Mr. Johnny F.
Balidion
Crop Protection Biotechnology and Product
Utilization Division
Crop Protection Cluster
College of Agriculture
University of the Philippines Los Banos
Plant Pathology
Phytopathology
Study of suffering plants
Integrative science and profession that uses and
combines the basic knowledge of botany,
mycology, bacteriology, virology, nematology,
plant anatomy and physiology, genetics, mol bio,
genetic engg, biochem, hort, agro, soil sci, tissue
culture, forestry, physics, meteorology etc.
(Agrios, 2005)
What is a disease?
“dis” “ease”?
Any malfunctioning of host cells and
tissues that results from continuous
irritation by a pathogenic agent or
environmental factor and leads to the
development of symptoms. (Agrios, 1997)
Symptoms
Visible reactions of the plant due to
irritation by the pathogen
Leaf spots
Wilting
Soft rot
Mosaic
Enation
Signs
Structures of the pathogen or the
pathogen themselves associated with the
diseased tissue
Conidia
Hyphae
Bacterial ooze
Nematode larvae or eggs
Causes of Plant Diseases
Biotic/ Living
Occur at random/patchy distribution
Infectious/ can be transmitted
Abiotic/ Non-living
Caused by improper environmental conditions
for plant growth (excess or deficiencies)
Occurs in a uniform distribution
Cannot be transmitted to healthy plants
Temperature, nutrients, light, oxygen
Disease Cycle
Saprogenesis – Survival Phase
Most vulnerable stage
Exists in the form of survival structures
(sexual spores, chlamydospores, sclerotial
bodies, eggs/cysts,dormant bacteria
associated with the host)
Pathogenesis - Disease development
stage
Dissemination
Inoculation
Penetration
Colonization
Growth and Multiplication
Reproduction
Asexual – reproduction through vegetative
structures
Produces little or no variation
Occurs during host abundance
Sexual – reproduction w/c involves gametes
Variation through recombination
Structures produces are resistant to environmental
stresses
Occurs during saprogenesis
Biotic Factors of
Disease
Fungi
Kingdom Fungi
Dark colored septated hyphae/mycelia
Cell wall: chitin and glucan
Reproduction:
Asexual: conidia, mycelia, sclerotial bodies,
chlamydospores
Sexual: zygospores, ascospores, teliospores,
basidiospores
Agent with the most numerous diseases
inflicted in plants
High diversity and adaptation
Leaf spot of Corn
Bipolaris maydis
Curvularia leaf spot
Ear and stalk rot of
corn
Diplodia maydis
Rice Blast
Magnaporthe grisea
Fusarium graminearum/
Giberella zeae
Citrus black spot
Phyllosticta citrocarpa
Anamorph Stage : vegetative stage;
produce asexual spores
Eg. conidia or sporangia
Teleomorph Stage: perfect stage; preduce
sexual spores
Eg. teliospores, oospores, ascospores,
basidiospores, zygospores
Sexual and asexual spore of Fungi
(Zygomycota)
Fungi Imperfecti
The Imperfect Fungi
Does not produce sexual spores
Produce sclerotial bodies, a compact
mass of mycelia
Serves as the structures for survival
Sheath Blight of Rice
Rhizoctonia solani
Damping off
Wilt
Sclerotium rolfsii
The Fungal Like
Oomycetes
Phylum Oomycota
Hyphae: aseptate and hyaline; cellulose
and glucan
Reproduction
Asexual : sporangium borne in
sporangiophores; may differentiate in to
motile zoospores
Sexual: oospores
Potato Late blight
Phytophthora infestans
Phytophthora fruit rot
of tomato/papaya
Gabi Leaf Blight
Phytophthora colocassiae
Culture of Phytophthora Oospore
sporangium Germinating sporangium
Damping off of Seedlings
Pythium debaryanum
Plasmodiophoromycetes
The Slime Molds
Obligate parasites
Survive in soil as resting spores
Plasmodium (like amoeba)
Produce zoospores
Plasmodiophora
Polymyxa
Spongospora
Club root of Cabbage
Plasmodiophora brassicae
Clubroot disease of cauliflower
Bacteria
Kingdom Prokaryotae
Prokaryotic
Cell wall: peptidoglycan
Reproduction: binary fission
Variation: conjugation, transformation and
transduction
Produces pectinolytic enzymes and toxins
which affects the host
Soft rot of vegetables
Pectobecterium
carotovorum
Wilt of Solanaceous Crops
Ralstonia solanacearum
Bacterial Leaf Blight
of Rice
Xanthomonas oryzae
pv. oryzae
Citrus canker
Xanthomonas citri
The Mollicutes
Cell wall-less pathogens and the
yellows diseases
Phytoplasmas and Spiroplasmas
Pleomorphic owing to the absence of cell
wall.
