Phytopathology
The phytopathology ( English plant pathology, phytopathology ) is the study of plant diseases. In addition to other areas of science, it is a sub-discipline of phytomedicine .
Most crops have during the evolution of a high resistance ( resistance ) to pathogens ( pathogens acquired) the natural environment and develop strategies against attackers ( Plant defense against pathogens and herbivores ). Diseases of crops present food producers in agriculture and horticulture with new challenges in crop protection every year . In the case of food production, plant diseases mean losses due to deterioration in quality and yield or even complete crop failure. Even pathogens that adhere to the crop can, through their metabolic activity, generate toxins that prevent them from being released for human consumption.
Effective procedures for the systematic prevention ( prophylaxis ) and curative control of the diseases were developed through scientific knowledge of the pathogens and their life cycles . The diseases can u. a. caused by fungi , protists , bacteria or viruses and transmitted via wind or animals.
In addition to the biological and chemical fungicides that are widespread in industrialized countries, traditional methods such as wide crop rotations , the use of disease-resistant seed varieties and ecological agriculture are also important to ward off disease . Since many varieties of cultivated plants differ significantly in their susceptibility to pathogens and pests , resistance breeding is of great importance here.
The science of keeping plants healthy and regulating the causes of damage is known in the German-speaking world as phytomedicine .
Examples
- Powdery mildew
- Wrong mildew
- Fire blight of pome trees (a bacterium)
- Late blight of the potato
- Ergot fungus
- Sharka disease
- Shotgun Sickness
- Tobacco blue mold
- Tobacco Mosaic Virus
- Dutch elm disease
- Various fungal diseases
More can be found in the category: Plant disease .
literature
- Heinz Butin : Diseases of the forest and park trees. Guide to Determining Tree Diseases. Georg Thieme Verlag, Stuttgart and New York 1983, ISBN 3-13-639001-6 .
- Eckart Schlösser: General Phytopathology. 2nd revised edition. Georg Thieme Verlag, Stuttgart 1997, ISBN 3-13-647502-X .
- Hoffmann / Schmutterer: Parasitic diseases and pests on agricultural crops. 2nd expanded and supplemented edition. Verlag Eugen Ulmer Stuttgart, 1999. ISBN 3-8001-3207-9 .
- R. Kenneth Horst: Westcott's Plant Disease Handbook. Springer, 8th edition, Dordrecht 2013. ISBN 978-94-007-2140-1 (print); ISBN 978-94-007-2141-8 (eBook)
- Roger Hull: Plant Virology. Academic Press, 5th edition 2014. ISBN 978-0-12-384871-0 (print); ISBN 978-0-12-384872-7 (eBook)
