Plant Pathology
Curator
Collection manager
About the collection
The collection contains all types of known teratisms on woody and herbaceous plants from Denmark, as well as all important types of damage to wood and timber by saprotrophic fungi. It serves as base for studies of the development and dispersal (in time and space) of plant pathogens and certain saprotrophic organisms in Denmark. The collection has been build up during the last 120 years.
It is believed to be unique in the Nordic countries. The size and the long period spent for collection makes it internationally significant and recognised. It contains several type specimens and it is identified by the code CP in the international register of scientific herbaria/collections.
Plant Pathology in numbers
- Estimated number of specimens: 30,000
- Types: several
Strengths
- All types of known teratisms on woody and herbaceous plants from Denmark
- All important types of saprotrophic damage to wood and timber
- Reference in the identification of newly found plant pathogenic fungi
- Several type specimens
Important collections
Main collection
Plant material showing symptoms of abiotic factors (edafic adverse conditions), teratisms, believed to be caused by genetic abnormalities, and infectious diseases, primarily caused by fungi, bacteria, virus, mycoplasmas and higher plants constitute the majority of the collection. In addition a vast number of fungal structures (e.g. fruiting bodies) are included.
Certain special collections are incorporated into in the main collection as well, such as a considerable number of marine fungi.
Saprotrophic fungi
The collection represents all important types of damage to wood and timber by saprotrophic fungi. Therefore, an extremely important purpose of the collection is to work as a reference collection, used as an aid in the identification of newly found plant pathogenic fungi, in case of difficulties in diagnosis.
It is therefore an important element in the dissemination of knowledge about the common and economically disruptive attacks on buildings and timber by fungi.
History
The general collection for Plant Pathology was founded by Emil Rostrup (1831-1907), who was employed at the Royal Veterinary and Agricultural School (now part of the Faculty of Science of the University of Copenhagen) in 1883. He established what is believed to be the first academic chair of plant pathology with both formal university-level training and associated systematic research programme. The collection is therefore of exceptional national significance and quality.
The main collection contains specimens dating from before the work of Rostrup I 1883 and today embodies some 30,000 specimens. This is due to enduring and systematic collection for more than a hundred years by the most prominent plant pathologists and mycologists in Denmark.
Items from the collection were used for demonstration purposes in the training of students in plant pathology at the Royal Veterinary and Agricultural School and its successors. Many of the most conspicuous and significant samples of teratisms observed in Denmark during the last 120 years are present in the collection. Therefore, it also has significant exhibition value next to its scientific worth.
Associate professor Eigil de Neergaard was curator for the collection for many years.
The Plant Pathology collections of the Royal Veterinary and Agricultural School were transferred to the Natural History Museum of Denmark in 2016.