Plant Pathalogy

About the Department

History
Full-fledged Department of Plant Pathology was established in 1961. However, research activities were started much earlier since 1920 with the creation of the post of Plant Pathologist to Government UP and undergraduate teaching in the subject was initiated under Professor Botany at Government Agricultural College, Kanpur in 1921. The post-graduate teaching including PhD through research was initiated in 1945-46, the first time in the country. The Government Agricultural College was upgraded to the U.P. Institute of Agricultural Sciences in 1969 and became the constituent department of the College of Agriculture at Chandra Shekhar Azad University of Agriculture and Technology in 1975.
Prior to establishment of UP Institute of Agricultural Sciences, the research activities were steered by able scientists of national repute like Sri P. K. Dey as the first Plant Pathologist (1920-1945) in the Section of the Plant Pathologist to Government of UP. Subsequent Plant Pathologist were Dr. U.B. Singh (1946-49), Dr. A. K. Mitra (1949), Dr. P. R. Mehta (1949-1952), Dr. Babu Singh (1952-1953), Dr. R.S. Mathur (1953-1966; 1968- 1969) and Dr. I. N. Tandon (1966-1968). Besides conducting researches on important crop diseases to evolve practical control measures for farmers, the Plant Pathologist and Assistant Plant Pathologists were also entrusted with the teaching of Plant Pathology to undergraduates in the Government Agricultural College, Kanpur.
Since the establishment of a separate Department in 1961, Dr. H. K. Saksena (1961-82), Dr. I. N. Tandon (1982-85), Dr. J. Swarup (1985-96), Dr. D. V. Singh, (1996-99), Dr. R. P. Dwivedi (1999-2000), Dr. H. P. Shukla (2000-03), Dr. Kumud Kumar (2003-08), Dr. A. N. Mishra (2008-09), Dr. Jitendra Singh (2009-12), Dr. Rajendra Prasad (2012-15), Dr. Ved Ratan (2015-19), Dr. U. K. Tripathi (2019-22) and Dr. S. K. Biswas (2022-24). Presently, Dr. Mukesh Srivastava is the Head of the Department since 2024.
Uttar Pradesh has got diverse agro-ecosystems that influence the plant disease scenario and poses challenges to our plant pathologists. The plant pathologists faced these challenges by developing economically viable and eco-friendly disease management strategies for the benefit of farming community of the state in general and in the area jurisdiction of the university in particular. The Department of Plant Pathology has excelled not only in creating modern facilities for teaching and research programmes but also contributed significantly in human resource development and upliftment of the farmers through technical guidance related to crop protection and mushroom growing.
It has proud privilege to have produced so many brilliant scientists/ teachers/ administrators who have been heading several reputed institutions/departments/universities/organizations of the country and served the science of Plant Pathology. To name a few are Dr. Y. L. Nene, Dr. R. S. Singh, Dr. Kishan Singh, Dr. Akhtar Hussain, Dr. K. D. Parahia, Dr. B. B. Nagiach, Dr. Amerika Singh, Dr. D. V. Singh, Dr. Sita Ram Misra, Dr. Udit Narain, Dr. R. P. Singh, Dr. Ram Nath, Dr. S. C. Dubey who became renowned Scientists/ Vice Chancellor of the university. Dr. R. P. Singh served as Virologist in Research Station, Fredericton, Canada

• Serve as a centre for academic excellence in the area of graduate and postgraduate education.
• Conduct basic and applied research leading to the detection, identification and management of plant pathogens.
• Provide national leadership in plant pathological research through the development of new concepts and technologies.

