ABSTRACT
Soilborne microbial plant pathogens commonly cause damping-off, stem rot, crown rot and root rot in planta and soft rot in tubers and other storage organs. Transmission of some soilborne pathogens may also occur through seeds/propagules finding their way rapidly even to distant locations. Soilborne microbial plant pathogens generally infect hypogeal plant organs – crowns and roots, stem, storage organs like tubers and pods in some pathosystems. Soilborne fungal plant pathogens infecting belowground plant organs are classified as root inhabitants or soil inhabitants. Soil, formed from different parent materials, provides minerals and organic materials needed for plant growth and the development of all organisms, including soilborne microbial pathogens. Soils may be either conducive or suppressive to specific soilborne microbial plant pathogens. The selection of a suitable farming system will be useful to enhancing soil fertility and also to preventing accumulation of inoculum of pathogens in soils. The chapter also presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in this book.
