ABSTRACT
Species of the Deuteromycota (deuteromycetes), also known as the imperfect fungi or mistosporie fungi, are among the most economically destructive group of fungi. These fungi cause leaf, stem, root, fruit, and seed rots; blights; and other diseases. The Southern corn leaf blight epidemic in the early 1970s, which caused damage of one billion dollars, was incited by Helminthosporium maydis, the anamorph or the asexual form of the ascomycete Cochliobolus heterostrophus. Other deuteromycetes, such as Aspergillus flavus, produce mycotoxins (aflatoxins) in infected corn kernels. Mycotoxins when ingested by humans or animals can cause cancer of the digestive tract or other serious illnesses or death.
