For the most part, the second edition of this compendium follows the organization of the first edition, with infectious diseases and abiotic disorders as broad general categories. Infectious diseases are grouped both by causal organisms (fungi, bacteria, nematodes, viruses, and phytoplasmas) and by host phenology. Each individual section has been extensively revised or rewritten and updated. The sections describing nematode parasites and viruses of cotton have been expanded substantially. A new section on cottonseed losses and mycotoxins has been added, and nematode-fungal disease interactions that are frequently encountered in cotton are described. An important change from the first edition is an increase in the number of illustrated figures and colour plates. Most of the figures are new, and there are approximately twice as many colour plates in the second edition as in the original.
Discussion of noninfectious disorders has also been expanded. Common nutrient disorders, the effects of environmental stress, and symptoms of herbicide injury have been treated in some detail. In addition, a final section outlines the development of cotton disease control strategies that integrate disease management into cotton production systems. Because genetic resistance to disease is generally the most cost-effective method of control that is available to many producers, the final two chapters provide an overview of the history and current status of disease and nematode resistance in cultivated cotton.