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Acknowledgements

I am incredibly grateful to my teacher Miss Swasti Das

for advising me on how to make my journal and
assisting me throughout the entire process and also for
conducting this activity. I would like to express my
deepest gratitude to my parents for giving me a basic
insight into the topic and helping me arrange and
perfect the project. I could not have undertaken this
journey without my printer which helped me convert my
journal from soft copy to hard copy. I am most thankful
to every scientist who researched about pathogens and
diseases in plants and the people who created
websites such as Britannica to express this research to
people around the world including me.

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 Preface

I have been inspired to make this journal about

Pathogens and diseases plants by our classroom
activity. Making this journal was tough, but as I kept
getting closer to finishing my journal it kept getting
easier and easier. Writing this journal was a time taking
but extremely fun and enjoyable process. When I
picked up my chit I was really confused as I didn’t know
anything about the topic, but after my research and
journey of completing this journal, I feel I have
understood my topic well. As I conclude my preface, I
hope you enjoy going through my journal and grasp the
information I have put in.

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 Table of Contents

Acknowledgement………………………..………………………..…1
Preface…………………………..………………………..…………...2
Table of Contents………………………..……………………………3
What is a Pathogen………………………..…………………………4
Continuation…….………………………..…………………………...5
What do Pathogens do?……………………………………………..6
Continuation………………………..………………………..………..7
How do Pathogens cause diseases in plants?……………………8
What are some Pathogens in plants?……………………………...9
Diseases caused by Pathogens in plants?..................................10
How can Pathogenic diseases be helpful to humans?................11
How to Identify and Treat Plant Disease​………………………….12
Continuation………………………..………………………………...13
Continuation………………………..………………………………...14
Tips to control plant fungus and diseases…………………………15
Questions………………………..………………………..………….16
Continuation………………………..………………………………...17
Limitation………………………..……………………………………18
Conclusion………………………..………………………………….19
References………………………..………………………………….20

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What is a pathogen?
A pathogen is an organism which causes disease to its host. They
are of 4 main types: Viruses, Bacteria, Fungi and Parasites.
​Pathogens cause illness through direct damage of tissues or cells
during replication-generally by the production of toxins which
allows them to reach new tissues and exit cells which have been
replicated.​

Viruses​
Viruses are made up of a piece of genetic code, such as DNA or
RNA, and protected by a coating of protein. Once you’re infected,
viruses invade host cells within your body. They then use the
components of the host cell to replicate, producing more viruses.​

Bacteria
Bacteria are microorganisms made of a single cell. They are very
diverse, have a variety of shapes and features, and have the
ability to live in just about any environment, including in and on
your body. Not all bacteria cause infections. Those that can are
called pathogenic bacteria.​

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 Continuation…..​
Fungi​
There are millions of different fungal species on Earth. Just 300 or
so are known to cause sickness. Fungi can be found just about
everywhere in the environment, including indoors, outdoors, and
on human skin. They cause infection when they overgrow.​

Parasites​
Parasites are organisms that behave like tiny animals, living in or
on a host and feeding from or expense of the host. Though
parasitic infections are more common in tropical and subtropical
regions, they can occur anywhere.​

Three main types of parasites can cause disease in humans.

These include:​

Protozoa, which are single-celled organisms that can live and

multiply in your body

Helminths are larger, multi-celled organisms that can live inside or

outside your body and are commonly known as worms​

Ectoparasites, which are multi-celled organisms that live on or

feed off your skin, including some insects, such as ticks and
mosquitos​

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What do pathogens do?
Pathogens cause illness through direct damage of tissues or cells
during replication generally by the production of toxins- which
allows them to reach new tissues and exit cells which have been
replicated.​

Pathogens usually enter our bodies through the mouth, eyes,

nose, or urogenital openings, or through wounds or bites that
breach the skin barrier.​

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 Continuation…..​
Pathogens can produce enzymes that disrupt normal
tissue all for further invasion into the tissues. Pathogens
can produce toxins that interfere with protein function
deemed necessary by the host cell for proper
maintenance.

Can A Pathogen Be Killed?​

Temperature is one of the ways you can kill pathogenic

bacteria in your home. You can do this by boiling water
that may be contaminated with bacteria and other
microbes. being sure to cook foods to a safe internal
temperature.​

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How do pathogens cause
diseases in plants?
The means by which plant pathogenic bacteria cause
disease varies by the types of symptoms they cause.
Some produce toxins or inject special proteins that lead
to host cell death, others produce enzymes that break
down key structural components of plant cells and their
walls.​

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What are some pathogens in
plants?

Infectious and deficiency diseases in plants are

caused by pathogenic organisms such as
protozoa, insects and parasitic plants, they come
under the nematodes category. Nematodes are
microscopic worm-like animals. The majority of
nematodes are soil-dwelling animals and move
with soil.​

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Diseases caused by pathogens
in plants​

Anthrax, Mosaic viruses, Zika virus, Ascomycete Botrytis

and Tospovirus among many others are examples of
pathogens that cause serious infection. ​

Tospovirus, also known by the acronym TSWV, affects

tomatoes and more than 1,000 plant species. ​

Ascomycete Botrytis cinerea is a fungal pathogen

responsible for grey (or grey) mould diseases. It has a
broad host range, affecting many important agricultural
crops.​

Anthrax is a serious infectious disease caused by

gram-positive, rod-shaped bacteria known as Bacillus
anthracis.​

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How can pathogenic diseases
be helpful to humans?

