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Agriculture
Special Issues
Exploring Sustainable Strategies That Control Fungal Plant Diseases
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Exploring Sustainable Strategies That Control Fungal Plant Diseases

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: 15 December 2025 | Viewed by 2060

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Inmaculada Izquierdo-Bueno

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Microbiology Laboratory, Department of Biomedicine, Biotechnology and Public Health, Faculty of Marine and Environmental Sciences, University of Cádiz, 11510 Puerto Real, Spain
Interests: phytopathogenic fungi; bioactive metabolites; natural products; secondary metabolism; biomolecules; molecular biology
Dr. Javier Moraga

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Laboratorio de Microbiología, Departamento de Biomedicina, Biotecnología y Salud Pública, Facultad de Ciencias del Mar y Ambientales, Universidad de Cádiz, 11510 Puerto Real, Spain
Interests: plant pathogen; phytopathogenic fungi; phytotoxins; fungicide; biocatalyst; biomolecules; fungi genome; Botrytis cinerea
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

As the world moves towards sustainable agriculture, the control of fungi that cause plant diseases remains a major challenge, affecting agricultural yield losses, food security, and ecosystem health. Traditional control methods, often reliant on chemical fungicides, face issues of sustainability, human health risks, and the development of resistance in target fungi. There is a growing need to move towards more environmentally friendly and sustainable management practices.

This Special Issue focuses on exploring sustainable strategies for the management of fungal plant diseases. It aims to enhance our understanding of how biocontrol innovations, the genetic enhancement of plant resistance, and sustainable agricultural practices can converge to form integrated and enduring solutions. This Special Issue will include interdisciplinary studies that bridge phytopathology with molecular biology, ecology, agronomy, and other relevant disciplines.

We invite submissions of original research articles, opinions, and reviews covering a wide range of crops affected by pathogenic fungi. We are particularly interested in contributions that present advances in biocontrol methods, sustainable management strategies, developments in genetic resistance, and studies that address the socio-economic and environmental impacts of these diseases and their management. In addition, we are interested in research that delves into the molecular mechanisms of pathogenesis and host resistance, providing insights that could lead to novel intervention strategies.

Dr. Inmaculada Izquierdo-Bueno
Dr. Javier Moraga
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. 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

  • sustainable agriculture
  • plant pathogenic fungi
  • fungal disease management
  • biocontrol agents
  • host–pathogen interactions
  • biological fungicides
  • disease resistance mechanisms
  • secondary metabolites in biocontrol
  • phytochemicals in plant defense
  • metabolomics in plant pathology

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Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

