Naresh K. Mehta – författare

Powdery mildew disease is the fourth most widespread disease in cruciferous crops and a devastating effect, causing significant losses in terms of quality and quantity in rapeseed and mustard.  Powdery mildews are also a favourable host-pathosystem model for basic research on host–parasite interactions, developmental morphology, cytology, and molecular biology to identify the effector proteins/genes governing different biological functions.

This book provides a comprehensive overview of all the published information in the field for researchers, teachers, students, extension experts, industrialists and farmers, and includes illustrations, photographs, graphs, figures, tables, histograms, micrographs, electron micrographs, and flow charts to aid understanding. It also describes standardized reducible techniques.  The book discusses each disease in detail, describing the distribution, symptomatology, host range, yield losses and disease assessment, as well as the taxonomy, morphology, phylogeny, variability, sporulation, survival and perpetuation of the pathogen. Further, it explores topics such as spore germination; infection; pathogenesis; disease cycle; epidemiology; forecasting; fine structures; host resistance; biochemical, histological, genetic and molecular aspects such as cloning and mapping of R genes; sources of resistance; disease resistance breeding; and the genetics of host-parasite interactions and disease management.

The book is a comprehensive compilation of applied knowledge for developing resistant varieties to all the major biotrophs, hemibiotrophs and necrotrophs pathogens of crucifers through the use of latest biotechnological approaches. The book includes, multi-component resistance, incorporation of non-host resistance gene, function of particular gene in resistance, expression of age related resistance, enhanced gene resistance, sources of alternative gene which enhance disease resistance, through the use of latest biotechnical approaches like proteomics, omics, transcriptomics and metabolomics.

The book is presenting a comprehensive information on fundamental, and applied knowledge of Plasmodiophora brassicae Woronin. infecting cruciferous crops, and weeds. Clubroot of crucifers has spread over more than 88 countries of the world with average annual loss of cruciferous crops from 10-15 per cent at global level. It is considered as a disease of cultivation since once introduced in a field, its inoculum piles up year by year in the form of resilient resting spores of P. brassicae which spreads in the field through field operations.  This disease is very unique since the pathogen can survive in the soil in the rhizosphere of non-host plants in addition to its main host cruciferous species, cultivated or wild.  This book complies inclusive information about the disease, its geographical distribution, symptoms, host range, yield losses, and disease assessment scales. The book also explores host-parasite interactions in the form of seed infection, disease cycle, process of infection, pathogenesis, epidemiology and forecasting. Chapters discuss the genetic and molecular mechanisms of host-parasite relationships, management practices including cultural, chemical, biological control practices, and other integrated approaches. The book is immensely useful to researchers, teachers, extension specialists, farmers, and all others who are interested to grow healthy and profitable cruciferous crops all over the world. Also the book serves as additional reading material for undergraduate and graduate students of agriculture and especially plant pathology. National and international agricultural scientists, policy makers will also find this to be a useful read.