The fungi are the most economically important plant pathogens and continue
to be the focus of extensive research with a wide variety of methodologies.
Enhancements in microscopy techniques have increased our ability to visual
ize the intimate interaction of fungi and their host plants. Improving meth
ods allow pharmacological inhibition and genetic dissection of the determin
ants of fungal pathogenicity in a gene-by-gene approach. Identification and
analysis of genes differentially transcribed in ways pertinent to pathogen
icity continues to be a frequent research approach. Genome-wide analysis is
gaining favor in biological research and fungal plant pathogens are no exc
eption. Several industrial research groups are exploring fungal plant patho
genesis based on genomic sequence data and genome-wide mutagenesis. In Marc
h 2001 the first publicly available complete genome of a filamentous fungus
(Neurospora crassa) was released. N. crassa is of course a saprophyte and
there is no complete sequence available for a plant pathogenic fungus in pu
blic databases. However, freely accessible entire genome sequences for both
plant pathogenic fungi and their hosts are on the horizon. Sequence availa
bility promises to revolutionize the rate at which data relevant to disease
processes will be accrued. In this review we describe approaches currently
applied to the study of plant pathogenic fungi and explore developments of
potential future benefit with existing technologies not yet applied to thi
s group of important organisms.