Fungi economically important

Mites are arachnids in the order Acari and should not be classified or referred to as insects. Mites are typically very small (about 0.5 mm) and have oval bodies with little or no differentiation of their two body regions. Over 50 species of mites have been found associated with stored products some feed directly on stored products, but others are predators, feed on fungi, or are parasites of other stored-product pests such as birds or rodents (Boczek, 1991). Mites can be important pests of stored food worldwide, but their economic importance varies considerably with location, commodity, and management practices. Some mite species can cause allergic reactions in... 

A large number of phytophagous beetles is economically important as pests on crops, forests, and stored products, and they are vectors of fungi and viral plant diseases. On the other hand, many species have beneficial functions in the detritus cycle, and carnivorous species may feed on herbivorous insects. 

Fungi often grow in symbiotic association with other organisms. Of special importance are the mycorrhizae (fungus roots) formed by colonization of fine roots by beneficial soil fungi. Almost all plants of economic importance form mycorrihizae.104... 

Mycorrhizae are a common type of mutualism about 90% of the families of vascular plants live in this sort of beneficial relationship with fungi. Only a few economically important plant families do not develop mycorrhizae, among them the mustards (family Brassi-caceae) and knotweeds (Polygonaceae). 

Most of the phytoalexins studied to date are from the Fabaceae and the Solanaceae (Kuc, 1992), a fact that probably reflects the economic importance of these families but may also reflect the stability and ease of isolation and characterization of the phytoalexins. At least 200 phytoalexins are known (Brooks and Watson, 1985). Although it is widely accepted that phytoalexins play a major role in disease resistance, their role in disease resistance is less well understood than their production and metabolism (Dixon et al., 1983 Kuc, 1992). Interestingly, in some susceptible reactions between fungi and plants, phytoalexins accumulate to higher... 

The minimum inhibition concentrations (MIC) for a broad spectrum of fungi associated with metal working fluid deterioration or of economic importance in industrial problems were determined by Grier et al (1980) in comparison to the corresponding MIC of hexahydro-l,3,5-tris(2-hydroxyethyl)-5 -triazine (Table 31). Apparently there is no significant difference between the two hexahydro-5 -tri-azine derivatives in their activity against fungi. 

The minimum inhibition concentrations (MIC) for a broad spectrum of fungi associated with metal working fluid deterioration or of economic importance in industrial problems were determined by Grier et al. (1980) in... 

Moist and cool environments are optimal conditions for the growth of these fungi and their mycotoxin production. The economic importance of these compounds derives from their presence in contaminated cereals and animal feedstuff. They have also been detected in moulds in energy-efficient houses, and they have allegedly been used as chemical warfare agents. 

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