lead to preventing something like this from happening."

Kinya Nomura, a post-doctoral student on the research team, said finding ways to prevent people from using pesticides is another important part of the research.

"We are trying to make it possible where chemicals are not being used when growing crops and try to make farming more environmentally friendly," Nomura said.

Nomura said the research will be a long process but will be worth it in the end.

"In the long run, though, if we find this mechanism that is killing these plants, we may be able to stop all these bacterial diseases," Nomura said.