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Unit 1: History and Principles of Plant Pathology

• Milestones in phytopathology with particular reference to India.

• Major epidemics and their social impacts.

• Historical developments of chemical, legislative, cultural, and biological protection measures including classification of plant diseases.

• Physiologic specialization, Koch's postulates.

• Growth, reproduction, survival, and dispersal of plant pathogens.

• Factors influencing infection, colonization, and development of symptoms.

Unit 2: Laboratory and Analytical Techniques

• Preparation and sterilization of common media.

• Methods of isolation of pathogens and their identification.

• Preservation of microorganisms in pure culture.

• Methods of inoculation.

• Measurement of plant disease.

• Molecular detection of pathogens in seeds and other planting materials:

  • Nucleic acid probes

  • Southern, Northern, and Western hybridization

  • ELISA, ISEM, and PCR

• Laboratory equipment and their use:

  • Autoclave, hot air oven, laminar flow

  • Spectrophotometer, electrophoresis

  • Light and electron microscopy, incubator, ultracentrifuge

  • ELISA Reader

Unit 3: Physiological and Molecular Plant Pathology

• Altered metabolism of plants under biotic and abiotic stresses.

• Molecular mechanisms of pathogenesis: recognition phenomenon, penetration, invasion, primary disease determinant.

• Enzymes and toxins in relation to plant disease.

• Mechanisms of resistance.

• Phytoalexins.

• PR proteins.

• Antiviral proteins.

• SAR.

• HR and active oxygen radicals.

• Tissue culture.

• Somaclonal variation and somatic hybridization.

• Elementary genetic engineering.

• Management of pathogens through:

  • Satellite, antisense-RNA, ribozymes, coat protein, hypovirulence

  • Cross protection/useful genes and promoter technology

• Biosafety and bioethics.

Unit 4: Mycology

• Classification of fungi.

• Economic mycology, edible fungi, and entomogenous fungi.

• Mycorrhizal associations.

• Cell organelles: morphology, functions, and chemical composition.

Unit 5: Plant Bacteriology

• Identification and classification of bacteria.

• Morphology, ultrastructure, and chemical composition of prokaryotic cell in relation to function.

• Growth curve, nutrition, and auxotrophic mutants.

• Resting cells in prokaryotes.

• Elementary bacterial genetics and variability:

  • Transformation, conjugation, transduction

• Biology of extrachromosomal elements:

  • Plasmid-borne genes and their expression: aur, her, uie, and pat genes

• Bacteriophages: lytic and lysogenic cycles.

• Prokaryotic inhibitors and their mode of action.

• Economic uses of prokaryotes.

• Morphology, biochemical characteristics, reproduction, and life cycle of phytoplasma and other fastidious prokaryotes.

Unit 6: Plant Virology

• Nature, composition, and architecture of viruses and viroids.

• Properties of viruses.

• Variability in viruses.

• Satellite viruses and satellite RNA.

• Assay of plant viruses:

  • Biological, physical, chemical, serological, and molecular methods

• Conventional and biotechnological techniques used in detection and diagnosis.

• Behavior of viruses in plants including infection, replication, and movement.

• Histopathological changes induced by viruses in plants, inclusion bodies.

• Transmission of viruses: virus–vector relationships.

• Nomenclature and classification of viruses.

Unit 7: Plant Disease Epidemiology

• Concepts in epidemiology.

• Development of disease in plant population.

• Monocyclic and polycyclic pathogens.

• Role of environment and meteorological factors in the development of plant disease epidemics.

• Survey, surveillance (including through remote sensing), and prediction and forecasting of diseases.

• Epidemic analysis and prediction models.

• Crop loss assessment: critical and multiple point models.

Unit 8: Phanerogamic Parasites and Non-Parasitic Diseases

• Diseases caused by Phanerogamic parasites and their management.

• Diseases due to unfavorable soil environment, drought, and flooding stress etc.

• Nutritional deficiencies.

• Primary/secondary air pollutants and acid rain.

Unit 9: Fungal Diseases of Crop Plants

• Fungal diseases of cereals, millets, oilseeds, pulses, fruits, vegetables, plantation, fiber, spices, and ornamental crops with special reference to:

  • Etiology, disease cycle, perpetuation, epidemiology, and management.

• Post-harvest diseases in transit and storage.

• Aflatoxins and their integrated management.

Unit 10: Bacterial and Viral Diseases of Crop Plants

• Crop diseases of cereals, pulses, oilseeds, vegetables, fruits, plantation, and fiber crops caused by:

  • Bacteria, viruses, viroids, phytoplasmas, and other fastidious prokaryotes.

• Mode of transmission and pathogen-vector relationships.

• Epidemiology and management.

Unit 11: Management of Plant Diseases

• General principles of plant quarantine.

• Exotic pathogens and pathogens introduced into India.

• Sanitary and phytosanitary issues under WTO, TRIPS, and PRA.

• Genetic basis of disease resistance and pathogenicity:

  • Gene-for-gene hypothesis

  • Parasite-mediated frequency-dependent selection

  • Concept of QTL mapping

  • Breeding for disease resistance

• Production of disease-free seeds and planting materials.

• Seed certification.

• Chemical nature and classification of fungicides and antibiotics.

• Their bioassay and compatibility with other agricultural chemicals.

• Resistance to fungicides/antibiotics; effect on environment.

• Spraying and dusting equipment, their care and maintenance.

• Important cultural practices and their role in disease management.

• Solarization, integrated disease management.

• Microorganisms antagonistic to plant pathogens in:

  • Soil, rhizosphere, and phyllosphere, and their use in disease control.

• Soil fungistasis.

• Plant Growth Promoting Rhizobacteria (PGPR).

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1. Plant Pathology by G.N. Agrios

2. Introduction to Plant Pathology by R.S. Singh

3. Essentials of Plant Pathology by P.D. Sharma

4. Plant Pathology for JRF, SRF, ARS, ASRB, ICAR-NET, M.Sc., Ph.D. and Other State Competitive Exams by Amit Kumar Maurya

5. Competitive Book of Plant Pathology: For JRF, ARS, and NET Exams by Bio-Green Books

6. Essential Plant Pathology by Gail Schumann and Cleo D’Arcy

7. Plant Pathology: Concepts and Laboratory Exercises by Robert N. Trigiano

8. Plant Pathology (Concepts and Ideologies) by Agro India Publications

9. Plant Pathology by R.S. Mehrotra

10. Diseases of Trees and Shrubs by Wayne A. Sinclair