The primary objective of this course is to introduce the general characteristics of diseases, pests, and weeds that cause yield and quality losses in cultivated crops, and to provide fundamental knowledge about the damage they cause as well as the basic methods used for their management.

This course covers the importance of plant pathology, the concept of plant diseases, disease symptoms, and both abiotic and biotic plant diseases. Within the scope of biotic diseases, fundamental knowledge is provided on the disease triangle, the disease cycle, and the organisms responsible for causing plant diseases. In addition, the course introduces the identification of plant pests, their biological characteristics, the types of damage they cause, and the basic methods used for their management. The course content also includes fundamental information on the characteristics of weeds and the methods used for their control. Furthermore, the recommended approaches for the management of plant diseases, pests, and weeds in organic agriculture are explained through illustrative examples