• Excellence of knowledge about plant pathogens, solving and management of these problems in agriculture production.
• Provide the solutions for the management of plant pathogen in agriculture production.
• Excellence of
• Provide opportunities for the citizens of the state and the country for education in the field of Plant Pathology in its broad sense and to promote research, field and extension programmes in Plant Pathology.
• Strengthen UG and PG teaching through periodic revision of syllabi.
• Establish required infrastructure to conduct location specific research in the field of Plant Pathology.
• Generate technologies to protect the crops for improving the farm production and income to farmers.
• Provide opportunities for rural youth and women for learning and adoption of improved plant protection technologies

•  Impart teaching at undergraduate, postgraduate and doctorate.
  • Survey and surveillance of plant diseases in the area jurisdiction of the university.
  • Provide technical advice on plant disease management to farmers in the area jurisdiction of the university.
  • Screen out seed samples of various crops for the presence of seed-borne pathogens and to develop their detection methods, mechanism of infection, transmission and control.
  • Recommend practical measures of plant disease control for adoption in the cultivator’s field through extension agencies of the university and the State of U.P.
  • Issue phytosanitary certificate for the seeds/ planting materials/ packaging material meant for export. Inspections are carried out for PEQ facilities and objectionable diseases in flowers/ seeds/ planting materials in the importing units.
•  Identify potential bio-agents, work out their effectiveness, and develop novel strains for the management of soil-borne
  diseases and establish bankability of mass multiplication of bio-agents in the laboratory and subsequent release to farmers
  for biological control of pests and diseases.
  • Develop crop-specific bio-control technology, validation, and dissemination at the grassroots level.
  • Conduct training program on crop-specific disease management, mass production technology of bio-control agents,
  mushroom cultivation to progressive farmers, students, entrepreneurs, and extension workers.

The department is proud of having produced many brilliant students who had/have been heading top institutions/departments/ universities of the country and serving the science of plant pathology. To name a few are the following:

List of students got placement during last Five years (2021-22 to 2025-26)

Award

Thrust Areas of Research

• Integrated management of biotic and abiotic stresses.
• Integrated pest management.
• Search for eco-friendly strategies for the management of crop diseases.
• Molecular diagnosis of plant pathogens.
• Search for resistant donors for developing resistant varieties.
• Search for bio-pesticidal properties in botanicals to be used for the disease management.
• Search for mushroom species/ strains adapted to prevailing climate in area jurisdiction of the university and development of their production technology.
• Development of new strain of mushroom through hybridization.
• Etiology and epidemiological studies of the new diseases with an aim to develop eco-friendly management.
• Biological control of crop diseases.

Achievements:

The research activities in the department are being carried out through various laboratoriesviz., Bio Control, Phyto-bacteriology, Plant Virology, Plant Pathology, Mycology, Seed Pathology and Nematology for finding out better and more effective eco-friendly management strategies against the disease of crops caused by plant pathogens.

1. Genetic stock of various crops is regularly screened out under natural as well as artificial conditions of infection with an object to providing resistant donors for a resistant breeding program against disease and to assess the performance of released varieties. The department has provided resistant donors for developing the moderately resistant varieties in chickpea (Avrodhi, KWR108, Udai against root rot and wilt; wheat- Deva against rust, Halna against Karnal Bunt; barley- Jyoti, Amber, Manjari, Haritma and Jagriti against smut and stripe disease; linseed- Padmini and Rashmi against wilt; lentil- Mallika against rust; field pea- Sapna and Swati, Rachna and Shikha against powdery mildew; pigeon pea- KA-32-1 (Amar) and KA 91-25 (Azad) against sterility mosaic and wilt; vegetable pea- Azad P-3 against powdery mildew; and paddy- User 1 against bacterial blight and bacterial streak.
2. New chemicals and other eco-friendly methods are also being screened regularly for their effectiveness in the management of plant disease caused by fungi, bacteria, viruses and nematodes.

