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Cooperative Extension Service |
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Agricultural
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Aquaculture
Dale Bumpers College
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Plant Diseases in ArkansasPlant diseases arose and developed as plant life developed on earth. They have plagued man and have caused famines since the dawn of recorded history. There are over 80,000 different diseases of plants.A plant disease interferes with the normal structure and function of our crop and non-crop plants and may affect the marketability or aesthetic value. Plant diseases can affect any part of the plant. They result from either an abiotic (non-living) agent or from a biotic (living) agent. Abiotic agents include environmental stresses that arise from temperature and moisture extremes, nutritional deficiencies and toxicities, and injuries caused by chemical or mechanical means. Biotic disease agents include the fungi, bacteria, viruses, and nematodes. The fungi cause the vast majority of biotic (infectious) diseases on all plants. Infectious plant diseases result from an interaction of a causal agent (pathogen) and a plant (host) when the time and environmental conditions are conducive for the interaction. Examples of severe losses caused by infectious plant diseases include: Cereal rusts and smuts, Ergot of wheat and rye, Dutch elm disease, Late blight of potato, Chestnut blight, Plum Pox, Soybean rust, Karnal Bunt of wheat, and citrus canker. Plant disease management is often based on one or more of the following methods: (1) Growing resistant varieties, (2) chemicals, (3) crop rotation, and (4) cultural practices. For integrated pest management (IPM) plans to be successful, they must begin with an accurate and timely diagnosis followed by the use of appropriate preventative and /or remedial strategies.
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University of Arkansas • Division of Agriculture |
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