PLNT*6080 Plant Disease Epidemiology and Management

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The following description is for the course offering in Fall 2022 and is subject to change. It is provided for information only. The course outline distributed to the class at the beginning of the semester describes the course content and delivery, and defines the methods and criteria to be used in establishing the final grades for the course.
 

This course will focus on the epidemiology and management of plant diseases caused by fungi, viruses, and bacteria.  Emphasis will be placed on infection cycles, host-pathogen interactions and factors leading to development of diseases of plants.

Instructors:

Mary Ruth McDonald
Katerina Serlemitsos Jordan

Teaching Assistant:

Credit Weight:

0.50

Course Level:

  • Graduate

Academic Department (or campus):

Department of Plant Agriculture

Campus:

Guelph

Semester Offering:

  • Fall

Class Schedule and Location:

There is one in-person class for 3 hours each week, on Friday's from 1:00 to 4:00 pm. There will be one or two on-line classes, replacing the in-person classes, during the semester. Attendance in class and active participation in the class discussions is expected.

Learning outcomes:

At the end of this course, you should be able to:

  1. Find gaps in research and write a detailed proposal.
  2. Show development of problem-solving skills by working through case studies and participating in class discussions.
  3. Review peer-reviewed literature and display knowledge and understanding of epidemiological concepts of plant disease development in a number of pathogen/host relationships in detail.
  4. Demonstrate research and writing skills through weekly written assignments that answer specific questions relating to plant diseases.
  5. Synthesize ideas and develop and support a scientific argument in written and oral formats.
  6. Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of the international and historical significance of important plant pathogens.
  7. Present ideas succinctly and clearly in a formal oral presentation.
  8. Provide constructive feedback through thoughtful questions in relation to oral presentations and in discussions with colleagues.
  9. Demonstrate detailed knowledge of the life cycle, epidemiology, disease forecasting and disease management of several plant pathogens, and general knowledge of disease assessment methods and how disease management methods can be incorporated to integrated disease management and integrated pest management approaches and contribute to sustainable plant production.

Lecture Content:

The course is based on self-directed learning. Most of the course material will be covered through reading the literature, preparing the short written summaries and review of the material through oral presentations by students. There will be some short lectures at the end of class to clarify the concepts, as needed.

Labs & Seminars:

Students will do oral presentations during class time.

Course Assignments and Tests:

Assignment or test
Description
Weight
Outcomes

Weekly written assignments

Students will be required to write eight weekly assignments on their chosen pathogens and submit them to the CourseLink DropBox folder

 40% 2, 3, 4, 6, 9

Oral presentation

Each student will give 3 oral presentations based on their written assignments throughout the semester on select topics. Specific weeks for presentations for each student will be posted during Week 1.

 20%              5, 6, 7, 9

Midterm

 There is a one-hour, open book midterm to test knowledge of terms and concepts 10% 6, 9
Participation in discussions Students will actively participate in discussions each week and also provide in asking questions of the speakers and providing oral feedback on the student presentations

10%

 2, 8, 9

Research proposal

 The final assignment is a written research proposal based on a research gap that the student identified during the semester. The proposal will use the template for the OMAFRA Alliance program. 20% 1, 5, 9
Additional Notes

Written assignments (40% total): A written assignment will be prepared and submitted each week based on the questions in the course assignments.  The written assignment must be no longer than 1000 words, roughly 2 pages (12 point text, Times New Roman, single spaced).  References can be added as an additional page.  The assignment must be clear, concise and grammatically correct, with proper citations, as if it was the text to be used for the introduction to a scientific paper.  Each assignment is worth 5 % of the final mark.  There will be 8 of these assignments (5 x 8 = 40 % total).

Oral assignments: Each student will give three oral presentations using PowerPoint or similar presentation software. Each student will present a summary of the economic significance and life cycle of four pathogens they have chosen for the first presentation (5%). 

There will be two presentations on information for two of the topics, presented to the class. This will be followed by a some feedback on the presentation and a question period. There will also be general class discussion of the topic. Each student will do 2 of these longer presentations, worth 7.5% each (7.5 x 2 = 15% total). A student will not submit a written assignment on the weeks where they do the longer oral presentation. .

Participation: Students are expected to actively participate in class discussions and to provide oral feedback on the student presentations.

Research Proposal: The final assignment is a research proposal based on a research gap that the student identified during the semester. Students will be provided with a template for the proposal that is similar to that used by the OMAFRA Alliance funding program. The proposal should be based on one of the plant pathogens that they studied during the semester, but cannot be based on the pathogen that a student is studying for their degree.

