ECONOMIC IMPORTANCE OF FUNGI

Submitted by VIPIN E.V

FUNGI

Forestry

Mycorrhizal Associations

Biological Control

WeedsEg:colletotrchum gloeosporiodes

Insects

NematodesEg:Paecilomyces

lilacinus

Plant pathogensEg:Trichoderma

harzianum

Biomass

Food Yeast

Mycoprotein

Enzyme activity

TempehEg:Rhizopus oligosporusChees ripeningEg: Penicillium

Industrial enzymesEg:Rhizopus, Aspergillus

Useful metabolites

AntibioticsEg:Penicillium chrysogenum

Plant growth hormonesEg:Gibberella fujikuroi

MedicineEg:Tolypocladium inflatum

Bio-transformations

Yeast fermentation

Steroids

AlcoholEg:Saccharomyces cervisiae

Bread Eg:Saccharomyces

FUNGI

MycotoxinsEg: Aspergillus flavus

Allergic responsesEg: Cryptococcus,

Aspergillus fumigatus

Animals& Human MycosesEg: Entomophthora,

Trichophytan

Plant DiseaseEg: Erysiphe, Puccinia

SpoilageEg: Fusorium

USEFUL ACTIVITIES

Decomposition, nutrient cycling and transport

• Important role in the process of biodegradation

Source of industrial chemicals, antibiotics, medicines and vitamins

• Role of fungi in Industry

# Alcoholic fermentation.

Eg: saccharomyces cerevisiae

# Enzyme preparations.Invertase- saccharomyces cerevisiae

# Preparation of organic acids.

Aspergillus niger – Oxalic acid

# Gibberellins.

# Cheese Industry.

> Penicillium camemberti

# Manufacture of proteins

> Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Candida utilis# Vitamins

> yeast

• Role of fungi in Medicine. # Antibiotics > Penicillin – Penicillium notatum > Streptomycin- Streptomyces griseus

# Antifungel > Penicillium griseofulvum

# Edible fungi E.g: Agaricus campestris, Lycoperdon bovista, Agaricus bisporus

# Fermentation E.g: yeast, Aspergillus oryzae, Rhizopus oligosporus and Fusarium venenatum

Food & food products

# Mycoparasites E.g: Trichoderma viride, Pythium ultimum

Trichoderma viride# Mycoherbicides E.g: Colletotrichum gloeosporioides, Puccinia chondrillina

Biological control agents

# Mycorrhizae (mykes = fungus, rhiza= roots) E.g: Ascomycetes of the genus Wilcoxina(mainly pinus) :-mineral nutrient uptake from soil

# Genetical studies- Neurospora crassa, Physarum polycephalum # Mapping of human chromasomes- Aspergillus nidulans

E.g: Aspergillus, Fusarium, Mucor, Penicillium, Rhizopus and Trichoderma.

Mutualistic symbionts

Fungi as test organism

Bioremediation

Harmful activities:

Fungi cause diseases to human, animals and plants. They cause destruction to clothes, paper, jute, leather, rubber, Paints, petroleum products, good grains and other bakery products. Harmful effects are:

(1)        Many fungi cause very much loss to our timber trees by causing wood rot. Armillaria mellea, the honey mushroom causes red rot of apple and many forest trees. Many species of Polypores attack forest trees causing wood rot. (2)        Some would fungi like Rhizopus, Mucor, Aspergillus spoil our food. Their spores are always in the air and settle down on exposed jams, pickles, jelly, bread and fruits and develop mycelia and make food articles unfit for human use. 

(3)        Some parasitic fungi are causative agents of diseased of our cops, fruits and other economic plants. In them fungi like Puccimia and ustilago cause rusts and smuts. They are great enemies of crops and cause loss by reducing crop yield. The rusts reproduce yellow, orange or black pustules on the stem and leaves of cereal plants while smuts attack forests and produces a black powdery mass of smut spores in the place of seed and fruits. Damage caused to cereals (wheat, maize, oat and barley) by rust and smuts amounts to several hundred millions of rupees annually. Fungi diseases in plants are:(i)         While rust of crucifers by crystopus cindidus.(ii)        Powdery mildew by Erisiphae species.(iii)       Fruit root of apple by Rhizopus arrhizus.(iv)       Late blight of Potato by Phytopora infestans.(v)        Red rot of sugar came by colletorichum falcatum.(vi)       Some parasitic fungi cause diseases to animals. Saprolegnia which occurs as saprophyte on dead fish or flies behave as facultative parasite producing serious diseases to crops and gold fishes.

(4)        Some fungi are also cause some important diseases in human beings. Asperigillus as A.miger, A.fiavus, A.fumigatus are common human pathogens. Disease caused in aspergilloses of lungs and ears. Some parasitic fungi live in mucous membrane of throad, bronchii and lungs. Few fungi cause skin discoloration. A well known skin disease rung worm or “Dead” is also a fungus disease.

THANK YOU…………..