Plant Pathology: Academic Programs: Courses / Syllabi

PATH 4300/6300 - Clinical Plant Pathology

Supervised plant disease diagnosis experience within the Extension Plant Pathology Plant Disease Clinic. Students will learn techniques and procedures for diagnosing plant diseases on ornamentals, turf, fruit, vegetables, and field crops. Students will keep a written record of the diseases diagnosed.

Instructor -  Jean Williams-Woodward
Credit Hours - 2 (Repeatable for maximum 6 hours credit)
Course Offered - fall, spring, and summer semesters

COURSE OBJECTIVES OR EXPECTED LEARNING OUTCOMES

Objectives are to provide students with extensive practical experience in diagnosing plant diseases on a wide variety of agronomic and horticultural crops. Students will work on samples received in the Extension Plant Pathology Plant Disease Clinic in Athens and Tifton. They will be expected to accurately diagnose the plant problem using a variety of diagnostic procedures and techniques, and provide a disease control recommendation for each sample. As experience is gained students may participate in routine activities of the Plant Disease Clinic by providing the diagnosis for submitted samples. Students will work with Extension specialists and faculty to learn diagnostic methods and techniques, as well as specifics on crop production to aid them in developing a realistic disease control recommendation. At the end of the course students will be competent in using disease identification references and have compiled a written disease collection containing their drawings of symptoms and signs of the disease and causal pathogen, as well as information pertaining to disease development and control for each sample identified. Students will be graded on their written disease collection and on a final disease diagnosis practical exam. This course will provide extensive training in plant disease diagnosis and better prepare Plant Pathology graduate students for employment within the public and private sector.

MEETING TIME

The course meets 1 day per week for a 3-hour block of time.  The time and day of each class will be decided upon by the instructor and enrolled students to accommodate class schedules at the beginning of each semester.  The course meets in the Plant Disease Clinic, 2405 Miller Plant Sciences Bldg.

PRE-REQUISITE 

Permission of instructor is required to enroll in this course.  Students may re-enroll in the course for up to 6-hours of credit.  Diagnosis and Management of Plant Diseases (PATH 4280/6280) is a prerequisite for this course.  Only in exceptional cases will the prerequisite be overridden to allow student enrollment.

REQUIRED COURSE MATERIAL 

There is no required textbook for the course.  Reference material is available for student use within the Plant Disease Clinic in Athens.  Students are able to use the reference material during regular work hours (Monday – Friday, 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM).  No reference material is permitted to leave the Plant Disease Clinic as this material is used on a regular basis for regular clinic operation.

ATTENDANCE POLICY 

Students are required to attend and participate in each class period.  Students can continue to work on assigned samples outside of the scheduled class period, but instructor support may not be available at that time depending upon the instructor’s schedule.  No unexcused absences will be tolerated due to the nature of this laboratory course.  A student may be withdrawn from the course at the discretion of the instructor if unexcused absences occur.  Only excused absences will be permitted to make-up missed class periods, however, instructor support and sample quality cannot be guaranteed.

GRADING POLICY 

Students will be graded (A-F) on the clinical reports for each disease sample evaluated, as well as a 4-hour oral final exam.  Class participation will account for 10% of the student’s grade.  Clinical reports will be collected twice during the semester and graded based upon correctness of sample diagnosis and pathogen biology and control recommendation content.  The final exam consists of independent student evaluation of five to six disease samples for which the student must diagnose the each sample and be able to orally defend their diagnosis based upon pathogen characteristics and biology.  

TOPICAL OUTLINE

This is a non-traditional course in which students work directly with Extension specialists and faculty on plant samples submitted to the Extension Plant Pathology Plant Disease Clinics to gain advanced disease diagnosis experience. Students will maintain regular, weekly work hours within the Plant Disease Clinic in Athens or Tifton. Extension Specialists and Public Service faculty will supervise and assist students in learning diagnostic procedures and directing them towards resources to aid diagnosis of plant samples. A weekly work schedule of 4-hour time periods will be arranged for the convenience of the students and Plant Disease Clinic personnel. The number and type of plant samples diagnosed will be dependent upon which Plant Disease Clinic (Athens or Tifton) the student works with, as well as the time of the year the student is enrolled in the class. Students will be exposed to a variety of plant diseases on fruits, vegetables, agronomic field crops, turf, and ornamentals.

HONOR CODE AND ACADEMIC HONESTY POLICY

All academic work must meet the standards contained in "A Culture of Honesty." Each student is responsible to inform themselves about those standards before performing any academic work.