ABSTRACT
Soilborne fungus-like oomycetes and fungal pathogens have to interact with both biotic and abiotic factors that significantly influence their development and ability to infect susceptible host plant species. The fungal pathogens have innate capacity to either adapt to the adverse environmental conditions, or to produce resistant propagules for their survival and subsequent perpetuation, until the return of favorable conditions. Successful cultivation of crops demands effective integration of several practices/operations. The knowledge on the distribution and economic importance of the diseases, biological characteristics including disease cycles, nutritional requirements, temperature and pH optima for growth and reproduction of the fungal pathogens, host range, existence of races/biotypes with varying virulence, variations in the phenotypic and genotypic characteristics and factors that contribute to the development of epidemics is essential to developing effective management systems for containing the soilborne diseases occurring in different agroecosystems.