Reproduction: binary fission
Helical in shape ; has been cultured
(spiroplasmas)
Round to elongate but not spiral
(phytoplasmas)
Aster Yellows
Aster Yellows Phytoplasma
Citrus stubborn disease
Spiroplasma citri
Corn stunt
Spiroplasma kunkelli
Nematodes
Kingdom Animalia
Worm like organisms (vermiform; saccate)
Small (300-1000 um) some up to 4 mm long
Body is transparent covered with cuticle (chitin)
Psedocoelomate
Stylet or spear
Some exhibit sexual dimorphism
Reproduction: pathenogenesis (many lack
males), sexual
Feed on roots of plants
Uses their stylet to inject digestive
enzymes in the cell and suck up its
contents
Usual symptoms are galling, root necrosis,
and root lesions
Some may cause foliar lesions
(Aphelenchoides)
Sexual Dimorphism
Morphological distinctions owing to sex
differences
In the genera Meloidogyne, Globodera,
and Heterodera
Males are vermiform at J2 and remain as
is.
Females are vermiform at J2 and become
globose or saccate-shaped as they reach
maturity
Feeding Habits
Ectoparasite
Endoparasite
Semi endo/ecto parasite
Migratory
Sedentary
Bulb nematode of onion
Ditylenchus dipsaci
Potato golden cyst nematode
Globodera rostochiensis
Pin nematode
Pratylenchus zeae
Toppling down
disease of banana
Radopholus similis
Viruses
Kingdom Viruses
Set of one or more nucleic acid template
molecules (RNA or DNA), normally
encased in a protective coat of protein or
lipoprotein, which is able to organize its
replication in suitable host cells.
Within such cells, virus production is
Dependent on the host’s protein synthesizing
machinery
Organized from pools of required materials
rather than by binary fission
Located at sites which are not separated from
the host cell contents by a lipoprotein bi-layer
membrane.
Flower Break of Tulips
Tulip Break Virus
16th Century Holland
“Tulipomania”
Tobacco Mosaic
TMV
Banana Bunchy top
BTV
Papaya ring spot
PRSV
Inclusion Bodies
Virus-induced structures in the cytoplasm or
in the nucleus
Induced mostly by potyviruses
Thought to be sites of virus synthesis
May suggest virus infection but absence does
not exclude infection
Maize Dwarf Virus Inclusion
in Corn PRSV inclusion in papaya
Bidens Mottle Virus Inclusion in
Zinnia
Peanut Mottle Virus Inclusion in
Peanut
Viroids
Free living RNAs
Small low molecular weight ribonucleic
acids that can infect plant cells, replicate
themselves and cause diseases.
Circular and with extensive base-pairing in
some parts of the RNA strand
Hairpin structure with ss and ds regions
As differentiated from viruses:
250-370 bases while viruses have 4 to 20 kb
Lack protein coat and exist as naked RNA
In the double stranded form each viroid
consist of 5 structural region:
Left hand terminal domain
Pathogenicity region
Conserved central core
Variable region
Right hand terminal domain
Replication by the Rolling Circle
Mechanism
Transmission by mechanical means
Sap on hands or tools
Cultural practices
Vegetative propagation
Potato Spindle Tuber
Potato Spindle Tuber Viroid (PSTVd)
Citrus Exocortis
Cadang-Cadang of Coconut
Chrysanthemum Stunt
Chrysanthemum Chlorotic Mottle
Parasitic Flowering Plants
Seed-bearing plants that are partially or
fully dependent on their host for nutritional
requirements
Possess a specialized structure for
nutrient procurement called haustoria
Classified into:
Hemi parasites
True parasites
Hemi Parasites
+ chlorophyll; - true roots
Obtains water and nutrients from the host
Haustoria embeded in the…
True Parasites
- chlorophyll; - true roots
Completely dependent to the host
Haustoria embedded in the…
The Witchweed, Striga asiatica
Striga sp. parasitizing cowpea
Cascuta sp. smothering an unidentified shrub
