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UoR Home > Module Descriptions > PS2HD4: Crop Disease and its Control

PS2HD4: Crop Disease and its Control

Module Provider:

School of Plant Sciences

Number of credits:

10 [5 ECTS credits]

Level:

I (Intermediate)

Terms in which taught:

Autumn

Module Convenor:

Dr RTV Fox

Pre-requisites:

Co-requisites:

Modules excluded:

Current from:

2005/6

Aims:
The module describes representative plant diseases and disorders and teaches the general principles of control measures.

Assessable learning outcomes:
By the end of the module it is expected that the student will be able to

  • Describe representative plant diseases caused by the main groups of plant pathogens and abiotic agents
  • State the most important changes in a plant causing disease and disorders and maintain a laboratory record book
  • Recognize the most common diseases of temperate crops
  • Describe how the diseases and disorders are spread and the pathogens survive between crops
  • Critically discuss whether chemical treatments, crop rotation, genetic resistance or agronomic changes are appropriate components of disease management
  • Carry out investigative procedures

    		•

    Additional outcomes:

    Outline content:
    This module is designed to provide essential background on representative plant diseases and disorders. An appreciation of these is important for many applied areas of plant pathology, such as crop protection, plant health and the effect of polluted environments. Much of the content of the module will be of equal interest to students concerned with crop production.
    The Lecture Content covers

  • An introduction to the diseased plant. Classification of diseases. Infection and colonisation, disease development. Seed-borne fungal diseases and their control, including smuts, bunts, moulds, cankers and blights
  • Soil-borne fungal diseases and their control, including root rots, damping-off, galls, scabs and cankers
  • Fungal foliar diseases and their control, including leaf blights, downy mildews, leaf curls, mildews, leaf spots and rusts
  • Post harvest diseases and their control. Demonstration including apple bitter rot, blue mould, brown rot, soft rot and grey mould on fruit and vegetables
  • Bacterial diseases and their control, including black rot of cabbage and halo blight of beans and oats, crown gall, bacterial soft rot and potato scab, stone fruit canker, fireblight and phytoplasm disease
  • Viral diseases and their control, including barley yellow dwarf, cucumber mosaic tobacco mosaic virus
  • Nematodes and their control
  • Disorders and their control, including frost damage on wheat, jelly end rot and blossom end rot
    The Practical Content covers:
  • Individual laboratory examination of the characteristics of diseased plants

    		•

    Brief description of teaching and learning methods:
    There will be two 40-minute lectures (divided by a short break) each week, followed by laboratory work of about 2 hours. Students' laboratory notebooks must be available for comment at any time during the practical work.

    Contact hours:

      Autumn Spring Summer
    Lectures  20    
    Tutorials/seminars      
    Practicals  20    
    Other contact (eg study visits)      
         
    Total hours  40    
           
    Number of essays or assignments      
    Other (eg major seminar paper)  1 test    

    Assessment:
    Coursework
    1 test at the end of term
    Relative percentage of coursework: 50%
    Penalties for late submission:
    not applicable
    Examinations:
    90-minute examination
    Requirements for a pass:
    40%
    Reassessment arrangements
    Re-examination in September
    Page last updated 26/May/2005
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