Plant--fungal interactions: the search for phytoalexins and other antifungal compounds from higher plants

A brief review is given of some biological, chemical and chemotaxonomic aspects of phytoalexin research. Emphasis is placed on the search for antifungal compounds in the plant families Leguminosae and Rosaceae, and in rice, Oryza sativa. The possible role of phytoalexins in the resistance of rice plants against the fungus Pyricularia oryzae (= Magnaporthe grisea) is discussed, and the future prospects of phytoalexin research are outlined.