Naresh Mehta – Författare

Sclerotinia pathogens infect more than 500 species of plants worldwide, including field and fruit crops, trees and shrubs. This vividly-illustrated and exhaustive text is the first ever compilation on all aspects of these ubiquitous pathogens.

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.

This book deals with the various aspects viz., the disease, geographical distribution, symptoms on different hosts, host range, yield losses, and disease assessment method, while detailed description on pathogen include taxonomic position, phylogeny, variability, sporulation, perpetuation, and spore germination, host-parasite interactions in the form of seed infection, disease cycle, process of infection, and pathogenesis, epidemiology, forecasting, fine structures, biochemical changes, and phytotoxins, host defence mechanism, techniques to study host-parasite relationships, and management practices including cultural, chemical, biological control practices, and deployment of host resistance. The last section deals with gaps in our understanding, and knowledge about management of these diseases, techniques for the diagnosis of disease and offer suggestions for future research priorities. Each aspect has been vividly illustrated with photographs, histograms, figures, tables, electron micrographs for stimulating, effective and easy reading and understanding. We are sure that this comprehensive encyclopaedic treatise on "Alternaria diseases of crucifers” will be of immense use to the researchers, teachers, students and all others who are interested in the diagnosis and management of Alternaria diseases of crucifers world over. Four species of Alternaria are wide spread and most devastating on cruciferous oil yielding crops, vegetables, forage crops,ornamental plants, and numerous weeds all over the world. The damage to the plants is in the form of infections on seed in the soil during sowing, on seedlings during emergence and growth, on stem, leaves, inflorescence, pods and finally to the seed causing yield losses in seed quantity and quality.

The book reviews key developments in downy mildew research, including the disease, its distribution, symptomatology, host range, yield losses, and disease assessment; the pathogen, its taxonomy, morphology, phylogeny, variability, sporulation, survival and perpetuation, spore germination, infection, pathogenesis, seed infection, disease cycle, epidemiology, forecasting, and fine structures. The book also elaborates the mechanisms of host resistance (biochemical, histological, genetic, and molecular, including cloning and the mapping of R-genes), disease resistance breeding strategies, and the genetics of host-parasite interactions. It explores disease management based on cultural, chemical, biological, host resistance, and integrated approaches; and provides suggestions for future research areas. This book offers a comprehensive guide to an economically important disease, reviewing in detail the extant body of literature. Divided into 16 chapters, each of which includes a wealth of photographs, graphs, histograms, tables, figures, flow charts, micrographs etc., it represents an invaluable source of information for all researchers, teachers, students, industrialists, farmers, policymakers, and all others who are interested in growing healthy and profitable cruciferous crops all over the world.

This book deals with the various aspects viz., the disease, geographical distribution, symptoms on different hosts, host range, yield losses, and disease assessment method, while detailed description on pathogen include taxonomic position, phylogeny, variability, sporulation, perpetuation, and spore germination, host-parasite interactions in the form of seed infection, disease cycle, process of infection, and pathogenesis, epidemiology, forecasting, fine structures, biochemical changes, and phytotoxins, host defence mechanism, techniques to study host-parasite relationships, and management practices including cultural, chemical, biological control practices, and deployment of host resistance. The last section deals with gaps in our understanding, and knowledge about management of these diseases, techniques for the diagnosis of disease and offer suggestions for future research priorities. Each aspect has been vividly illustrated with photographs, histograms, figures, tables, electron micrographs for stimulating, effective and easy reading and understanding. We are sure that this comprehensive encyclopaedic treatise on "Alternaria diseases of crucifers” will be of immense use to the researchers, teachers, students and all others who are interested in the diagnosis and management of Alternaria diseases of crucifers world over. Four species of Alternaria are wide spread and most devastating on cruciferous oil yielding crops, vegetables, forage crops,ornamental plants, and numerous weeds all over the world. The damage to the plants is in the form of infections on seed in the soil during sowing, on seedlings during emergence and growth, on stem, leaves, inflorescence, pods and finally to the seed causing yield losses in seed quantity and quality.