economic importance of Fungi.pdf

fungi

1. Economic Importance
of Fungi
Presented by:
Dr. AnkitKumar Singh
Assistant Professor
Department of Botany
Marwari College
LalitNarayanMithilaUniversity
Darbhanga
[email protected] B.Sc. Part I (Hons.) Students (Paper
-
1 group B
(Mycology and
Phytopathology
)
Lecture No. 30

2. ➢Fungiplayasignificantroleinourdailylife.Theyareourgreatestfriendsaswellasfoes.
➢Somefungiareprizedfortheirusefulnesstomankind,whileothersarehighlyinjuriousas
theyareresponsibleforseveraldiseaseinplants,animalsandhumanbeings.
➢Someimportantusefulandharmfulactivitiesoffungiarediscussedbelow
Fungi are beneficial to us, directly or indirectly in many ways. They clean our environment by
removing organic dyes; they provide food medicines and several other useful products. Fungi
also play role in many industries.
Useful activities
Many edible fungi are of great economic value as food. They are regarded as delicacies of the
table. There are said to be over 200 species of edible fungi.
Mushrooms: Fleshy fruiting bodies of higher Fungi.
➢Somemushroomsareedible–containhighamountsofproteins,vitamins,carbohydrates,
minerals,dietaryfiber,aminoacidsetc.
e.g., Agaricuscampestris(Field Mushrooms)
Pleurotusostreatus(Oyster mushrooms)
1. Fungi as Food:

3. Agaricusbisporus(Button mushroom)
Volvariellavolvacea(Paddy straw mush room)
Morchellaesculenta(Morels)
Tuber melanosporum(Black truffle)
FungiasSingleCellProtein
Driedbiomassofcertainfungiareconsumedasaproteinsource.
➢Singlecellprotein(SCP)obtainedfromYeast,speciesofAspergillus,Penicillium,
Fusarium,NeurosporaandCandidaisacompletesubstituteforconventionalproteinfood.
➢Quorn,ameatsubstituteproductcontainmycoproteinasaningredient,whichisderived
fromthefungusFusariumvenenatum.
Yeasts
YeastisanImportantsourcesofvitaminsBandDcomplex.
Saccharomyces,Endomyces,RhodotorulaandTorulopsisareparticularlyrichinproteinsand
hencetheyaremixedinincompletelivestock.
➢ApopularfoodSufuisproducedfromspeciesofMucorandAntimucor.

4. ➢Somefoodslikesoybeansandcassavaalthoughrichinnutrientscannotbeeasilydigested
byman.Thesearemadeeasilypalatablebyfermentingfungi.
➢SoybeansarefermentedbyspeciesofRhizopustopreparetemeph,afoodwhichiseasily
digestibleandtasty.
➢IncaparinafoodsdevelopedbytheInstituteofNutritionofCentralAmericaandPanama
consistofcorn(26%),cottonseedflour(38%),Sorghum(26%),foodyeast(3%),mineralsand
vitamins.
2. Fungi as medicines
Severalfungiareusedintheproductionofmedicines
(i)Antibiotics:Antibioticsaremetabolicsubstancesproducedbysomelivingorganisms
whichareinjurioustootherlivingbeings.
Penicillin-AlexanderFlemingin1944forthefirsttimeextractedthewonderdrugPenicillin
fromPenicilliumnotatumisusefulagainstmostofthepathogenicbacteria.
Cephalosporins-producedfromthefungusCephalosporiumacremoniumareusedtotreat
respiratorytract,skinandurinarytractinfections.

5. Cyclosporin:fromthefungusTolypocladiuminflatumiswidelyusedasan
immunosuppressantandgreatlyimprovesthesuccessrateoftransplantoperations.
Griseofulvin:producedfromPenicilliumgriseofulvum-usedtotreatinfectionsoftheskin,
scalp,nails,feetetc.
(ii)Ergot:ErgotispreparedfromthesclerotiaofClavicepspurpurea.Itcontainssome
alkaloidswhichareusedtoinduceuterinecontractionforabortion,inthetreatmentsof
menstrualdisordersetc.
iii)Antitumouragents:Shiitakemushroom-(Lentinulaedodes)containapolysaccharide
lentinanhasanti-tumourpotential.
Ganodermalucidum: has polysaccharides that have anticancerousactivity
iv)Vitamins:Vitaminsareaccessorymicro-nutrients,whicharerequiredbylivingorganisms
fortheirpropergrowth.
➢SaccharomycescerevisiaeproducevitaminBcomplex.
➢SynthesisofB-groupvitaminsbymycorrhizalfungi.Thevitaminproducedinlargest
amountsbythemycorrhizalfungiwasthiamin(vitaminB1).

