Plant pathology is a field that offers a variety of different career opportunities. Plant Pathologists work in federal and state government positions and academia and also in private and industrial sectors. Plant pathology is a branch of agricultural science that deals with the study of nematodes, viruses, bacteria and other microbes that causes diseases in plants. The branch focuses on understanding how environments, pathogens and hosts interact to cause plant diseases and on understanding methods of controlling diseases in plants.

Who is plant pathologist?

Plant pathologists are people, who specialize in the health of plant much similar to a physician specializing in human health. They are professionals, who keep plants healthy and for this they require an understanding of agents and organisms that cause diseases as well as understanding of how plant grow and how they are affected by disease.

Educational qualification requirements:

Candidates taking up college course in physiology, molecular biology, biochemistry, genetics, ecology, soil science, crop science, microbiology and botany can enter the field of plant pathology. They can specialize in this field by taking advanced college training in Master’s and doctoral courses. Candidates who, wish to take up plant pathology career can take up educational courses pertaining to plant pathology in some of the top agricultural universities in India like:

• Orissa University of Agricultural Technology

• Narendra Dev University of Agriculture & Technology

• Mahatma Phule Krishi Vidypeeth

• Marathwada Agricultural University

• Konkan Krishi Vidyapeeth

• Kerala Agricultural University

• Jawaharlal Nehru Krishi Viswa Vidyalaya

• Indian Agricultural Research Institute

• Indira Gandhi Krishi Vishwa Vidyalaya

• Himachal Pradesh Krishi Viswavidyalaya

• Haryana Agricultural University

• GB Pant University of Agriculture and Technology

• Gujarat Agricultural University

• C.S. Azad University of Agriculture & Technology

• Bidhan Chandra Krishi Vishwavidyalaya

• Birsa Agricultural University

• Acharya N.G. Ranga Agricultural University

• Assam Agricultural University

• Tamil Nadu Agricultural University

Employment opportunities in plant pathology:

Employment opportunities in the field of plant pathology include private practice, regulatory work, administration, extension, teaching, sales, product development and research. As mentioned earlier, they are employed in universities, colleges, federal and state government agencies, international institutions and industrial firms.

Recent government job notification:

The names of government organizations that recently recruited candidates for the field of plant pathology are given below:

• Senior Research Assistant – Directorate of Maize Research

• Assistant Professor of Plant Pathology – Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana

Thus, plant pathology offers wide range of employment opportunities to the plant pathologists and other graduates as well.