Mastigomycotina includes chytrids and oomycetes that have both beneficial and harmful aspects. Chytrids are important for decomposition of organic matter in soil and aquatic ecosystems. Some chytrids and oomycetes can be used as research tools or for biological control of pests. However, chytrids can also cause diseases in amphibians and plants. Many oomycetes are plant pathogens that cause serious diseases in crops like potato, grape, and crucifers. They can also disrupt aquatic ecosystems and damage seedlings.

1. Economic Importance
of Mastigomycotina
Prepared by:Syed Nayab Alamdar Naqvi
Roll no:90
M.Sc Botany
Khwaja Fareed Government Post Graduate College,Rahim Yar Khan.

2. Beneficial Aspects of
Mastigomycotina

3. Decomposition
•Decomposition is
performed by chytrids.
•Chytrids are ubiquitous
and cosmopolitan and are
responsible for
decomposition of detritus
in soil and aquatic
ecosystems and
refractory materials, such
as pollen,cellulose,chitin,
and keratin
zoosporangia of
Allomyces sp

4. RESEARCH TOOL
•Various species of Chytridiomycetes have
been found to be valuable research tools in
studying morphogenesis.
E.g. Allomyces and Blastocladiella species.
•Many oomycetes are studied to understand the
evolutionary migration of fungi from aquatic to
terrestrial environments.

5. Biological control
•Chytrids belonging to coelomomyces
(C.anophelescia) are endoparasites on mosquito
larvae and can be utilized for the biological control of
mosquito hence preventing malaria disease in human
beings.
•Mycoparasites belonging to Pythium group(e.g.
P.oligandrum) of oomycetes parasitize other
oomycetes and fungi , and have been employed as
biocontrol agents.

6. Fungicide
•Downy mildew of grape-wine
(Plasmopara viticola) helped
Prof.Millardet to discover the first
fungicide called ‘Bordeaux
mixture.’

7. Harmful Aspects of Mastigomycotina

8. Chytridiomycosis
•It is the disease of amphibians caused by
chytrid Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis.
•Discovered in 1998, in Panama and Australia this
disease is known to kill amphibians in large numbers
worldwide including frogs.

9. parasites
•Many chytrids are parasites and
cause infections mainly on algae
and other eukaryotic and
prokaryotic microbes.
•Chytrids may also infect plant
species ;in particular
,Synchytrium endobioticum cause
black wart of potato,Urophylctis
alfalfae cause crown wart of
alfalfa (Medicago);and
Physoderma maydis cause brown
spot disease of maize (Zea
mays).
Black wart of potato
Crown wart of alfalfa
Brown spot of maize

10. Disruption in aquatic ecosystem
•Many chytrids destroy and kill phytoplankton forms of
algae that form an important link in food chain of
aquatic ecosystem.
In this way they also harm human beings indirectly.

11. diseases
•Phytophthora group of
oomycetes cause some serious
diseases such as late blight of
potato (Phytophthora
infestans),downy-mildew of
grape-wine (Plasmopara
viticola)white rust of crucifers
(Albugo candida)damping off of
seedlings (Phythium spp.) and
others.
Late blight of potato
Downy mildew of grape wine
White rust of crucifer

12. Seedlings damage
•Pythium group of
oomycetes cause
damping off in
greenhouses, where
the organism kills
newly emerged
seedlings.
Damping off of pea seedling

13. The end