PLANT
PATHOLOGY
LESSON 2. DEFINITION OF PLANT PATHOLOGY
Learning Objectives
At the end of this module, the students are expected
to:
1. Define plant pathology.
2. Recall the word history of phytopathology.
3. Describe plant pathology as a science and as
an art.
[Link]
4. Explain the objectives of plant pathology. ca
2
Introduction
• Crop protection has an important
role in global food security.
• Its aim is to limit crop losses and
Pests need a solid damage to its minimum during:
control measure
formulated through a. production
research on their b. harvesting
biological structures
and activities c. post-harvest handling
3
PRE-TEST
1. For you, what is plant pathology?
2. What do you think is the importance of
plant pathology in crop production?
3. Give a sample situation where plant
pathology is applied in farming.
What is ❑Plant pathology
Plant ▪ is a discipline closely related to
Pathology crop protection
▪ Phytopathology came from Greek word:
▪ phyton meaning "plant," and literally "that
which has grown";
▪ phyein meaning "to bring forth, make
grow";
▪ Pathos meaning “suffering”;
▪ Logos or study
▪ It is the study of suffering plants or the
management of diseases to minimize
losses
ETYMOLOGY
▪ According to Merriam-
Webster Dictionary, the
Medical Definition of plant
pathology is “a branch of
botany concerned with the
diseases of plants” — called
also phytopathology.
DEFINITION
▪ According to Canadian
Phytopathological Society,
the science of plant
diseases is called plant
pathology, or
phytopathology.
DEFINITION
▪ According to the Department of
Agriculture of Republic of South Africa,
Plant Pathology is defined as the study
of the organisms and environmental
conditions that cause disease in plants,
the mechanisms by which this occurs,
the interactions between these causal
agents and the plant (effects on plant
growth, yield and quality), and the
methods of managing or controlling
DEFINITION plant disease.
▪ It also interfaces knowledge from
other scientific fields such as mycology,
microbiology, virology, biochemistry,
bio-informatics, etc.
▪ According to Tamil Nadu Agricultural
University in India, Plant pathology or
phytopathology:
▪ is the science, which deals with the plant
diseases
▪ is concerned with the health and productivity of
growing plants
▪ is the branch of agricultural, botanical, or
biological science that deals with the cause, and
etiology (aetiology), resulting in losses and
management methods of plant diseases
▪ can also be defined as the study of the nature,
DEFINITION cause and prevention of plant diseases.
▪ is related to most of the old and new sciences like
biology, physics, chemistry, physiology,
mathematics, genetics, soil science, biochemistry,
biotechnology etc.
❑Plant Pathology
▪ is the study of the organisms or
environmental factors that cause disease
in plants; of the mechanism by which
these factors induce disease in plants; and
of the methods of preventing or
controlling disease and reducing the
damage it causes.
▪ is also the art of dealing with the
application of knowledge gained from
studying science which includes disease
diagnosis, assessment, forecasting,
recommendation and appropriate control,
and field application of suitable control.
Two Important
Components of Plant
Pathology
❑Plant Pathology
▪ deals with the nature, causes, and
control of plant diseases.
▪ is a science that looks into the
characteristics of the diseases, their
causes, plant-pathogen interactions,
factors affecting disease
development in individual plants and
in populations, and various means of
controlling diseases.
❑Plant Pathology
▪ tries to increase our knowledge about
plant diseases.
▪ tries to develop methods, equipment, and
materials through which plant disease can
be avoided or controlled.
❑ Since the control of plant diseases has
depended increasingly on the use of
pesticide, much of the modern research in
plant pathology aims at finding other
environmentally friendly means of
controlling plant diseases
❑ The art of plant pathology deals with
the application of the knowledge
gained from studying it as a science.
❑ This includes the following:
[Link] or recognizing particular diseases by
their symptoms and sign; diseases assessment
and forecasting;
[Link] of appropriate control
measures; and
[Link] application of suitable of control
measures
❑ The ultimate objective of plant
OBJECTIVES OF pathology is to prevent or minimize
PLANT plant diseases not only to increase
PATHOLOGY
food production but also to maintain
the quantity and quality of the
harvested fresh community until it
reaches the final consumer.
❑ We also need to protect and preserve
plants used for fiber, drugs and
aesthetics.
❑ Plant pathology has the following major
OBJECTIVES OF objectives.
