What are fungicides and how are they classified?
To understand how fungicide resistance develops, let’s first examine how fungicides work. Fungicides are compounds that destroy or prevent the growth of fungi. In general, fungicides interfere with the fungal germination and penetration process or can inhibit fungal growth and reproduction within plant tissues. More specifically, fungicides may interfere with cell division, may inhibit the activity of certain enzymes, or may alter the function of cell membranes. The manner in which a fungicide impacts fungal biology is called its mode of action. All fungicides are referred to by a chemical name, a common name, and a trade name. The chemical name is the scientific name of the active ingredient of the fungicide, and the common name is a shortened version that everyone can recognize and pronounce. The trade name is used by companies to market the active ingredient; a single active ingredient can be marketed under more than one trade name by different companies or for different crops.
