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Plant Pathology Program

Plant Pathology is both a science of detection and an art of treating plant disease; an injurious physiological process, which is exhibited through abnormal cellular activity called symptoms. Symptoms range from obscure names such as blight or blasting to more descriptive terms like leafspots or galls. The agents responsible for disease, called pathogens, include fungi, bacteria, viruses, nematodes, and parasitic high plants. Some pathologists include abiotic agents such as air pollution and pesticide injury in the list of pathogens.

Most of the aforementioned pathogens encountered affect a wide variety of commodities across Virginia. However, most of the specimens submitted to the Plant Pathology Laboratory are woody ornamentals affected by fungi causing a myriad of symptoms; from cankers to leafspots to root rots. Fusarium cankers have been detected on quince, Platanus sp. and Cotoneaster sp., while anthracnose caused by different pathogens have been reported on sycamore, Liriope sp., and Hedera helix.

Bacteria are the second most reported pathogens with Pseudomonas syringae heading the list. This organism is responsible for tip blight of Ilex spp. and stem cankers of Forsythia at several nurseries.