A Textbook of Plant Diseases

Plant pathology is the scientific study of plant diseases caused by pathogens (infectious organisms) and environmental conditions. Organisms that cause infectious disease include fungi, oomycetes, bacteria, viruses, viroids, virus-like organisms, phytoplasmas, protozoa, nematodes and parasitic plants. Not included are ectoparasites like insects, mites, vertebrate, or other pests that affect plant health by consumption of plant tissues. Plant pathology also involves the study of pathogen identification, disease etiology, disease cycles, economic impact, plant disease epidemiology, plant disease resistance, how plant diseases affect humans and animals, pathosystem genetics, and management of plant diseases. In many cases, the insect and virus are specific for virus transmission such as the beet leafhopper that transmits the curly top virus causing disease in several crop plants. Nematodes are small, multicellular wormlike creatures. Many live freely in the soil, but there are some species that parasitize plant roots. The book fulfil not only the need of the students to find literature on the diseases and other pathological conditions difficult to obtain and access, but also provide complete systematic treatment of the subject from their point of view.