Physiological and Molecular Plant Pathology

Book excerpt: The book has 17 chapters dealing with recent developments in physiological and molecular plant pathology: the entry and establishment of pathogen, physiological disorders during the infection, mechanism of multiplication of the pathogens in the host and destabilization of the biochemical machinery of the host. The book deciphers the response and reactions of the host plant at molecular level. The chapter on ‘Mechanism of Disease Resistance’ explores its genetic basis, providing an insight into the breeding plants for disease resistance. The chapter entitled ‘Plant Pathology, Society, Ethics and Environment’ deals with all round views of applied plant pathology, issues of food safety and the role of plant pathology, bioterrorism, agroterrorism, biological warfare, etc. Four chapters comprehensively deal on latest molecular research work on: different approaches to unravel the mechanism of plant pathogenesis. The book (perhaps first such contribution) containing comprehensive text may be widely welcomed. Topics dealt in the book are relevant to the PG course content approved by ICAR in Plant Pathology and adopted in all the State Agricultural Universities (SAUs). The book has ‘Plant Pathology’ as a special paper in Botany and some chapters most relevant to ‘Plant Biotechnology’. The book also serves as a good reference and a text book for PG students and research scholars.