Modern Plant Pathology

Contents: 1. History of plant pathology. 2. Some definitions and concepts. 3. Fungi as plant pathogens. 4. Bacteria as plant pathogens. 5. Fastidious vascular colonizing bacteria. 6. Viruses as plant pathogens. 7. Sub-viral plant pathogens (viral satellites, viroids and prions). 8. Nematodes as plant pathogens. 9. Angiosperms as plant pathogens. 10. Parasitic green algae and plant pathogens. 11. Noninfectious, abiotic plant disease agents (non-parasitic or physiological disorders). 12. Cell wall degrading enzymes in plant pathogenesis. 13. Toxins in plant pathogenesis. 14. Disease resistance: I Protection. 15. Disease resistance: II Defense (Active, or induced resistance). 16. Genetics of host-parasite interactions and specificity. 17. Physiology of the diseased plant. 18. Plant disease management (= Plant Disease Control) I - Prevention. 19. Plant disease management (= Plant Disease Control) II - Cure (= Therapy). 20. Chemicals in plant disease management. 21. Leaf spots and blights. 22. Mosaics, yellows, leaf curls and other abnormalities (Virus and Phytoplasma Diseases). 23. Wilts. 24. Rots : Damping - off of seedlings; soft rots and dry rots. 25. Abnormal growths: Galls, leafy galls, shoot proliferations and fasciations. 26. Downy mildews. 27. Powdery mildews. 28. Smuts and bunts. 29. Rusts. Glossary. Author index. Organism index. Subject index.

"The theme of the book is to introduce students to the current intellectual excitement and challenges in studying plant disease and its management. There are exclusive chapters on the infectious pathogens: the fungi, bacteria, fastidious vascular-colonizing bacteria, viruses, sub-viral pathogens (viral satellites, virusoids and the viroids that have paled off viruses into insignificance in their size and ingenuity of parasitism), nematodes, and the non-infectious, abiotic agents that cause disorders due to mineral imbalances, ozone, PAN and ethylene. The chemical determinants of pathogenicity and virulence: the cell wall degrading enzymes, plant hormones and toxins are discussed with well documented examples. Disease resistance mechanisms without recourse to antibodies, T-cells and the like are no less subtle than the mammalian immune system. These include the pre-existing and those induced after molecular interactions between avirulence -, and resistance gene-products viz. the elicitors and resistance proteins, respectively. The role of signal molecules, like salicylic acid, jasmonates and ethylene in development of systemic acquired resistance, induced systemic resistance and wound-induced systemic resistance, are discussed in depth justifying their present cutting edge status in plant pathology. In genetics, the celebrated "Gene for Gene Hypothesis", and the phenomena of recognition and specificity are described with clarity. The infected plant shows alterations in its physiology and biochemistry, especially in membrane damage, ionic imbalance, altered respiration, photosynthesis, protein and phenol metabolisms. The human efforts in protecting the crops through fungicides, and now more importantly, by biological control methods including transgenic resistant cultivars are elucidated. The second half of the book is devoted to description of diseases (their causal agents, symptoms, epidemiology and management) under chapters devoted to leaf-spots and blights, mosaics, leaf curls and yellows, wilts, rots, abnormal growths, and the biotrophic diseases, the downy mildews, powdery mildews and smuts and the rusts."