The Irish potato famine and birth of plant pathology. Introduction to the fungi and their life cycles. Pathogens and quarantines. Bacteria. Genes and genetic engineering. Plant disease epidemics and their management. Pesticides. Soil, the rhizosphere, and soilborne patogens. Fungi in food: natural poisons and gourmet delicacies. Rusts. Dying trees and parasitic plants. Viruses and more recently discovered pathogens. Environmental diseases and problemes. Pant diseases in a hungry world. Glossary. Figure credits. Index.

The book which has been brought out as per the syllabus of B.Sc.(Ag.) Degree course of the Agricultural Universities and will be of immense help and guidance to the students and researchers in Agriculture. Numerous illustrations have been given to enable the reader to understand the text easily and to make the study more intersting'

This invaluable resource introduces the eleven types of organism that cause plant disease, ranging from higher plants to viroids and describes examples of cash and staple crop diseases that have caused human catastrophes. Early chapters cover serological and molecular techniques for the diagnosis of plant pathogens, epidemiology, methods for estimating disease severity and its effect on crop yields and techniques for limiting inoculum. Later chapters are concerned with colonisation of the plant and symptom development and the underlying biochemical and genetic factors that control these events. Finally, the control of plant disease using a variety of techniques including genetic modification is discussed. Modern diagnostic techniques Epidemiology and the measurement of disease severity The biochemistry and molecular biology of plant disease Control through cultural, biological, genetic and molecular techniques A wealth of examples and applications including full colour photographs

It was a compliment to me to be asked to prepare the fourth edition of Westcott's Plant Disease Handbook, and the decision to accept the responsi bility for the fourth edition and now the fifth edition was not taken lightly. The task has been a formidable one. I have always had a great respect professionally for Dr. Cynthia Westcott. That respect has grown considerably with the completion of the two editions. I now fully realize the tremendous amount of effort expended by Dr. Westcott in developing the Handbook. A book such as this is never finished, since one is never sure that everything has been included that should be. I would quote and endorse the words of Dr. Westcott in her preface to the first edition: "It is easy enough to start a book on plant disease. It is impossible to finish it. " This revision of the Handbook retains the same general format contained in the previous editions. The chemicals and pesticides regulations have been updated; a few taxonomic changes have been made in the bacteria, fungi, and mistletoes; the changing picture in diseases caused by viruses and/or viruslike agents has been described. A few new host plants have been added, and many recently reported diseases as well as previously known diseases listed now on new hosts have been included. In addition, photographs have been replaced where possible, and the color photograph section has been retained.

Provides an explanation of how plant diseases are diagnosed, the 'plant disease triangle', how to determine the cause of a specific disease, what 'biotrophs' and necrotrophs are, disease cycles and how they can be utilized. Specific chapters address plant diseases caused by fungi, bacteria, nematodes, viruses, parasitic flowering plants, abiotic factors of the environment including light, temperature, and atmospheric gases, pathogens, how people influence plant disease epidemics, the prevention or management of plant disease epidemics, and more.

The correct diagnosis of a plant disease is an essential prerequisite of its successful control. Diagnostic methods today include a number of traditional techniques such as direct observation or microscopy, as well as more recently developed procedures such as those based on immunological or nucleic acid analysis. This book provides a text reviewing the principles of all these techniques that will be suitable for advanced students of plant pathology who already have some basic background in the subject. The theories behind the methods are described and illustrated with numerous examples of plant diseases caused by fungi, bacteria and viruses, and the strengths and limitations of different techniques are compared. The book includes a number of colour photographs and will provide a very useful overview of this rapidly developing subject.

Intended as a text for plant bacteriology courses and as a reference for plant pathologists in agricultural extension services and experimental stations, Fundamentals of Bacterial Plant Pathology presents current information on bacterial morphology, taxonomy, genetics, and ecology. Diagnosis, disease management, and the molecular basis of host-pathogen interactions are examined. The book is well illustrated, includes both subject and taxonomic indexes, and provides suggestions for the further reading. - Provides an overview on phytopathogenic prokaryotes and plant prokaryote diseases - Contains detailed descriptions of topics of current interest including: Molecular Genetics of Pathogenesis - Modern taxonomy and ecological behaviors of phytopathogenic prokaryotes - Biological control of plant prokaryote diseases - Presents full descriptions of eighteen selected diseases of economic interest