Chapter 2 - The development of entomology and plant pathology and their societies in comparison to weed science

Abstract

This chapter examines the development of entomology and plant pathology in comparison to the development of weed science. Entomology is a discipline older than plant pathology and both are much older than weed science. In the eighteenth century, entomologists systematized their science and began to describe insects. The creators of entomological science were primarily members of scientific academies and secondarily affiliated with a university. By 1918, many US land-grant colleges offered majors in entomology and many continue to do so, although not all have a department of entomology. Entomology's history stands in sharp contrast to the history of weed science, a discipline in which the founders completed their graduate study in the early part of the twentieth century but not in weed science, which did not exist then. The Entomological Society of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania founded in 1859 was the first society devoted to entomology in the United States. It is as true for entomology as it is for plant pathology and weed science that the way agriculture is practiced frequently creates the pest problems that scientists try to solve. The early history and development of plant pathology and entomology are quite similar in terms of their role within the US Department of Agriculture and land-grant experiment stations and universities. The early twentieth century was a time of significant progress in plant disease control. The era also had several devastating plant disease epidemics. Pathologists in the era were engaged in studies of parasite-host relationships, interactions of soil and climate with disease organisms, and research on selective breeding of plants for disease resistance. The number of departments of entomology and plant pathology is decreasing although these disciplines still exist in most land-grant universities with fewer faculty positions.