Evaluation of Genomics for Detection of Plant Pathogens of Regulatory Concern
A special issue of Biology (ISSN 2079-7737). This special issue belongs to the section "Genetics and Genomics".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 March 2022) | Viewed by 8760
Special Issue Editors
Interests: technologies for detection and identification of plant pests (fungi-oomycetes) of regulatory significance; fungal detection and genotyping; real-time PCR; genomic; metagenomic
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Interests: molecular detection and identification of plant pathogens and pest species of regulatory concern; interlaboratory comparison studies; comparative genomics; metagenomics; identification of functional trait-based markers; population and genome dynamics for track and tracing; phylogeny; real-time (RT-)PCR; 1st, 2nd and 3rd generation sequencing; bioinformatics
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Healthy plants are essential for life on Earth. They produce the oxygen we breathe and make up over 80% of the food we eat. Plant pathogens and pest species threaten food security and cause great economic losses, and when engaging with international trade, regulations have to be implemented restricting the introduction and spread of plant pests. These regulations rely heavily on accurate plant disease diagnostics, which can be challenging for organisms that are difficult to isolate and/or to differentiate from closely-related, non-regulated species. With the introduction of molecular tools, fast and reliable detection and identification tests for regulated pests became available. The early detection of non-indigenous plant pathogens is the key to managing regulated and invasive species.
With the introduction of whole genome shotgun sequencing techniques, new powerful tools have become available in diagnostic laboratories for regulatory plant health. No longer do diagnosticians have to rely on a single genetic locus, but now they have the power of an entire (meta)genome at their disposal. Genome sequencing with high throughput sequencing (HTS) technologies are capable of processing large numbers of samples and producing even larger volumes of genomics data. By mining the genome sequences of closely-related pests and comparing them to one another, it is possible to design molecular markers that can be used by diagnostics labs to distinguish them from one another. Moreover in virology, this is a way to identify (novel) plant pathogenic viruses from metagenomic samples. These approaches rely on exploiting the genetic differences between species for identification or population-level analyses in order to respond to questions in regulatory research. With the increasing use of HTS, more specific guidelines are developed for applications in regulatory plant health.
In this Special Issue, the following topics can be presented: the development and validation of generic and specific bioinformatic pipelines for regulated plant pests; the use of comparative genomics for novel assay design; genome-wide phylogenomic analyses to distinguish regulated from non-regulated organisms; and population-level studies for track-and-trace purposes. In addition, we invite authors to reflect on possible implications for the use of HTS in regulatory plant health for phytosanitary policies.
Dr. Guillaume J. Bilodeau
Dr. Bart T. L. H. Van De Vossenberg
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. Biology 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 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.
Keywords
- molecular detection and identification
- regulated plant pathogens
- HTS detection
- genomics
- metagenomics
- comparative genomics
- population dynamics
Benefits of Publishing in a Special Issue
- Ease of navigation: Grouping papers by topic helps scholars navigate broad scope journals more efficiently.
- Greater discoverability: Special Issues support the reach and impact of scientific research. Articles in Special Issues are more discoverable and cited more frequently.
- Expansion of research network: Special Issues facilitate connections among authors, fostering scientific collaborations.
- External promotion: Articles in Special Issues are often promoted through the journal's social media, increasing their visibility.
- e-Book format: Special Issues with more than 10 articles can be published as dedicated e-books, ensuring wide and rapid dissemination.
Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.
