Armillarioids, including the genera Armillaria, Desarmillaria and Guyanagaster, represent white-rot specific fungal saprotrophs with soilborne pathogenic potentials on woody hosts. They propagate in soil by root-like rhizomorphs, connecting between susceptible root sections of their hosts, often forming extended colonies native forests. Pathogenic abilities Armillaria genets can readily manifes...

The pesticides used to control pests and diseases are also implicated in ecological, environmental and human health hazards. To reduce the deleterious effects of these agrochemicals, certain antagonistic microorganisms have been characterised from rhizosphere of different crop plants that suppress various plant diseases and thus, minimise the use of pesticides. The application of these specific...

The interaction between Trichoderma harzianum and the soilborne plant pathogen Pythium ultimum was studied by electron microscopy and further investigated by gold cytochemistry. Early contact between the two fungi was accompanied by the abnormal deposition of a cellulose-enriched material at sites of potential antagonist penetration. The antagonist displayed the ability to penetrate this barrie...

Disease resistance in transgenic plants has been improved, for the first time, by the insertion of a gene from a biocontrol fungus. The gene encoding a strongly antifungal endochitinase from the mycoparasitic fungus Trichoderma harzianum was transferred to tobacco and potato. High expression levels of the fungal gene were obtained in different plant tissues, which had no visible effect on plant...

Invasive soilborne plant pathogens cause substantial damage to crops and natural populations, but our understanding of how to prevent their epidemics or reduce their damage is limited. A key and experimentally-tested concept in the epidemiology of soilborne plant diseases is that of a threshold spacing between hosts below which epidemics (invasive spread) can occur. We extend this paradigm by e...

Oomycetes are eukaryotic microorganisms morphologically similar to but phylogenetically distant from true fungi. Most species in the genus Phytophthora of oomycetes are devastating plant pathogens, causing damages to both agricultural production and natural ecosystems. Tremendous progress has been achieved in recent years in diversity, evolution and lifestyles of oomycete plant pathogens, as we...