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Plant Pathology III
Last Updated: 2026-02-05 15:23:43
Abstract
Topics will include: pathogen life cycles and disease cycles; plant pathogenic nematodes, viruses, bacteria and fungi; host range; passive and active defenses, chemical and structural defenses; an overview of all major control strategies.
Objective
The major objectives will be to understand: 1) how pathogens attack plants; 2) how plants defend themselves against pathogens; 3) disease control strategies. Topics under the first theme will include pathogen life cycles, disease cycles, and an overview of the attack strategies used by nematodes, viruses, bacteria, and fungi. Topics under the second theme will include host range, passive and active defenses, and chemical and structural defenses. Topics under the third theme will include an overview of all major control strategies and approaches toward integration across control strategies to obtain sustainable disease control.
Content
The nature of plant diseases, symbiosis, parasites, mutualism, biotrophs and necrotrophs, disease cycles and pathogen life cycles. Nematodes attack strategies and types of damage. Viral pathogens, classification, reproduction and transmission, attack strategies and types of damage. Examples TMV, BYDV, plum pox virus. Bacterial pathogens and phytoplasmas, classification, reproduction and transmission, attack strategies and symptoms. Examples fire blight, Agrobacterium, soft rots. Fungal pathogens, classification, growth and reproduction, sexual and asexual spores, transmission. Fungal life cycles, disease cycles, infection processes, colonization, phytotoxins and mycotoxins. Fungal biotrophs, infection processes, symptoms and signs. Examples potato late blight, wheat stem rust, grape powdery mildew, wheat leaf blotch. Plant defense mechanisms, host range and non-host resistance. Passive structural and chemical defenses, preformed chemical defenses. Active structural defense, papillae, active chemical defense, hypersensitive response, pathogenesis-related (PR) proteins. Phytoalexins and disease resistance, pisatin and pisatin demethylase. Local and systemic acquired resistance, signal molecules. Disease control strategies: economic thresholds, physical control methods, cultural control methods. Cultural control methods: avoidance, tillage practices, crop sanitation, fertilizers, crop rotation. Biological control: biofumigation, disease declines, suppressive soils, competitive exclusion, hyperparasitism. Chemical control: history of fungicides in Europe. Fungicide properties, application methods, categories, antibiotics, fungicide development, fungicide safety and risk assessment (human health). Molecular breeding for disease resistance, both quantitative and major gene resistance. QTL mapping and MAS for identification and manipulation of resistance genes. Control based on genetic engineering of plants and pathogens: strategies and examples, role of transgenics in the developing world. Integrated disease management strategies, wheat health.
Resources
Lecture Notes
Lecture notes will be available for purchase at the cost of reproduction.
General Information
- Language
- English
- Levels
- MSC
- Frequency
- Yearly recurring
Examination
- Type
- end-of-semester examination
Course Components
| Type | Title | Time & Place | Hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| lecture with exercise | Plant Pathology III |
|
2 h weekly |