1. World problems
  2. Environmental plant diseases

Environmental plant diseases

  • Nonparasitic plant diseases
  • Physiological plant diseases
  • Physiogenic plant diseases

Nature

Plants in an adverse or unfavourable environment or subject to injury by physical or chemical agents may vary so far from their normal growth habits that they are considered diseased. Accidents, poisons or defects in the environment often result in diminished growth or diseased tissues. Subsequently, the plant is more susceptible to attack by microorganisms which may cause further damage.

Background

The global significance of environmental plant diseases emerged in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, as devastating outbreaks like the Irish potato famine and American chestnut blight revealed the vulnerability of crops to pathogens influenced by environmental factors. Subsequent international research highlighted how climate variability, pollution, and human activity exacerbate disease spread, prompting coordinated monitoring and response efforts. Today, environmental plant diseases are recognized as critical threats to food security and ecosystem stability worldwide.This information has been generated by artificial intelligence.

Incidence

Crops may be seriously damaged by fire, water, frost, insects and poor agricultural techniques. Pollution of the air by noxious gases, dust and smoke may provoke injury and disease. A growing problem in developed countries is plant-pathogenic air pollutants. The most important are sulphur dioxide, ozone and peroxyacetyl nitrate. The last two are photochemical pollutants formed from the interaction of other pollutants. Agricultural chemicals, when improperly used, can cause serious physiological diseases. Damage is fairly common from the misuse of sprays, seed treatments, fumigation, fertilizers, herbicides, soil treatment and hormones. Too high a temperature may result in sun scald and death in the tips and margins of leaves. With insufficient light, plants may become chlorotic. Low temperatures may cause damage, such as net necrosis in potatoes, and frost injury is common. Too little water causes stunting, wilting and burning; but too much water may induce flooding of tissues, resulting in such diseases as water core of apple, celery heart rot, and tomato blossom end rot. For healthy growth, plants require various essential elements. If these elements are absent, or present in insufficient quantities, plants will display characteristic symptoms of deficiency diseases. Besides nitrogen, potash and phosphorus, which plants need in relatively large amounts, smaller quantities of sulphur, magnesium and calcium are required. Trace elements, which are necessary in minute amounts for healthy plant growth, include boron, iron, copper, manganese, molybdenum and zinc.

Claim

Environmental plant diseases are a critical and urgent problem that threatens global food security, biodiversity, and ecosystem stability. Ignoring these diseases risks devastating crop losses, economic hardship for farmers, and irreversible damage to natural habitats. The rapid spread of pathogens, fueled by climate change and human activity, demands immediate attention and action. We cannot afford complacency—addressing environmental plant diseases is essential for the health of our planet and future generations.This information has been generated by artificial intelligence.

Counter-claim

Frankly, the concern over environmental plant diseases is vastly overblown. Plants have survived and adapted to diseases for millions of years without our intervention. In the grand scheme of global issues—like poverty, war, and climate change—worrying about plant diseases seems trivial. Nature has its own checks and balances, and obsessing over every wilt or blight distracts us from far more pressing human problems that truly deserve our attention and resources.This information has been generated by artificial intelligence.

Broader

Narrower

Plant tumours
Unpresentable

Aggravates

Plant pathogens
Unpresentable
Leaf spots
Unpresentable

Aggravated by

Soil compaction
Presentable
Land pollution
Presentable
Alkaline soil
Presentable
Acidic soils
Presentable

Strategy

Value

Disease
Yet to rate

SDG

Sustainable Development Goal #15: Life on Land

Metadata

Database
World problems
Type
(D) Detailed problems
Biological classification
N/A
Subject
Content quality
Presentable
 Presentable
Language
English
1A4N
D2224
DOCID
11422240
D7NID
143729
Editing link
Official link
Last update
Oct 4, 2020