Diseases caused by Oomycetes
2024
Govers, Francine
Oomycetes cause devastating diseases on a wide variety of plant species leading to yield losses in agriculture and forestry, and damage to natural ecosystems. Their lifestyles range from necrotrophic with wide host ranges to biotrophic and highly specialized on one or a few hosts. They share a preference for humid environments. They grow as mycelium and produce sporangia and zoospores for dispersal. Pythium is notorious for causing seedling damping-off and seed and root rot. Phytophthora species cause foliar blights and stem and root rot. Well known are the Irish potato famine pathogen Phytophthora infestans and the “sudden oak death” pathogen Phytophthora ramorum but many other Phytophthora species are just as harmful. Similarly, the hundreds of obligate downy mildews that cause primarily foliar blights are extremely damaging. The grape downy mildew epidemics in Europe in the 19th century is just one example of the devastating power of these pathogens.
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