Plant Disease Diagnosis and Mycology

12 CFU - 2° Semester

Teaching Staff

VITTORIA CATARA - Module Plant Disease Diagnosis - AGR/12 - 6 CFU
ALESSANDRO VITALE - Module MYCOLOGY IN PLANT PATHOLOGY - AGR/12 - 6 CFU

Learning Objectives

Plant Disease Diagnosis
The course aims to gain knowledge on traditional and innovative methods for the diagnosis and the characterization of plant pathogens. The students will acquire skills in choosing the most appropriate diagnosis method for rapid and accurate interception of pathogens in order to address the most appropriate methods of prevention and disease control.
MYCOLOGY IN PLANT PATHOLOGY
Providing the acquisition of an in-depth basic knowledge on taxonomy, biology, epidemiology, diagnostic aspects of the phytopathogenic fungi of key cultivated crop species and the most appropriate strategies and principles of field fighting, in a protected environment in the nursery. To this aim, students will be able to recognize the symptoms associated with the major crop fungal diseases and to recovery causal agents and identify the main species of phytopathogenic fungi. The course will also provide the tools adequate for the student to allow continuous professional updating in the field of Mycology in plant pathology

Detailed Course Content

Plant Disease Diagnosis
The course aims to provide the students with the knowledge needed to diagnose the main biotic and abiotic diseases of plants. The student will learn the diagnostic techniques applicable to microorganisms and other plant pathogens (isolation, biological assays, serological and molecular methods for the diagnosis and characterization of bacteria, viruses, viroids and phytoplasms) as well as the implications of disciplinary techniques and legislation for the prevention of pathogens from quarantine and detrimental to the quality of the plants.

MYCOLOGY IN PLANT PATHOLOGY

Topics	Text References
1. The diseased plant: the concept of disease in plant, types of plant diseases, pathological morphology, symptomatology, pathology, physiological and functional alterations; assessing the severity and damage of the disease: the fungal inoculum quantification, quantification of symptoms;	Lectures Text 2: chap 2
*2. The fungal diseases: General characters of fungi, vegetative structures and organization, ifa fungal, nutrition, environmental influence on fungal growth, germination and dispersal of spores, fungi reproduction: sexual and asexual spores; symptomatology expression;	Lectures Text 1: chap 5
*3. The classification of phytopathogenic fungi: taxonomy and classification, general characteristics, nomenclature, fungal structures, identification	Lectures Text 3 chap 11; Text1 chap 5; Text 2 chap 4;
*4. Parasitism in phytopathogenic fungi: the relationship between organisms, ecological relationships, symbiotic relationships: mutualism, commensalism and patosismo; trophic relationships in parasitism, parasitic specialization	Lectures Text 2: chap 4
*5. Life cycle of phytopathogenic fungi: epidemiology and factors that influence the development of epidemics, different forms of epidemic and consequent defense strategies	Lectures Text 1: chap 5; Text 3 chap 11
*6. Attack modes of phytopathogenic fungi: the infection process: initial contact, penetration mechanisms, colonization mechanisms (biotrophic and necrotrophic colonization), evasion	Lectures Text 2: chap 6
*7. Toxigenic fungi and mycotoxins	Lectures Text 1: chap 13
*8. Quarantine phytopathogenic fungi	Lectures reported web sites
*9. Fungi used in biological control of plant diseases	Lectures
*10. Diagnostic methods in phytopathological mycology: Koch's postulates, traditional diagnosis; optical and electronic microscopy, use of indicator plants, isolation in cultural media, serological diagnosis, molecular diagnosis	Lectures Text 1 chap 6
*11. Control of fungal diseases of plant: control means in laboratory and in field	Lectures Text 2 chap 9
*12. Web sites of mycological interest	Reported and on lectures
13. Kingdom Protozoa: Diseases caused by Plasmodiophoromycota: general characters	Lectures Text 2 Spec. chap 4; Text 3 chap 11
14. Kingdom Chromista:* Diseases caused by Oomycota: general characters and recognition. Downy mildew, Plasmopara viticola, Phytophthora infestans, P. citrophthora and P. nicotianae and other species fitopatogene, Pythium spp., Bremia spp., Peronospora spp. and Pseudoperonospora spp.	Lectures Text 2 Spec. chap 4; Text 3 chap 11
15. Kingdom Fungi: Diseases caused by Chytridiomycota: general characters and recognition.	Lectures Text 2 spec. cap 4; Text 3 chap 11
16. Kingdom Fungi: Diseases caused by Zygomycota: general characters and recognition: *Rhyzopus stolonifer*	Lectures Text 2 Spec. chap 4; Text 3 chap 11
17. Kingdom Fungi: Diseases caused by Ascomycota*: general characters and recognition: Taphrina deformans, Venturia inaequalis, Glomerella cingulata (Colletotrichum), Penicillium spp., Erysiphe necator, Leveillula taurica, Sphaeroteca pannosa, Blumeria graminis, Claviceps purpurea, Chryphonectria parasitica, Botrytis cinerea, Sclerotinia sclerotiorum, Monilinia fructigena, Monilinia laxa, Monilinia fructicola, Monosporascus cannonballus, Mycosphaerella spp.	Lectures Text 2 Spec. chap 4; Text 3 chap 11
18. Kingdom Fungi: Diseases caused by Basidiomycota: general characters and recognition: Armillaria mellea, Ustilago maydis, Puccinia spp, Sclerotium rolfsii, Rhizoctonia solani*	Lectures Text 2 Spec. chap 4; Text 3 chap 11
19 Kingdom Fungi: mitosporic fungi - Diseases caused by Deuteromycota: general and recognition: Phoma tracheiphila, Spilocea oleagina, Fusicladium (Spilocea) eryobotriae, Verticillium dahliae, F. oxysporum* f.sp. radicis-lycopersici, Alternaria spp.	Lectures Text 2 Spec. chap 4; Text 3 chap 11
20. Laboratory exercises: Isolation in pure culture of fungal pathogens from infected plant tissues and soil; identification of the most important phytopathogenic fungi; obtaining fungal monoconidial cultures
21. Laboratory exercises: determination of microbial density into soil; concentration determination of a conidial suspension; observation of reproductive structures under micro- and stereo-microscope
22. Laboratory exercises: use of mating types for diagnostic purposes; preparatio and stages of liofilization of fungi; trials for evaluation of fungicide efficacy in vitro against targeted phytopatogenicfungi.

Textbook Information

Plant Disease Diagnosis
The teacher provides the necessary material for studying the topics covered through the STUDIUM platform. We recommend topics in the following texts:

Testo 1: G. Belli Elementi di Patologia vegetale, Piccin Editore

Testo 2: A. Matta Fondamenti di Patologia vegetale. Patron Editore.
MYCOLOGY IN PLANT PATHOLOGY
1. Belli G., Elementi di Patologia Vegetale. Editore Piccin, Padova.

2. Matta A. Fondamenti di Patologia Vegetale. Patron Editore, second edition 2017.

3. Agrios G.N. Plant Patholgy (5th edition). Academic Press, New York

4. Teaching material and lectures supplied by the professor during the course

Recommended sites: www.apsnet.org; https://www.eppo.int/; http://fitogest.imagelinenetwork.com/; http://www.frac.info/

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