The diagnosis of plant ailments is an art. Rapid and accurate diagnosis of plant disease is necessary before timely and proper measures can be suggested for control or prevention, however the scarcity of local, professional practitioners means that plant pathologists at universities are often requested to assist in diagnostic work. Yet the many professional demands of university plant pathologists have left those who encounter plant, crop, and forest problems without qualified individuals to turn to for help.
 
Drawing on the knowledge, research, and experience of university and industry plant pathologists, this manual will guide everyone—researchers, teachers, personnel from federal and state agencies, plant nursery staff, hobbyist gardeners, or anyone else who works with plants—to better plant-disease work and less time spent in learning diagnostic procedures.
 
In this manual for rapid and accurate diagnosis, control, and prevention of plant diseases, Dr. Rubert B. Streets has not only developed a practical field and laboratory guide for plant-disease diagnosis, but also articulated a vision for the role of the plant pathologist: a careful observer, a dedicated practitioner who embraces the personal challenge of identifying plant diseases—and a questioner.
 
With 44 years of distinguished post-doctoral experience in many areas of his field, Dr. Rupert B. Streets, Sr., is best known for his research on the control of Texas root rot in field crops, tree crops, and ornamentals; diseases of dates, citrus, and guar; brown rot of stone fruits and roses; his selection of flax resistance to wilt; the serology of citrus viruses; and the use of antibiotics for the control of crown gall and fire blight. Joining the University of Arizona faculty in 1924, Dr. Streets served for eight years as head of the department of Plant Pathology and taught courses at every level, instructing students on the identification and control of plant diseases.