 Plant physiology is the science which deals with the life

processes of plants, or it deals with the functions of cells,

tissues, organs or the plant as a whole.
 Plant disease is an outcome of interaction between host and
pathogen.
 Interaction begins with physical contact and effects remain
localised until host tissues have been penetrated.
 Depending on pathogen and the plant organ and tissue they
infect it interfere with the different physiological functions of
the plant.
 Harmful effects of infection on physiology of the host are the main
cause of symptom expression, damage and loss.
Some harmful effects are-
i) Disintegration of tissues
ii) Effect on growth due to hormonal imbalance
iii) Reduction in photosynthesis
iv) Abnormal respiration
 Pathogens infecting flowers, interfere with the seed production of
plants.
 Root pathogens affect translocation resulting inits wilting and
death of plant.
 Foliar pathogen-
• Infect the part of the leaves ,stem ,petiole and other aerial parts.
• Destroy chlorophyll formation leading to reduced photosynthesis
• Effects growth and yield of the plants
Changes in the cell biology-
• Striking increase in protoplasm.
• Movement of nucleus at site of penetration
• Granulation of cytoplasmic particles.
• Cell contents becomes yellow and finally dark brown leading to death
of cell.
 Photosynthesis
 Respiration
 Translocation of water and
nutrients
 Transpiration
 Permeability of the cell
membrane
 Transcription and Translation
 Photosynthesis is the basic function of green plants.
 It transform light energy into chemical energy, which is
utilized in
all cell
 6CO activities.
2+6H20 Light
Chlorophyll
C6HO
12 6+ 6O 2

 Any interference of pathogen with photosynthesis result in

plant diseased condition.
 Once the pathogen is established in the host colony it
redirects the host nutrients for their own use. This
condition is known as metabolic sink.
 Effect on
photosynthesis
 In leaf spots, blight, and other diseases in which there is destruction of leaf
tissue e.g., in cereal rusts and fungal leaf spots, bacterial leaf spots, viral
mosaics, yellowing and stunting diseases, or in defoliations,
photosynthesis is reduced.
 Chlorosis, necrosis and reduced growth and yield.
 Reduce amount of photosynthetic surface
 Chlorophyll degeneration
 Produce toxins that inhibit enzyme Eg; tentoxin, tabtoxin
 Vascular pathogens reduced the chlorophyll and photosynthesis rate.
 Stomata remain partially closed
Leaf spot of barley by Leaf spot of egg plant by Wheat leaf rust caused by Mosaic of mung bean
Rhynchosporium sp. Cercospora melongenae Puccinia recondita by mung bean mosaic
virus

Angular leaf spot of cucurbits Yellowing and stunting of Leaf spot caused by Alternaria
by Pseudomonas syringae rice by Tungro virus sp
 Respiration is the process by which the cells, through
enzymatic oxidation of organic materials(energy rich
carbohydrates and fatty acids), produces energy for various
 activities and carbon skeletons.
In plants the process of respiration takes place in two
major steps: 1.Glycolysis or EMP pathway
2.The Terminal phase
GLUCOSE

GLYCOLYSIS OR COMMON TO BOTH AEROBIC AND

EMP PATHWAY ANAEROBIC RESPIRATION

PYRUVIC ACID

ANAEROBIC RESIRATION AEROBBIC RESPIRATION

Acetyl CoA

C2H5OH+CO2+ENERGY CO2+H2O+ENERGY
 Infected plant shows increased respiration rate and slight rise in
temperature.
 Affected tissue use up their reserve carbohydrates faster than the healthy
tissue.
 Increase in respiration starts soon after inoculation and rises to a
maximum rate coincident with the sporulation of a fungal pathogen and
then declines to normal or subnormal level.
 In resistant plants the rate of increase in respiration is very rapid but
declines soon while in susceptible plants respiration rises slowly but lasts
for longer time.
 Increase in plant metabolism and protoplasmic streaming.
 Increased respiration has been noticed in cereal rusts, powdery mildews,
blast of rice, late blight of potato and many other diseases.
 Levels of manyenzymes associated with respiratory processes isincreased
inthe diseased plants.
 Accumulation and oxidation of phenols also increases with increase in
respiration.
 Diseased plants carry out more fermentation than the healthy plants.
Blast of rice by Pyricularia grisea Late blight of potato by
Phytopthora infestens

Powdery mildew of soybean by

Microsphaera diffusa
 EFFECT ON UPTAKE AND TRANSLOCATION OF
WATER AND NUTRIENTS
XYLEM

• Water and minerals absorbed by Roots

• Translocated through the stem xylem vessel to vascular
bundle of petioles and leaf veins then enter into the leaf
cells
• Most of the water evaporates and diffuses into the
atmosphere
via the stomata
• Results in water tension in the xylem
• Pulls the water column upward
• Stimulates additional uptake
 Pathogens Interfere with Normal Translocation
Process
• Flow of nutrients or water blocked
• Disease in affected cells/tissues
• Inability to carry out functions
• Shortage of their products
• Disease in entire plant

Pathogens Impair Translocation of Water and Inorganic

Nutrients
1. Root damage – Damping-off fungi –ex-Pythium sp., Rhizoctonia sp. root-
rot fungi, bacteria, nematodes and some viruses.
Mechanisms of damage-
i) Cause direct injury to roots
ii) Inhibit root hair production
iii) Alter permeability of root cells
2. Xylem gets destroyed –i) Rot or canker pathogens – E.g-
Sclerotium rolfsii
ii) Gall formation – E.g-Agrobacterium tumefaciens,
Plasmodiophora brassicae, root knot nematode(Meloidogyne
sp.)
3. Xylem gets clogged –i) Growth of vascular wilt pathogens
E.g- Ceratocystis, Ophiostoma, Fusarium, Verticillium, Ralstonia
ii) Secretions of tylose by plant in response to the pathogen.
Blight of pepper by Phytopthora sp. Wilt to tomato by Ralstonia solanacearum

Seedling damping off by Pythium sp. Wilt of tomato by Fusarium sp.

