Plant Disease Clinic

Contributed by Holly Withrow.

One of the more important aspects of a Plant Pathologists job is diagnosing plant diseases for farmers via inspecting specimens.  In North Carolina, where the range of crops grown is so vast, plant pathologists are an especially important aspect of keeping crops healthy.

In a recent collection of digitized papers from the Plant Pathology department, the development of the Plant Disease Clinic at North Carolina State University is detailed.  Up until 1951, only one Extension Plant Pathologist was available to examine specimens.  Over time, and in relation to the spread of black shank disease of tobacco, the number of specimens needing to be examined rose dramatically.  To answer this need, the Plant Disease Clinic was born.  Its goal was to systematically and quickly analyze the specimens given to the Plant Pathology department.  Farmers would send in information about diseases affecting their crops and the plant pathologists would help them figure out what it was and how to treat it.  The records that have been digitized help to show what diseases have afflicted plants in North Carolina since the 1950s.

The program was so successful that it continues until this day.  To find out about the workings of the Clinic presently, check out it’s website . For more history on the Plant Disease Clinic, check out the Cultivating a Revolution project.