Crop Protection

Major Crop Diseases

By Steve Yorke
What is a Disease?

A disease is a condition in an organism

which results reduction in health.
OR
A condition that causes a deviation [change]
from the normal healthy state of an
organism.
What causes plants to have diseases?
 Plants may develop diseases for a variety
of reasons; the most common reasons are:
1) Pathogens
2) Nutrition
3) Mechanical damage
Pathogenic Plant Diseases
Since you have already studied nutritional
plant diseases in Grade 10, while studying
plant nutrients, our focus will be on
diseases caused by microorganisms
known as pathogens.
Pathogenic Plant Diseases
Pathogens are microscopic organisms (or
entities in the case of viruses and viroids)
which invades plant cells, causing plants
to become less healthy (i.e. to become ill).
When pathogens enter into the cells of
plants, we say the plants have become
infected with the pathogen.
What are some types of Pathogens that
affects plants?

Fungi (plu), Fungus (sing.)

Bacteria (plu), Bacterium (sing).
Viruses (Plu), Virus (sing)
Mycoplasmas
Protozoans (plu), Protozoa (sing).
Nematodes
What are Fungi?
Fungi are neither plants nor animals.
They belong to a taxonomical kingdom all
by themselves. Fungi that are responsible
for causing diseases in animals are
different from those which cause diseases
in plants. While some fungi resemble
plants they do not contain
chlorophyll.
Fungi range in size from unicellular
microscopic organisms to macroscopic
organisms of varying sizes and shapes.
They consist of long branching thread-like
filaments called hyphae which may be
vegetative or reproductive. Reproductive
hyphae produces spores (mode of
transmission)
 The hyphae and other structures combine
to form an elaborate network called a
mycellium which spreads throughout the
plant absorbing nutrients.
Fungi

 Most vegetable diseases are caused by fungi.

They damage plants by killing cells and/or
causing plant stress. Sources of fungal infections
are infected seed, soil, crop debris, nearby crops
and weeds.
Fungi are spread by wind and water splash, and
through the movement of contaminated soil,
animals, workers, machinery, tools, seedlings and
other plant material. They enter plants through
natural openings such as stomata and through
wounds caused by pruning, harvesting, insects,
other diseases, and mechanical damage.
Forms of Fungal Diseases
Most fungal diseases are named based on
the description of their symptoms:
Rusts – red brown patches
Powdery Mildew- white or gray powdery
substances
Smuts – large sack-like masses containing
black powdery spores
Damping off- young seedlings appear
water soaked until they begin to rot.
Forms of Fungal Diseases
Molds – dark grey, blue green or black
growth.
Blight - rapid and complete chlorosis,
browning, then death of plant tissues such
as leaves.
Activity 1.
Pictures of crops infected with some
common forms of fungal diseases are on
the following slides labeled A – G.
Identify the forms of fungal diseases.
A. cucumber
B. corn
C. corn
D. tomato
E. bean
F. Hibiscus flower
G. banana
What are Bacteria?
Bacteria are single celled microbes. The
cell structure is simpler than that of other
organisms as there is no nucleus or
membrane bound organelles.
Bacteria reproduce by binary fission. Just
like mitosis, a single cell divides into two
daughter cells containing the same genetic
information as the parent cell.
Bacteria
Bacteria spreads from plant to plant in the
air, in water or from vectors such as
insects. The pathogen infects the plant by
entering it through the stomata or wounds.
Bacterial Diseases
Bacterial diseases can be grouped into
four broad categories based on the extent
of damage to plant tissue and the
symptoms that they cause.
 vascular wilt,
necrosis,
soft rot, and
 tumours.
Vascular wilts
Vascular wilt results from the bacterial invasion
of the plant’s vascular system (phloem and
xylem). The subsequent multiplication and
blockage prevents movement (translocation) of
water and nutrients through the xylem of the
host plant.
Drooping, wilting, or death of the aerial plant
structure may occur; crops affected include
corn, tobacco, tomato, and cucurbits (e.g.,
squash, pumpkin, and cucumber) and crucifers.
Bacterial wilt
Necrosis
Necrosis or tissue death is caused by
bacteria secreting a toxin (poison).
Symptoms include formation of leaf
spots, stem blights, or cankers.
Necrotic diseases caused by bacteria
Soft Rot
Soft rot diseases are caused by pathogens
that secrete enzymes capable of
decomposing cell wall structures, thereby
destroying the texture of plant tissue—
i.e., the plant tissue becomes macerated
(soft and watery). Soft rots commonly
occur on fleshy vegetables such
as potato, carrot, eggplant, squash,
and tomato. 
Soft Rot
Tumours
Tumour diseases are caused by bacteria
that stimulate uncontrolled multiplication
of plant cells, resulting in the formation of
abnormally large structures.
Tumour diseases
Identify 10 common bacterial diseases of
crops.
Crop Name of Disease Symptoms
Viruses
Viruses are the smallest of the pathogens.
They are obligate parasites that cannot
replicate outside of a the living cell of an
organism (host).
Once inside the host cell, they virus takes
over the cell and uses it to make
thousands of copies (replicate) of itself,
killing the host during the process. It then
goes to a new cell to repeat the process.
Viral diseases
Viral diseases are usually spread by
piercing and sucking insects and by
contaminated tools used in pruning and
plant propagation.
Viral diseases
The symptoms of viral plant diseases fall into four
groups:
(1) change in colour—chlorosis, green and yellow
mottling, mosaic and vein clearing;
(2) malformations—distortion and curling of leaves and
flowers, rosetting, proliferation and abnormal
proliferation of shoots( witches broom),
 (3) necrosis—leaf spots, ring spots, streaks, wilting or
drooping, and internal death, especially
of phloem (food-conducting) tissue; and
 (4) stunting or dwarfing of leaves, stems, or entire
plants.
Test Next Friday.