From observation to insight — uncover the story behind plant resistance

What you'll learn
- Understand the principles and importance of plant disease screening
- Differentiate between screening tests and virulence assessments in research
- Apply key evaluation parameters such as Disease Incidence (DI) and Disease Severity Index (DSI)
- Design and interpret experiments using Randomised Complete Block Design (RCBD) and basic data analysis in R

Requirements
- A basic understanding of plant pathology or prior completion of Plant Pathology Basics is recommended.
- Interest in plant resistance or crop protection
- Basic familiarity with experimental design and data handling will be helpful
- Access to a computer or laptop, and optionally R Studio, is recommended for practical exercises.

Description
Understanding how to design and interpret disease screening experiments is essential for developing resistant plant varieties and improving research accuracy.Plant Disease Screening: Design, Data, and Discoveryintroduces you to the principles and practical approaches used in evaluating plant responses to pathogens — from setting up trials to analysing the results.

This course guides you through thecore steps of screening design, including selecting test genotypes, managing controls, and applying theRandomised Complete Block Design (RCBD)for reliable outcomes. You will learn how to useDisease Incidence (DI)andDisease Severity Index (DSI)to assess plant reactions, and how to interpret these data meaningfully.

The course also provides a practical introduction todata analysis using R, helping you transform raw observations into clear, evidence-based conclusions.

Designed forstudents, early-career researchers, and agricultural professionals, this course builds the skills and confidence to conduct structured screening experiments with scientific precision.

By the end of this course, you will be able to:

Understand the purpose and design of plant disease screening.

Differentiate between screening and virulence testing.

Apply DI and DSI to measure disease responses.

Design and analyse data using RCBD and R.

Take your first step into practical plant pathology — where observation becomes discovery.

Who this course is for:
- Students and early-career researchers in agriculture, plant science, or biotechnology seeking hands-on knowledge of disease screening
- Laboratory technicians or research assistants involved in resistance testing and pathogen virulence studies
- Agricultural professionals and seed industry staff aiming to understand how screening data informs breeding and R&D decisions
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