PLANT a. To study of biotic (living), mesobiotic and
PATHOLOGY abiotic (non-living and environmental)
causes of diseases or disorders.
b. To study the mechanisms of disease
development by pathogens.
c. To study the plant (host)-pathogen
interaction in relation to the
environment.
d. To develop methods of management of
plant diseases.
TERMS
Plant pathology (gr., path -“suffering”- “ology”, the science of) is the study
of plant diseases and the abnormal conditions that constitute plant disorders.
Etiology is the determination and study of the cause of disease. A pathogen
can be living or non-living,but usually refers to a live agent. A pathogen is an
organism which causes a disease. Pathological is a condition of being
diseased. Pathogenic is having the characteristics of a pathogen and
pathogenicity is the capability of a pathogen to cause a disease.
TERMS
A plant disease is an abnormality in the structure and/or function of the host
plant cells and/or tissue as a result of a continuous irritation caused by a
pathogenic agent or an environmental factor. A disease is not static; it is a
series of changes in the plant. All plants, to some extent, are subject to
disease. Plant disease is the result of an infectious, or biotic (a living
component of an ecosystem) agent or a noninfectious, or abiotic
(nonliving, physical and/or chemical component) factor.
TERMS
Plant injury is an abrupt alteration of form or function caused by a
discontinuous irritant. Plant injury includes insect, animal, physical, chemical
or environmental agents.
A causal agent is a general term used to describe an animate or inanimate
factor which incites and governs disease and injury. A causal organism is a
pathogen of biotic origin. When a pathogenic agent is virulent (the relative
aggressiveness of a pathogen) it can cause disease and if the agent is
avirulent it is a variant of a pathogen that does not cause severe disease
(non-virulent is the preferred synonym to avoid confusion with “a virulent”).
TERMS
A parasite (gr. “parasitos”, one who eats at the table of another) is an organism which lives
on or in another organism and obtains its nutrition there from. An obligate parasite is an
organism which is wholly dependent for its nutrition on another living entity. Obligate
parasites are biotrophs (gr.”bio”, life - “troph”, “nourish, feeder”) which also depend entirely
on a living host for its nutrition. An autotroph (“auto”, self - “troph, nourish, feeder” ) is a
plant that can make its own food through photosynthesis. A facultative parasites has the
ability, or “faculty” to adapt to an alternative mode of living ( i.e.: parasite or saprophyte)
saprophytes (gr. sapro, “rotten”- “phyte”, plant) are organisms that gain their nourishment
by digesting dead organic material. Keep in mind that a parasite is defined by how the
organism secures its nutrients and a pathogen is defined on the basis of causing
abnormalities. Environmental disease includes such factors as extremes in weather,
nutrient deficiency or excess, toxic chemicals and other nonliving agents.
TERMS
A host is an organism (eg.: a plant) that is harboring a parasite or pathogen
from which it obtains its nutrients. The host range refers to the various kinds
of host plants that a given pathogen may parasitize. A host is considered
resistant when it has the ability to exclude, hinder or overcome the effects of
a given pathogen or other damaging factor. A plant may be resistant to one
pathogen or condition but not others. Tolerance is the ability of a plant to be
colonized by a pathogen or exposed to an abiotic factor without dying or
demonstrating disease symptoms. Susceptibility is the antithesis of
resistance.
TERMS
Symbiosis is the mutually beneficial association between two or more different
kinds of organisms. The organisms in this association are referred to as
symbionts. An example of symbiosis is demonstrated in the beneficial relationship
between mycorrhizal fungi and the roots of over 85% of the plants in nature. The
relationship between mycorrhizal fungi and the host roots of the plant result in
increased surface area for absorption of nutrients and water. In return the fungi gain
carbohydrates (simple sugars) from the plant. Other examples are the nitrogen-
fixing nodules on the roots of legumes caused by bacteria of the genus Rhizobium
and the symbiotic relationship of certain fungi and a photosynthetic partner, either
an alga or a cyanobacterium, as in lichens.
TERMS
The signs and symptoms of plant disorders are the appearance or manifestation of
changes in the normal form and/or function of the plant. Signs and symptoms are usually the
first indication you will notice in plant problems. Signs are the appearance and/or physical
evidence of the causal factor of the plants abnormality. Signs are the physical evidence of
damage caused by biotic or abiotic agents such as the pathogen itself, pests, spores, fruiting
bodies, chemical residue, bacterial ooze and so forth. Symptoms are the visible response
of a plant to biotic and/or abiotic factors that result in a change or abnormality in the plant.
