Plant Pathology & Weed Science
Plant diseases, pathogens, nematodes and weeds - and how to control them.
Plant pathology studies the fungi, bacteria, viruses, phytoplasmas and nematodes that cause crop diseases: how they infect plants, how epidemics develop, and how plants defend themselves at the molecular level.
Weed science covers the biology and ecology of weeds and their management - herbicides, mechanical and cultural control, and the growing problem of herbicide resistance. Both disciplines increasingly combine several control methods in integrated approaches rather than relying on a single one.
Typical research questions
- How do pathogens overcome plant resistance, and how durable is resistance in the field?
- How can disease outbreaks be forecast from weather and monitoring data?
- How does herbicide resistance evolve in weed populations, and how can it be slowed?
- Which combinations of chemical, biological and cultural control are most effective?
Publications per year
Papers whose main topic belongs to this field, 2010–2025.
Research fronts: fastest-growing topics
Papers 2024–2025 compared with 2021–2022, topics with at least 500 recent papers.
| Topic | 2021–2022 | 2024–2025 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Plant Disease Management TechniquesGrafting · Soilborne Pathogens · Rootstock · Disease Resistance | 1,545 | 1,794 | +16% |
| Allelopathy and phytotoxic interactionsAllelochemicals · Root Exudates · Natural Products · Weed Control | 1,998 | 2,307 | +15% |
| Plant-Microbe Interactions and ImmunityPlant Immunity · Rhizosphere Interactions · Microbial Pathogens · Pattern Recognition Receptors | 8,190 | 9,242 | +13% |
| Fungal Plant Pathogen ControlFungicide Resistance · Plant Pathogens · Evolution · Management | 2,168 | 2,235 | +3% |
| Weed Control and Herbicide ApplicationsHerbicide Resistance · Weed Control · Crop Losses · Glyphosate | 2,842 | 2,894 | +2% |
| Plant and fungal interactionsEndophyte Symbiosis · Grass-Fungal Interaction · Alkaloid Biosynthesis · Plant Stress Tolerance | 1,432 | 1,392 | −3% |
Largest topics
By number of papers 2024–2025.
- Plant Pathogens and Fungal DiseasesFungal Pathogens · Endophytic Fungi · Phylogenetic Analysis · Genomic Characterization 11,615
- Plant-Microbe Interactions and ImmunityPlant Immunity · Rhizosphere Interactions · Microbial Pathogens · Pattern Recognition Receptors 9,242
- Plant Virus Research StudiesViral RNA Silencing · Plant Immunity · Gene Silencing · Virus-Host Interactions 6,546
- Nematode management and characterization studiesNematodes · Plant-Parasitic · Molecular Pathology · Soil Food Web 4,642
- Plant Parasitism and ResistanceStrigolactones · Plant Hormones · Mycorrhizal Fungi · Parasitic Plants 3,076
- Plant Pathogenic Bacteria StudiesPlant Pathogenic Bacteria · Genomics · Type III Secretion System · Bacterial Blight 2,901
Highly cited recent papers
Most-cited articles and reviews published 2024–2025. Citation counts favor reviews and papers published early in the window.
- A Systematic Review on the Distribution of Invasive Plant Species Across Asia: Assessing the Rates of Invasion Success and Management
- The plant immune system: From discovery to deployment
- Harnessing the plant microbiome for sustainable crop production
- Bacterial indole-3-acetic acid: A key regulator for plant growth, plant-microbe interactions, and agricultural adaptive resilience
- Enhancing Soil Health and Plant Growth through Microbial Fertilizers: Mechanisms, Benefits, and Sustainable Agricultural Practices
- The 2024 Outline of Fungi and fungus-like taxa
Study programs in this field
- Plant Sciences Master Wageningen University & Research · Netherlands Taught in English
- International Master of Science in Agro- and Environmental Nematology Master Ghent University · Belgium Taught in English
- Crop Protection Master University of Göttingen · Germany
- Agricultural Sciences and Technologies Master University of Bologna · Italy