Plants directly and indirectly supply all of the food, fiber, and energy necessary for our lives. It is a serious matter if disease prevents plants from living up to their genetic potential for producing food. Plant Pathologists concerns themselves both with diseases caused by mineral deficiencies, climate or pollutants, bacteria, fungi, mycoplasms, nematodes and viruses. Some Plant Pathologists work in the field to develop biological, chemical and cultural ways to control diseases or to study an organism. Others work in the laboratory.
Plant Pathologists breed resistant plants and study the interactions between a plant and a disease.
Many career choices are available for an individual with an interest in Plant Pathology. Job opportunities exist in industrial and academic research, extension and consulting, and marketing and agribusiness. A degree with an emphasis in Plant Pathology also allows a student to pursue graduate studies at this, or other institutions. Simply put, a plant is a weed if it interferes with the activities, or welfare, of people. Weeds are a problem in parks and wilderness areas, rangelands and managed lands, crops, and turf.