This edited volume provides comprehensive and latest information on the fungal biodiversity in its morphological characters, bioactive molecules, pathogenicity and virulence, and its impacts on crop production and sustainable management of agricultural productivity towards resolving global food security issues. The increasing number of infectious fungal diseases are regarded as threats to agricultural productivity and global food security. The efforts done by scientists to inventories the fungal diversity and identification of fungal species contributing as pathogens towards many plant and human diseases have been compiled in the present volume. The identification of the potential fungal pathogens is a prerequisite for an effective disease control management program. Also important is to understand the complex interactions between the host-pathogen and the environment. The book dwells on insights on the aforementioned aspects. The book also includes articles on ecological significance of fungi and fungal antagonists used as biocontrol agents on other pathogens. This compilation is useful to scientists working in similar areas as well as to undergraduate and graduate students keen on getting updated information on the subject. Scientists involved in agricultural research, crop management, and industries that manufacture agrochemicals may also find it useful read.

Fungi play vital roles in all ecosystems, as decomposers, symbionts of animals and plants and as parasites. Thus their ecology is of great interest. It has been estimated that there may be as many as 1. 5 million species of fungi, many of which are still undescribed. These interact in various ways with their hosts, with their substrates, with their competitors (including other fungi) and with abiotic variables of their environment. They show great variation in morphology, reproduction, life cycles and modes of dispersal. They grow in almost every conceivable habitat where organic carbon is available: on rock surfaces, in soil, the sea and in fresh water, at extremes of high and low temperature, on dry substrata and in concen trated solutions. Fungal ecology is therefore an enormous subject and its literature is voluminous. In view of this we have had to be selective in the material we have included in this book. We have chosen to concentrate on subjects in which we have some personal experience through either research or teaching. We preferred to tackle a few subjects in depth instead of attempting to cover a wider range of topics superficially. We are conscious of the extensive gaps in coverage: for example on the ecology of lichens, of fungal plant pathogens and of the complex interactions between fungi and animals. It is some justification that book-length treatments of these subjects are available elsewhere."

Infection of most species of cultivated and wild plants by fungi is a normal biological event, but one of profound importance in the exploitation of plants for food and medicine, building materials and decorative purposes. Potato Blight, Dutch Elm disease and Southern Leaf Blight are all examples of infections leading to disease and plant death, but mycorrhizal fungi confer great benefit on plants, enhancing growth and providing cross-protection agains plant pathogenic species. Originally published in 1987, this book examines infection as a phenomenon common to pathogenic and mycorrhizal fungi alike. It deals with the establishment, progress and outcome of infection and covers such important fundamental aspects as recognition and resistance and seeks to explain why some infections lead to disease while others remain symptomless and beneficial. The various chapters provide a detailed account of the different aspects of fungal infection, written by an international group of scientists.

This 1959 text provides a comprehensive guide to all the parasitic fungi which have been reported on cultivated plants in Great Britain, the diseases which they cause and the British literature on the subject. The first part of the book comprises an alphabetical list of the scientific and common names of cultivated host plants, with all the fungus parasites recorded on each host listed alphabetically under the scientific name of the host. The second part list the parasites in alphabetical order and gives references to the place where each was first described, as well as to its compilation in Saccardo's Sylloge Fungorum and important British papers, and to well-known synonyms and imperfect stages. This will continue to be a useful reference book for plant pathologist and mycologists.

Fungi play important roles in the cycling of elements in the biosphere but are frequently neglected within microbiological and geochemical research spheres. Symbiotic mycorrhizal fungi are responsible for major transformations and redistribution of inorganic nutrients, while free-living fungi have major roles in the decomposition of organic materials, including xenobiotics. Fungi are also major biodeterioration agents of stone, wood, plaster, cement and other building materials, and are important components of rock-inhabiting microbial communities. The aim of this 2006 book is to promote further understanding of the key roles that free-living and symbiotic fungi (in mycorrhizas and lichens) play in the biogeochemical cycling of elements, the chemical and biological mechanisms that are involved, and their environmental and biotechnological significance. Where appropriate, relationships with bacteria are also discussed to highlight the dynamic interactions that can exist between these major microbial groups and their integrated function in several kinds of habitat.

