Cross Protection and Biocontrol of Plant Viruses and Viroids

Dear Colleagues,

The Special Issue "Cross Protection and Biocontrol of Plant Viruses and Viroids" aims to gather the latest information and innovations in the field of research on the identification and mechanisms of biological agents that induce plant immunity against viral infections.

As we all know, plant viruses pose a significant threat to agricultural production, causing considerable economic losses and reducing crop yields. Chemical control methods have limited effectiveness against plant viruses, making genetic resistance and plant immunity essential factors in controlling viral infections in crops. Fortunately, recent research has shown that cross-protection and plant growth-promoting organisms offer promising solutions to this problem.

Cross protection is a biological control method that involves exposing plants to a mild strain of the virus, which can stimulate the plant's immune system and provide protection against more severe strains of the same virus.

Plant growth-promoting microorganisms such as certain bacteria, fungi, and rhizosphere microorganisms can induce systemic acquired resistance (SAR) and stimulate the plant's natural immune system, making them potential biocontrol agents for plant viruses. This approach is environmentally friendly and sustainable, as it does not rely on toxic chemicals and has minimal impact on non-target organisms. However, careful selection and deployment of the biological control agents are necessary to ensure their effectiveness and safety.

Therefore, this Special Issue aims to compile the latest information and innovations in the field of research on the identification and mechanisms of biological agents that induce plant immunity against viral infections. We welcome papers that focus on introducing mild strains and addressing the pathogenicity or symptom determinants of plant viruses, as well as those that investigate the mechanisms of cross-protection as a biological control method.

We believe that this Special Issue will be an excellent opportunity for researchers to share their work and advance the field of plant virology. We look forward to your submissions.

Dr. Shaheen Nourinejhad Zarghani
Prof. Dr. Miguel A. Aranda
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Plants is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

• virology
• plant virus
• plant–pathogen interaction
• plant defense
• virus diagnosis