EPWS 310 - PLANT PATHOLOGY

EPWS 310 - PLANT PATHOLOGY

Requirements for Laboratory Reports

Requirements for Collections

Choose three of the following experiments to report on.

1. Koch's postulates experiment

2. Seed treatment and disease control

3. Growth of fungi on different media

4. Baiting experiment

5. Inoculation of resistant and susceptible peppers

6. Crown gall experiment

7. Chile leaf spot experiment

8. ELISA detection of viruses

Laboratory reports should be no longer than 3 pages. You may resubmit your first report (but only your first one), if it has any deficiencies. Please turn in your own work. If the work of two or more students appears unjustifiably similar, you will not get credit for the work. If you copy information from a book or the internet, write it in quotations and cite the references that you used. It is strongly advised that the first lab report is turned in by October 5. Lab reports will be written in two distinct styles. Two reports will be written in standard journal type format as described below. One report will be written in the format of a cooperative extension Guide.

The sections to include in the first two lab reports include:

A. Introduction - This section should explain the background of the pathogen or disease. What is the pathogen? What are the hosts? Is it of major economic importance? This section should also state the objectives of the experiment. Why was the experiment conducted? What were you trying to find out?

B. Methods and Materials - How was the experiment conducted? What instruments were used to inoculate the plant or isolate and grow the pathogen? How are the plants and/or pathogens grown? On what media?

C. Observations - What did you see? If you didn't see anything, why not? Include all observations, using a table if necessary.

D. Conclusions – What did you find out? How does the observation relate to the objectives? Any discussion on the disease cycle and control measures as related to the experiment or the pathogen should be presented at this point.

Laboratory Journal

Each student will need to keep a lab journal/notebook. The book can be loose leaf or bound. During each lab session, students will write and draw in the notebook. Each weeks entry should answer three questions: what I observed, what I thought, and what I found. Journals will be collected and graded three times during the semester for a maximum of 9 points.

Requirements for the Collection of Plant Pathogens

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Each student should collect, prepare and hand in four non-obligate plant pathogens in pure culture and one obligate plant pathogen. Specific requirements for the obligate and non-obligate pathogens differ slightly as follows:

Obligate Pathogen:

For the obligate pathogen, the diseased plant specimen (leaf, stem, fruit, etc.) should be pressed and placed on a thick sheet of paper or in an envelope. On the paper should be a brief description of the pathogen, the host, and the disease cycle, as well as the reference used for identification. If the obligate pathogen produces spores (eg. rust, powdery mildew) a slide showing the spores should accompany the plant specimen.

Non-obligate Pathogens:

For the non-obligate pathogens, a specimen of the host should be pressed, placed on a thick sheet of paper or in an envelope if possible. If the specimen cannot be preserved, a complete description of the symptoms is necessary. Provide a brief description of the pathogen, the host, the disease cycle, and the reference used for identification. Along with the specimen and description, submit a petri plate with the pathogen in pure culture and a slide showing the reproductive structures used for identification. In the case of a bacterial pathogens, a streak plate and a gram stain slide should be handed in. Specimen, description and pure culture are required for full credit.

An example of the collection report will be provided as a template. Please turn in your own work and write the pathogen descriptions in your own words. If the work of two or more students appears unjustifiably similar, you will not get credit for the work. Although not preferable, if you copy information from a book or the internet, write it in quotations and cite the references that you used.

It is strongly suggested that you hand in your specimens as soon as they have been identified. The first 3 samples are due October 27, 2010. The entire collection is due November 17, 2010.

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