• General seed treatment with Thiram before sowing has been found beneficial for improving seed germinations and seedling emergence in all crops.
• Two sprays of Iprodione (0.2%) one at 5% flowering and the second at completion of flowering proved effective in checking of Alternaria blight of rapeseed and mustard.
• A prophylactic spray with Dimethioate or methyl-o- demeton 1 litre or phosphamidon 250 ml. per hectare to check the insect vector on 21 days old crop was found to control the yellow vein mosaic and crinckle of urd and mungbean.
• Seed treatment of groundnut with carbofuran @3g/kg seed along with an application of phorate @2.0kga.i/ha proved beneficial for the control of root-knot nematode.
• Topsin M proved effective in controlling white rust of mustard.Topsin M as a spray (0.15%) proved the most effective fungicide in controlling downy mildew and rust of peas.
• Seed treatment with Topsin M (1g/kg seed), Apron, Jkstein (1.5 g/kg seed) Bavistin 50 Bavistin 25 SD (each 2g/kg seed) were found to eliminate seed-borne infection of Macrophominaphaseolina in urdbean.
• Intercropping of sesame and groundnut (1:1) and soil application of phorate was found the best for controlling the bud necrosis disease.
• Seed treatment with Streptocycline (100ppm) followed by application of four sprays of Streptomycin +Blue Copper –50 (50ppm+500ppm) at 10-day intervals gave the best control of black root of mustard.
• Late blight of potato can effectively be controlled by spraying with a combination of Streptocycline and copper oxychloride (15ppm+2000ppm) at 10-day intervals.
• Late sowing and tuber treatment with Emisan (0.25%) for 30 minutes were found effective in minimizing the Common Scab of potato. This disease was also effectively controlled by irrigating the potato field at 7-dayintervals.
• Seed treatment with Vitavax or Bavistin 2.0g/kg seed controls loose smut disease in wheat and barley.
• Seed treatment with Vitavax(2g/kg seed) followed by soil drenching of Brassicola (0.2%) effectively controls root rot and seedling blight in wheat.
• Seed treatment with Bavistin or Vitavax followed by spraying with Topsin M or Benlate (0.2%) at 10-day intervals reduced the banded blight disease in paddy.
• Seed treatment with Bavistin, DifolatanCaptan or Indofil M 45 (each 2g/kg seed) checked seed-borne pathogens responsible for reducing seed germination seedling emergence and increasing germination by 1.3 to12.6% over control.
• Soaking of seed in Difolatan 80W or Thiram or Indofil M 45 (0.2%) for at least 24 hours was found to eradicate the seed-borne infection of Alternariabrassicae with an increase in germination and seedling vigour in mustard.
• Cheap and profitable production technology developed for the cultivation of paddy straw mushrooms, grown during summers and oysters (Dhingiri) and white button mushrooms grown in winter season. Trainings to the farmers and small entrepreneurs are also being imparted for the promotion of these edible mushroom production among the rural and urban populace of not only this state but also from other states like M.P., Chhattisgarh Bihar and Jharkhand for the last 15 years thereby augmenting their income. More than 13000 farmers, unemployed youths and housewives have been trained till date free of cost.
• The studies on the isolation, identification and bio-efficacy of some of the bio-agents such as Trichoderma, Pseudomonas spp., Bacillus spp., Paecilomyces spp. etc. against various pathogens of gram, vegetable pea, mustard, chilli, potato, guava, sunflower, groundnut, pigeon pea, black gram, brinjal& okra have been initiated in the department. Production technology and formulations of Trichoderma spp. and Pseudomonas spp. have been developed.
• Five IPM modules developed, based on the occurrence of diseases, crop rotation, cropping system, soil types, socio-economic status etc. for the management of chickpea wilt at different places in Uttar Pradesh.
• Applications of inorganic chemicals, secondary metabolites, plant extract and bio-agents as inducers in induced resistance against Fusarium wilt of tomato, brown leaf spot of paddy and spot blotch of wheat.
• Seed treatment with biocides and foliar spray with fungicide (Bavistin) against sheath blight and Zineb against brown leaf spots are the best management strategies.
• Developed suitable package using bio-fertilizers (soil application of mustard cake + tuber treatment and foliar spray with viride) for management of late blight of potato and increased crop yield Under Climate Change.

Patents Filed

• Novel method for preparation of Trichoderma formulation using colloidal chitin. – Mukesh Srivastava, Ved Ratan, Mohd. Shahid and Shubha Trivedi Patent File No. 201611014928.
• Cheapest medium for quantitative isolation of microbes – Mukesh Srivastava, Mohd. Shahid, Sonika Pandey and Shubha Trivedi Patent File No. 201611014930
• Method for Trichoderma Bio-formulation Mass Production with increased shelf life – microbes – Mukesh Srivastava, Mohd. Shahid and Shubha Trivedi Patent File No. 202411058230.
• Method for enhanced non-injury inoculation of mustard plants using a sorghum grain-based medium for resistance screening against Sclerotinia sclerotiorum – Shubha Trivedi, Rakesh Choudhary, Artika Singh, P. P. Jambhulkar and Mukesh Srivastava Patent File No. 202411058230

