ABSTRACT
This chapter aims to survey the studies done in the area of mycolytic and other enzymes and proteins that are fungicidal, and their direct use in fungal control. The results of several studies indicate the potential use of these enzymes in fungal control, but they are not widely used in commercial applications. Cell walls of fungi consist of a complex mixture of polymers which include polysaccharides, glycoproteins, and proteins. Approach in fungal control is to use organisms that inhabit the rizosphere or the phyllosphere which produce high levels of antifungal enzymes and proteins. One can isolate organisms from nature that contain antifungal proteins or use biotechnological methods to express the genes for antifungal proteins in other organisms. The ultimate goal is to have plants that are resistant to the attack by fungal pathogens. This is an active area of research where several approaches are being investigated. One approach would be to engineer plants toward expression of antifungal enzymes and proteins.
