The Principles of Plant Pathology: The Response of the Host

Plant pathogens require a specific set of factors to occur within a given period of time for disease to occur. Oftentimes the disease triangle is the main image behind plant pathology, when a susceptible host, plant pathogenic organism and the environment work together to cause a plant disease. Even though the environment is most often considered the main factor behind the occurrence of plant diseases, the host and the response of the host can also be factored into the occurrence of plant diseases. Defining the different responses of the host (e.g., susceptible versus resistant) is important to understand the level of disease that can occur on a given host.