Microbes and Plant Diseases

Coprinus comatus is a common fungus often seen growing on lawns, along gravel roads and waste areas. The young fruit bodies first appear as white cylinders emerging from the ground, then the bell-shaped caps open out. The caps are white and covered with scales.

Oak wilt is a fungal disease that can quickly kill an oak tree. It is caused by the fungus Ceratocystis fagacearum. The fungus is spread from diseased to healthy trees by insect vectors or via connections between tree roots.

Gliotoxin is a sulfur-containing mycotoxin produced by several species of fungi, including pathogens of humans such as Aspergillus fumigatus.It possesses immunosuppressive properties as it may suppress and cause apoptosis in certain types of cells of the immune system, including neutrophils, eosinophils, granulocytes, macrophages, and thymocytes.

Mycotoxins can appear in the food chain as a result of fungal infection of crops, either by being eaten directly by humans or by being used as livestock feed. Mycotoxins greatly resist decomposition or being broken down in digestion, so they remain in the food chain in meat and dairy products.

Completoria is itself monotypic, containing a single species, Completoria complens. The species is rare, known only from greenhouse cultures where it grows as an obligate intracellular parasite of fern gametophytes.

Pine trees are susceptible to pine pitch canker. Pine pitch canker first kills the tips of branches, then spreads down entire branches, and ultimately it can kill the whole tree. Infected trees die because the fungus thrives inside the tree's vascular tissue and blocks its water supply. The fungus is spread through the beetles that attack the pine cones.

Association between roots of higher plants e.g pine, birch and fungal hyphae is called mycorrhiza. It exhibits the phenomenon of symbiosis. Here both the organisms in association are mutually benefitted. In this, fungal hyphae take nutrition from the plant and in return increase surface area for absorption of water and minerals for the plant. Mycorrhizal roots occur in superficial layers of the soil.

Straw mushrooms are grown on rice straw beds and picked immature, during the button or egg phase and before the veil ruptures. They are adaptable and take four to five days to mature.

Gibberella stilboides is a nectriacine fungus. It is a plant pathogen, and causes collar rot in coffee seedings.

The Beefsteak fungus is large, dark red and slimy on top, and pale yellow underneath. Its flesh resembles a raw steak (hence the common name) and, when the fungus is young, oozes red droplets that look like blood. It is edible.

Lecanoromycetes is the largest class of lichenized fungi.It belongs to the subphylum Pezizomycotina in the phylum Ascomycota.The asci (spore-bearing cells) of the Lecanoromycetes most often release spores by rostrate dehiscence.

Puccinia asparagi is the causative agent of asparagus rust. It is an autoecious fungus, meaning that all stages of its life cycle – pyciniospores, aeciospores, and teliospores all develop upon the same host plant .

Fusarium graminearum, is a plant pathogen which causes fusarium head blight, a devastating disease on wheat and barley.

It causes Verticillium Wilt or Maple Wilt. It attacks over 300 different cultivated plants and can persist as a saprotrophic soil organism for more than 15 years.

Pine trees are susceptible to pine pitch canker. Pine pitch canker first kills the tips of branches, then spreads down entire branches, and ultimately it can kill the whole tree. Infected trees die because the fungus thrives inside the tree's vascular tissue and blocks its water supply. The fungus is spread through the beetles that attack the pine cones.