Fungi: An overview

Abstract

Fungi play an important role in the management of nutrient cycles and providing continued benefi t to humankind. Most fungi are composed of hyphae, which are a source for its absorption of food. Basically, the fungal cell wall is made up of chitin. Fungi are chemoheterotrophs and adopted parasitic/saprophytic/symbiotic ways of nutrition. During the availability of suffi cient nutrition, fungi prefer asexual mode of reproduction, and in unfavorable situations, it switches over to sexual mode of reproduction. The dikaryon stage in the life cycle is dominant in Basidiomycotina while sexual reproduction is never observed in Deuteromycotina. Fungi have a great economic value and utilized for centuries both industrially and commercially. Its role in medicine, food, textiles, and vitamins is well known. They play positive and negative role in agriculture; while they are responsible for nutrient recycle in the soil, soil fertility, and symbiotic associations, they cause damage to agriculture by many fungal diseases and losses. The fungal enzymes are attained a greater importance in paper and pulp, coal liquefaction, food processing, fuel alcohol, baking and brewing, wine making, and pharmaceutical and leather processing industries. Recently, the signifi cance of fungi in the development of biopesticides/biofungicides has also gained momentum to discourage chemical pesticides to conserve the precious biodiversity.