Disease Management: Principles and Practices

The challenge of global warming, the resulting change in climate and the way it will affect agricultural production in future confront us all. The information contained in this short course will challenge us all to a better understanding of the relationship between disease causing agents, crops and the environment.
The basic principles and practise of disease management is aimed primarily at any person who operates and forms part of the decision making process in sustainable and effective disease management. The basis of the content of this course is to set the foundation to a better understanding of disease management in order to continue and to advance to the specific crop program courses.
Diseases are one of the major constraints to crop production worldwide. The aim of this course is to examine an effective, economical and sustainable disease management strategy that requires the implementation of an appropriate set of management practises. These practices result in the production of a quality crop and healthy financial returns.
The course will cover interaction between pathogens and host, causative agents and epidemiology. Disease management options and strategies will be discussed. Resistance to fungicides will be explored and case studies based on specific plant diseases will be discussed.