Tag: useful and harmful microbes

Ergometrine, Ergotoxine, Ergotamine all are alkaloids of medicinal importance extracted from Claviceps. Claviceps purpurea is an ergot fungus that grows on the ears of rye and related cereal and forae plants. Consumption of grains or seeds contaminated with the survival structure of this fungus, the ergot sclerotium, can cause ergotism in humans and other mammals. Ergotine is a powerful astringent alkaloid extracted from ergot as a brown, amorphous, bitter substance. It produces hallucinating effect on humans.

'Ergot of rye' is caused by Claviceps purpurea. Ergot is a fungus that grows on rye and less commonly on other grasses such as wheat. 

Heterothallism was discovered by Blakeslee (1904) in Mucor mucedo.

Zygomycotina is composed of organisms that are characterized by the formation of ribbon-like aseptate hyphae and sexual reproduction with the formation of zygospores. The vast majority of human zygomycotic disease is caused by the members of the family Mucoraceae. This family includes zygomycetes that produce asexual sporangiospores in sporangia. Sporangium producers which may or may not produce stolons and rhizoids and included in the genera Mucor and Rhizomucor. Thus, the correct answer is option 'Zygomycotina'.  

Ergot of Rye is a plant disease that is caused by the fungus Claviceps purpurea. The so-called ergot that replaces the grain of the rye is a dark, purplish sclerotium.