Plant Pathogens and Plant Diseases

Abstract

This book, written by a team of Australian plant pathologists, is design to give students and researchers a background in the principles of plant pathology and of managing plant diseases. The book is divided into five sections. The first deals with the agents that cause disease and includes fungi, bacteria, phytoplasmas, viruses, viroids, nematodes, parasitic plants and abiotic agents. There is also a useful and up-to-date chapter on serological and molecular techniques to detect and identify plant pathogens. Part two deals with the survival and dispersal of plant pathogens, including airborne and soilborne inoculum, and the role played by vectors. Part three covers infection processes, epidemiology and crop-loss assessment and this is something of a mixed bag, as it includes chapters on plant defence, disease prediction, and biocontrol of weeds using plant pathogens. Quantitative concepts of epidemiology feature in the introduction to part four, which concerns disease management. This may not appeal to the purist or disease modellers but does have the virtue for students of introducing disease growth curves in the context of strategies for control. The remainder of this section covers all aspects of disease management including quarantine and sanitation, chemical, cultural, genetic and biological approaches to disease control. The final part gives specific examples of different types of plant diseases and their control, based on the different types of pathogens, as well as a chapter on disease in natural communities and another on postharvest pathology. Inevitably the book has an Australian emphasis in the examples chosen, but the principles developed are universal and it should prove very useful for a variety of plant pathology courses. The editors have done well to compile such a range of information from different authors in a uniform style. The book is strong on the biology of the different pathogens, and particularly on practical aspects of disease management, which occupy approximately one third of the 550 pages. It is well illustrated with tables, keys and diagrams, although the production standards are not as high as in some other recent texts where glossy paper and even colour photos are included. It is easy to read and accessible for students, and with the very wide range of topics covered deserves to be considered as a core text for both introductory and intermediate level plant pathology courses. At the price of $A49 it is good value.