Plant disease

Question 1

How do plant diseases threaten people and what else do they effect?

Answer 1

when crops fail, people suffer they may starve or the economy may suffer and jobs are lost disease threaten ecosystems, more species in a food chain can be threatened

Question 2

What happened to the English oak tree?

Answer 2

• disease, that first occured in 1980s causes a dark fluid to ooze from the bark,
• often causes death
• unknown cause -
  
  • several prevously unknown bacteria in the tree may play a role
  • oak jewel beetle activity in infected tree - may be a vector or may be a coincidence

Question 3

What is ring rot caused by? What are its effects?

Answer 3

a bacterial disease

damages, leaves, tubers and fruits

can destroy upto 80% of crops and ifects a field it cannot be used again to grow the same crop for two years

Question 4

What causes tobacco mosaic?

Answer 4

a virus and affects around 150 species

damages leaves flowers and fruits, strunting growth and reducing yields

leads to almost total crop loss

Question 5

What causes poatatio blight (tomato blight, late blight)

Answer 5

protocist

destroys leaves, tubers and fruit

causing millions of pounds worth of crop damage every year

the cure is vulnerable to resistant strains

Question 6

What causes black sigatoka?

Answer 6

caused by fungus

destroys cells

digest cells, turning leaves black

50% reduction in yyield

treated by fungicide