Toxins in Plant Diseases

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Microbial Products Influencing Plant Growth Indole Acetic Acid Gibberllins Cytokinins Ethylene Antibiotics Some Examples of Antibiotics Produced by Actinomycetes Fungi and Bacteria Mechanism of Antibiotic Action

Toxins in Plant Diseases

Toxins in Plant Diseases
Plant parasites, mostly fungi and bacteria produce a variety of chemical substances which are known to reproduce part of the symptoms of plant diseases even in the absence of disease-causing organisms. Some of the well-known toxins are listed in. Typical examples are fusaric acid produced by Fusarium spp. and wildfire toxin produced by Pseudomonas tabaci. Fusaric acid or 5-n butylpyridipe-2-carboxylic acid is a water soluble toxin which is also an antibiotic.

The toxin interferes with the permeability of the plasma membrane and finally affects the water economy of plants. The impediment caused to water movement in plants leads to an irreversible pathological wilting resulting in the death of plants as in the case of wilt diseases of cotton and tomato caused by Fusarium spp. The wildfire toxin, on the other hand, is an amino acid derivative which is highly specific and localized in action. The toxin is biologically very active and even 0.05 mg of the substance gives rise to typical chlorotic lesion when introduced into the tobacco leaf.

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Resistance to Antiobiotics Aflatoxin Toxins in Plant Diseases Bacterial and Fungal Insecticides Examples of Known Toxins Involved in Plants Diseases Virus Insecticides Microbial Herbicides Biological Control of Plant Diseases

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