| Abstract: | This paper focuses on the effects of systemic rust and smut fungi on non-crop clonal plants and on the role of clonal growth in disease escape. Systemic rusts and smuts have a major effect on individual plants and populations as they affect growth and survival. Diseased plants may become distorted, stunted and/or elongated. However, the results are very variable. For example, growth and competitive ability may be reduced or increased, and survival may or may not be affected. Furthermore, clonal plants are able to escape systemic diseases by vigorous growth or by the production of long rhizomes. It is argued that a better understanding of the effects of systemic rusts and smuts on clonal individuals and populations requires not only more studies but ones that particularly focus on the life history of both host plant and pathogen and the mechanisms that allow parts of the clonal system to escape disease. |