Patent Awarded: Production of pure Trichoderma spores with increased shelf life. (Granted) – Mukesh Srivastava, Shubha Trivedi, Anuradha Singh, Mohd. Shahid and Yateendra Kumar Srivastava Patent No. 418059 Awarded on 13-01-2023

New Pure Trichoderma Spore Production Technology

Pure Trichoderma spores were found to be most effective in maintaining spore viability thereby increasing the shelf life. The formulation prepared by this method has given a shelf life of 2 X 1012 even after 16 months and is cost-effective, which is a new finding. When applied in field trials, these spores are given a substantial amount of disease suppression and many fold increase in yield over control. These pure spores having better shelf life are potentially effective for longer survival and better growth.

S

Library of Trichoderma

Trichoderma Library was created for the first time with all possible parameters including production of secondary metabolites for identification and future reference of Trichoderma sp. and has put on University website- http://www.csauk.ac.in/nae.html

Video on Trichoderma Production Technology on You Tube

A video entitled “Trichoderma Production Technology (Th. Azad) developedunder ICAR NAE Programme” uploaded on YouTube in August 2015 for the first time for farmers to learn the technology for the preparation of bioformulations. https://www.youtube.com/ Trichoderma Production Technology (Th. Azad) developed under ICAR NAE Programme (more than 1.14 lakh viewers to till date).

Book

Scientific /technical Books written by Faculty Members of the Department

Organization of National and International seminar/ Symposia

Ved Ratan, U.K. Tripathi & Dr. S.K. Biswas (2017). Practical Manual on Detection and Diagnosis of Plant Diseases for M. Sc. (Ag), Plant Pathology were developed.

Practical Manual

• Ved Ratan, U.K. Tripathi & Dr. S.K. Biswas (2017). Practical Manual on Detection and Diagnosis of Plant Diseases for M. Sc. (Ag), Plant Pathology were developed.
• Practical Manual on Crop diseases and their management (2 volumes), Mushroom cultivation and Introductory Plant Pathology were developed.
• Udit Narain, Singh, J. Srivastava, M. and Biswas, S. K. (2003). Practical Manual on Introductory Plant Pathology, Army Printing Press, pp 35.

The following extension activities were undertaken by the department in and outside of the college campus in coordination with the other extension workers, workers/ officials of the University and field staff.

Folder

• A folder of Trichoderma (Hindi and English) published.

Training to the Cultivators and field staff

The specialists of Plant Pathology and Extension Pathologist have actively participated and takenan active part in all the Farmer’sDay and Kisangosthi organized by the University at Daleep Nagar, Raibareli, Fatehpur, Lakhimpur Khiri, Hardoi, Firozabad, Aligarh, Mainpuri, Farukhabad, Kasganj and Etawah in Rabi and Kharif seasons. Training regarding the identification of fungal, bacterial, viral and nematode diseases of crop plants and practical methods of control had also been given at Block Levels in Kanpur district. Such training and demonstrations were also given to students and farmers during the N.S.S. campus organized in the Kanpur district. The importance of plant diseases and their control was displayed through live disease specimens, charts, photographs and posters in Agricultural Exhibitions at Kanpur and other places for the benefit of cultivators. Pamphlets covering technical information on plant diseases and their control were also distributed to the cultivators on such occasions Extension workers and development staff visiting this University under an in-service program had also been given practical training in plant diseases and their control in this department.

Plant disease Surveys

Routine surveys were conducted in farmer’s fieldsto record the development of different plant diseases. Vigilance was also kept on the appearance of newer diseases. Cultivators were guided to take up timely control measures against the diseases.

Trichoderma Biopesticide production: Trichoderma bio-pesticide in the name of Azad-derma is regularly being produced by the department @ Rs. 127/- Kg. Biopesticide samples received from various government or private agencies are also tested. The testing charges are Rs. 500/-sample (Govt.); Rs. 2500/- Sample (Pvt.). Production of Trichoderma Biopesticide and supply to the farmers and govt. agencies Facilities available in Bio Control Unit. Training on bio-pesticide production and its uses for students, farmers, and agri-entrepreneurs is available in the bio-control lab unit.

