Pathogenesis

Stages of the Disease development

1. Inoculation

2. Pre Penetration

3. Penetration

4. Post Penetration
 I. Inoculation

Initial contact of a pathogen with a site of plant where

infection is possible - inoculation
The pathogens that lands on or is otherwise brought into
contact with the plant is called the inoculum
One unit of inoculum of any pathogen is called propagule

Secondary
Primary inoculum
inoculum

Primary infection Secondary infection

• Inoculum potential- energy of growth of parasite available for

infection of host at the surface of the host organ to be infected.

• Some types of inoculum in the soil eg: zoospores and

nematodes may be attracted to the host plant by chemical

substances like sugar and amino acids diffusing out of the plant

roots. This process is known as chemotaxis.

 II. Pre Penetration

1. Incubation

2. Attachment of the pathogen with host

3. Recognition between host and pathogen

 III. Penetration

a. Direct penetration ( seed coat, seedlings, root, stigma, floral

parts, epidermis, cuticle)
b. Indirect - Peneration through wounds
- Penetration through natural openings
(stomata, hydathodes, lenticel, nectaries,
styles, ectodesmata)
 a. Direct penetration
 Requires adhesion to the plant surface, followed by the application
of pressure and enzymatic degration of the cuticle and cell wall
 Degradation of the cuticle and cell wall, genes are switched on/off
Eg:
seed coat - Pythium,
seedlings – Pythium, Plasmodiophora brassicae, Tilletia
caries(bunt of wheat),
root - Plasmodiophora brassicae ,
stigma – Ustilago nuda tritici (wheat loose smut), Claviceps sp
(sugary diseasse),
floral parts – Sclerotinia sp (brown rot of stone fruits), epidermis
– Erysiphe sp. (powdery mildew)
cuticle – Phytophthora infestans (Late blight of potato) Botrytis
cinerea (petal fire in flowers)
 b. Peneration through wounds
• Does not require the formation of specialized structures
• Wounds present on the plant surface

• Post harvest (aspergillus, penicillium, rhizopus, nectaria – canker

• Soil borne fungal pathogens
• Carbohydrate and amino acids in exudate
• Eg zoospore –pythium & phytophthora
• Bacteria, fvb, phytoplasma, virus, nematodes
• Caused by Natural agencies – wind, rain, insects, animals, human
 c. Penetration through natural openings

• Open in day time but closed at night

• Lower surface of the leaf for gaseous exchange

• Stomata – thigmotrophism (contact response to surface topography of cells)

- infection peg/penetration peg

- downy mildew and powdery mildew

Hydathodes – pores of leaf margin, countinuous with xylem,
pathogenic bacteria

Lenticel- raised pores, woody plants

-Spongospora subterrena (powdery scab of potato,
armillaria mellea), Root rot, Penicillium expansum fruit rot,
Nectaria galligena apple stem canker
- tubers, roots, fruits, stem

Nectaries(apple fire blight), styles, ectodesmata – unusual

openings
 IV. Post penetreation

a. Infection

b. Invasion

c. Colonization

d. Dissemination of the pathogen

e. Over wintering/ over summering/ survival of the pathogen

 a.Infection

• The process of establishment of pathogen within susceptiblee

cells or tissues of the host and which starts to procure nutrient
from them is called infection
• Time elasping between spore germination nd established
infection is called infection period.
• Local infection ( smut, downy mildew fungi, all other fungi,
bacteria & phanerogamis parasites)
• systemic infection (viruses, viroids, phytoplasma, fvb &
protozoans)
 b. Invasion
• During infection the pathogen spread into all the tissues of the plant
organs called invasion.
• Fungi & bacteria grow either intercellular or intracellular
• Vascular pathogens invade the xylem vessels and grow intravascularly
• Viruses & viroids invade all types of cells
• Mollicutes (phytoplasma and spiroplasmsa), protozoans invade
pholem sieve
• Virus, viroid, fvb , protozoa, phtoplasma invade tissues by moving
from cell to cell intracellularly
 c. Colonization

• The invaded grows and starts to multiply in a variety of ways

called colonization
• Invasion and colonization sub stages in disease development
within the stage of infection
• Results in appearance of symptoms
• Period between the inoculation and symptom exppression is
called incubation period
 d. Dissemination of the pathogen

• Seeds, propagative material, air, water, insects etc.,

• Virus & viroid multiply at plasmodesmata

• Phloem – virus, viroid, phytoplasma, fvb, protozoa

• Xylem – bacteria, fvb

 e. Over wintering/ over summering/ survival of the
pathogen

• Plant debris – soil, seeds, some in living tissues, tools

etc.,