🌿 Plant Disease – AQA GCSE Biology Lesson

This interactive lesson helps students understand how plants get infected, how to identify symptoms, and how to control disease spread.

✅ Identify pathogens like TMV and rose black spot
✅ Explain how aphids damage plants and act as vectors
✅ Explore detection methods including monoclonal antibodies

Lesson Activities

Starter: Diagnosis Challenge

Look at these images. What disease do you think each plant has?

TMV

Aphids

Rose Black Spot

Mini-Teach

Plants can be infected by viruses (like TMV), fungi (rose black spot), and insects like aphids that feed on phloem and act as disease vectors.

Detection Methods

Compare garden manual symptoms, lab-based DNA testing, and monoclonal antibody kits. Which is fastest and most accurate?

Quiz

1. What organism causes TMV? A) Fungi B) Virus C) Bacteria
2. What do aphids feed on? A) Xylem B) Phloem C) Chloroplasts
3. What is one way to control aphids? A) Antibiotics B) Fire C) Ladybirds
4. What does rose black spot cause? A) Red veins B) Leaf drop C) Holes