Phytophthora
Phytophthora (from Greek φυτόν (phytón), "plant" and φθορά (phthorá); means "the plant-destroyer". It is a genus of plant-damaging oomycetes (water molds).
They can cause enormous economic losses on crops, and damage in natural ecosystems. The cell wall of Phytophthora is made of cellulose. The genus was first described by Heinrich Anton de Bary in 1875. About 170 species have been described, though there are many more undescribed.[1]
References
[change | change source]- ↑ Brasier CM, 2009. Phytophthora biodiversity: how many Phytophthora species are there? In: Goheen EM, Frankel SJ, eds. Phytophthoras in Forests and Natural Ecosystems. Albany, CA, USA: USDA Forest Service: General Technical Report PSW-GTR-221, 101–15.