Contents


Preface

Pezizomycotina, class Sordariomycetes, order Hypocreales, and family Nectriaceae. It is a large cosmopolitan genus of imperfect fungi with an estimated 1500 species. As plant pathogens, they cause root and stem rot, vascular wilt, and/or fruit rot in several economic crop species. *Fusarium* is one of the most important mycotoxigenic fungal genera in food and feed. However, they contain non-pathogenic strains that can colonize plant roots with an equal measure of pathogenic strains. The pathogenic strains are classified into host-specific forms (*formae speciales*) based on their host ranges, and further subdivided into pathogenic races according to their abilities to infect plant cultivars. Fumonisins, zearalenone, deoxynivalenol, and additional trichothecenes are well-known *Fusarium* mycotoxins. Though *Fusarium* research has improved our understanding of this group of fungi over the past decades, many traits of its biology still need to be addressed. Among *Fusarium* diseases, *Fusarium* wilts is a major problem all over the world. *Fusarium oxysporum, F. solani, F. fujikuroi*, and *F. graminearum* are the representative species known as plant-pathogenic *Fusarium*. Although *Fusarium* spp. use multiple infection strategies, these fungi are hemibiotrophs capable of transitioning from biotrophic to necrotrophic phases depending on environmental conditions. Since *Fusarium* is predominantly a soil-borne pathogen that survives for a long time because it is resistant to chlamydospores in soil, management of *Fusarium* diseases remains a challenge. This book provides an overview of recent research on *Fusarium* species in the fields of metabolites, pathogenicity, plant-pathogen interactions, and manage-

I hope that this book will help a wide range of readers to update their knowledge of *Fusarium*. I would like to thank IntechOpen for inviting me to be the book editor. Special thanks go to Author Service Managers Jasna Bozic and Andrea Tomurad for

> **Seyed Mahyar Mirmajlessi** Faculty of Bioscience Engineering,

> > Ghent University (Gent),

Ghent, Belgium

*Fusarium* is a fungal genus belonging to phylum Ascomycota, subphylum

ment strategies in agricultural practices.

their help and cooperation during the editing process.
