Rust (fungus) Rust (fungus) Rusts are plant diseases caused by pathogenic fungi of the order Pucciniales (previously also known as Uredinales). An estimated 168 rust genera and approximately 7,000 species, more than half of which belong to the genus "Puccinia", are currently accepted. Rust fungi are highly specialized plant pathogens with several unique features. Taken as a group, rust fungi are diverse and affect many kinds of plants. However, each species has a very narrow range of hosts and cannot be transmitted to non-host plants. In addition, most rust fungi cannot be grown easily in pure culture. A single species of rust
Stem rust studied the stem rust. Thirty years later it received its name, "Puccinia graminis", by Persoon, and in 1854 brothers Louis René and Charles Tulasne discovered the characteristic five-spore stage that is known to some stem rust species. The brothers were also able to make a connection between the red (urediniospore) and black (teliospore) spores as different stages within the same organism, but the rest of the stages remained unknown. Anton de Bary later conducted experiments to observe the beliefs of the European farmers regarding the relationship between the rust and barberry plants, and after successful attempts to connect the basidiospores