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Plant Pathology

Course developer

Course abstract

Students understand the concept “plant diseases” and learn about the causes and causal agents of diseases (fungi, viruses, bacteria). Students comprehend the regularities of disease development and their harmfulness. Students acquire knowledge about disease control methods.

Learning outcomes and their assessment

Students understand the reasons for plant diseases and know the classification of diseases.
Students know the basic principles of the systematics of plant diseases’ causal agents (Fungi, Chromista, Protozoa, Virus, Monera) and their biological peculiarities, as well as the most important diseases caused by these pathogens – 1st, 2nd and 3rd test.
Students can diagnose diseases and identify their causal agents to a genus level – laboratory exercises and a practical test.
Students comprehend the concept of resistance, understand the peculiarities of disease development and know the methods of disease assessment and diagnostics – 4th test.
Students know the methods of plant disease control and have acquired the principles of fungicide application – 5th test.
Students are able to integrate the knowledge about disease life cycles with the factors promoting their development and with the possibilities of disease control – an exam.

Course Content(Calendar)

Kursa plāns/saturs (ja nepieciešams, norāda apjomu stundās)
1. The concept of plant diseases and their causal agents. Classification of diseases. Parasitism and its types.
2. Plant diseases caused by fungi. The composition and reproduction of fungi. Systematics of fungi. Anamorph, teleomorph and holomorph.
3. Fungi from the phylum Ascomycota as important plant pathogens. The composition and reproduction of Ascomycota. Diseases caused by fungi from the order Taphrinales – causal agents, symptoms, life cycle. Importance of the orders Saccharomycetales and Eurotiales.
4. Diseases caused by the orders Diaportales, Ophiostomatales, Glomerellales, Hypocreales, Pleosporales, Dothideales and Capnodiales – causal agents, symptoms, life cycle.
5. Diseases caused by the order Helotiales – causal agents, symptoms, life cycle. The orders Rhytismatales and Pezizales, their importance and the diseases caused. Diseases caused by fungi from the order Erysiphales – causal agents, symptoms, life cycle.
6. Fungi from the phylum Basidiomycota as important plant pathogens. The composition and reproduction of Basidiomycota, their systematics.
7. Diseases caused by fungi from the subphylums Ustilaginomycotina and Pucciniomycotina – causal agents, symptoms, life cycle.
8. Importance of the subphylum Agaricomycotina in nature. Fungi from the phylums Glomeromycota and Chytridiomycota, their composition, reproduction, and importance in nature.
9. Kingdoms Chromista and Protozoa. Composition, reproduction, and importance in nature. Most important diseases caused by these microorganisms. Diseases caused by the order Peronosporales.
10. Kingdoms Monera and Virus. Composition, reproduction, and importance in nature. Most important diseases caused by these microorganisms.
11. The concepts “resistance” and “tolerance”.
12. Life cycles of diseases; factors that influence the development of epidemics. Methods of disease assessment and diagnostics.

13. Methods of plant disease control. Most importa

Requirements for awarding credit points

An exam. All laboratory works should be completed, the practical test and all five tests should be successfully passed before the exam.

Description of the organization and tasks of students’ independent work

Preparing for tests.

Criteria for Evaluating Learning Outcomes

The base mark of tests and the exam is 8. A student may earn this mark if his/her knowledge corresponds to the amount of information acquired during lessons. If answers to the questions are incomplete, the mark is decreased. A student may earn a higher mark (9 or 10) by demonstrating deeper knowledge obtained from independently studied scientific literature.

Compulsory reading

1. Tronsmo A.M., Collinge D.B., Djurle A., Munk L., Yuen J., Tronsmo A. Plant Pathology and Plant Diseases. CABI: 2020. 437 p. Ir LLU AAZI 1 eks.

2. Bankina B., Bimšteine G., Kaņeps J. (2021) General Plant Pathology: exercises. Jelgava: Latvia University of Life Sciences and Technologies – 34 p. https://llufb.llu.lv/LLU-studiju-materiali/LF/General_plant_pathology_LLU_2021.pdf

Further reading

1. Fungal Plant Pathogens. Ed. by C.R. Lane, P.A. Beales, K.J.D. Hugges. CABI, 2012. 307 p. Nav lielākajās b-kās

2. Schumann G.L. Plant diseases: Their Biology and Social Impact. APPS PRESS, 2003. 397 p. Nav lielākajās b-kās

Notes

Bachelor study programme “Sustainable Agriculture”, with specialization Sustainable plant production, 4th semester, in full-time studies