Understanding Plant Pathology Fundamentals: Pathogenesis, Causes, and Management Strategies

1. Course Name: Fundamentals of Plant Pathology Course Code: 20013600 Mr. Vikash Kumar (Assistant Professor) Fundamentals of Plant Pathology Mr. Vikash Kumar

2. Course Objectives 1: Name and identify different Diseases, nature of pathogens and different strategies for management of plant diseases. 2: Outline concepts, nomenclature, classification and characters of pathogens 3: Apply different principles and methods for plant disease management. 4: Take a part in identification of diseases and marketing of relevant pesticides. 5: Conclude methods to diagnose and manage a wide range of plant diseases. Fundamentals of Plant Pathology Mr. Vikash Kumar

3. Pathogenesis, causes factors affecting disease development disease triangle and tetrahedron Fundamentals of Plant Pathology Mr. Vikash Kumar

4. Pathogenesis: Pathogenesis is the chain of events that lead to development of disease in the host (or) sequence of progress in disease development from the initial contact between the pathogen and its host to the completion of the syndrome. The word comes from the Greek pathos, "disease ", and genesis, "creation". There are several chemical weapons secreted by pathogens that are utilized as they carry out their activities. These weapons include enzymes, toxins, growth regulators and polysaccharides. Fundamentals of Plant Pathology Mr. Vikash Kumar

5. Steps in pathogenesis 1. Inoculation 2. Penetration 3. Infection 4. Incubation 5. Reproduction 6. Survival Fundamentals of Plant Pathology Mr. Vikash Kumar

6. (1.) Inoculation Inoculation is the contacts of pathogen and plant at certain site to initiate the infection process, such as spores, sclerotia, or fragments of mycelium of fungi may be fungal inoculum. (2.) Penetration Pathogens penetrate plant surfaces either through natural openings such as fungi and nematodes or through wounds in cell wall such as bacteria, viruses, viroids, mollicutes, fastidious bacteria, and protozoa. (3.) Infection The intimate contact of pathogen with its host is called infection process. Successful infection results in the appearance of symptoms, such as discoloration, necrosis, dwarfism, and so on of the host. Invasion:- The phytopathogens can invade the plant tissues by producing mycelia which grow between the cuticle and epidermis. Fundamentals of Plant Pathology Mr. Vikash Kumar

7. (4.) Incubation:- Once inside the plant, pathogens may undergo an incubation period and remain latent for a period of time before initiating disease. (5.) Reproduction Most pathogens especially fungi and parasitic higher plants invade and infect plant tissues through the point of inoculation. Therefore, these pathogens can easily grow and spread within the plant tissues until a certain limit or death occurs. (6.) Survival:- Plant pathogens have evolved so they can survive prolonged periods of unfavourable weather conditions. Fundamentals of Plant Pathology Mr. Vikash Kumar

8. Causes of Plant Diseases Plant diseases are caused by a variety of pathogens. The word pathogen can be broadly defined as any agent or factor that incites ‘pathos’ or disease in an organism. Thus in strict sense, the pathogens do not necessarily belong to living or animate groups. (1.) Abiotic (Inanimate) factors They include mainly the deficiency or excess of nutrients, light, moisture, aeration, abnormality in soil condition, atmospheric impunities etc. Fundamentals of Plant Pathology Mr. Vikash Kumar

9. Examples are:  Black tip of mango (due to SO2 toxicity),  Khaira disease of rice (due to Zn deficiency),  Whiptail of cauliflower (Mo deficiency),  Hollow and black heart of potato (Lack of O2 and High temp.),  Bitter pit of apple (due to Ca deficiency). Fundamentals of Plant Pathology Mr. Vikash Kumar

10. (2.) Mesobiotic causes These are the disease incitants which are neither living nor non-living. They are:  Viruses: They are infections agents made up of one type of nucleic acid (RNA or DNA) enclosed in a protein coat. Examples of viral diseases of plants are: potato leaf roll, leaf curl of tomato and chillies, and mosaic disease of many plants.  Viroids: They are naked, infectious strands of nucleic acid. They cause diseases like potato spindle tuber, citrus exocortis, chrysanthemum stunt, cadang cadang of coconut palm, star crack of apple, etc. Fundamentals of Plant Pathology Mr. Vikash Kumar

11. (3.) Biotic (Animate) causes This category includes the pathogens which are animate or living or cellular organisms. They are:  Fungi  Bacteria  Phytoplasmas  Spiroplasmas  Algae  Nematode  Parasitic flowering plants (Phanerogamic plant parasites): Dodder, Striga, Orobranche, Loranthus, Phoradendron, etc. Fundamentals of Plant Pathology Mr. Vikash Kumar

12. Disease triangle The interaction of the host, the pathogen and the environment results in disease development. It is generally illustrated by a triangle, also called a disease tetrahedron. This is determined by:  Host: All conditions in host that favour susceptibility.  Pathogen: Total of virulence, abundance etc.  Environment: Total of conditions that favour the pathogen and predispose the host plants to pathogen attack.  Time: Specific point of time at which a particular event in disease development occurs and the duration or length of time during which the event takes place. Fundamentals of Plant Pathology Mr. Vikash Kumar

13. Thank You Fundamentals of Plant Pathology Mr. Vikash Kumar