A scientist investigated the spread of a fungal disease in a flowering crop.
Each plot contained one infected plant surrounded by 20 plants that had tested negative for the fungus. The infected plant was treated in one of three ways. Each treatment was repeated in ten separate plots under the same conditions.
| Treatment of the infected plant | Neighbouring plants infected after 4 weeks (%) |
|---|---|
| Left in the plot for 4 weeks | 60 |
| Removed 7 days after the disease was detected | 35 |
| Removed as soon as the disease was detected | 10 |
A scientist concluded, ‘Removing an infected plant as soon as the disease is detected prevents the fungal disease spreading to neighbouring plants.’
Use the data to evaluate the scientist’s conclusion.
133 exam-style questions on AQA GCSE Biology 3.3 Plant disease, covering 3.3.1 Detection and identification of plant diseases and 3.3.2 Plant defence responses. Each one has a worked solution and a mark scheme showing where the marks go.