Nature and Prevention of Plant Diseases

Contents: Preface. 1. Significance of plant disease in agriculture. 2. Types of plant disease: Fungi. 3. Diseases caused by basidiomycetes: rusts. 4. Diseases caused by basidiomycetes: Smuts. 5. Diseases caused by basidiomycetes: fleshy fungi; mycorrhizae. 6. Disease caused by ascomycetes. 7. Diseases caused by imperfect fungi. 8. Diseases caused by phycomucetes and related fungi. 9. Damping-off and related troubles. 10. Diseases caused by bacteria. 11. Diseases caused by viruses. 12. Diseases caused by parasitic seed plants and algae; epiphytes. 13. Diseases caused by nematodes or eelworms. 14. Physiogenic diseases. 15. The methods of studying plant diseases. 16. Environment and parasitic disease. 17. Etiology and epiphytology of disease. 18. Principles and procedures in the control of plant diseases; control of plant diseases by regulation. 19. Control of plant disease by inducing resistance. 20. Control of plant diseases by cultural methods. Glossary. Index.

"This book is designed particularly for the use of students and instructors whose practical interest in the subject is a desire to know how to recognize, understand, and prevent plant diseases, and to whom the elementary course in plant pathology is a necessary part of the background for useful work in agriculture.

Some knowledge of the principles underlying the science of plant pathology is indispensable for an understanding of the behaviour of plant pathogens and the results of their activities, and to enable the student to adapt his basic training to new plant disease situations with which he may be faced.

The principles of the science are brought out in fairly detailed accounts of one or more disease of each type. The treatment of numerous diseases of the same type is more limited, with discussion of unusual features, recognition, and control. In the closing chapters, the principles of plant pathology encountered one by one in the study of the various disease types are organized in form to serve as a unified treatment and review of the leading features of the science and as a compact source of information on disease control procedures.

These factors have made it seem desirable to limit to a minimum the treatment of such academic aspects of plant pathology as history, mycology, and parasitism per se. Understanding and appreciation of these aspects of the science are essential for the professional plant pathologist, but in a terminal course primarily for agricultural students the practical aspects of the science must receive first consideration.

The arrangement of disease within chapters is a compromise in which the systematic relationship of pathogens are given first consideration, but with such modification as is necessary to avoid too abrupt and illogical transitions between disease types. All disease caused by species of Fusarium, for example, could hardly be treated together without violation of pathologic unity. The chapter on virus diseases has been completely rearranged in groupings of the mosaic, yellows, phloem necrosis, and scaly bark types followed by the potato and stone fruit virus complexes.

Plant disease like, apple bitter rot, sugar cane red rot, cabbage yellows, black root rot to tobacco, early blight of potato and tomato, tomato, leaf mold and leaf spot, potato ring rot and scab, aster yellows, sugar beet curly top, phloem necrosis of elm, citrus psorosis, golden nematode of potato, and witchweed have been given in detail. Seed treatment and spraying and dusting of fruits and vegetables is also given. Attention is given to the latest developments in control practices, including the slurry, pelleting, and vapor-heat methods of seed treatment, the new nonmetallic organic fungicides, and innovations in methods of spraying and dusting." (jacket)