You may not realize that trillions of microbes are

living in and on your body right now. They help
you digest food, protect against infection and
even maintain your reproductive health. The
vast majority of viruses and bacteria we are
exposed to have no negative effect and some
can even be beneficial, though a tiny fraction of
these can severely affect our health.​

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How to Identify and Treat
Plant Disease​

Protect your plants from debilitating diseases by learning

to recognize the symptoms and practice prevention. First,
identify the pathogen. Then decide on a treatment method
that is safe, effective and responsible.​

Black Spot ​

Black spot is one of the most common diseases found on

roses, but it can also occur on other ornamental and
garden plants. This fungal disease causes black, round
spots that form on the upper sides of leaves. Lower leaves
are usually infected first. Severe infestations cause
infected leaves to turn yellow and fall off the plant. Black
spot is a problem during extended periods of wet weather
or when leaves are wet for 6 hours or more. Black spot
spores overwinter in the fallen leaves.

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 Continuation.....​

Powdery Mildew ​
​
Powdery mildew is a fungal disease that affects many of our
landscape plants, flowers, vegetables and fruits. Powdery
mildew is an easy one to identify. Infected plants will display
a white powdery substance that is most visible on upper leaf
surfaces, but it can appear anywhere on the plant including
stems, flower buds, and even the fruit of the plant. This
fungus thrives during low soil moisture conditions combined
with high humidity levels on the upper parts of the plant
surface. It tends to affect plants kept in shady areas more
than those in direct sun.​

Canker

Canker is often identified by an open wound that has been

infected by pathogens. Some cankers are not serious while
others can be lethal. Canker occurs primarily on woody
landscape plants. Symptoms may include sunken, swollen,
cracked or dead areas found on stems, limbs or trunks.
Cankers can ruin branches, and kill foliage. Cankers are
most common on stressed plants that have been weakened
by cold, insects, drought conditions, nutritional imbalances
or root rot. Rodents can also spread pathogens.

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 Continuation​​…..
Blight
Plant blight is a common disease. But other than potatoes,
blight also affects other plants, particularly tomatoes.
Blight is a fungal disease that spreads through spores that
are windborne. For this reason, spores can cover large
areas and rapidly spread the infection. Blight can only
spread under warm humid conditions, especially with two
consecutive days of temps above 50°F, and humidity
above 90% for eleven hours or more.​

Downy Mildew

Downy mildew occurs during cool, moist weather such as

in early spring or late fall. Spore production is favoured by
temperatures below 65°F and with high relative humidity.

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Tips to Control Plant Fungus
and Diseases​
First and foremost, build well-drained soil with plenty of organic
matter prior to planting. Raise the beds if necessary and fill the
beds with a commercial potting mix that drains well. Soils that
hold too much water can cause rotting. Avoid getting water on
leaves. Hand water at the root zone or use a soaker hose.
Fertilize as necessary to keep plants in peak condition. ​

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 Questions
Answered by – Siddhant (Friend)

Objective: -

1. What is a pathogen? 4. How long do pathogens live

(a) A lung disease (a) More than 3 years
(b) A microorganism that can cause disease (b) More than 3 months
(c) A species of plants (c) Less than 3 days
(d) None of these (d) Less than 3 hours

2. Which one of these are types of pathogens?

(a) Virus
(b) Fungi
(c) Bacteria
(d) All of these

3. What is the smallest common pathogen?

(a) Fungi
(b) Bacteria
(c) Virus
(d) None of these

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 Continuation…..
Subjective: -
How do you think pathogens spread throughout the plant?

Suggestive: -
How would you rate my questionnaire out of 10? And do you have
any suggestions to make this Journal better?

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 Limitations

Even though this journey to making this journal

went quite smoothly there were a few bumps
which limited or delayed me from completing this
journal.

When I was done with my journal the printer shop

was closed and hence I could not convert the
journal to hard copy delaying my submission.

My document also got deleted once when I was

nearly halfway done and I had to restart the
journal.

Even after these limitations, the journal came out

well and completely.

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 References

Credits :

https://www.healthline.com : - Pages 4,5,6,7 and 8

https://cropwatch.unl.edu/soybean-management/pla
nt-disease : - Pages 9,10 and 11

https://earthsally.com/disease-control/common-plant-
diseases.html : - Pages 12,13,14 and 15

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 Glossary
Pathogens - A pathogen is an organism which
causes disease to its host. They are of 4 main types:
Viruses, Bacteria, Fungi and Parasites.

Toxins - A poisonous substance, especially one that

is produced by bacteria in plants and animals.

Enzymes - A substance, usually produced by plants

and animals, which helps a chemical change to
happen more quickly, without being changed itself.

Nematodes - Nematodes are microscopic worm-like

animals. The majority of nematodes are soil-dwelling
animals and move with soil.​

Debilitating - to make somebody’s body or

something weaker.

Foliage - all the leaves of a tree or plant.

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 Conclusion

In conclusion, pathogens are not totally harmful to

plants and can benefit them in some situations.
Pathogens and diseases are quite common in
plants and can damage them in many ways,
hence we should know about pathogens and
diseases in plants so we can identify the
pathogen and get rid of it as fast as we can to
protect our plants.

I hope you enjoyed reading my journal and

grasped a lot of knowledge about pathogens and
diseases in plants. If you thoroughly went through
and read my journal you must have gained a lot of
knowledge about pathogens and plants. I kindly
apologize if I have made any mistakes or if there
are any issues with my journal.

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