Control of disease, like control of pests, is best achieved by use of resistant plants and by attention to cultural procedures. In the case of seedling tea, attempts to select or breed highly resistant varieties have been unsuccessful despite the large amount of genetic material available. It has, however, been possible to select clones which show a high level of tolerance to blister blight as well as to cankers caused by Macrophoma theicola and Phomopsis theae Despite these successes, selection or breeding for resistance to root infections currently remains an unattainable goal.