Crown gall of apple by
Root galls by Meloidogyne sp.
Agrobacterium
tumefacience
 PHLOEM

 Carbohydrates produced in leaf cells

move through plasmodesmata into
adjoining phloem elements
 Move down phloem sieve tubes
 Move into non-photosynthetic cells or
into storage organs
 Nutrients are removed from ‘Circulation’.
 How Can Pathogens Impair Translocation in the
Phloem?
 Pathogen attacksand destroys phloem elementsinterferring with
downward
translocation of nutrients.
 Starch accumulation inthe leaves isa result of degeneration of the
phloem of infected plants (leaf curling viruses).
 Obligate fungal parasites(eg: Rust and Mildew) – Respiration increases
– photosynthesis decreases.
 Viruses – Viruses that cause leaf-curling e.g. tomato leaf curl virus and some
yellows diseases cause death of phloem
 Some viruses inhibit enzymes that break downstarch into smaller, trans-
locatable molecules.
Transpiration isthe process of water movement through the plant
and its evaporation from aerial parts, such as leaves, stems and flowers.
Effects of pathogens on transpiration
 Disintegration of cuticle
 Increased transpiration
 Disfunctioning in permeability of leaf cells
 Collapse of vessels or formation of tyloses
 Powdery mildew- epidermal cells invaded by the fungus
 Rust- leaf surface get exposed due to rupture of epidermis cause
unrestricted loss of water
 Blight- number of active and healthy cells reduced, transport of water to
leaves by xylem is reduced
 Wheat leaf rust by Powdery mildew of grapes by
Puccinia recontida Uncinula necator

Tomato leaf blight by Septoria sp. Scab of apple by Venturia inequalis

 Cell Membrane
• Double layer of lipid molecules
• Protein molecules embedded
– Parts usually protrude on one or both sides of lipid
bilayer
• Membranes are selective barriers
–Allow entry of substances the cell needs
– Inhibit passage out of the cell
• Cell wall keeps large molecules away from
membrane
•Small water-soluble molecules such as ions, sugars
and amino acids flow through or are pumped through
 Effect on cell
membrane
 Disruption of the cell membrane alters permeability – uncontrollable loss of
useful substances and entry of harmful substances.
 Membrane permeability is often the first detectable response of cells to
infection
 Leakage of electrolytes
o Unknown if membrane leakage is primary or secondary effect.
o If direct attack, pathogens probably use one of the following strategies
• Stimulate membrane-bound enzymes that pump H+ in and K+ out
• Interfere with maintenance and repair of membrane’s fluid film
• Degrade the lipid or protein components of membrane
E.g.-
i. Fusicoccin produced by Fusicoccum amygdali-activates membrane
ATPase and disrupts solute fluxes.
ii. Sclerotium rolfsii and Botrytis cinerea-produces lipid degrading enzymes.
iii. Rhizoctonia solani-degrade protein
• Transcription – Copying coding on DNA onto messenger RNA
• Translation – Use of messenger RNA as a template to produce proteins
 Disturbances of any of the processes may affect expression of genes
and cause drastic, unfavourable changes in structure and function of
affected cells.
 EFFECT ON TRANSCRIPTION

 Some pathogens change composition, structure or function of chromatin

associated with cell DNA
 Virus uses host cell’s nucleotides and machinery to make its own RNA

 Sometimes increase in activity of enzymes that break down RNA

 Pathogen may be forcing plant to produce new kinds of enzymes not

produced in
healthy plants

 Higher levels of RNA in infected plants, especially resistant ones

• probably due to increased synthesis of substances involved in defence
mechanisms.
In biotrophic infections(e.g. Plasmodiophora brassicae,cabbage;
Fusarium
solani,pea; powdery mildew, barley; rust disease,wheat) host nuclei and
nucleoli
increases in size.

EFFECT ON TRANSLATION

 Higher energy needs

– Increased activity in enzymes associated with respiration
 Increased production of phenols or oxidation of phenolic compounds
– Used in defence reactions
 Resistant plants have increased protein synthesis infirst few
minutes of infection
– Levels remain high up to 2 to 20 hours after inoculation
 CONCLUSION
 Human and animal survival depend on plant growth.
 Agriculture, the world’s biggest business, is based on ability of plants
to grow and convert simple raw material to complex substances in
order to suit human needs.
 The biochemical pathways in a plant are very highly integrated an inter-
dependent and any disruption represents a loss of control by the host.
 Even small and localised changes may have drastic consequences to
the plant as a whole.
 Pathogen effects plants by inducing changes in its physiological
functions that leads to different types of symptoms and diseases.
 This leads to the reduction in quality and quantity of plant products.
 So, it directly or indirectly effects our crop economy.