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Phytopathology or Plant Pathology is the science of diagnosing and managing plant diseases. Its covers all infectious agents that attack plants and abiotic disorders, but does not include herbivory by insects, mammals, etc.Common plant pathogens (in rough order of importance) include species from these groups:
- Fungi - the most common pathogens (root rot fungi, moulds, rusts, and mildews).
- Water moulds - such as Phytophthora infestans ( potato blight).
- Bacteria - prokaryotic organsisms which include as many as 18 genera.
- Viruses - more than 700 are plant pathogens, comprised of only proteinmyoglobin, showing coloured alpha helices. This protein was the first to have its structure solved by X-ray crystallography by Max Perutz and Sir John Cowdery Kendrew in 1958, which led to them receiving a Nobel Prize in Chemistry. A protein is a complex, and DNADeoxyribonucleic acid DNA is a nucleic acid which carries genetic instructions for the biological development of all cellular forms of life and many viruses. DNA is sometimes referred to as the molecule of heredity as it is inherited and used to propagate.
- RoundwormAdenophora Subclass Enoplia Subclass Chromadoria Secernentea Subclass Rhabditia Subclass Spiruria Subclass Diplogasteria The roundworms ( Phylum Nematoda are one of the most common phyla of animals, with over 20,000 different described species. They are us (nematodes) - both as pathogens and vectors, the only animals normally regarded as plant pathogens.
- ViroidViroids are infectious agents that consist of single-stranded RNA. They are much smaller and simpler than viruses and lack the protein cover that is typical for viruses. Viroids use higher plants (such as potatoes, tomatoes and cucumbers) to reproduce, ins - small, single-stranded RNA pathogens causing a dozen plus diseases.
- Parasitic angiospermsMagnoliopsida Dicots Liliopsida Monocots The flowering plants (also angiosperms or Magnoliophyta are one of the major groups of modern plants, comprising those that produce seeds in specialized reproductive organs called flowers, where the ovulary or carp - plants that parasitize other plants, mistletoe and witchweed are common examples.
- Slime mouldProtostelia Protosteliida Myxogastria Liceida Echinosteliida Trichiida Stemonitida Physarida Dictyostelia Dictyosteliida Slime moulds are peculiar protists that normally take the form of amoebae, but under certain conditions develop fruiting bodies that rs - usually not actual pathogens but may be aesthetically unpleasant.
Significant abiotic disorders can be caused by:
- Natural
- DroughtA drought is an extended period where water availability falls below the statistical requirements for a region. Drought is not a purely physical phenomenon, but instead is an interplay between natural water availability and human demands for water supply.
- FrostThis article is about the weather phenomenon. Frost is also the name of a place (see Frost, Minnesota), a Freenet client (see Frost), an Australian band (see Frost (band)), a video game character and a common surname i. Doug Frost or Robert Frost. Frost l damage, and breakage by snow and hail
- Flooding and poor drainage
- Nutrient deficiency
- Salt deposition and other soluble mineral excesses (e.g. gypsum)
- Wind (windburn, and breakage by hurricanes and tornados)
- Lightning and wildfire (also often man-made)
- Man-made (arguably not abiotic, but usually regarded as such)
- Soil compaction
- Pollution of air and/or soil
- Salt from winter road salt application
- Herbicide over-application
- Poor education and training of people working with plants (e.g. lawnmower damage to trees)
- Vandalism
