Powdery mildew disease is the fourth most widespread disease in cruciferous crops and a devastating effect, causing significant losses in terms of quality and quantity in rapeseed and mustard. Powdery mildews are also a favourable host-pathosystem model for basic research on host–parasite interactions, developmental morphology, cytology, and molecular biology to identify the effector proteins/genes governing different biological functions. This book provides a comprehensive overview of all the published information in the field for researchers, teachers, students, extension experts, industrialists and farmers, and includes illustrations, photographs, graphs, figures, tables, histograms, micrographs, electron micrographs, and flow charts to aid understanding. It also describes standardized reducible techniques. The book discusses each disease in detail, describing the distribution, symptomatology, host range, yield losses and disease assessment, as well as the taxonomy, morphology, phylogeny, variability, sporulation, survival and perpetuation of the pathogen. Further, it explores topics such as spore germination; infection; pathogenesis; disease cycle; epidemiology; forecasting; fine structures; host resistance; biochemical, histological, genetic and molecular aspects such as cloning and mapping of R genes; sources of resistance; disease resistance breeding; and the genetics of host-parasite interactions and disease management.

"Chapters within "The Fungi" bring up to date the nomenclature and classification of species, accurately reflecting the phylogeny of the fungi. An entire chapter is dedicated to the taxonomy of the powdery mildew fungi providing a new and reliable international source for all mycologists and plant pathologists. Convenient reference to both 'old' and 'new' names throughout the book will facilitate understanding and accelerate transition towards general use of the new taxonomy and nomenclature."--pub. desc.

The Book Incorporates In A Comparative Manner The Various Important Classifications Of Fungi Given By Different Workers. It Deals With The Morphology, Taxonomy, Life Cycles Of Various Groups Of Fungi And Also Includes The Disease Cycle And Control Measures Of Fungal Pathogens, Responsible For Causing Diseases Of National As Well As International Importance. The Book Has Been Written To Cater To The Needs Of Honours And Postgraduate Students Of Indian Universities. The Aim Of The Book Is To Bring In All The Recent Information In Fungi In One Volume. General Topics Like Heterothallism, Parasexual Cycle, Sex Hormones, Evolutionary Tendencies In Lower Fungi, Evolution Of Conidium From A Sporangium, Sexuality In Ascomycetes With Special Reference To Degeneration And Modification Of Sex Organs, Phylogeny Of Fungi Have Been Discussed At Length. Important Topics Like Ecology, Economic Importance Of Fungi In Various Ways, Applications Of Fungi In Biotechnology And Fungi As Symbionts Of Photobionts, Plants And Insects Has Also Been Discussed In Detail. Appendices Like Important Text And Reference Books, Mycoiogical Journals, Fungal Culture Collection Centres Of The World, Mounting Media And Common Culture Media For Fungi Have Been Included.

Mycology, the study of fungi, originated as a subdiscipline of botany and was a des criptive discipline, largely neglected as an experimental science until the early years of this century. A seminal paper by Blakeslee in 1904 provided evidence for self incompatibility, termed "heterothallism", and stimulated interest in studies related to the control of sexual reproduction in fungi by mating-type specificities. Soon to follow was the demonstration that sexually reproducing fungi exhibit Mendelian inheritance and that it was possible to conduct formal genetic analysis with fungi. The names Burgetf, Kniep and Lindegren are all associated with this early period of fungal genet ics research. These studies and the discovery of penicillin by Fleming, who shared a Nobel Prize in 1945, provided further impetus for experimental research with fungi. Thus began a period of interest in mutation induction and analysis of mutants for biochemical traits. Such fundamental research, conducted largely with Neurospora crassa, led to the one gene: one enzyme hypothesis and to a second Nobel Prize for fungal research awarded to Beadle and Tatum in 1958. Fundamental research in biochemical genetics was extended to other fungi, especially to Saccharomyces cerevisiae, and by the mid-1960s fungal systems were much favored for studies in eukaryotic molecular biology and were soon able to compete with bacterial systems in the molecular arena.