Plant pathology

Article By:

Boothroyd, Carl W. Department of Plant Pathology, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York.

Ellett, C. Wayne Department of Plant Pathology, Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio.

Kimbrough, J. W. Department of Plant Pathology, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida.

Jones, Jeremy B., Jr. Department of Biological Science, University of Nevada, Las Vegas, Nevada.

Hamilton, Richard I. Research Branch, Agriculture Canada, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.

Hawksworth, Frank G. U.S. Forest Service, Fort Collins, Colorado.

Rich, Saul Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station, New Haven, Connecticut.

Berger, Richard D. Department of Plant Pathology, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida.

Stall, Robert E. Plant Pathology Department, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida.

Last reviewed:August 2019

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1036/1097-8542.524000

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• Plant pathology, published June 2014:Download PDF Get Adobe Acrobat Reader

The study of disease in plants. Plant pathology is the branch of botany concerned with plant diseases. It is an integration of many biological disciplines and bridges the basic and applied sciences. Plant pathologists investigate the pathogenic organisms and environmental conditions that are responsible for the myriad of plant diseases, the resultant effects on the infected plant (including those related to plant growth and survival) [Fig. 1], and various techniques and methodologies to curb or control plant disease. See also: Botany; Disease; Plant; Plant anatomy; Plant growth; Plant metabolism; Plant physiology

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