A Study Of The Wilt Disease Of Tomatoes Caused By Fusarium Lycopersici

Fusarium wilt of banana: some history and current status of the disease; Importante of fusarium wilt in different banana-growing regions; Taxonomy of fungi in the genus fusarium with emphasis on fusarium oxysporum; Genetic exchange within sexual and asexual populations of the genus fusarium; Molecular genetics of plant pathogenic fusarium oxysporum; Using karyotype variability to investigate the origins and relatednes of isolates of fusarium oxysporum f. sp. cubense; Population biology of fusarium oxysporum f. sp. cubense; Biological control of diseases caused by fusarium oxysporum; Influence of mineral nutrition on fusarium wilt: a proposed mechanism involving cell water relations; Host responses to the pathogen; Banana breeding and fusarium wilt; Breeding bananas and plantains for resistance to fusariu m wilt: the track record; Somaclonal resistance in cavendish banana to fusarium wilt; Baseline tissue and cell culture studies for use in banana improvement schemes.

Tomato is a popular fresh vegetable crop. Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. lycopersici is a fungal pathogen responsible for wilt disease of tomato that causes significant yield losses. Generally, fungicides are used to combat the problem. However, due to ill effects of synthetic agrochemicals on health and environment, scientists are in search of alternative eco-friendly strategies for management of phytopathogens. The present study was carried out for the biological control of F. oxysporum f. sp. lycopersici using extracts of radish (Raphanus sativus L.) and seven species of a biological control agent Trichoderma. T. harzianum was found to be the most effective biocontrol agent against the pathogen followed by T. aureoviridi and T. hanatus resulting in 74%, 70% and 67% inhibition in fungal growth, respectively. Likewise, Chloroform fraction of methanolic leaf extract and n-butanol fraction of methanolic root extract of radish exhibited the best antifungal activity causing 52-64% and 62--95% reduction in fungal biomass over corresponding control treatments, respectively. The present study concludes that the pathogen can be managed effectively by using T. harzianum and extracts of radish."

Also included is a thorough review of the molecular genetics of both trichothecene and fumonisin biosynthesis, presenting more than 15 years of molecular biological research in an accessible form. Part one then reviews the natural occurrence and toxicity of agriculturally important mycotoxins, with historical case studies of suspected mycotoxicoses in humans and animals. These chapters also contain updates on the molecular genetics of additional mycotoxins and the importance of mycotoxins in plant diseases. This useful reference presents concise descriptions of mycotoxin-producing Fusarium species, as defined by the most recent concepts of fungal species biology and evolution. Each species' report includes a risk assessment based on its mycotoxin profile, occurrence in food and feed crops, and association with human and animal mycotoxicoses. Data on species distribution, mycotoxin profiles, and animal toxicity facilitate risk assessment for food and feed safety.