Microbial Partnerships in Fruit Crops: Enhancing Yield, Quality, and Resilience
A special issue of Agronomy (ISSN 2073-4395). This special issue belongs to the section "Horticultural and Floricultural Crops".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 15 August 2026 | Viewed by 6
Special Issue Editors
Interests: berry fruits; productivity; omics technologies; plant growth-promoting bacteria;
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
2. Dipartimento di Genomica e Biologia Piante da Frutto, Centro Ricerca e Innovazione, Fondazione Edmund Mach (FEM), San Michele all'Adige, Italy
Interests: food quality; food chemistry; plant physiology; plant biotechnology; plant breeding; food processing and engineering; food analysis; food science and technology; food processing; antioxidant activity
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Background and History of This Topic
Microbial interactions with fruit crops have long been recognized as pivotal to plant health and productivity and, from early studies on mycorrhizal fungi and nitrogen-fixing bacteria to recent discoveries in plant microbiomes, the role of beneficial microbes has evolved from a niche interest to a central theme in sustainable agriculture. Advances in molecular biology, genomics, and metabolomics have revealed the complexity and specificity of these partnerships, highlighting their potential to improve crop yield, enhance fruit quality, and bolster resilience against biotic and abiotic stresses.
Aim and Scope of the Special Issue
This Special Issue aims to bring together cutting-edge research and reviews that explore the multifaceted roles of microbial communities in fruit crop systems, and seeks to deepen our understanding of how microbial partnerships can be harnessed to optimize agricultural practices, reduce chemical inputs, and promote environmental sustainability. The scope includes both fundamental and applied studies across diverse fruit crops, microbial taxa, and ecological contexts.
Cutting-Edge Research
We are particularly interested in contributions that:
- Uncover novel microbial taxa or consortia associated with fruit crops.
- Elucidate mechanisms of plant–microbe interactions at molecular, physiological, or ecological levels.
- Demonstrate field-level applications of microbial inoculants or biostimulants.
- Integrate microbiome data with breeding, agronomy, or climate resilience strategies.
- Explore the impact of agricultural practices on microbial diversity and function.
What Kind of Papers We Are Soliciting
We welcome submissions in the following categories:
- Original research articles presenting novel data and insights.
- Reviews and meta-analyses synthesizing current knowledge and identifying future directions.
- Short communications reporting preliminary findings or innovative methodologies.
- Case studies highlighting successful applications of microbial technologies in fruit crop production.
- Perspective and opinion pieces discussing emerging trends, challenges, and opportunities in the field.
Dr. Daniela Sangiorgio
Dr. Brian Farneti
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. Agronomy is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly 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
- plant–microbe interactions
- fruit crop
- sustainable agriculture
- biostimulants
- stress resilience
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