Plant Diseases and Pathology Flashcards
7 cards from real CPH practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 7 Plant Diseases and Pathology flashcards as text
Plant-parasitic nematodes in landscape and nursery settings are best managed by:
Answer: Using resistant cultivars, soil solarization, and nematicides
Nematode management relies on an integrated approach combining resistant or tolerant cultivars, soil solarization to kill nematodes with heat, and nematicides where economically justified.
Phytoplasmas, which cause diseases like aster yellows in ornamental plants, are transmitted primarily by:
Answer: Leafhoppers that acquire phytoplasmas from infected hosts and transmit them
Phytoplasmas are obligate intracellular parasites that reside in phloem tissue and are transmitted in a persistent, propagative manner by phloem-feeding leafhoppers.
Mosaic, mottling, and distortion of leaves are most characteristic of which class of plant disease?
Answer: Viral diseases causing systemic symptom patterns
Mosaic and mottling patterns result from viruses disrupting chlorophyll production unevenly across leaf tissue, creating a patchwork of green and yellow areas.
In plant pathology, the term 'canker' refers to:
Answer: A localized, dead, sunken or discolored area on a stem, branch, or trunk
A canker is a defined necrotic lesion on woody tissue — typically sunken, discolored, and sometimes exuding gum or resin — that can girdle and kill affected branches.
Botrytis blight (gray mold) caused by Botrytis cinerea is most favored by which environmental conditions?
Answer: Cool temperatures (60–77°F) and high relative humidity above 90%
Botrytis cinerea sporulates and infects plant tissue most aggressively at cool to moderate temperatures and very high humidity, which promotes spore germination and mycelial growth.
Which cultural practice most effectively reduces the incidence of foliar fungal diseases such as powdery mildew and leaf spots on landscape plants?
Answer: Using drip or soaker hose irrigation to keep foliage dry
Keeping foliage dry by using ground-level irrigation methods reduces the leaf wetness period required for fungal spore germination and infection.
When scouting for plant diseases in a landscape, the term 'sign' refers to:
Answer: Physical evidence of the pathogen itself, such as spores, mycelium, or bacterial ooze
A sign is direct physical evidence of the pathogen, such as fungal sporulation, mycelial growth, or bacterial streaming, as opposed to a symptom, which is the plant's response to infection.