Phytotoxins and their involvement in plant diseases. Introduction

Bacterial and fungal plant pathogens are known to produce diffusible toxins in infected plants. These phytotoxins are harmful to plants in very low concentrations, and many reproduce at least some of the symptoms of the relevant bacterial or fungal disease. Several phytotoxins have been shown to be involved in pathogenesis. Recent years have seen substantial progress in our knowledge about the nature, structure and mode of action of phytotoxins, and this is briefly reviewed. Finally, possible applications in fields other than plant pathology are mentioned.The Editors wish to thank Prof. A. Ballio and Prof. A. Graniti for coordinating this multi-author review.