COURSE OUTLINE                                                                                         Winter 2020-2021

Course Title: Introduction to plant pathogens

Course Code: PLPT-5301

Credit Hours: 3(2-1)

Instructor: Dr. Salman Ahmad

Email: [email protected]

DESCRIPTION AND OBJECTIVES

Objectives:

To acquaint students with basic concepts and identification of plant pathogens.

Theory:

Introduction; economic importance; general characteristics (morphology, reproduction and ecology); Identification of plant pathogens including fungi, prokaryotes, viruses, viroids, nematodes, fungus like organisms and phanerogamic parasites, taxonomic position of economically important plant pathogens.

Practical:

Orientation of laboratory equipments; sterilization of glassware, preparation of media and isolation of different plant pathogens; study of characteristics of various plant pathogens through slides, live specimens and their comparative account/study.

INTENDED LEARNING OUTCOMES

Students will be able to have a quick idea about the plant pathogens and their taxonomic status. Moreover, this course will also be helpful for students who want to opt Plant Pathology as major subject.

COURSE CONTENTS

THEORY:

1. Importance of micro-organism in agriculture with examples of commercially important plant pathogens
2. Comparative characters of Prokaryotes and eukaryotes with definitions of plant pathogens
3. Virus as plant pathogens, their morphology, nutrition
4. Physical and chemical properties of virus and their replication in brief
5. Taxonomic status of mosaic of tobacco, tomato and potato, leaf roll of potato, leaf curl of tomato and cotton, bunchy top of banana. (from etiology point of view)
6. Bacteria as plant pathogens, their morphology, nutrition and their morphology.
7. Reproduction of bacteria, nitrogen fixation.
8. Taxanomic status of Xanthomonas aryzae pv. Oryzae, X. axonopodis pv. Citri, X. compestris pv malveacerum, Erwinia carotovora, Pseudomonas solanacearum, Streptomyces scabies, Agrobacbacterium timefacians (from etiology point of view)
9. Nematode as plant pathogens, their morphology and anatomy and characteristics of plant parasitic nematodes
10. Taxonomic status of Meloidogyne, Heterodera, Anguina, Tylenchulus, Pratylenchus and Radopholus. (from etiology point of view)
11. Introduction to Phanerogamic parasites, with brief description of mode of infection/nutrition.
12. Taxonomic status of cuscuta, striga, Orobanche and Mistletoe
13. Introduction to stress physiology with detailed description of Abiotic agents
14. Diseases due to environment, industrial population, imbalance of water and nutrients, macro and micro element deficiency in our soil
15. Fungi as plant pathogens, General characteristics, morphology, nutrition and reproduction.
16. Fungal systematics, a brief introduction. Introduction to five major phyla Chytridiomycota, Zygomycota, Ascomycota, Basidiomycota and Oomycota
17. Phylum Zygomycota its brief characters and taxonomic status of Rhizopus stoloifer
18. Difference between Rhizopus and Mucor. Phylum Ascomycota, its brief characters, Generalized life of ascomycetes, sexual and asexual fruiting bodies
19. Phylum Basidiomycato and its general characteristics. Agaricales, brief characters of edible and poisonous mushroom.
20. Ustilaginales and its brief characters. Taxonomic status of Ustilago tritici, U. hordei, U. nuda, U. maydis, U. scitaminea, U. secali, U. kolleri, Spacellotheca sorghi, S. reiliana, Nevossia indica, N. horrida

PRACTICAL:

1. Introduction, Use of microscope, comparative sizes and morphology of different groups of Plant Pathogens
2. Generalized life cycle of Plant Viruses. Demonstration of diagrams of Tobacco Mosaic Virus, Cotton Leaf Curl Virus, Mosaics of Potato, Tomato and Tobacco
3. Generalized life cycle of plant pathogenic bacteria, Demonstration of slides of bacteria. Demonstration of diagrams of characteristic plant pathogenic bacteria and phytoplasma
4. Generalized life cycle of plant parasitic nematodes. Slides of typical plant parasitic nematodes. Egg masses and female of Meloidogyne spp
5. Phanerogamic parasites. Diagram and labeling of various parts of Cuscuta, Orobanche, Mistletoe and striga spp.
6. Diagram of Abiotic stresses in plants. Demonstration of specimens of plants suffering imbalance of nutrients
7. Demonstration of slides of fungi showing mycelium, Sporengiophore, Sporangium, spores etc
8. Demonstration of slides of Synchytrium, Rhizopus and Mucor species and detailed description of characters
9. Demonstration of slides of sexual and asexual fruiting bodies of Ascomycetes.
10. Demonstration of slides of Taphrina deformans, Venturia inaequalis and appendages of different genera of cleistothecial Ascomycetes
11. Demonstration of slides of Colletotrichum, Aspergillus, Alternaria, Penicillium, Helminthosporium, Fusarium, Rhizoctonia species
12. Demonstration of slides of different stages of rust fungi.
13. Demonstration of slides of different stages of smut and bunt fungi and mushroom specimens.

            Final examination

READINGS

1. Agrios, G.N. 2005. Plant Pathology, 5th edition. Academic Press, New York, USA.
2. Ahmad, I., and A.R .Bhutta. 2005. Textbook of introductory Plant Pathology. Publisher NBF, 397 pp.
3. Alexopoulos, C.J., C.W. Mims and M. Blackwell. 1996. Introductory Mycology. 4th edition, John Wiley and Sons, Inc., New York, USA
4. Bos, L. 1999. Plant Viruses: Unique and Intriguing Pathogens: A textbook of Plant Virology. Backhuys Publishers.
5. Mehrotra, R.S. and A. Agarwal. 2003. Plant Pathology. 2nd Edition. TATA McGraw-Hill. Pub. Company Ltd. New Delhi.
6. Ravichandra, N.G. 2013. Fundamentals of Plant Pathology. Prentice Hall of India Pvt.,Ltd.
7. Trigiano, R.N., M.T. Windham and A.S. Windham. 2008. Plant Pathology: Concepts and Laboratory Exercises. 2nd edition. CRC Press.
8. Vidhyasekram, P. 2004. Concise Encyclopedia of Plant Pathology. Food product Press and Haworth Press Inc. Binghamton, New York, USA.

                                                             COURSE SCHEDULE

RESEARCH PROJECT /PRACTICALS /LABS /ASSIGNMENTS

Lab assignments to the students will be assigned during the semester. Practical will be conducted during the week in respective classes according to the manual in the Department of Plant Pathology, College of Agriculture, UOS.

  ASSESSMENT CRITERIA

Sessional: 20% (Participation, Presentation, Assignment)

Project: -

Presentation: -

Participation: -

Mid Exam: 30%

Final Exam (including practical): 5