Research on the interactions of plants and phytopathogenic fungi has become one of the most interesting and rapidly moving fields in the plant sciences, the findings of which have contributed tremendously to the development of new strategies of plant protection. This book offers insight into the state of present knowledge. Special emphasis is placed on recognition phenomena between plants and fungi, parasitization strategies employed by the phytopathogenic fungi, the action of phytotoxins, the compatibility of pathogens with host plants and the basic resistance of non-host plants as well as cultivar-specific resistance of host plants. Special attention is paid to the gene-for-gene hypothesis for the determination of race-specific resistance, its molecular models and to the nature of race non-specific resistance as well as the population dynamics of plants and the evolution of their basic resistance.

1 Introduction

2 Recognition, the First Step in Interaction Between Plant and Pathogen
3 Activities of Phytopathogenic Fungi when Colonizing Their Host Plants
4 Taxonomy of Phytopathogenic Fungi
5 Plant Defense Strategies Against Phytopathogenic Fungi
6 Basic Resistance: The Absence of Parasitism of Non-Host Plants by Phytopathogenic Fungi
7 Basic Compatibility: The Colonization of Host Plants by Pathogenic Fungi
8 Phytotoxins: The Weapons of Necrotrophic Phytopathogenic Fungi
9 Host Plant Resistance: Cultivar- or Parasite-Specific Resistance
10 Host Plant Tolerance
11 Induced Resistance
12 Evolution of Plant-Pathogen Interaction - Its Influence on Breeding of Disease Resistant Crops in Agriculture
13 Glossary: Explanation of some Terms Utilized in Biology and Plant Pathology.