Why Study Plant Pathology?
Plant pathology is the study of plant diseases. We could not survive on earth without plants, so their health is important to us. Photosynthesis is the source of the free oxygen necessary for aerobic respiration. Long ago, free oxygen became a component of the early atmosphere, leading to the creation of the ozone layer, which helps to protect us from ultraviolet radiation and makes life on land possible. Photosynthesis also is the source of fixed carbon, from which all organic molecules (including the components of our bodies!) are then produced. Directly or indirectly, plants provide all of the food on which the human population relies. In addition, plants provide feed for animals, shelter, fiber for clothing and paper, fuel, and ornamental flowers and landscape plants for our enjoyment.
Plant diseases reduce yields of food and cash crops, mar the beauty of ornamental plants, and reduce our ability to shelter and feed ourselves. In some cases, pathogens even produce toxic compounds that poison our food. It is impossible to separate plant diseases from the history and culture of humans. Plant diseases limit where crops can be grown and determine what foods are available to us. A single disease, late blight of potato, triggered the Irish potato famine of the 1840s and forever changed the history of Ireland and of North America, where many starving Irish peasants took refuge. Dutch elm disease has killed more than 5 million elm trees on the formerly tree-lined streets of cities in the United States and Europe. Citrus canker and soybean rust currently threaten multibillion dollar crops in the United States and around the world. Each year, local, state, and federal governments spend funds on quarantines and plant inspection services to control the movement of dangerous pathogens that threaten our food supply and the livelihoods of growers. The concern that bioterrorism may threaten genetically uniform crops, as well as farm animals and human populations, has made us more aware of the potential for damage by introduced pathogens. Billions of dollars are spent each year on the management of plant diseases, and yet it is estimated that plant diseases cause a 20% yield loss in food and cash crops. Of course, that does not mean that all yields are reduced by that amount. Some crops remain healthy, but others may be nearly destroyed, potentially causing starvation for large populations of people or loss of livelihood for farmers.
Aside from the practical aspects of keeping plants healthy, plant pathology is an amazing biological science that focuses on the interactions among host plants, pathogens, and the vectors that transmit the pathogens in various environments. Studies of the physiology and genetics of these interactions lead us to new discoveries in molecular biology and their applications in biotechnology. Knowledge of the ecological interactions of hosts and pathogens will help us understand our natural ecosystems, global climate change, and maintenance of biological diversity on our planet. All aspects of biology are encompassed in the study of plant pathology. This textbook and its accompanying online resources are designed to introduce students to the fascinating study of plant diseases.
[EBOOK] Essential Plant Pathology, Gail L. Schumann and Cleora J. D'Arcy, The American Phytopathological Society
Keyword: ebook, giáo trình, Essential Plant Pathology, Plant Pathology, plant diseases, Bệnh học thực vật cơ bản, Bệnh học thực vật, các bệnh thực vật, bệnh cây, giáo trình bệnh cây
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