This 1970 book was published as a replacement text to the Biology of Root-Infecting Fungi by the same author. The subject had advanced so rapidly since the previous book was published, that the creation of a new title was far more effective than the release of a second edition of the first one. The book is intended to be read through, rather than used solely for reference. Pathogenic root-infecting fungi are a substantial threat to the welfare of all crop plants, and are therefore of enormous economic importance. The subject matter is treated both from the viewpoint of its economic significance and from its biological characteristics; thus the approach is a broadly based one and in addition to the plant-pathological aspects the reader is made aware of the complex microcosmic world of the soil. This book will continue to be of great historical interest to all scholars of Pathogenic root-infecting fungi.

Originally published in 1984, this symposium volume, the first of its kind to deal specifically with the vegetative fungal mycelium, includes articles about the pattern of mycelial growth and differentiation, the functioning of mycelia (including nutrient and water uptake), mycelial variation, intermycelial interactions and recognition systems, and the establishment and distribution of mycelia in natural systems. It thus provides a detailed account of the basic body form responsible for the vegetative spread and absorption on nutrients and water. These subjects are clearly of both academic and commercial importance, since fungi make their impact on the environment as symbionts or as decay organisms through the activities of their mycelia.

This 1979 book charts a number of significant advances in our knowledge of the cytology, physiology and biochemistry of the growth of mould hyphae. It is a symposium volume, which includes contributions from leading research workers in the field. The articles concentrate on the detained investigations of a number of well known fungi, including Aspergillus, Neurospora, Mucor, Schizophyllum, Coprinus and Saccharomyces. Not only will it be of great interest to graduate students and research workers in these areas but also to geneticists and developmental biologists concerned with growth processes, especially since a number of these fungi were often employed in such studies.

The fungi represent superb tools for the study of evolution 'in action'. This 1987 book was the first to bring together, in one volume, coverage of the growing consensus of knowledge and ideas concerning evolutionary biology of the fungi in the widest sense. It draws, not only upon the impetus given to the field by the molecular approaches of the time, but also on the wider technical and philosophical issues raised in the search for evolutionary pattern in fungal life styles, fungal populations and at the phylogenetic level. This fascinating text will continue to interest mycologists and evolutionary biologists.

This book is based on a meeting on the Fungal Nucleus organised by the Physiology Group of the British Mycological Society and held in London in April 1980. The contributions of the authors provide a detailed picture of the knowledge of the cell nucleus in yeasts, filamentous fungi and slime moulds at the time. These organisms are important model eukaryotes for studies in cell and molecular biology. This volume deals with the ultra structure, biochemistry and genetics of the fungal nucleus and with the regulation of nuclear activity. It provides a useful source of reference for any one interested in the progressive study of mycology, genetics, microbiology and cell biology.

This 1984 book resulted from a symposium held by the British Mycological Society to bring together the many diverse areas of study of the genus Fusarium. Among the contributors to this volume were scientists working on applied and fundamental aspects of the subject. The book highlights the importance of the genus pathology, animal husbandry, human disease and as biodeteriogens. Yet other Fusarium spp. are sources of useful biochemicals: for example, one species is utilised for the manufacture of microbial protein for human consumption. All these topics are covered in this volume, which with continue to be of interest to a wide range of biologists and students.

W. B. Grove's British Rust Funghi, first published by Cambridge University Press in 1913, had long been the standard work on the subject. But it had grown increasingly obsolete in the light of the intensive research devoted to the group. As early as 1938, Dr Wilson, who was reader in Mycology at Edinburg University, was encouraged to prepare a new edition. Since then it became clear that what was needed was not a revision but an entirely new book. This was three-quarters complete in 1960, when Dr Wilson's illness and death again brought it to a halt. His colleague Dr Douglas Henderson then undertook full responsibility, completing the text and redrawing all the figures. This book was published in 1966 and is now being reissued. It covers all the species of Uredinales or Rust Fungi known in Britain at the time of publication and takes into account extensive research.

