Springer Sclerotinia Diseases of Crop Plants: Biology, Ecology and Disease Management

The fungus Sclerotinia has always been a fancy and interesting subject of research both for the mycologists and pathologists. More than 250 species of the fungus have been reported in different host plants all over the world that cause heavy economic losses. It was a challenge to discover weak links in the disease cycle to manage Sclerotinia diseases of large number of crops. For researchers and s- dents, it has been a matter of concern, how to access voluminous literature on Sclerotinia scattered in different journals, reviews, proceedings of symposia, workshops, books, abstracts etc. to get a comprehensive picture. With the pub- cation of book on ‘Sclerotinia’, it has now become quite clear that now only three species of Sclerotinia viz. , S. sclerotiorum, S. minor and S. trifoliorum are valid. The authors have made an excellent attempt to compile all the available infor- tion on various aspects of the fungus Sclerotinia. The information generated so far has been presented in different chapters. After introducing the subject various aspects viz. , the diseases, symptomatology, disease assessment, its distribution, economic importance, the pathogen, its taxonomy, nomenclature, reproduction, reproductive structures with fine details, variability, perpetuation, infection and pathogenesis, biochemical, molecular and physiological aspects of host-pathogen interaction, seed infection, disease cycle, epidemiology and forecasting, host resistance with sources of resistance, mechanism of resistance and other mana- ment strategies have been covered. From the Back Cover Sclerotinia is one of the most devastating and cosmopolitan soil borne plant pathogen that infects more than 500 species of plants worldwide including field crops, fruit crops, ornamentals, trees, shrubs and numerous weeds. Annual yield losses due to Sclerotinia diseases exceed over millions of dollars each year world over. Extensive crop damage, lack of high levels of host resistance and the general difficulty of managing diseases caused by Sclerotinia have been the impetus for sustainable research on this pathogen. The present book on Sclerotinia deals with the aspects on taxonomy, nomenclature, geographical distribution, economic importance, host range, the diseases caused, symptomatology, disease assessment, reproduction, ultra-structures, pathogenic variability, perpetuation, infection and pathogenesis, biochemical, molecular and physiological aspects of host pathogen interaction, seed infection, disease cycle, epidemiology and forecasting, host resistance and disease management strategies. In addition, laboratory and field techniques developed so far for Sclerotinia have been included. Some newly emerging areas of Sclerotinia research include its application as myco-herbicide, phytoalexin elicitors, hypovirulence, volatile compound imitator, sporigermin production from sclerotia, resistance to fungicides and health hazard‘s due to Sclerotinia diseases have been discussed. The subject matter is vividly illustrated with photographs (macroscopic, microscopic, electron micrographs, scanning electron micrographs), drawings, figures, histograms, graphs, tables and flow charts of techniques which make it more interesting, stimulating, effective and easy to understand by the readers. This is the first ever comprehensive compilation on different aspects of Sclerotinia and will be immense value for researchers, teachers and students.