Send this to a friend Printable Version Pest and Disease Control Plant Pathogens and Disease Blight. The names we give to plant diseases are unpleasant and downright ominous. But then again, so are their consequences.
Diseases often appear very suddenly, and can severely weaken or kill a plant within days.
Plant diseases can be caused by fungi, bacteria, viruses or nematodes, which can be soilborne, carried through the air, transmitted by insects or lodged within dead plant cells. As with insect pests, as soon as you notice a disease problem your first job is to make a diagnosis and identify the culprit. Treatment usually involves removing the infected parts of a plant, or the whole plant, and destroying them. The same good cultural practices that prevent insect pest infestations are the first line of defense against disease-causing plant pathogens. Build healthy soil, use compost, keep your flowers and vegetables appropriately watered, and clean up garden debris.