The book has 17 chapters dealing with recent developments in physiological and molecular plant pathology: the entry and establishment of pathogen, physiological disorders during the infection, mechanism of multiplication of the pathogens in the host and destabilization of the biochemical machinery of the host. The book deciphers the response and reactions of the host plant at molecular level. The chapter on ‘Mechanism of Disease Resistance’ explores its genetic basis, providing an insight into the breeding plants for disease resistance. The chapter entitled ‘Plant Pathology, Society, Ethics and Environment’ deals with all round views of applied plant pathology, issues of food safety and the role of plant pathology, bioterrorism, agroterrorism, biological warfare, etc. Four chapters comprehensively deal on latest molecular research work on: different approaches to unravel the mechanism of plant pathogenesis. The book (perhaps first such contribution) containing comprehensive text may be widely welcomed. Topics dealt in the book are relevant to the PG course content approved by ICAR in Plant Pathology and adopted in all the State Agricultural Universities (SAUs). The book has ‘Plant Pathology’ as a special paper in Botany and some chapters most relevant to ‘Plant Biotechnology’. The book also serves as a good reference and a text book for PG students and research scholars.

The twenty-first volume in the series focuses on plant pathology and is the first to integrate Advances in Plant Pathology into Advances in Botanical Research. The articles represented strive both to draw insights from relevant biological disciplines into the realm of plant pathology and to reveal the general principles of plant pathology to the broad audience of biologists, including undergraduate and postgraduate students, researchers and teachers.Kombrink and Somssich address how plant pathogens communicate at the genetic and biochemical level in determining resistance or susceptibility. This general theme is continued in articles on the nature of fungal wilt diseases (Beckman and Roberts); plant virus infection (de Zoeten); and the gene-for-gene interactions between plants and fungi (de Wit). Ehrlich takes up the timely issue of how pressure to expand and intensify agriculture is influencing agroecosystems and natural ecosystems on a global scale. The current status and future prospects of chestnuts, in health and disease, is considered by Anagnostakis. In an article on phytoplasmas, Kirkpatrick and Smart review the recent application of molecular techniques to the inference of taxonomic and phylogenetic relationships among mycoplasma-like organisms. To conclude the volume, Savary and colleagues show how a form of systems analysis can be used to handle large and complex data sets in epidemology.

Harmonious, integrated functioning of the whole plant system requires that its various cells, tissues and organs should be able to communicate with each other, transferring a range of information on environmental conditions, physiological and microbial stresses etc. In this volume of Advances in Botanical Research incorporating Advances in Plant Pathology three articles are concerned with different aspects of plant signalling. McDonald and Davis consider how shoot systems respond to drying and N-deficient soil, in terms of their stomatal behaviour and growth, via the transmission of root-derived chemical signals. Malone considers the major hypotheses that have been proposed with particular attention being given to hydraulic pressure signals and the hydraulic dispersal of chemical signals. At a different, intracellular level of communication, a wide variety of second messengers couple extracellular stimuli to a characteristic physiological response. Webb et al . Consider progress made in establishing similar roles for calcium in plant signalling in the context of the mammalian paradigms. The effects of UV-B radiation on plants have been extensively investigated in recent years. Jordan considers progress in understanding the chain of events from perception of UV-B to signal transduction and consequent changes in gene expression and regulation. Smith and Smith assess the various hypotheses erected over the years to explain structure and function of the host-parasite interface formed by vesticular-arbuscular (VA) mycorrhizas, an important and widespread mutualistic symbioses of a wide range of higher and some lower plants.

This invaluable resource introduces the eleven types of organism that cause plant disease, ranging from higher plants to viroids and describes examples of cash and staple crop diseases that have caused human catastrophes. Early chapters cover serological and molecular techniques for the diagnosis of plant pathogens, epidemiology, methods for estimating disease severity and its effect on crop yields and techniques for limiting inoculum. Later chapters are concerned with colonisation of the plant and symptom development and the underlying biochemical and genetic factors that control these events. Finally, the control of plant disease using a variety of techniques including genetic modification is discussed. Modern diagnostic techniques Epidemiology and the measurement of disease severity The biochemistry and molecular biology of plant disease Control through cultural, biological, genetic and molecular techniques A wealth of examples and applications including full colour photographs

Research on the interaction between plants and microbes has attracted considerable attention in recent years. The use of modem genetic techniques has now made possible a detailed analysis both of plant and of microbial genes involved in phytopathogenic and beneficial interactions. At the biochemical level, signal molecules and their receptors, either of plant or of microbial origins, have been detected which act in signal transduction pathways or as co-regulators of gene expression. We begin to understand the molecular basis of classical concepts such as gene-for-gene relationships, hypersensitive response, induced resistance, to name just a few. We realize, and will soon exploit, the tremendous potential of the results of this research for practical application, in particular to protect crop plants against diseases and to increase crop yield and quality. This exclung field of research, which is also of truly interdisciplinary nature, is expanding rapidly. A Symposium series has been devoted to it which began in 1982. Recently, the 5th International Symposium on the Molecular Genetics of Plant-Microbe Interactions was held in Interlaken, Switzerland. It brought together 640 scientists from almost 30 different countries who reported their latest research progress in 47 lectures, 10 short oral presentations, and on over 400 high-quality posters. This book presents a collection of papers that comprehensively reflect the major areas under study, explain novel experimental approaches currently in use, highlight significant advances made over the last one or two years but also emphasize the obstacles still ahead of us.