• Phytosanitary Certificate facility available to the exporters of agriculture commodities.
• Provide Advisory service to regular participation of the scientists in the monthly meetings of the State Level Pest Surveillance Advisory Committee.
• Provide Advisory service to regular participation of the scientists in the preparation of Rabi, Kharifand Zaid organized by the Directorate of Agriculture, UP Government.
• Scientists of the Department used to participate in the meetings, gosthies and KisanMela organized by the District Agriculture Officer, Plant Protection Officer, Deputy Director (Plant Protection)etc.
• Provided advisory services to the farmers on plant disease-related problems.
• Regular participation and solved the quarries of the farmers in monthly meetings of Chandra Shekhar Krishak Samiti.

Dr. H. K. Saksena Book Club: A departmental book club is a specialized facility that provides subject-specific resources to students, faculty, and researchers. It is equipped with a vast collection of textbooks, reference materials, research papers, and digital databases relevant to a particular discipline. Facilities also include reading rooms.

Mushroom Production Lab: The mushroom laboratory is involved in multifarious activities which include research, quality spawn production and extension towards dispelling many myths associated with mushroom cultivation and consumption and making mushrooms an important ingredient of the Indian diet. Mushroom technology is one of the most eco-friendly technologies that can mitigate many social and environmental problems like air pollution, malnutrition, unemployment and women’s empowerment.

Mushroom production: The department continued the programme for the promotion of the cultivation of edible mushrooms among urban and rural populations by imparting training and supplying spawn material through the Mushroom Research and Development Centre.

Training imparted to the farmers/ unemployed youth: Every month one-week training on Mushroom cultivation technology was organized for farmers, employed youths, and entrepreneurs. Consequently, the awareness and the production of mushrooms in and around Kanpur city and other cities of U.P. are increasing successfully.

Mushroom Training Hall: The laboratory conducts both entrepreneurial and basic orientation training to make mushrooms a successful social enterprise that can be socially, environmentally, and economically sustainable. Every month, one week of training on Mushroom cultivation technology is organized. Consequently, the awareness and production of mushrooms in and around Kanpur city and other cities of U.P. are increasing successfully.

Virology Lab: The research of the Virology Laboratory focuses on understanding the cloning and characterization of viruses, studies on the viral suppressor proteins, and the genetic diversity of viruses in crops. The cellular and molecular regulation of viral gene expression, entry into the cell and other emerging and re-emerging infectious diseases. Other areas of research address mechanisms of viral gene regulation, assembly of viruses, viral cell interactions, and insight into the regulation of eukaryotic and prokaryotic gene expression.

Bio-control Lab: Bio-control Lab is a facility that studies and develops natural disease control methods using pathogens like fungi and bacteria. It is equipped with culture rooms for the isolation of bio-control agents, microscopes for species identification, and controlled environments for sustainably testing their effectiveness in managing pathogen populations.The department runs the production and supply program for farmers and government agencies through the Bio Control Lab Unit. Pure Trichoderma spores were found to be most effective in maintaining spore viability thereby increasing the shelf life.The formulation prepared by this method has given a shelf life of 2 X 10¹² even after 16 months and is cost-effective, which is a new finding. When applied in field trials, these spores are given a substantial amount of disease suppression and many fold increase in yield over control. These pure spores having better shelf life are potentially effective for longer survival and better growth.

Education Technology Lab (ETL): An ETL is a technologically enhanced learning space designed to improve teaching and student engagement through digital tools. It has interactive whiteboards, high-resolution projectors, audio-visual systems, and internet-enabled computers for dynamic presentations. Facilities also include smart podiums, digital attendance systems, video conferencing setups, and cloud-based learning platforms for seamless access to educational content. It revolutionizes education by making lessons more interactive, engaging, and accessible for students.

Undergraduate (UG) laboratory: UG laboratory is a dedicated facility designed for practical learning and hands-on experimentation in various scientific disciplines. These are equipped with essential instruments, laboratory benches, microscopes, chemical reagents, and computing resources to support undergraduate students in their coursework.

