History and Developments of Plant Pathology in India: Fungal Aspects

The chapter makes a modest attempt to highlight the major achievements of fungal plant pathology in India which had set a milestone in history of fungal plant pathology. The chapter summarizes the historical achievements made in the area of plant pathology with respect to diseases caused by fungal pathogens, disease biology research, epidemiology, fungicide research, disease control strategies and the introduction of plant pathology as a discipline in Indian Universities. It also highlights the present status of plant pathology in India giving an overview of the developments made in the past over years. Though the chapter by no way is a complete account of the vast ocean of information available on various aspects of the subject, it is anticipated that the historical events covered in this tells the story of Indian plant pathology beginning from the Vedic era to the younger generation and motivate for the greater challenges of the pathological problems ahead.