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ARS Home » Midwest Area » St. Paul, Minnesota » Cereal Disease Lab » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #126530
Title: THE POWDERY MILDEWS: A COMPREHENSIVE TREATISE

Author
item BELANGER, R - UNIV LAVAL, QUEBEC
item Bushnell, William
item DIK, A - NAALDWIJK, NETHERLANDS
item CARVER, T - ABERYSTWYTH, UK

Submitted to: The Powdery Mildews A Comprehensive Treatise
Publication Type: Book / Chapter
Publication Acceptance Date: 11/1/2001
Publication Date: N/A
Citation: N/A

Interpretive Summary: Powdery mildew diseases cause serious loss to many important fruit, vegetable, and grain crops. They are also damaging to many shrubs and flowers. These diseases have been investigated for more than 100 years. The research has intensified over the last 20 years as efforts to control powdery mildews with fungicides or by breeding plants for resistance have been only partially successful. Furthermore, powdery mildews have emerged as model systems for investigating plant parasite interactions at the molecular level to learn what methods the pathogens use to invade plants and how plants defend themselves against attack. To assist current powdery mildew research, this book reviews all aspects of the pathogens, their interactions with plants, and the plant's defense response to attacks. The book has 18 chapters written by experts in their fields on both fundamental and applied aspects of powdery mildews. The book serves as a basic reference source for all researchers working on powdery mildews and for students of plant diseases in Universities.

Technical Abstract: Over the last 20 years, powdery mildews have been investigated by an increasing number of specialists from diverse fields, including chemistry, biochemistry, molecular biology, genetics, morphology, taxonomy, host- parasite interactions, ecology and epidemiology. With such diversity in the recent expansion of knowledge of powdery mildews, only a book combining the econtributions of many scientists in their diverse areas of speciality coul achieve a comprehensive update with the desired level of thoroughness. Accordingly, we solicited manuscripts from the recognized experts from all aspects of research on powdery mildews. To complement Spencer's 1978 book, which includes chapter devoted to powdery mildews of individual crops as well chapters organized by scientific discipline, we chose to concentrate on research areas in which the most dramatic advances have occurred in the last 20 years. We felt this would best add to the earlier work while emphasizing how recent research has advanced our understanding of powdery mildews. Our book comprises 18 chapters, starting with an overview in Chapter 1. Following the overview, the chapters are organized in five sections: The Fungi, Techniques, Host-Parasite Interactions, Populations, and Control. These chapters reflect the increasing complexity and sophistication of man's attempts to manage powdery mildews in the field and glasshouse and summarizing our current understanding of the molecular and physiological basis of alternatives in both susceptible and resistant plants.