Most branches of science have what might be termed a 'core area' which is both related to and helps to integrate peripheral topics to form the overall subject area. Without this central link, the subject is simply a collection of disparate, albeit gener­ ally related topics. What genetics is to plant breeding, epidemiology is to the subject of plant pathology and, no matter what individual topic is considered, it is always possible to recognize the interaction with and relationship to epidemiological factors. Broadly speaking, until the 1950s, plant pathology was considered as the applied side of mycology and, indeed, the British Society of Plant Pathology was spawned from its mentor, the British Mycological Society, with considerable help from The Association of Applied Biology. However, with the exploding world popu­ lation and the growing demand for food, plant pathologists became increasingly aware of the need for a more considered, measured, precise and even holistic approach to their subject and, particularly, to plant disease management. Looking back over 40 years of teaching and research in plant pathology, it was very clear that the 'core' of the subject was epidemiology and that this 'new' study was developing a very distinct identity which was rapidly being recognized in its own right. The 'shotgun' approach to plant disease 'control' was quickly perceived to be too inexact and almost every aspect of the subject was being reviewed, refined and advanced.

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List of Contributors. List of Colour Plates. Preface. Part One: Principles and Methods. 1. An Introduction to Plant Disease Epidemiology; D.G. Jones. 2. Plant Disease Diagnosis. 3. Disease Assessment and Yield Loss; B.M. Cooke. 4. Surveys of Variation in Pathogen Populations and their Application to Disease Control; J.K.M. Brown. 5. Infection Strategies; C. Struck, K. Mendgen. 6. Epidemiological Consequences of Plant Disease Resistance; M.L. Deadman. 7. Dispersal of Foliar Fungal Plant Pathogens: Mechanisms, Gradients and Spatial Patterns: H.A. McCartney, B.D.L. Fitt. 8. Pathogen Population Dynamics; M.W. Shaw. 9. Disease Progress in Time: Modeling and Data Analysis; C.L. Campbell. 10. Disease Forecasting; N.V. Hardwick. 11. Diversification Strategies; M.R. Finckh, M.S. Wolfe. 12. Epidemiology in Sustainable Systems; R.J. Cook, D.J. Yarham. 13. Information Technology in Epidemiology; A.C. Newton, R.E. Gaunt. Part Two: Case Examples. 14. Seedborne Diseases; W.J. Rennie. 15. Diseases Caused by Soilborne Pathogens; D. Hornby. 16. Wind-dispersed Diseases; B. Hau, C. de Vallavieille-Pope. 17. Rain-splash and Spore Dispersal: A Physical Perspective; L. Huber, et al. 18. Potato Late Blight; W.E. Fry, E.S. Mizubuti. 19. Apple Scab: Role of Environment in Pathogen and Epidemic Development; A.L. Jones. 20. Onion Diseases; R.B. Maude. 21. The Current Pandemic of Cassava Mosaic Virus Disease in Uganda; G.W. Otim-Nape, J.M. Thresh. Index.