Meet the editor

Waleed Abdulkhair is an Associate Professor of Microbiology, Department of Microbiology, Egyptian Drug Authority. He has participated in several international, national, and local conferences on biological and chemical control of plant pathogens. He has published many scientific papers on biological control of plant pathogenic bacteria and fungi in specialized international scientific journals. In 2015, he and an integrated team obtained a

patent from the Saudi Patent Office to isolate and identify a novel bacterial strain of the genus *Streptomyces* characterized by its superior ability to destroy plant pathogenic fungi, especially *Fusarium oxysporum lycopersici*, which infects and destroys tomato plants. He has co-authored several books on plant pathogens. He is also the editor of a book on yeast and its applied medical roles.

Contents

**Section 1**

and Prospects

**Section 2**

*and Eric Owusu Danquah*

*Phytophthora infestans*

of *Phytophthora* spp.

*Isaac Nunoo and Lydia Brobbey*

**Section 3**

**Preface III**

*Phytophthora* Threats on Economic Plants in Egypt and Ghana **1**

**Chapter 1 3**

**Chapter 2 17**

Biocontrol of *Phytophthora* Infections **33**

**Chapter 3 35**

**Chapter 4 59**

Prevalence and Recognition of *Phytophthora* **77**

**Chapter 5 79**

*Phytophthora* spp.: Economic Plant Threats in Egypt

*Phytophthora* Diseases in Ghana: Threats, Management Options

*by Joseph Adomako, Stephen Larbi-Koranteng, Frederick Kankam, Yaw Danso, Jerry Fenteng Asamoah, Patricia Oteng-Darko, Kennedy Agyeman, Stephen Yeboah, Erasmus Narteh Tetteh* 

Plant Beneficial Microbes Controlling Late Blight Pathogen,

*by Brahim Oubaha, Abdellah Ezzanad and Hernando José Bolívar-Anillo*

Endophytic Microorganisms as an Alternative for the Biocontrol

*by Hernando José Bolivar-Anillo, Victoria E. González-Rodríguez, Giovanna Reyes Almeida, Inmaculada Izquierdo-Bueno, Javier Moraga,* 

*Phytophthora* Diseases Prevalence, Its Effects and Controls in Ghana *by Benedicta Nsiah Frimpong, Samuel Oteng Ampadu, Allen Oppong,* 

*María Carbú, Jesús M. Cantoral and Carlos Garrido*

*by Waleed Mohamed Hussain Abdulkhair*

## Contents


**Chapter 6 95** Recognition and Early Stage Detection of *Phytophthora* in a Crop Farm Using IoT *by Pooja Vajpayee and Kuldeep Kr. Yogi*

Preface

*Phytophthora* is a microbial genus belonging to a fungi-like group of oomycetal phytopathogens. This genus has many species that affect different parts of the plant, especially the root and stem base. The diseases of *Phytophthora* are usually accompanied by definite symptoms such as wilting and foliage discoloration. *Phytophthora* is widely prevalent worldwide because it can survive under extreme

Microbial infection with *Phytophthora* spp., one of the more destructive phytopathogens, is a common reason for loss of economic crops. The agronomic countries depend mainly on exportation of essential plants like fruits, vegetables, and cereals. Thus, damage to these plants leads to economic loss and food security threats. Various species of *Phytophthora*, including *P. cinnamomi*, *P. cryptogea*, *P. citricola*, *P. cactorum*, and *P. cambivora*, damage different plants including ornamental horticulture plants. *Phytophthora* infects the aerial parts of the plant, targeting the root and stem base. However, some species of *Phytophthora*, such as *P. ilicis*, *P. ramorum*, and *P. kernoviae*, affect only the aerial parts of plants.such as *P. ilicis*, *P. ramorum*, and *P. kernoviae*.

Discoloration and decay are symptoms of infection of roots and stem bases. Foliar symptoms do not appear until most of the plant's roots have been killed, or microbial invasion of the stem base has been carried out. The infected foliar parts of plants like conifers are usually associated with clear symptoms such as wilting, shedding of leaves, dieback, and a gradual fading of color. *Phytophthora* infection leads to retarding of water and nutrient delivery to the stem, therefore resulting in the symptoms mentioned previously. Extreme conditions like drought will hasten their onset. As such, constant examination of roots and stem bases is essential because the foliar symptoms never appear at the early stages of *Phytophthora* infection of the roots. Some other foliar symptoms are represented as wet, dark brown to black spots on the leaves and stems causing wilting and aerial dieback

Although *Phytophthora* belongs to a fungi-like group called oomycetes, it is more closely related to algae. *Phytophthora* is a motile microorganism that migrates via tiny spores called zoospores, which quickly move in water and attract to the roots due to chemical exudates. Poor discharging or retaining of water inside the plant leads to worse disease because zoospores require water to survive and move. Other long-living spores produced by the *Phytophthora* species are called oospores and chlamydospores, which are liberated after roots decay in the soil causing contamination even for compost and standing areas. But oospores are more dangerous than chlamydospores because they can survive outside the host. Unfortunately, the fungicides used for *Phytophthora* control are fungistatic not fungicidal, so disease progression takes place after fungicide decays. Other than fungicides, there are various chemical disinfectants and non-chemical methods like steaming, solarization, and bio-fumigation used for *Phytophthora* control.

The final and radical solution to the problem of *Phytophthora* infection of plants is based on two axes. The first axis is prophylactic, that is, prevention of *Phytophthora*

conditions and different habitats like soil and plant debris.

but no stem or root death.
