STOCKSCH 301 – 3 Credits

A course to understand the causes of plant diseases, the ecology of plant pathogens, the host response, and management of plant diseases.

Instructor: Dr. Elsa Petit; epetit@umass.edu

Prerequisites: STOCKSCH 108, 100-level Biology course or permission of the instructor.

Course description

Plant diseases are omnipresent and incredibly impactful in artificial (e.g. farms, managed landscapes,…) and natural (e.g. forests, meadows,…) systems. How do we recognize diseases and then manage them? What are the experts in the field that we can rely on to help us diagnose plant diseases? During this course, we will learn to (1) recognize important categories of plant diseases, (2) diagnose the main types of pathogens (Fungi, Bacteria, Viruses and Nematodes) and (3) manage diseases sustainably. Through active learning and meeting with expert guest speakers, you will be able to identify and manage diseases in your surroundings.

Let me Introduce myself to you

I am a plant pathologist with a specific interest in sustainable agriculture and grapes. In my research, I focus on the dynamics of infectious diseases in agro- and wild-ecosystems and how this understanding helps us make both systems more resilient to diseases. I am originally from the wine country in France where I studied in Bordeaux. I then pursued a PhD in Plant Pathology in California. Being someone that learns by doing, I am a big supporter of peer learning (learning with your peers, your student colleagues) and experiential learning or hands-on.

Learning objectives

Lectures, readings, quizzes, and inaturalist posts are designed to help you to:

Recognize broad plant pathogen categories.
Evaluate and differentiate typical symptoms of various plant diseases.
Understand plant pathogen ecology.
Understand host reaction to plant diseases.
Plan plant disease management.

Assignments

Getting to know you survey – 1%
Readings (on Perusall accessed through Moodle) – 29%

You will be assigned a text to read on Perusall (access through Learning Management System). To get credit, you will need to ask one pertinent question or answer or comment on someone else’s comment/question. The purpose of these assignments is to reinforce and go deeper into the material covered in class and for the instructor to see what points need to be clarified. The work is individual, and you will get full credit if your question/comment/answer is pertinent, 80% if it is good but not thorough and zero if you do not post anything or make an “empty” question/comment/answer, for example if you answered “yes, that is right” to someone else post, it will not count.

3. Quizzes – 50%

Weekly, quizzes will be short open book quiz on the material since the last quiz.

4. iNaturalist post – 20%

Towards the end of the semester, you will have to post a picture and comments on a disease you find in your surroundings on the theme covered in the past two weeks.