Classification of Plant Pathogens - Westcott's Plant Disease - page 26

Part II

Classification of Plant Pathogens

The plant diseases described in this handbook are caused by bacteria, fungi,
nematodes, a few seed plants (such as dodder, mistletoe, and witchweed),
viruses, physiological disturbances, and air and water pollutants. The classi-
fication of bacteria, fungi, and viruses is somewhat involved and is given here
as a background for the specific descriptions in Part III . There are many

classifications of bacteria, fungi, and viruses, with numerous disagreements
among mycologists, bacteriologists, virologists and plant pathologists.
Names and groups have been chosen that are widely accepted and most
readily adapted to the alphabetical requirements of a reference that works
like a dictionary.
Classification of the bacteria is based on that given in the Volume 1
(1984) and Volume 2 (1986) of Bergey's Manual of Systematic Bacteriology ,
and Laboratory Guide for Identification of Plant Pathogenic Bacteria
(1980) by N. W. Schaad (Editor). Classification of the viruses is based on
that given by Murphy et al. 1995. Virus Taxonomy, Classification, and
Nomenclature of Viruses . 6th Rept. ICTV, Brunt, A. A. et al. 1996. Virus of
Plants. Descriptions and List from the VIDE Database , Van Regenmortel
et al. 1999. Virus Taxonomy . 7th Report. ICTV and Descriptions of Plant
Viruses , published by the Commonwealth Mycological Institute and Associ-
ation of Applied Biologists. Other helpful sources were European Handbook
of Plant Diseases (1988) by I. M. Smith, J. Dunez, R. A. Lelliott, D. W.
Phillips and S. A. Archer and A Textbook of Plant Virus Diseases , 1972
edition, by Kenneth M. Smith.
So far as possible, the genera, orders, and families of fungi agree with
those given in Plant Pathogenic Fungi (1987) by J. A. von Arx. Helpful
sources included A Dictionary of the Fungi , 1961 edition, by G. C. Ainsworth
and G. R. Bisby, which includes G. W. Martin's Key to the Families of
the Fungi ; The Genera of Fungi , by F. E. Clements and C. L. Shear;
The Fungi , by Frederick A. and Frederick R. Wolf; The Lower Fungi:
Phycomycetes , by H. M. Fitzpatrick; Morphology and Taxonomy of Fungi ,
by E. A. Bessey; and Illustrated Genera of Imperfect Fungi , by H. L. Barnett
and B. B. Hunter.

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