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.

Studying plant pathology & weed science

Degree programs in this subject often run under these names:

What you typically learn

  • Plant pathogens: fungi, bacteria, viruses, nematodes
  • Weed biology and weed management
  • Integrated pest management
  • Chemical, biological and cultural control methods
  • Diagnostics and epidemiology
  • Pesticide regulation and application

Where graduates typically work

  • Plant protection advisory and extension
  • Crop protection and biological control companies
  • Plant health and quarantine authorities
  • Diagnostic laboratories
  • Research on resistance and disease management

Curricula differ by country and institution - the program pages linked below have the details.

Where to study plant pathology & weed science

23 programs in 18 countries. See all 23 programs

Where research is heading

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.

0 20k 40k2010: 24,12920102011: 24,3772012: 25,3722013: 25,6442014: 27,2112015: 26,94920152016: 27,5892017: 28,8002018: 30,8462019: 35,7712020: 33,15320202021: 33,4462022: 30,1872023: 30,4832024: 28,7282025: 30,4642025

Research fronts: fastest-growing topics

Papers 2024–2025 compared with 2021–2022, topics with at least 500 recent papers.

Topic2021–20222024–2025Change
Plant Disease Management TechniquesGrafting · Soilborne Pathogens · Rootstock · Disease Resistance1,5451,794+16%
Allelopathy and phytotoxic interactionsAllelochemicals · Root Exudates · Natural Products · Weed Control1,9982,307+15%
Plant-Microbe Interactions and ImmunityPlant Immunity · Rhizosphere Interactions · Microbial Pathogens · Pattern Recognition Receptors8,1909,242+13%
Fungal Plant Pathogen ControlFungicide Resistance · Plant Pathogens · Evolution · Management2,1682,235+3%
Weed Control and Herbicide ApplicationsHerbicide Resistance · Weed Control · Crop Losses · Glyphosate2,8422,894+2%
Plant and fungal interactionsEndophyte Symbiosis · Grass-Fungal Interaction · Alkaloid Biosynthesis · Plant Stress Tolerance1,4321,392−3%

Largest topics

By number of papers 2024–2025.

  1. Plant Pathogens and Fungal DiseasesFungal Pathogens · Endophytic Fungi · Phylogenetic Analysis · Genomic Characterization 11,615
  2. Plant-Microbe Interactions and ImmunityPlant Immunity · Rhizosphere Interactions · Microbial Pathogens · Pattern Recognition Receptors 9,242
  3. Plant Virus Research StudiesViral RNA Silencing · Plant Immunity · Gene Silencing · Virus-Host Interactions 6,546
  4. Nematode management and characterization studiesNematodes · Plant-Parasitic · Molecular Pathology · Soil Food Web 4,642
  5. Plant Parasitism and ResistanceStrigolactones · Plant Hormones · Mycorrhizal Fungi · Parasitic Plants 3,076
  6. 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.

  1. A Systematic Review on the Distribution of Invasive Plant Species Across Asia: Assessing the Rates of Invasion Success and Management J Caparic, LCM Cargo, CJ Gaston et al. · International Journal of Innovative Science and Research Technology (IJISRT) · 2024 · 958 citations · Open access
  2. The plant immune system: From discovery to deployment Jonathan D. G. Jones, Brian J. Staskawicz, Jeffery L. Dangl · Cell · 2024 · 542 citations · Open access
  3. Harnessing the plant microbiome for sustainable crop production Stéphane Compant, Fabricio Cassán, Tanja Kostić et al. · Nature Reviews Microbiology · 2024 · 361 citations
  4. Bacterial indole-3-acetic acid: A key regulator for plant growth, plant-microbe interactions, and agricultural adaptive resilience Hassan Etesami, Bernard R. Glick · Microbiological Research · 2024 · 302 citations · Open access
  5. Enhancing Soil Health and Plant Growth through Microbial Fertilizers: Mechanisms, Benefits, and Sustainable Agricultural Practices Xinpei Wei, Benkang Xie, Chu Wan et al. · Agronomy · 2024 · 278 citations · Open access
  6. The 2024 Outline of Fungi and fungus-like taxa KD Hyde · Mycosphere · 2024 · 269 citations · Open access

All study programs in plant pathology & weed science

All study programs