Postgraduate (PG) laboratory: PG laboratory is an advanced research facility to support postgraduate students in their specialized studies. These labs have state-of-the-art instruments, different cropdisease samples, and computational resources for in-depth research. Facilities also include dedicated workstations, climate-controlled chambers, advanced microscopy units, educational charts and nematode extraction units.

PhD Lab: PhD lab is an advanced research facility to support doctoral students in their specialized studies. These labs have state-of-the-art instruments, high-precision analytical tools, and computational resources for in-depth research. Facilities also include dedicated workstations, climate-controlled chambers, advanced microscopy units, and biochemical analyzers.

Committee hall: A Committee Hall is a well-equipped space for meetings, conferences, and official discussions. It includes comfortable seating, audio-visual systems, projectors, microphones, and internet connectivity. Some halls also have soundproofing, air conditioning, and video conferencing setups, ensuring a professional environment for decision-making and collaborative discussions.

Net house: The net house enables the protected cultivation of the student’s trials from rodents and birds. The outer body of the net house is made of iron wire, which can provide high strength and durability for longer periods. In the net house, students grew the plants in a nursery and pots.

Laboratory Equipment’s.

Undergraduate Courses: (As per 5th deans committee for Old Students)

Ph.D. (Ag.) in Plant Pathology

Short term programme (1-3 years)

• Strengthening of UG, PG and Ph.D. Lab
• Modernization of UG and PG Class Room.
• Renovation of Glasshouse and Net House.
• Strengthening of Bio Control Lab for mass production of biopesticide.
• Different types of training will be conducted for unemployed youth, entrepreneurs and farmers.
• Different types of analytical services regarding plant pathogens and bioagents.
• Adaptation of UG and PG courses as per Dean Committee recommendation time to time.
• One to six months certificate courses on mushroom cultivation and biopesticide formulations.

Midterm programme (3-5 years)

• Strengthening of research specific lab like Phytobacteriology lab, Seed pathology lab, Nematology lab and Plant virology lab.
• Management of agrowastes by using modern technology.
• Long term programme (more than 5 years)
• Exploration of novel bio-pesticide formulation for management of soil borne pathogens.

The swot analysis of any organization is necessary for highlighting strength, weakness, opportunity; threatening therefore the swot analysis of dept. of plant pathology is given below:

STRENGTH

• Well trained and highly qualified faculty.
• Well equipped infrastructure for proper teaching.
• Five books on different aspect of plant pathology have been published by faculty of department.
• Number of alumni like Dr. K.D. Pahadia, Dr. R. S. Singh, Dr. D. N. Srivastava, Dr. S .R. Mishra, Dr. Ram Nath and Dr. Akhtar Hussain etc. has been hold the key post in the country as well as abroad.
• Most of the student’s pass out from the department holding important post in the field of plant protection.
• Forty seven students awarded M. Sc. degree during last five years.
• Eleven students awarded Ph. D. degree during last five years.
• Conducted one zonal conference of Indian Phytopathological Society for Mid eastern zone(MEZ) during 26-26 Nov. 2019.
• Three patents have been filed from biocontrol lab of the department.
• Two research project have been completed and three are running.

WEAKNESS

• Shortages of faculty create a great problem in Teaching, research and Extension activities.
• Old infrastructure including equipments affect of the quality education, research and other activity of the department.
• Lack of financial is a great problem to run teaching, research and extension work properly.

OPPORTUNITY

• We can produce a good quality education at UG and PG level students.
• A high quality need base research work may be conducted.
• Deferent type of resource generation may be developed.
• Department is able to trend the farmers, unemployed youth to improve their entrepreneurship capability.

THREAT

• Effect of teaching due to shortage of facility.
• Non viability of fund will affect teaching, research and academic activities of the department.

Post graduate Practical Manual

• PPA 501: Mycology
• PPA 502: Virology
• PPA 503: Plant Pathogenic Prokaryotes
• PPA 504: Plant Nematology
• PPA 505: Principals of Plant Pathology
• PPA 506: Techniques for Detection and Diagnosis of Plant Diseases
• PPA 507: Principals of Plant Disease Management
• PPA 515: Diseases of Field and Medicinal Crops