Knowledge of downy mildew pathogens and diseases has increased significantly in taxonomy, phylogeny, genetics, molecular biology, host-parasite interactions, ecology, epidemiology and control. The opportunity to update comprehensively the major advances in these areas was created by the 2nd International Symposium on Downy Mildews held in July 2007 at Olomouc (Czech Republic). Keynote contributions from this meeting are published here in 14 chapters that provide the most authoritative and recent analysis of these biotrophic plant pathogens and their interactions with plants. It will be an invaluable resource to students and researchers in plant pathology, mycology, taxonomy, plant biology and crop protection.

Despite the research effort put into controlling pathogens, pests and parasitic plants, crop losses are still a regular feature of agriculture worldwide. This makes it important to manage the crop appropriately in order to maximise yield. Understanding the relationship between the occurrence and severity of attack, and the resulting yield loss, is an important step towards improved crop protection. Linked to this, is the need to better understand the mechanisms responsible for reductions in growth and yield in affected crops. Physiological Responses of Plants to Attack is unique because it deals with the effects of different attackers – pathogens, herbivores, and parasitic plants, on host processes involved in growth, reproduction, and yield. Coverage includes effects on photosynthesis, partitioning of carbohydrates, water and nutrient relations, and changes in plant growth hormones. Far from being simply a consequence of attack, the alterations in primary metabolism reflect a more dynamic and complex interaction between plant and attacker, sometimes involving re-programming of plant metabolism by the attacker. Physiological Responses of Plants to Attack is written and designed for use by senior undergraduates and postgraduates studying agricultural sciences, applied entomology, crop protection, plant pathology and plant sciences. Biological and agricultural research scientists in the agrochemical and crop protection industries, and in academia, will find much of use in this book. All libraries in universities and research establishments where biological and agricultural sciences are studied and taught should have copies of this exciting book on their shelves

The publication of Volume 5 of the International Treatise Series on Advances in Plant Physiology has been feasible - exclusively and unquestionably due to commendable contributions from World Scientists of distinction in explicit fields. within eight years, the treatise series has been instituted in the spirits and compassion of illustrious readers all through the world. The proficient International and National Co-ordinators have all along unified their views for the expediency of readers assisting them to speed up important research work in the field of Plant and Crop Physiology, Biochemistry & Plant Molecular Biology. in spite of handiness of quick accessibility of vast literature from internet, this treatise series in the field of life sciences has been realized over and above to be like a true guide, friend and philosopher, everlastingly enlightening the most hidden perceptible nerves of an individual worker, which is beyond the competence of mere web services. The volume 8 is absolutely another one of its kinds for incorporation of most timely and important worthy reviews of diverse objectives contributed by forty four well-informed, admirable and documented scientists/ stalwarts, of which twenty three participated from abroad. The original writing coming in bounteous journals of international repute covering new technologies and tools in plant science research have been pulled together in affirmative, prolific and supportive manner by specialists all over the globe. In this volume efforts have been made to fetch together twenty one indispensable review articles, duly evaluated by the respective Consulting Editors of international stature from India, U.K., U.S.A., Argentina, Australia, France, Germany, Japan, Spain, Portugal, Israel, and Morocco and rationally distributed in eight sections. Indeed, the treatise is wealth for interdisciplinary exchange of information. Apart from fulfilling need of this kind of exclusive edition in different volumes for research teams in Molecular Plant Physiology and Biochemistry in traditional and agricultural universities, institutes and research laboratories throughout the world, it would be extremely a constructive book and a voluminous reference material for acquiring advanced knowledge by post-graduate and Ph.D. scholars in response to the innovative courses in Plant Physiology, Plant Biochemistry, Plant Molecular Biology, Plant Biotechnology, Environmental Sciences, Plant Pathology, Microbiology, Soil Science & Agricultural Chemistry, Agronomy, Horticulture, and Botany.

This book brings together twelve chapters on fungal pathogens with the goal of presenting an overview of the current areas of activity and the common themes that pervade research on these important organisms. The timing of the book is appropriate because we have gained sufficient insight from molecular genetic analyses to begin to make some comparisons between different fungal pathogens and to discuss the key advances that have been made. The chapters provide a broad survey of the important topics in fungal pathogenesis including morphogenesis, virulence, avirulence, and signaling. The reader also will fmd clear discussions of parasitism, mutualism, symbiosis, evolution, phylogeny and ecology for those fungi where these issues are especially important. Finally, many of the chapters in this book illustrate the fact that we are on the verge of a revolution in our understanding of fungal pathogens because of the application of genomics to these organisms and their hosts. The fungi included in this book represent many of the most intensively investigated fungal pathogens of plants; in this regard, a chapter is also included for pathogens in the Phytophthora group, even though these organisms are no longer classified as fungi. It is appropriate to include Phytophthora for historical reasons and, in addition, the insights in terms of pathogenesis and host-specific interactions are important to keep in mind when considering fungal pathogens. Chapters are also included on pathogens of insects and humans, as well as endophytic fungi.