The Cereal Rusts, Volume I: Origins, Specificity, Structure, and Physiology presents the historical, evolutionary, taxonomic, structural, genetic, and physiological characteristics of cereal rust fungi and the diseases they cause in cereal crops. The cereal rusts are potentially serious disease threats to cereal crops and have caused widespread losses in wheat, oats, barley, and related crops. This three-part volume brings together in a single reference source the accumulated knowledge, complex, challenging science of cereal rusts. The first chapters of this 16-chapter volume cover the pioneering contributions of early scientists to the knowledge of cereal rusts, the evolution of cereal rusts, and the taxonomy of cereal rust fungi. The book also examines the specificity of cereal rusts including formae speciales, race specificity, pathogen-host genetics, histology and molecular biology of host parasite specificity, and the genetics of rust fungus populations as reflected by virulence frequency. The text further discusses the structure and physiology aspects; the germination of urediospores and differentiation of infection structures; and the infection under artificial conditions. The ultrastructure of hyphae and urediospores; the development and physiology of teliospores; and the obligate parasitism and axenic culture of rust fungi are also explained. This volume also encompasses the structure and physiology of haustoria; structural and physiological alterations in susceptible hosts; and effects of rust on plant development in relation to nutrient translocation. Cereal rust investigators, plant pathologists, agronomists, agriculturalists, research biochemists, cytologists, geneticists, physiologists, taxonomists, epidemiologists, and pathologists will find this book invaluable.

The book is comprised of more than a dozen chapters on fungi from different substrates including fossilized leaves. It discusses association of fungi occurring on important plants, some animals, and saprophytic substrates. Besides the taxonomic information, some ecological aspects like distribution and substrate/host preferences are discussed. The book also reviews the myxomycete.

Since the publication of the first edition of "The Mycota Vol. V – Plant Relationships" in 1997, tremendous advances in fungal molecular biology and biochemistry have taken place; and both light and electron microscopical techniques have improved considerably. These new insights led to a better understanding of the relationships between fungi and plants; and a completely revised new edition of Plant Relationships could be produced, providing an up-to-date overview on mutualistic and pathogenic interactions. In 18 chapters internationally acknowledged authors present reviews on fungal lifestyles, mechanisms of their interactions with their host plants, signal perception and transduction, and plant defense responses directed against attack by fungal pathogens. Highlighting the recent developments in fungus-plant interactions, this volume is indispensable for researchers, lecturers and students in microbiology, mycology and plant sciences, including plant pathology.

Plant disease epidemiology is a dynamic science that forms an essential part of the study of plant pathology. This book brings together a team of 35 international experts. Each chapter deals with an essential component of the subject and allows the reader to fully understand how each exerts its influence on the progress of pathogen populations in plant populations over a defined time scale. This edition has new, revised and updated chapters.

This volume presents the issues and challenges of crop pathogens and plant protection. Composed of the latest knowledge in plant pathology, the book covers topics such as fungal diseases of the groundnut, plant growth promoting rhizobacteria, plant pathogenic fungi in the genomics era, the increased virulence of wheat rusts and oat fungal diseases. Written by experienced and internationally recognized scientists in the field, Future Challenges in Crop Protection Against Fungal Pathogens is a concise yet comprehensive resource valuable for both novice as well as experienced plant scientists and researchers.

The idea for this book was conceived by the late Dr. Irvine A. Watson of the University of Sydney, and he developed the first outline. I was then invited by Dr. Watson to share in its writing. Unfortunately, shortly there after, recurring heart problems forced him to curtail his activities and with draw from the project. He died before the book could be completed. Dr. Watson's intention was to produce a very practical book that would provide wheat breeders with all of the information necessary to breed success fully for resistance to the three wheat rusts: leaf rust, stem rust, and yellow rust. It was intended to be very specific in describing procedures to be used and at the same time provide all of the necessary theoretical background. I hope that I have been successful in meeting these objectives. The book assumes that the reader has some knowledge of plant pathology, genetics, and plant breeding. Extensive use has been made of the literature, but it was not possible to cite all of the papers on a given topic. In making a choice, an attempt was made to choose key papers or more recent papers that provided references to the earlier literature. Acknowledgements This book was written partly at the University of Saskatchewan and partly at the University of California, Davis, while I was on a sabbatical leave.