Classes Taught

*Click on course title to download the Syllabus

PLPA 3000: General Plant Pathology (4 credits). This is an upper level undergraduate course is designed give students an appreciation of general Plant Pathology. The Plant pathology course introduces students to 1) living and non-living entities which incite plant diseases; 2) the mechanisms and environmental conditions which stimulate plant disease; 3) the interactions between the disease causing agents and the environments and; 4) the methods of preventing, managing, or alleviating the damage of plant disease. Lectures concentrate on providing students with a visual symptoms and signs of plant disease with an understanding of the organisms that cause disease under what specific environmental conditions. Disease management is demonstrated in the laboratory with emphasis on sustainable and economical pest management strategies. Laboratories are designed with experiments to validate to students IPM practices in cropping systems common in the southeastern region.

PLPA 3003/3004: General Plant Pathology (4 credits). This is the distance education version of plant pathology available to students who are not on campus during the summer. Lecture materials are identical to the classroom version of this class. Laboratories have been modified to work with the distance educations technologies.

PLPA 5060/6060: Plant Disease Management (3 credits). This course is co-taught by Dr. Kloepper and Dr. Lawrence. The course is designed to instill in students the classical options for managing plant diseases. Management is stressed rather than complete disease control to emphasize that economically and environmentally some disease will always be present when crops or ornamentals are grown. After completion of the course, students will be competent to review current literature on disease management options and design a treatment regime for any plant disease that they encounter. Examples of successful sustainable IPM programs will be presented as case studies. Field trips provide students with hands-on experience in different aspects of the pest management decision-making process.

PLPA 5200/6200: Introductory Mycology (3 credits). This upper level undergraduate /graduate level course is designed to broaden the students' knowledge of all types of fungi. This is a comprehensive survey of the fungi and their evolution. Lectures focus on important classical and contemporary fungal morphology and ontogeny of reproductive structures. Consideration is given to fungal physiology and role as plant pathogens. Laboratories provide students with hands-on experience isolating and identifying fungal organisms. Seven fungal phyla are explained and then observed with live and preserved specimens. The fungal collection allows students to explore fungal identification with hands-on real time experience.

PLPA 5500/6500: Nematology (4 credits). This upper level undergraduate /graduate level course designed to introduce students to plant parasitic nematodes in relation to plant disease. The course outlines a basic understanding of all types of nematodes and their importance in the environment and as animal, human, and plant parasites. The nature of nematology pathogenicity; principles of plant disease management and current production practices will be discussed. Laboratories will focus on collection techniques, isolation or extraction methods and identification of plant pathogenic nematodes. The nematode collection allows students real hands on experience collecting, extracting, preserving and identifying nematodes common to key commodity and ornamental crops.

PLPA 7080: Field Survey of Plant Pathology (3 credits). This is a graduate level class covering the practical aspects of plant diseases under field conditions. Multiple on-site visits via field trips which may cover multiple states are experienced. The class also experiences plant disease management through industry, research, extension, and governmental agencies tours. Discussion of IPM as it relates plant diseases observed and these agencies that focus on management are discussed. Co taught with Dr. Joe Kloepper.

Last Updated: August 20, 2012