PLANT PATHOLOGISTS MAKE EVERY EFFORT TO KEEP PLANTS HEALTHY

Plant diseases are caused by a variety of living organisms (called pathogens) such as fungi, bacteria, viruses, nematodes, phytoplasmas, protozoa, and parasitic plants, and by nonliving agents such as air pollutants, nutrient imbalances, and various environmental factors. New diseases and changes in existing pathogens remain a constant threat to our forests, food and fiber crops, and landscape plants. Development of new and innovative ways to control plant diseases is a constant challenge for plant pathologists.

Plant diseases may be managed by altering the host plant, the pathogen, and/or the environment. Examples include growing resistant plant varieties, planting pathogen-free seed or stock, applying a biological control agent, modifying environmental conditions to decrease disease, and using plant medicines that inhibit or kill the pathogen without harming the plant or the environment.

Considerable research is necessary before techniques can be recommended that will effectively manage plant diseases in ways that are economical for growers and safe for the environment and consumers. Effective disease management often varies from region to region due to differences in environment, soil type, cropping practices, and plant varieties.

In their work, plant pathologists cooperate with plant breeders and crop management, insect, and weed specialists in developing integrated, environmentally sound approaches to managing crops and their pests (including pathogens). Working together with other specialists, plant pathologists contribute to the production of a stronger economy, safer foodstuffs, a cleaner environment, conservation of soil and water resources, and the health of workers in farms, gardens, and landscapes. Plant pathologists and bioengineers also are cooperating closely in developing disease-resistant plant varieties, preserving food from spoilage, developing new strains of organisms for biological control, and even in developing composting processes for solid waste disposal.

Plant pathologists utilize modern scientific equipment and techniques to unravel the mysteries of how pathogens attack plants and to understand the effects of environmental conditions on disease development. Interactions between plants and their pathogens are studied at all levels of biological organization, from molecules to organisms to ecosystems.

Research laboratories are equipped with plant growth chambers where light and temperature can be controlled accurately, with scanning electron microscopes that provide three-dimensional images of pathogens on plant surfaces, with high-performance liquid chromatographs that provide rapid analysis of chemicals in diseased and healthy plants, and, of course, with computers for analyzing data. Techniques for nucleic acid hybridization and separation, plant tissue culture, serology, and other modern biotechnologies are utilized by many plant pathologists in their day-to-day activities.

Research is also conducted in the field under natural conditions and utilizes technologies such as volumetric spore trapping instruments to quantify fungal spores in the air over a crop canopy or field-based microprocessors that sense environmental factors and are used to assess the health status of plants in a field or region.

Plant pathologists employed by the Cooperative Extension Service, by industry, or as private practitioners work directly with agricultural producers, food processors, landscape and forest managers, or other professionals involved in growing or managing plants. In this role, plant pathologists function much as physicians or veterinarians in advising clients on the diagnosis and management of plant diseases. Many professionals rely on plant pathologists to provide books and pamphlets on plant diseases useful for operating clinics using modern diagnostic technology and for direct consultation in field situations.

Plant pathologists also teach in colleges and universities where they convey their knowledge of plant health to subsequent generations of plant pathologists and other professionals.