6. ➢Ergosterol,aprecursorofvitaminDissynthesizedbysomeyeastsandmoulds.
(v)ProductionofSteroids:SteroidlikecortisoneisproducedbyAspergillusnigerfromplant
glycosidesbyfermentation.
3. Fungi in Production of Organic acids
➢Theimportantorganicacidsproducedcommerciallyastheresultofthebiochemical
activitiesofmouldsareoxalicacid,citricacid,gluconicacid,gallicacid,fumaricacid,etc.
Citricacid:ProducedbyfermentingsucroseandmolassesbyAspergillusnigerandA.wentii.
Kojicacid : Produced by the fermentation of sugars by Aspergillus oryzae
Itaconicacid:ProducedbyfermentationofsugarsbyAspergillusitaconium,A.terreusetc.
Gluconicacid:ProducedbyfermentingsugarsbyAspergillusnigerandPenicillium
purpurogenum.
Fumaricacid:ProducedbythefermentationofsugarsbyRhizopusstolonifer.
Lacticacid,oxalicacid,Succinicacid:SomespeciesofMucor,Rhizopusetc.areusedinthe
productionofLacticacid,oxalicacidandSuccinicacid.

7. 4. Fungi in enzyme production
Manyintraandextracellularenzymesarefoundinfungiandsomeareextractedon
commercialscale.
Invertase:Yeasts,Saccharomycescerevisiaeareusedfortheextractionofenzymeinvertase
whichisusedtohydrolysesugarsintoglucoseandfructose.Itisusedinconfectioneryand
paperindustries.
Zymase:Yeasts,SaccharomycescerevisiaeareusedfortheextractionofenzymeZymase
whichisusedinthepreparationofethylalcoholbythefermentationofcarbohydrates.
Amylase:AspergillusnigerandA.oryzaeareusedfortheproductionofamylaseusedin
alcoholindustry.
Cellulase:Trichodermareeseiisusedfortheproductionofcellulaseusedinthe
saccharificationofcellulosicandlignocellulosicwastes.
➢Fungiarealsousedintheproductionofotherenzymeslikelipases,pectinases,proteases
etc.

8. 5. Fungi in Agriculture
Fungiplayanimportantroleinagricultureinvariousways
Fungiasdecomposers:
➢Saprophyticfungisecreteenzymesanddecomposedeadremainsofplantsandanimals.
Hencetheyarecalledas‘vegetativevulturesofPlantKingdom.’
➢Duringthisprocess,complexorganiccompoundslikecellulose,hemicelluloses,chitin,
pectin,ligninetc.aredegradedbyfungiandproducehumus,anutrientrichmaterial.
➢The humus help to maintain the physical and chemical properties of soil, increases soil
fertility and promotes various biological activities in the soil.
Fungi as biocontrol agents:
➢Some fungi play an important role in the biological control of pests.
Trichoderma harzianum is used to control the blight of tomato. Blight of tomato(caused by
Alternaria solani).
➢Trichoderma harzianum is used to control the blight of peanut (ground nut) caused by
Sclerotiumrolfsii
The fungus Gliocladiumroseumis used to control white mould, Sclerotinia diseases.

9. ➢Trichoderma lignorumsuppresses the growth of the root rot fungus Pythium.
➢Growth of Rhizoctoniasolani can be checked by Penicilliumvermiculatum
Fungi in Biological research
Severalfungiareusedasimportantresearchtoolsforthestudyofvariousfundamental
biologicalprocesses.
➢Theygrowveryfastandrequireashortperiodtocompletetheirlifecycle.
➢Experimentationwithfungirequireslessspaceandinexpensiveequipments.
➢Neurosporacrassaisusedingeneticstudiesbecauseitisahaploidorganismandmake
geneticanalysissimplebecauserecessivetraitswillbeexpressedintheoffsprings.
➢Analysis of genetic recombination (Tetrad analysis) is facilitated by the ordered
arrangement ascosporesformed after meiosis in the ascus.
➢Several strains of Aspergillus nigerhave been used as a test organism for determining
Mg, Cu, Zn and Mo in soils.
➢The slime mold Physarumpolycephalumhas been used as a model organism to study
DNA synthesis, morphogenesis, mitotic cycle, amoeboid movement, cell motility etc.

