The Plant Pathology Department was founded in 1910 as a Department within the Agricultural College and Research Institute, Coimbatore with the Government Mycologist as Head of the Department. The post graduate programme was started in 1958 and PhD programme in 1961. The Department is one of the components of the Centre for Plant Protection Studies (CPPS) which was established in April, 1984 in TNAU to coordinate and strengthen teaching, research and extension activities in Plant Protection. The Department has well established laboratories for the research in the areas of biological control, molecular plant pathology, virology, seed pathology, myco toxins and mushroom. The research laboratories are extensively furnished with modern equipment and computer resources are available in all laboratories. The Department of Plant Pathology is committed to conducting research on the basic biology of plant pathogens; developing methods for the management of plant diseases; providing a quality education to its students, and providing expert advice on plant diseases to the farming community. The department has organized more than 12 Seminars/ Conferences/ Symposia in different thrust areas of plant pathology. Now, the Department, in association with Indian Phytopathological Society (IPS) is organizing one more seminar on new theme areas in plant Pathology. The role of plant pathologists is well documented in the plant protection more specifically in the eco friendly approaches of disease management, more specifically with biocontrol agents and botanical pesticides.  In the recent years, the significance of molecular plant pathology and post harvest pathology in the sustainable agriculture is much felt and are given much importance in plant disease management. The importance of edible fungi as protein supplement is well received at global level and need for identification of new fungi is immensely essential. The epidemiological studies with a proper forecast systems are highly essential in integrating developing eco friendly management strategies for plant diseases. The proposed seminar will address the above said issues. The department is expecting nearly 200 scientists, teachers, research fellows and post graduate students from SAUs, ICAR institutions, National Institutes, and Central and State universities to participate and discuss in detail the proposed theme areas in the seminar. The proceedings of the seminar will benefit scientists, teachers, students and farming community as a whole.

Major theme areas of the Seminar

1. Modern concepts of Biological control
2. Molecular Plant Pathology
3. Interactive role of insect pests and nematodes for sustainable disease management
4. Post harvest pathology and seed pathology
5. Epidemiology and Forecasting of plant diseases
6. Biodiversity of edible fungi and their importance