Crop Genetic Engineering: An Approach to Improve Fungal Resistance in Plant System

Abstract

Fungal disease in crop plants from the past two decades has seen to be increasing which is recognized as a serious threat to food security worldwide. It is difficult for plant to survive under these unfavorable conditions which cause an unprecedented number of fungal and fungal-like diseases which are the most common kind of plant disease. Various approaches such as use of chemical pesticides and other synthetic molecules have been used to control the fungal infections in crop plants. Different transgenic plants have been developed by introducing various genes responsible for resistance in opposition to fungal pathogens. Genes of the enzymes responsible for cell wall degradation are frequently applied to generate transgenic plants for fungal resistance. This chapter mainly emphasizes on how transgenic approach helps to confer plant resistance toward fungal diseases.