This document summarizes the history of plant pathology in 4 phases: Ancient, Dark, Renaissance, and Modern periods. It describes key figures and discoveries from each period. In the Ancient period (300-286 BC), Theophrastus studied and wrote about plant diseases. The Dark period from 300-1300 AD saw little advancement. The Renaissance period began in the 17th century with inventions like the compound microscope. Important discoveries included fungal spores (1729) and the causal agent of wheat smut (1755). The Modern period started in 1800; the Irish potato famine of 1845 spurred research. Key figures established that fungi cause disease (1853), germ theory (1879), that viruses are not living

1. WELCOME
TO
ALL
Prof. M. Ashrafuzzaman
Dept. Plant Pathology, BAU

2. History of Plant Pathology
Four Phases
1.
2.
3.
4.
Ancient period
Dark period
Renaissance period
Modern period

3. Ancient Period
Theophrastus (300-286 B.C.)
•Study and write about the diseases
of trees, cereals and legumes in his
book enquiry into plants
•His approach was observational and
speculative rather than experimental.
•Theory of spontaneous
generation
Father of botany

4. DARK PERIOD
 300AD
and 1300AD
 Also called pre-renaissance period in
history
 no increase in the knowledge of plant
pathology

5. PRE-MODERN/ RENAISSANCE PERIOD/AUTOGENIC ERA (17th –mid 19th)

1675 A. D.-Anton van
Leeuwenhoek (Holland)

Invented compound microscope in
1675

In 1683 he described bacteria seen
with this microscope

6. 1729 A. D.-Pier Antonio Micheli (Italian)
•Observed fungal spores for the first time and
conducted many spore germination studies in
1729
•He published a book “Nova Plantarum
Genera” in which he gave descriptions about
1900 species in Latin out of which 900 were
fungi.
Father of
Mycology.

7. 3) 1755 A. D.-Tillet (French)
•Published a paper on bunt or
stinking smut of wheat
•He reported the chemical
treatment of seeds

8. MODERN PERIOD/ GOLDEN ERA/PATHOGENIC ERA (1800 – 1900)
IRIS FAMINE
•In 1845, the potato crop in Ireland was
completely wiped out by late blight
disease
• caused great famine in 1846.
•This resulted in the death of hundreds
of thousands of people
•immigration of more than one and a
half million Irish to United States.

9. 4) 1853 A. D.-Anton De Bary
(Germany)
•established that fungi are the causes, not
result of plant diseases
•renamed the casual organism of late blight
as Phytophthora infestans.
•He discovered heteroecious nature of
rust fungi
•Detailed life cycles of downy mildew
•He wrote a book named “Morphology
and Physiology of fungi, lichens and
Myxomycetes” (1866).

10. 8) 1879 A. D.- Robert Koch
•Established the germ theory
Germ theory
diseases are caused by the presence
and actions of specific micro-organisms
that microorganisms are the cause of
many diseases.

11. 8) 1889 A. D. Beijerinck
(Dutch)
proved that the virus is not a
living microorganism.
•Founder of virology
N.A. Cobb
Contributed a lot to
nematode morphology,
taxonomy and methodology
•Founder of nematology

12. Paul Neergaard
•Father of seed pathology

13. Bengal Famine 1943
Brown spot diseases

14. Bangladesh perspective
• Department of plant pathology
• Seed Pathology Centre
• Plant Disease diagnostic Clinic

15. Today’ Plant Pathology
Some major trends were in the following areas:
Physiological plant pathology
Genetics of the host and the pathogens
Environment and its relation to plant disease
Nature of disease resistance in plants
Biochemistry and physiology of the diseased plants
Tissue culture in plant pathology
Ecological study of plant pathogens
Integrated plant disease management
Biotechnology and genetic engineering

16. THANKS TO ALL