Merits and Demerits of Fungi | economic importance of Fungi

Fungi include many species which are of economic importance to man our lives are linked with Fungi. We are harmed and benefited by Fungi directly or indirectly. Some account for the beneficial and harmful activities of Fungi is as under:

Some useful activities of fungi are:

  • Destruction of organic waste: Saprophytic Fungi decompose plant and animal remains by acting as natural scavengers. Carbon dioxide released in the process is used by green plants. By some workers, saprophytic Fungi have been designated as vegetative vultures.
  • In the Industry
    • Many fungi are used in the commercial preparation of many organic acids and some vitamin preparations. Aspergillus miger, A. Glaucus, A. clavatus, and citronyces citricus have been recommended for the preparation of citric acid. Many fungi also prepare gluconic acid lactic acid. Aspergillus and Fusarium are sources of riboflavin, a constituent of vitamin B. Yeasts are also rich in vitamin B.
    • Recently Fungi have been found to be the basis of the entire alcoholic industry. The basis of the alcoholic industry is the production of ethyl alcohol by fermentation of sugar solutions by yeast. Yeasts are a source of the complex enzyme zymase which is responsible for the process of fermentation. Yeasts are used in making wines, beers, and ciders.
    • Certain yeasts Saccharomyces cerevisiaes form an important basis of baking industries.
    • Some fungi such as species of Penicillium are used in the preparation of certain cheeses.
  • As food: Many fungi like mushrooms (Agaricus), Puffballs (Lycoperdon), and Morels (Morchella) are edible. They are important as protein sources. They are regarded as delicacies of the table. Large-scale production of yeast is used in the conversion of carbohydrates and organic nitrogen salts into edible and nutritional forms. Yeast food supplies a number of vitamins like thiamine, riboflavin, micotomic acid, Pantothenic acid, biotin, etc. Yeast food is therefore supplement of human food requirements.
  • In Medicines or Medicinal value: Recently many fungi have been found to be responsible for producing certain antibiotic drugs which inhibit the growth of pathogenic micro-organisms. Some medicines formed from Fungi are Penicillin to kill bacteria that cause Pnemonia streptomycin. Auroemoycin, chloromycetin and Ephedrine from yeast.
  • In plastic manufacture: Certain Fungi like odium lactic are widely used in the plastic industry.
  • Control and insect pest: Many Fungi like Ascherronia deyroides, Isaria ferinosa, and Empusa sepulchral help in controlling the infection of insect pests of the plants.
  • Phytohormone or Auxins: Many growth-promoting substances like Gibberellins are synthesized from the fungi like Fusarium maniform and Dematium pullulans.
  • Nutrition of plants: Many members of Phycomycetes, Ascomycetes, Basidiomycetes and fungi imerfecii are involved in the formation of mycorrhizae, which are of fundamental importance in nutrition of tree like Cycas, Zamia and Pinus.

Harmful activities

Fungi cause diseases to human, animals and plants. They cause destruction to clothes, paper, jute, leather, rubber, Paints, petroleum products, good grains and other bakery products. Harmful effects are:

  • Many fungi cause very much loss to our timber trees by causing wood rot. Armillaria mellea, the honey mushroom causes red rot of apple and many forest trees. Many species of Polypores attack forest trees causing wood rot.
  • Some fungi like Rhizopus, Mucor, Aspergillus spoil our food. Their spores are always in the air and settle down on exposed jams, pickles, jelly, bread and fruits and develop mycelia and make food articles unfit for human use.
  • Some parasitic fungi are causative agents of diseased of our cops, fruits and other economic plants. In them fungi like Puccimia and ustilago cause rusts and smuts. They are great enemies of crops and cause loss by reducing crop yield. The rusts reproduce yellow, orange or black pustules on the stem and leaves of cereal plants while smuts attack forests and produces a black powdery mass of smut spores in the place of seed and fruits. Damage caused to cereals (wheat, maize, oat and barley) by rust and smuts amounts to several hundred millions of rupees annually. Fungi diseases in plants are:
    • While rust of crucifers by crystopus cindidus.
    • Powdery mildew by Erisiphae species.
    • Fruit root of apple by Rhizopus arrhizus.
    • Late blight of Potato by Phytopora infestans.
    • Red rot of sugar came by colletorichum falcatum.
    • Some parasitic fungi cause diseases to animals.

    Saprolegnia which occurs as saprophyte on dead fish or flies behave as facultative parasite producing serious diseases to crops and gold fishes.

  • Some fungi are also cause some important diseases in human beings. Asperigillus as A.miger, A.fiavus, A.fumigatus are common human pathogens. Disease is caused by aspergilloses of lungs and ears. Some parasitic fungi live in the mucous membrane of the throat, bronchi, and lungs. Few fungi cause skin discoloration. A well-known skin disease rung worm or “Dead” is also a fungus disease.

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