Prelims 2018 · Q99
EasyConsider the following:
- 1.Birds
- 2.Dust blowing
- 3.Rain
- 4.Wind blowing
Which of the above spread plant diseases?
Answer & explanation
Answer: (d) 1, 2, 3 and 4
All four spread plant diseases. Most plant pathogens travel as spores or bacteria, and these are carried by wind, blown dust, splashing rain and even by birds.
- ✓ 1. Spores stick to birds' feathers and beaks and are dropped on other plants. Chestnut blight spores, for example, are spread by many bird species, and powdery mildew fruiting bodies are carried on feathers.
- ✓ 2. Dust is lifted soil, and soil is a recognised carrier of fungal spores. Blowing dust moves them from diseased fields to healthy ones.
- ✓ 3. Rain splash and running water carry spores and bacteria from an infected leaf to healthy plant surfaces.
- ✓ 4. Wind brings the first spores from neighbouring fields or far away, and then spreads the secondary infection from plant to plant.
Remember · Plant pathogens are dispersed by wind, water (rain), dust or soil, insects and birds. Every listed agent can spread plant diseases.
Sources
- Plant disease, General characteristics, Encyclopaedia Britannica ↗ · reference work “The spores can be carried and disseminated by wind currents, water (splashing and rain), soil (dust), insects, birds, and the remains of plants that once were infected.”
- Principles of Plant Pathology (PATH 271), ANGRAU course notes ↗ · reference work “Moreover, spores of chestnut blight fungus, Endothea parasitica are disseminated by more than 18 species of birds. Cleistothecia of many powdery mildew fungi are carried by feathers of birds.”
Question and answer: UPSC's official GS Paper I (2018, Series A) — paper ↗ · answer key ↗. Explanation: Minimalist IAS, checked 1 Oct 2026 (how we verify). Permalink ·