plant pathology

botany

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July 17, 2026

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Plant pathology is the study of plant diseases, their causes, and how to manage them. Plants become diseased when their normal structure, growth, or function is disrupted by a causal agent. These agents can be infectious, such as fungi, bacteria, or viruses, or noninfectious, like extreme temperatures or nutrient deficiencies.12

Plant diseases have historically caused significant economic losses, famines, and societal changes. Symptoms of disease can be local or systemic, and include changes in cell structure or visible effects like wilting or leaf spots. Signs, such as ooze from infected tissue, also aid in diagnosis. Forest pathology is a specialized branch focusing on tree diseases. Botany, the broader study of plants, encompasses plant pathology as one of its specialized areas.23456

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botany
Other subdisciplines
…particular reference to their identification; plant pathology deals with the diseases of plants; economic botany deals with plants of practical use to humankind; and ethnobotany covers the traditional use of plants by local peoples, now and in the distant past.
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…particular reference to their identification; plant pathology deals with the diseases of plants; economic botany deals with plants of practical use to humankind; and ethnobotany covers the traditional use of plants by local peoples, now and in the distant past.
Read More