Originally published in 1985, this book describes research on the ecological, structural, physiological, genetic and molecular factors that control morphogenesis in the higher fungi. The topics range from the relation between organism and substrate to problems associated with the production of mushrooms in commercial conditions, and include accounts of research on biochemical, molecular and structural aspects of mushroom fruit body development. Thus both pure and applied studies of the biology of basidiomycetes are included in this volume, which provides a detailed synthesis of the area, by authors of the highest calibre.

This book is the most up-to-date and comprehensive review of our knowledge of the management of mycorrhizas in agriculture, horticulture and forestry. It contains twenty-four reviews written by leading international scientists from eight countries. The reviews consider the ecology, biology and taxonomy of arbuscular and ectomycorrhizal fungi, the information and functioning of mycorrhizas and opportunities for managing these symbioses. The book will be essential reading for scientists and advisors responsible for ensuring that the maximum benefit is obtained from mycorrhizal symbioses in agriculture, horticulture and forestry and in the reclamation of degraded lands.

Mycotoxins continue to be a very serious threat to human health and a major concern for those entrusted with regulatingthesafetyoffoodandfoodproducts.Infectionofcerealsandothercrops, notablegrapevine, byFusarium, Aspergillus andPenicillium are a world-wide problem and recent epidemics in Europe, the USA and Canada have focused attention on this problem. A previous Special Issue of the European Journal of Plant Pathology (108 (7) 2003) was concerned with the nature of these toxins and the fungi that can produce them. The aim of this publication is to review the environmental factors that in?uence the success of these fungi as pathogens and as organisms affecting stored products, and to discuss how these factors can also in?uence the amounts of toxin that accumulate. These reviews were originally presented at a Workshop of the EU COST Action 835 entitled 'Agriculturally Important Toxigenic Fungi' (Chairperson Antonio Logrieco, Bari, Italy), held in East Malling, UK at the Horticultural Research International in September 2002. We hope the information provided will stimulate scientists world-wide to assess the risk of toxins accumulating in plants under a range of environmental conditions and that this will provide an insight into how the accumulation of these toxins can be kept to a minimum. XiangmingXu JohnBailey MichaelCooke EuropeanJournalofPlantPathology109: 645-667, 2003. (c) 2003KluwerAcademicPublishers.

Dame Helen Gwynne-Vaughan (1879 1967) was a prominent British mycologist, specialising in the sexual process of fungi. In 1909 she was appointed Head of the Department of Botany at Birkbeck College, becoming Professor of Botany when Birkbeck College joined the University of London in 1920. This volume was first published in 1922 as part of the Cambridge Botanical Handbooks series. The introduction provides a detailed description of the structure, sexual reproduction, parasitism and symbiosis of all fungi, with subsequent chapters describing fully the morphology and reproduction of genera within the phylum ascomycetes and the orders ustilaginales and uredinales on which Gwynne-Vaughan based her research. Illustrations and a bibliography accompany each chapter. This volume provides an insight into the study of mycology in the early twentieth century, before technological advances in the field of cytology revolutionized the discipline.

Due to the huge quantity and diverse nature of their metabolic pathways, fungi have great potential to be used for the production of different biofuels such as bioethanol, biobutanol, and biodiesel. This book presents recent advances, as well as challenges and promises, of fungal applications in biofuel production, subsequently discussing plant pathogenic fungi for bioethanol and biodiesel production, including their mechanisms of action. Additionally, this book reviews biofuel production using plant endophytic fungi, wood-rotting fungi, fungal biocontrol agents, and gut fungi, and it investigates highly efficient fungi for biofuel production and process design in fungal-based biofuel production systems. Finally, life cycle assessment of fungal-based biofuel production systems are discussed in this volume.