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20 pages, 4494 KB  
Article
Plant Desiccation and Root Rot in Rosemary: Insight into Macrophomina phaseolina, Ceratobasidium sp. and Fusarium falciforme Roles in Co-Infection
by Eliana Dell’Olmo, Giovanna Serratore, Alessandro Mataffo, Giovanni Ragosta, Giovanna Napoletano and Loredana Sigillo
Agriculture 2025, 15(21), 2309; https://doi.org/10.3390/agriculture15212309 - 6 Nov 2025
Abstract
Rosmarinus officinalis (rosemary) is one of the most cultivated Lamiaceae species because of its medicinal, aromatic and ornamental properties. In the late summer of 2023, symptoms of desiccation were observed in a rosemary field located in southern Italy and the isolation from necrotic [...] Read more.
Rosmarinus officinalis (rosemary) is one of the most cultivated Lamiaceae species because of its medicinal, aromatic and ornamental properties. In the late summer of 2023, symptoms of desiccation were observed in a rosemary field located in southern Italy and the isolation from necrotic roots revealed three different fungal species: Ceratobasidium sp., Fusarium falciforme and Macrophomina phaseolina. All the isolates were morphologically and molecularly identified and Koch’s postulates assays were performed to establish the pathogenicity and the effect of each fungus on the disease incidence and severity. A dual plate method was used to investigate the interaction between Ceratobasidium sp., F. falciforme and M. phaseolina, mixing them in pairs and all together. Similarly, in vivo inoculations with the pathogens in combination were used to verify the role of each isolate in the interaction with the others and the contribution in plant disease expression. The results allowed to identify M. phaseolina and F. falciforme as causal agents of desiccation and root rot of rosemary, with M. phaseolina being the most aggressive between the two. Conversely, Ceratobasidium sp. behavior was influenced by the interaction with the other pathogens and the plant. Notably, this is the first report of M. phaseolina and F. falciforme on rosemary plants worldwide. This disease, caused by multiple pathogens, highlighted the crucial role of the combination of traditional in vivo assays and the use of molecular methods to achieve an accurate diagnosis. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Exploring Sustainable Strategies That Control Fungal Plant Diseases)
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13 pages, 1192 KB  
Article
Reducing Postharvest Losses in Organic Apples: The Role of Yeast Consortia Against Botrytis cinerea
by Joanna Krzymińska and Jolanta Kowalska
Agriculture 2025, 15(6), 602; https://doi.org/10.3390/agriculture15060602 - 11 Mar 2025
Viewed by 1486
Abstract
Grey mould caused by Botrytis cinerea presents significant challenges to apple production including organic farming. Biocontrol yeasts and their consortia can limit fungal diseases. This study evaluates the efficacy of selected yeast isolates and their consortia in suppressing B. cinerea in stored apples. [...] Read more.
Grey mould caused by Botrytis cinerea presents significant challenges to apple production including organic farming. Biocontrol yeasts and their consortia can limit fungal diseases. This study evaluates the efficacy of selected yeast isolates and their consortia in suppressing B. cinerea in stored apples. The yeast strains tested—Wickerhamomyces anomalus 114/73, Naganishia albidosimilis 117/10, and Sporobolomyces roseus 117/67—were assessed at 4 °C and 23 °C, individually and in consortia. The results demonstrate the superior efficacy of a consortium combining all three isolates, which achieved the highest reduction in spore germination and disease severity. A two-strain consortium of isolates 114/73 and 117/10 also showed substantial biocontrol activity, outperforming single-strain treatments. These combinations effectively suppressed B. cinerea growth and displayed rapid colonization of apple wounds. The study highlights the potential of yeast isolates and their consortia to manage postharvest fungal decay, addressing a critical need for sustainable, eco-friendly solutions in organic apple production. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Exploring Sustainable Strategies That Control Fungal Plant Diseases)
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Review

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21 pages, 1324 KB  
Review
Antifungal Mechanisms of Plant Essential Oils: A Comprehensive Literature Review for Biofungicide Development
by Michel Leiva-Mora, Diana Bustillos, Cristina Arteaga, Kattyta Hidalgo, Deysi Guevara-Freire, Orestes López-Hernández, Luis Rodrigo Saa, Paola S. Padilla and Alberto Bustillos
Agriculture 2025, 15(21), 2303; https://doi.org/10.3390/agriculture15212303 - 5 Nov 2025
Abstract
Plant pathogenic fungi pose a persistent global threat to food security, causing severe yield losses in staple crops and increasing dependence on chemical fungicides. However, the ecological and toxicological drawbacks of synthetic fungicides have intensified the search for safer, plant-derived alternatives. This review [...] Read more.
Plant pathogenic fungi pose a persistent global threat to food security, causing severe yield losses in staple crops and increasing dependence on chemical fungicides. However, the ecological and toxicological drawbacks of synthetic fungicides have intensified the search for safer, plant-derived alternatives. This review synthesizes current advances on the antifungal mechanisms of plant essential oils (EOs) and their prospects for biofungicide development. The literature reveals that the antifungal activity of EOs arises from their diverse phytochemical composition, principally terpenes, phenolics, and aldehydes that target multiple fungal cellular sites. These compounds disrupt membrane integrity through ergosterol depletion, inhibit chitin and β-glucan synthesis, interfere with mitochondrial energy metabolism, and induce oxidative stress, leading to lipid peroxidation and cell death. Morphological and transcriptomic evidence confirms that EOs alter hyphal growth, spore germination, and key gene expression pathways associated with fungal virulence. Furthermore, emerging nanotechnological and encapsulation strategies enhance EO stability, bioavailability, and field persistence, addressing major barriers to their large-scale agricultural application. The integration of EO-based biofungicides within sustainable and precision agriculture frameworks offers a promising route to reduce chemical inputs, mitigate resistance development, and promote ecological balance. This review underscores the need for interdisciplinary research linking phytochemistry, nanotechnology, and agronomy to translate EO-based antifungal mechanisms into next-generation, environmentally compatible crop protection systems. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Exploring Sustainable Strategies That Control Fungal Plant Diseases)
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