Gene Expressions in Response to Diseases, Abiotic Stresses and Pest Damage of Horticultural Products

Several plant species serve as important sources of food, feed, and raw materials worldwide, providing a broad spectrum of nutrients and bioactive compounds that play a crucial role in plant resistance and in human diseases, in line with the One Health approach. Horticultural crops also represent a key resource in the economies of numerous countries. Moreover, increasingly restrictive European regulations for plant-protection products encourage studies on innovative tools for disease and pest control, such as genetic modification and alternative control means. The Reprint focuses on the plant's response to biotic and abiotic stresses. Crops are continuously exposed to a broad spectrum of pathogens (viruses, bacteria, and fungi), pests, and abiotic damage, causing significant yield and economic losses throughout the process from field to sale. Symptoms correspond to plant responses to both pathogen and insect attacks and abiotic stresses; these occur through gene expressions, signaling, and metabolic pathways involved in host/stress response. Identifying the mechanisms involved in defense response and stress tolerance is essential to select more resistant or less susceptible crops, allowing for more sustainable management of diseases and damages. It original and exploratory articles investigating pathways, signaling, and gene expression involved in resistance mechanisms to pests and pathogens, as well as abiotic stress tolerance, thereby opening new horizons for preserving and enhancing crop production.