Symptoms can take form as galls, chlorosis, ring-spots, wilt, rot and so on. A syndrome is
the totality of the effects demonstrated in a host by one disease, whether simultaneously or
successively, and whether visible to the unaided eye or not. Diagnostics is the
determination of the nature and/or cause of a disease or disordered condition.
TERMS
For a biotic disease to occur, the environmental conditions must be conducive to the survival of the
pathogen. This is especially true with moisture and temperature. Environmental factors can encourage
or discourage the susceptibility of the host and the pathogenicity of the pathogen. The environmental
conditions can also effect the interaction between the host and the pathogen. Environmental diseases
are caused by persistent unfavorable environmental conditions. These conditions include temperature,
moisture, wind, light, soil pH, soil structure, host nutrition, herbicides, chemicals and air pollutants.
Nutrient deficiency and excess also can greatly affect the susceptibility of plants to disease and
disorders. The four fundamental elements required for disease in plants are: a susceptible host, a
pathogen capable of causing disease, a favorable environment and adequate time. This is referred to
as the “disease quadrangle”.
TERMS
The life cycle of an infectious disease is the sequence of distinct events, such as sexual reproduction, that occur
between the appearance and reappearance of the causal organism. The stages of the disease cycle are thE
appearance, development and perpetuation of a pathogen and the effect of the disease on the host. Because
advancement of the disease involves the host, the pathogen and in some cases biological vectors, the life cycle of
the pathogen as well as environmental factors are involved in the disease cycle. Propagules are any structure,
fragment or part of an organism that can propagate the organism. The propagules, such as spores, sclerotia etc.
that overwinter or oversummer and initiate an infection are referred to as primary inoculum. Secondary
inoculum is produced by infections that take place during the same growing season. Inoculation is the process
of applying inoculum to a host. Inoculum must be on a part of the host that can be invaded, this is the infection
court. A repeating cycle is a series of secondary infections that continue for a specific period of time during the
growing season. A polycyclic disease is one that completes two or more life cycles in one year. A monocyclic
disease is one that has one life cycle in one year.
TERMS
Pathogens are transmitted, disseminated and spread by many factors, which include
biotic, abiotic and environmental factors. Transmission usually implies active transfer by
means of grafting, insects, mechanical factors, animals and so on. To disseminate or spread
means to disperse or distribute. Disseminate usually refers to long-distance distribution, and
spread usually refers to local distribution. Vectors are active agents of transmission such as
insects, mites, nematodes and other animals. The dissemination of pathogenic organisms can
also be accomplished by wind, rain, irrigation, contaminated seeds and transplants. A few
pathogens have the ability to move short distances on their own. Nematodes, zoosporic
fungi, oomycetes and some bacteria can move from host to host if they are close enough to
one another and the conditions are favorable.
TERMS
Infection is the establishment of a parasite on or within a host cell or tissue. The
infection court is a certain part of a given plant that is susceptible to a particular
pathogen or pathogens. Successful infections usually result in the appearance of
disease symptoms. Colonization of a host results from the establishment, growth
and reproduction of the pathogen on or in infected plant. Infestation refers to the
establishment (or “running over”) on the surface of a host by a large number of
insects or other animal pests. With infestation there is no implication that infection
has occurred.
TERMS
An epidemic is the unarrested, widespread increase of an infectious
disease, usually limited in time. An epidemic may extend over a single
season or many years and over a wide or relatively small area. An endemic
disease is one that is permanently established in a moderate or severe form
within a defined area. Endemic diseases usually become indigenous
following initial introduction of the pathogen. Epidemiology is the study of
factors affecting the outbreak and spread of infectious disease. The
epidemic rate is the increase or decrease per unit or time in a given plant
population.
TERMS
The classification of a disease can be categorized by
the pathogen, the host, the age of the host, the name of
the disease, a plant part, symptoms, location, causal
agent, geography or by order of importance within a given
location. Taxonomic classification is the systematic
ordering of plants and animals.
POST-TEST
1. For you, what is plant pathology?
2. What do you think is the importance of
plant pathology in crop production?
3. Give a sample situation where plant
pathology is applied in farming.