Plant Disease

Detection and identification of plant diseases

Plants can also be affected by viral, bacterial and fungal pathogens.

The common signs of plant diseases are:

• Stunted growth: indicating nitrate deficiency

• Spots on leaves: indicating black spot fungus on roses
• Areas of decay: black spot fungus on roses, blights on potatoes
• Abnormal growths: crown galls caused by bacterial infection
• Malformed stems or leaves: due to aphid infestation
• Discolouration: indicating magnesium deficiency, or tobacco mosaic virus
• Pests on leaves: such as caterpillars

You can identify the disease the plant has by:

• Using a gardening manual or website

• Identifying the pathogen by observing the infected plant in a laboratory
• Using monoclonal antibodies in testing to identify the pathogen

Ion deficiencies are a problem in plants.

Plant Defence Responses

Plants have a number of physical, chemicals and mechanical adaptations.

Physical defences: To prevent the invasion of microorganisms

• Tough waxy cuticle stops entry into leaves

• Cellulose cell walls form a physical barrier into the cells
• Plants have layers of dead cells around stems (such as bark) which stop pathogens entering.
The dead cells fall off with the pathogens. AN advantage of leaves falling off the plant in a dry
environment is the plant will not lose as much water.
Chemical defences: To deter predators or kill bacteria

• Poisons (e.g., from foxgloves, tobacco plants, deadly nightshades, yew) deter herbivores
(organisms that eat plants)
• The leaves of some plant release oils into their surface which may harm or make the aphids
(insect) slide off the plant.
• Antibacterial compounds kill bacteria, such as mint plant and witch hazel

KEY POINT
Mechanical defences
Test for glucose
• Thorns and stinging hairs make it difficult and
Add benedict’s solution then boil it/heat it
painful for animals to eat them (but do not
at 65 degrees Celsius or above if glucose is
defend against insects)
present the blue colour will change to
• Some leaves can droop or curl when touched
yellow/orange/green/brown/red
which allows them to move away and move
insects off their leaves Test for starch
• Mimicry to trick animals
Add iodine solution if starch is present then
− Some plants droop to look like unhealthy plants
the colour will change from yellow/orange
so that animals avoid them
to blue or black.
− Plants can have patterns that appear to look like
butterfly eggs, so butterflies do not lay their eggs - An advantage of cactus having a green
here in order to avoid competition stem is to allow it to photosynthesise and
− Species from the ‘ice plant family’ have a stone make sugar.
and pebble like fungicide appearance in order to
- A substance transported through the
avoid predation.
xylem in the stem of the cactus is water or
Reasons why a gorse plant might have stunted growth mineral ions and the tissue that transport
and yellow leaves dissolved sugars through the stem of the
cactus is phloem tissue.
- Due to deficiency of magnesium ions meaning
less chlorophyll for photosynthesis so lack of - A honey fungus spores travel from the
glucose to make proteins for growth. roots of an infected gorse plant to the roots
- Infection by pathogen-bacteria/virus/fungus of a healthy gorse plant through soil/water.
causing discolouration of the leaves due to lack of
- The process that transports dissolved sugar
photosynthesis so lack of glucose to make
around the plant is called translocation.
proteins for growth.
- Infected by aphids which removes sugar from
phloem so lack of glucose to make proteins for growth. Some aphids have wings and can fly
to another plant more easily and can escape predator quickly.

1) Suggest how nodules benefit the bacteria 2) Explain how nodules benefit the gorse plant.

1) In a gorse plant bacteria obtain glucose from the plant which is used for reparation, growth and
releasing energy.

2) The plant obtains nitrate ions which make proteins and amino acids needed for growth.