10. Harmful Activities
There are many fungal activities which are harmful to mankind. Fungi incite many diseases in
plants , animals and human beings.
➢Fungi cause considerable loss to food, vegetable and fruit crops.
➢They destroy valuable timbers and cause spoilage of foodandmany other useful articles
1.Plantdiseases:Mostoftheparasiticfungicausediseasesinplants,especiallyinflowering
plants.Thecommonfungaldiseasesofplantsarerusts,smuts,mildews,blights,rotsandwilts.
Rustdiseases:causedbyfungioftheorderPucciniales.e.g.,Wheatstemrust,alsoknown
asblackrust,iscausedbythefungusPucciniagraminis.
Smutdiseases:CausedbythefungusUstilago.Itmainlyinfectsinflorescence,flowers,
anthersetc.Thegrainsgetfilledwithblackpowderofteliosporesofthefungi.e.g.Loosesmut
ofwheatcausedbyUstilagotritici
CoveredsmutofBarley-causedbyUstilagohordei.Grainsarereplacedbybrown-black
balls.
Fungi as Pathogen

11. Powdery mildew:
✓Powdery mildew is caused by fungi of the order Erysiphales.
✓Infected leaves get covered with a white to gray powdery growth. e.g. Powdery mildew of
wheat caused by Erisiphaegraminis
✓Powdery mildew of peas caused by Erisiphaepolygoni.
Blight diseases:
✓Blightdiseasesarecharacterizedbyarapidandcompletechlorosis,browninganddeathof
planttissuessuchasleaves,branches,twigsorfloralorgans.
e.g.LateblightofpotatocausedbyPhytophthorainfestans,thediseasewhichledtothe
greatIrishfamine.
White rust of Crucifers
✓WhiterustisadiseaseinplantscausedbythefungusAlbugocandida.
✓Symptomsincludechlorosisonleafsurfaces,whiteblisterlikegrowthsonthe
undersideofleavesandonthestemsoftheplant,andswellingoftheroots.

12. Blast diseases
✓A common disease of paddy , Oryza sativa by the fungus Pyricularia oryzae.
✓Lesions develop on leaf sheaths and on the stems.
✓The weakened stems are easily broken.
2. Animal diseases
Several fungal species live parasitically on animals and cause various diseases.
Ringworm (Tineacorporis)
✓This is a common fungal skin infection that looks like a circular rash.
✓Trichophyton, Microsporum, andEpidermophytonare the most common genera of fungi
that cause ringworm in humans.
Aspergillosis
✓Aspergillosisis caused by the fungus Aspergillus.
✓Symptoms include allergic reactions, lung infections, and infections in other organs.

13. Candidiasis
✓Caused by the yeast Candida, the most common of which is Candida albicans.
✓Can occur in the mouth and throat, vagina or blood stream.
Athlete’sfoot
✓Athlete'sfootisafungalinfectioncausedbyTrichophytonrubrumthatusuallybegins
betweenthetoes.
✓Itcommonlyoccursinpeoplewhosefeethavebecomeverysweatywhileconfinedwithin
tightfittingshoes.
✓Symptomsincludeascalyrashthatusuallycausesitching,stingingandburning.
✓Thisfungalinfectioniscalledathlete’sfootbecauseitiscommonlyseeninathletes.
Spoilage of Food stuffs
➢A large number of food articles, if not properly stored are spoiled by fungi, like Mucor,
Rhizopus, Aspergillus, Penicilliumand yeast.
➢Species of Mucorand Rhizopusare commonly seen on the bread and pickle.
➢Dairy products are spoiled by the species of Mucor, Oidium, Torula, and Penicillium

14. ➢Mucormucedoand Rhizopusstoliniferspoil frozen meat by causing black spot disease.
➢Some fungi infect food stuffs even at a very low temperature, Cladosporiumherbaceum
can grow on meat stored at -6 degree Celsius.
➢Several species of Aspergillus, Alterneriaand Rhizopuscause post harvest disease in fruits
and vegetables thus shortening their storage life.
Thank You!!!
Dr. AnkitKumar Singh
Assistant Professor
Department of Botany
Marwari College
LalitNarayanMithilaUniversity
Darbhanga
[email protected]