This established textbook continues to provide a comprehensive introduction to plant diseases and the bacterial, fungal and viral agents that cause them. Aimed at undergraduate students in both the biological and agricultural sciences, the book covers all aspects of plant pathology, from a description of the diseased plant and the varius pathogens, to the way in which disease epidemics are caused and are controlled. This new edition has been extensively revised to reflect recent advances in our understanding of the intractions between host and pathogens at both the molecular and cellular levels, highlighting the impact of molecular genetic techniques on the analysis of host specificity, pathogenecity and resistance to infection. New chapters on chemical, cultural and integrated approaches to disease control discuss the topical issues of disease management.