Notes: These assignments require each student to write a paragraph (introductory sentence, body, concluding sentence) and can be completed in 10–15 minutes in class. They provide a good way to check student comprehension and to improve student writing skills. See Chapter 1 for a simple grading system.
1) What are Bacteria and How do they Compare to Fungi?
Last week, you learned about bacteria and how they can affect plants. Briefly define what a bacterium is, and compare and contrast plant pathogenic bacteria and fungi. List at least one way in which bacterial and fungal plant pathogens are similar and one way in which they are different. Items for discussion may include cellular structures, life cycles, methods of dissemination, methods of infection, methods of reproduction, and management strategies.
2) Eradication of Bacterial Plant Diseases
Last week, you learned about bacterial diseases of plants, including citrus canker and fire blight of apples and pears. Although both diseases are caused by bacteria, citrus canker was managed successfully in the United States for decades using eradication, while efforts to eradicate fire blight in Europe failed. Widespread eradication of fire blight in the United States was never even attempted. In paragraph form, discuss two differences between these disease situations that resulted in eradication being a successful management strategy for one disease but not the other.