Midterm: The midterm will be online during regular class time on Friday, October 21, 2022. It will be an open book test with a time limit.

 

Final examination:

There is no scheduled examination for this course.

Course Resources:

Required Texts:

None.

Recommended Texts:

There are several plant pathology texts that can provide a general overview of the topics. Plant Pathology by Agrios 2005 is one. This provides good background information but some information has changed since 2005. Books by J.E. Vander Plank are also recommended to review some basic concepts of Plant Pathology.

Students are expected to read the scientific literature. The information in textbooks can be a useful starting point and can provide background and review material, but may be out of date.

Lab Manual:

None.

Other Resources:

Plant pathology journals are available online through the library.

Plant pathology journals include, but are not limited to:

  • Plant Disease, Plant Pathology
  • Phytopathology
  • Canadian Journal of Plant Pathology, European Journal of Plant Pathology
     
Field Trips:

None.

Additional Costs:

None.

Course Policies:

Grading Policies

Deadlines: All written assignments and all presentations are due by class time on the day of class unless academic consideration has been granted. Written assignments that exceed the word limit (not including references) will be marked down by 20%. The research proposal is due by midnight on the due date at the end of the semester. Late assignments will receive a mark of 0 unless academic consideration has been granted. Written assignments will be graded on clarity of the writing, good organization of the ideas and completeness and comprehensiveness of the information. To achieve high marks, assignments must include all four pathogens and compare and contrast the information. Oral presentations will be assessed for organization, clarity, and completeness and comprehensiveness of the information, and are expected to cover the same information as in the written assignments. Students are expected to demonstrate an understanding of the material and terms used, and be able to answer questions effectively. A written assignment is not required when an oral presentation is done.

Course Policy on Group Work: All assignments, including the final assignment, are to be individual work, conforming with the university policies of academic integrity.

Course Policy regarding use of electronic devices and recording of lectures:

Electronic recording of classes is expressly forbidden without consent of the instructor. When recordings are permitted they are solely for the use of the authorized student and may not be reproduced, or transmitted to others, without the express written consent of the instructor. The student presentations and the short lectures provided by the professors will be recorded

Other Course Information:

Netiquette Expectations

The course website is considered the classroom and the same protections, expectations, guidelines, and regulations used in face-to-face settings apply. Inappropriate behaviour will not be tolerated. Examples of inappropriate online behaviour include:

  • Posting inflammatory messages about your instructor or fellow students;
  • Using offensive language;
  • Copying or presenting someone else's work as your own;
  • Adapting information from the Internet without using proper citations or references;
  • Buying or selling term papers or assignments;
  • Posting or selling course materials to course notes websites;
  • Having someone else complete your quiz or completing a quiz for/with another student;
  • Stating false claims about lost quiz answers or other assignment submissions;
  • Threatening or harassing a student or instructor;
  • Discriminating against fellow students, instructors, and/or TAs;
  • Using the course website to promote profit-driven products or services;
  • Attempting to compromise the security or functionality of the learning management system; and
  • Sharing your username and password.

University Policies

Academic Consideration

When you find yourself unable to meet an in-course requirement because of illness or compassionate reasons, please advise the course instructor in writing, with your name, id#, and e-mail contact. See the academic calendar for information on regulations and procedures for Academic Consideration:

Academic Misconduct

The University of Guelph is committed to upholding the highest standards of academic integrity and it is the responsibility of all members of the University community, faculty, staff, and students  to be aware of what constitutes academic misconduct and to do as much as possible to prevent academic offences from occurring.

University of Guelph students have the responsibility of abiding by the University's policy on academic misconduct regardless of their location of study; faculty, staff and students have the responsibility of supporting an environment that discourages misconduct. Students need to remain aware that instructors have access to and the right to use electronic and other means of detection. Please note: Whether or not a student intended to commit academic misconduct is not relevant for a finding of guilt. Hurried or careless submission of assignments does not excuse students from responsibility for verifying the academic integrity of their work before submitting it. Students who are in any doubt as to whether an action on their part could be construed as an academic offence should consult with a faculty member or faculty advisor.

The Academic Misconduct Policy is detailed in the University Calenders:

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For more information, contact CSD at 519-824-4120 ext. 56208 or email sas@uoguelph.ca or visit the Student Accessibility Services website: http://www.uoguelph.ca/csd/.

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