In this volume, first published in 1976, Dr Ainsworth gives a straightforward account of the main views held about fungi for the past three millennia and the development of the study of fungi as a branch of science for the last 250 years. The existing literature is widely scattered and much of it suffers from difficulty of access. In this volume there is documented an outline of the development of the main areas of mycology, with emphasis on the solution of the major problems that have confronted students of fungi and novel discoveries which have given new insights. A number of important themes form the basis of the account, each one being traced from early times to the twentieth century. The themes are arranged in the chronology of their appearance in mycological studies. Most chapters are thus self-contained. Whilst an elementary knowledge of mycology is assumed, technicalities have been kept to a minimum so that not only mycologists but other biologists and historians of science can understand the history of the development of knowledge of an important group of organisms.

Following the success of the first edition of this work in 1927, a revised and enlarged second edition was published in 1937. It is this latter edition which is reproduced here. Material added to the second edition gave emphasis to the importance of flagellation as a guide to the interrelationships of the Phycomycetes and incorporated the discovery of heterothallism in rusts. In general, the style of the book was aimed at the student rather than the investigator, and it therefore benefits from an ease of readability as well as numerous illustrations. Although considerable advances have been made in the field of study since 1937, this volume will be of remaining value to anyone interested in the history of science in the early twentieth century.

Despite an upsurge in national and international debate on environmental issues since the Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro in 1992, fungi, vital to the functioning of terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems, are rarely mentioned. This volume helps redress this imbalance by considering fungi in the context of the impact of humankind's activity on their habitats. The presentation of experimental evidence is a major feature of the volume. Contributions on the effects of global warming, UV-B radiation, atmospheric and terrestrial pollutants, deforestation in the tropics, loss of biodiversity, genetic engineering and chaos theory ensure a topical and balanced coverage, with both ecological and physiological viewpoints being represented. This timely review will be of interest to all mycologists and those ecologists concerned with environmental change.

Bioremediation is an expanding area of environmental biotechnology, and may be defined as the application of biological processes to the treatment of pollution. Much bioremediation work has concentrated on organic pollutants, although the range of substances that can be transformed or detoxified by micro-organisms includes both natural and synthetic organic materials and inorganic pollutants, such as toxic metals. The majority of applications developed to date involve bacteria and there is a distinct lack of appreciation of the potential roles and involvement of fungi in bioremediation, despite clear evidence of their metabolic and morphological versatility. This book highlights the potential of filamentous fungi, including mycorrhizas, in bioremediation and discusses the physiology and chemistry of pollutant transformations.

This volume is an international compilation for biotechnologists of data on the location and use of filamentous fungi. The volume provides details of the location and scope of major culture collections around the world holding fungi; information on how to access their data, administration and safety, identification, culture and media recipes, preservation, patents, specialist services and international organization. The authors are international authorities who have combined with the resource centres to provide a source book for mycologists in industry, research establishments and universities.

Fungi are among the simplest of eukaryotes. Their study has provided useful paradigms for processes that are fundamental to the way in which higher cells grow, divide, establish form and shape, and communicate with one another. The majority of work has been carried out on the budding yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae, but in nature unicellular fungi are greatly outnumbered by filamentous forms for which our knowledge is much less well developed. This volume focuses on the analysis of the filamentous life style, particularly on the hyphae that constitute the fungal mycelial colony. This book provides the most recent insights into the molecular genetics and physiological mechanisms underlying the elaboration of the branching mycelium and the interactions among individual fungal mycelia. This volume offers much to interest mycologists as well as those working in the fields of cell biology, developmental biology, physiology, and biochemistry.

British mycologists have had a major impact worldwide. Commemorating the centenary of the British Mycological Society, founded in 1896, this book gives an account of the British contribution to mycology, both at professional and amateur level. A variety of distinguished British and American authors give an authoritative commentary on the state of mycology, and on potential future developments in fields in which British mycologists made important breakthroughs. The book is introduced by an overview of the British contribution and personal views on pioneering work on aquatic hyphomycetes, tropical mycology and the amateur contribution. Later review articles treat a number of subjects in depth such as physiology, systematics, ecology, chemistry and mapping. This unique book will be of great interest to all professional and amateur mycologists in both research and teaching.