Crop diseases

Fungal, bacterial, viral, and nematode-caused diseases affecting major Indian crops — including wheat blast, paddy blast, citrus greening, and cotton leaf curl virus — define the scope of crop disease study. Pathogen spread mechanisms and containment depend on institutional frameworks: the Plant Quarantine Order 2003, Seed Act 1966, and ICAR's disease-surveillance networks. Understanding disease etiology, detection methods, and containment protocols is central to food-security risk management and underpins analysis of crop-loss events and phytosanitary trade disputes. Distinct from pest management covering insects, weeds, and rodents.