ABSTRACT
UDIT NARAIN,1 SANDHYA KANT,2 and GIREECH CHAND3
1Department of Plant Pathology, C. S. Azad University of Agriculture and Technology, Kanpur-208002, India
2Former Research Scholar, Department of Botany, D.A.V. College, Kanpur-208001, India
3Department of Plant Pathology, Bihar Agricultural University, Sabour, Bhagalpur-813210, India
20.1 Introduction ................................................................................ 386 20.2 Taxonomy ................................................................................... 386 20.3 Characterization ......................................................................... 387 20.3.1 Chain Formation .......................................................... 387 20.3.2 Unbeaked Conidia ........................................................ 388 20.3.3 Conidial Beak ............................................................... 388 20.3.4 Bifurcation of Beak ...................................................... 389 20.3.5 Gradual Tapering of Beak ............................................ 389 20.3.6 Terminal Swelling in Beaks ......................................... 389 20.3.7 Conidia of Larger Size ................................................. 389 20.3.8 Shape of Conidia .......................................................... 389 20.3.9 Septation in Conidia ..................................................... 390
20.3.10 Formation of Sclerotia ............................................... 390 20.3.11 Formation of Synnemata ............................................ 390 20.3.12 Formation of Chlamoydospores ................................. 391 20.4 Parasitism ................................................................................... 391 Keywords .............................................................................................. 400 References ............................................................................................. 400
20.1 INTRODUCTION
Genus Alternaria Nees ex Fr. is represented by the multitude of species ranging from saprophytes to strong parasites having polyphagous nature. Due to the wide prevalence in nature, several workers have studied the morphological and cultural characters of this group of fungi since the erection of the genus by Nees in 1817 with a single species, A. tenuis.
