Fungal Diseases in Agriculture

In agriculture, fungi are the largest group of phytopathogens and are responsible for a large number of serious plant diseases that cause heavy economic damages. This chapter, titled Fungal Diseases in Agriculture: Significance, Management, and Control and authored by Noureddine Benkeblia, covers the modes of action for some significant fungal diseases as well as several conventional and emerging methods of fungal pathogen control. Sources of fungal infections are diverse and versatile, from infected seeds, soil, crop debris, nearby crops, and weeds as well. Some significant fungal diseases such as downy mildew, powdery mildew, and white blister are airborne, while some other such as clubroot, Fusarium, Pythium, Rhizoctonia, Sclerotinia, and Sclerotium are soilborne diseases. Although good agricultural practices (GAP) and good soil drainage can decrease the incidence and severity of fungal diseases, chemical treatments remain the most used approaches to control phytopathogens. Based on monitoring, identification, and injury assessment, it is possible to implement and evaluate various treatment strategies. As opposed to overuse of chemical pesticides and fungicides, integrated pest management (IPM) is an eco-friendlier approach using all measures (mechanical, cultural, biological, and chemical) to control plant diseases and reduce their incidences on crops. The use of biological control agents (BCAs), organisms that naturally antagonize phytopathogens and insect pests, may be the most eco-friendly approach to control plant diseases. Microbial biopesticides are considered a key asset in modern IPM, and microorganism strains and biologically derived chemicals to manage plant diseases are currently becoming more accessible to farmers.