Plant Pathology

• Epidemiology is the study of disease development on plant population
• Epidem means disease spread
• 1. Pathogen – ability to increase disease (virulence)
• 1. Host – susceptibility
• 1. Environment – favorable
• 1. Endemic disease – within (native disease to a locality)
• 1. Exotic disease – outside
• 1. Sporadic – occurs at irregular interval
• 1. Pandemic – a widespread outbreak of disease
• Disease forecasting prediction (when disease occurs) use as a guide for disease management and show the severity of the disease.

   
• Disease assessment determine the amount of disease, determine disease severity prevalence, relate prevalence to yield loss, and express yield loss in monetary equivalent.

   
• 1. Exclusion. Prevent the pathogen that is introduced to an area from spreading. The new pathogen is unknown.
• 1. Protection. Prevention of infection by means of crop management, putting chemical barriers between pathogen and plants.
• 1. Eradication. Elimination, inhibition, killing of pathogen which are already found within the area.
• 1. Immunization. More on genetic manipulation by modifying certain physiological makeup of the host or pathogen.
• 1. Physical. Manipulate temperature

  High temperature – sterilization (killing the pathogen) of soil to 20 PSI (121 degrees Celsius) for 2 hours
• Low temperature – 4 -5 degrees Celsius minimize rotting of vegetables.
• 1. Cultural. Weeding, crop rotation, mulching (solarization), fallowing (render the area uncultivated), Flooding (renders anaerobic condition so that organisms will die).
• 1. Biological. Use of biological control agents. Example: Trichoderma fungus killing Fusarium by way parasitism.
• 1. Breeding for resistance – determining the genes
• 1. Integrated control – compatible combination of methods
• 1. Chemical. Example: fungus – fungicide, bacteria – bactericide, disinfectant - destroy or inactivate harmful microorganisms
• (Mycosphaerella leaf spot of strawberry)