Helminthosporium. secondary metabolites, southern leaf blight of corn, and biology
1971
Hesseltine, C.W. | Ellis, J.J. | Shotwell, O.L.
The recent outbreak of the southern corn blight is caused by race T of Helminthosporium maydis, a species in the fungus genus Helminthosporium which consists of about 175 species, worldwide in distribution, on grasses. Three species of Helminthosporium - H. maydis, H. turcicum, and H. carbonum - attack corn and are placed in the genus Bipolaris. The southern corn blight fungus has an asexual stage and a sexual stage, Cochliobolus heterostrophus or Ophiobolus heterostrophus. Names of the sexual and asexual stages and synonyms of the species of Helminthosporium were sought in chemical literature to discover the types of compounds produced. Our survey brings together the known secondary metabolites including phytotoxins and pathotoxins which might be suspected mycotoxins. The pathotoxin of H. maydis, a polypeptide of unknown structure, induces all of the symptoms of the disease in susceptible corn plants that the pathogen will cause. Helminthosporium has been reported once as a human pathogen and is often an allergen.
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