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Agriculture
Special Issues
Emerging Diseases of Tropical and Subtropical Fruits and Nuts
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Emerging Diseases of Tropical and Subtropical Fruits and Nuts

A special issue of Agriculture (ISSN 2077-0472). This special issue belongs to the section "Crop Protection, Diseases, Pests and Weeds".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (20 May 2026) | Viewed by 1124

Editors

Dr. Benedetto T. Linaldeddu

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Dipartimento Territorio e Sistemi Agro-Forestali (TESAF), University of Padova, Viale dell’Università 16, I-35020 Legnaro, Italy
Interests: forest pathology; molecular ecology; fungal endophytes; invasive Phytophthora species; diversity, biology, pathogenicity and taxonomy of Botryosphaeriaceae species
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Dalia Aiello

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Agriculture, Food and Environment, University of Catania, Via S. Sofia 100, 95123 Catania, Italy
Interests: plant pathology; morphological and molecular diagnosis of bacteria and fungi; development of disease control strategies; soil and substrate disinfestation against soil-borne pathogens; fungicide resistance
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Climate change is favouring the spread of tropical and subtropical fruits into new production areas, thus expanding the geographic range of fruit production. This growth opportunity for tropical fruit trees is hindered by the increasing spread of new diseases caused by both exotic and native pathogens and the lack of adequate management strategies. For this Special Issue, we welcome studies that provide new insights into new and emerging diseases of tropical and subtropical fruits and nuts, as well as the development of advanced breeding techniques and genome editing to improve resistance to pathogens, the evolution of modelling techniques and biological control strategies. Through a holistic perspective, this special volume aims to summarize current knowledge on phytosanitary problems of tropical fruit production, with a particular emphasis on temperate zones, in order to fill the current scientific gaps that slow the expansion of fruit crops into non-traditional growing areas. All article types, including original research and reviews, are welcome. We look forward to receiving your submissions.

Dr. Benedetto T. Linaldeddu
Dr. Dalia Aiello
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 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

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. Agriculture 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 2600 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.

Keywords

  • invasive pathogens
  • geographic range expansion
  • new diseases
  • plant resilience
  • diagnostic tools
  • management strategies

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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Research

23 pages, 3615 KB  
Article
Identification and Pathogenicity of Botryosphaeriaceae, Colletotrichum, and Phytophthora Species Associated with Avocado Diseases in Italy
by Benedetto T. Linaldeddu, Carlo Bregant, Jacopo Muscas, Lucia Maddau, Laura Vecchio, Giancarlo Polizzi and Dalia Aiello
Agriculture 2026, 16(10), 1035; https://doi.org/10.3390/agriculture16101035 - 10 May 2026
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 752
Abstract
With the rapid expansion of avocado cultivation in southern Italy, growers have had to deal with the emergence of new diseases often caused by invasive and polyphagous pathogens responsible for leaf spot, branch cankers, dieback and fruit and root rot. Given the severity [...] Read more.
With the rapid expansion of avocado cultivation in southern Italy, growers have had to deal with the emergence of new diseases often caused by invasive and polyphagous pathogens responsible for leaf spot, branch cankers, dieback and fruit and root rot. Given the severity of these emerging diseases, a study was conducted in the main avocado growing areas in Sardinia and Sicily (Italy) to isolate and characterize the causal agents. Specifically, a total of 430 symptomatic leaf, fruit, branch, stem and root samples were collected and examined. Isolations performed on both non-selective and selective growth media yielded 22 species (fungi and oomycetes) belonging to the genera Botryosphaeria, Colletotrichum, Diplodia, Dothiorella, Macrophomina, Neofusicoccum and Phytophthora, including 14 new host–pathogen records in Italy. Notably, Neofusicoccum australe, Phytophthora cinnamomi and Phytophthora palmivora emerged as the main pathogens involved in the emerging avocado diseases. The identified pathogens were often isolated simultaneously from the same plants, which exhibited a complex of symptoms. Pathogenicity bioassays have helped to clarify the differences in aggressiveness among the different species and their specificity towards the different plant organs. The results achieved suggest that avocado orchards’ productivity and profitability is threatened by a plethora of unrelated pathogens whose control represents a major challenge for the success of this crop in Italy. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Emerging Diseases of Tropical and Subtropical Fruits and Nuts)
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