History of Plant Pathology

 The book “History of Plant Pathology” by S. G. Borkar covers the development of plant pathology from ancient times to the present era in different regions of the world. It also discusses the historical epidemics and important plant diseases that have affected human civilization, the crop yield losses due to plant diseases, and the plant pathological societies and their activities. Some of the key points of the book are:

• Ancient era: The book traces the origins of plant pathology in ancient literature, such as the Vedas, the Bible, the Greek and Roman writings, and the Chinese classics. It also describes the status of plant pathology in ancient civilizations, such as Egypt, Mesopotamia, India, China, and Greece.
• Medieval era: The book reviews the contributions of plant pathology in medieval Europe, Central America, Arabia, the Far East, and India. It highlights the works of Petrus Crescentius, Gottfried of Franken, Konrad of Megenberg, Ibn Al-Awam, Ibn al-Bassal, and others. It also mentions the influence of magic and astrology on plant disease diagnosis and control.
• Premodern era: The book narrates the development of the germ theory of disease in plants and the experimental proof of fungal reproduction and contagion. It also summarizes the period of classification of plant diseases and speculation on their causes, and the early development of mycology. It cites the works of Tillet, Prevost, de Bary, Berkeley, Cooke, and others.
• Modern era: The book details the advances in plant pathology in Europe, America, Australia, and Asia in the 19th and early 20th centuries. It focuses on the discovery and control of major plant diseases, such as the potato late blight, the wheat rusts, the coffee rust, the cassava mosaic disease, the chestnut blight, the Dutch elm disease, and others. It also introduces the pioneers of plant pathology, such as Smith, Millardet, Biffen, Stakman, Borlaug, and others.
• Present era: The book updates the current status of plant pathology in different continents and countries, such as Europe, America, South America, Australia, Africa, India, Japan, and China. It covers the topics of fungal, bacterial, viral, phytoplasmal, nematode, and non-parasitic diseases, as well as plant disease control, molecular and serological plant pathology, transgenic research, and plant quarantine.
• Historical epidemics and important plant diseases: The book analyses the impact of historical epidemics and important plant diseases on society and government, such as the Irish potato famine, the great Bengal famine, the lethal yellowing of coconut palms, the Karnal bunt of wheat, the citrus canker, the xylella outbreak, the Panama wilt of banana, the southern corn leaf blight, the bacterial blight of rice, and others.
• Historical crop yield losses due to plant diseases: The book estimates the crop yield losses due to plant diseases in different regions and periods of history, such as the West, Georgia, India, and the Far East. It also lists the major diseases that caused worldwide yield loss, such as the wheat rusts, the rice blast, the downy mildew of grapes, the apple scab, the soybean rust, and others.
• Plant pathological societies and their development: The book describes the establishment and activities of various plant pathological societies and related organizations around the world, such as the American Phytopathological Society, the British Society for Plant Pathology, the Indian Phytopathological Society, the Chinese Society for Plant Pathology, and others. It also mentions the awards, journals, funds, and studentships offered by these societies.