Advances in Forest Pathology and Molecular Virology
A special issue of Forests (ISSN 1999-4907). This special issue belongs to the section "Forest Health".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 10 May 2026 | Viewed by 72
Special Issue Editors
2. Agrionix.AI, UNIDO (United Nations Industrial Development Organization), Latokartanonkaari 3, 00790 Helsinki, Finland
Interests: forest ecology and pathology; molecular interplay of viruses with fungal hosts and their impact on host trees; molecular level interaction between fungal pathogen and host tree; genomics of tree–fungal pathogen interactions; disease resistance
Interests: plant pathology; plant nematology; molecular basis of plant–nematode parasitic interactions; biology of parasitism proteins (effectors); genomics and transcriptomics
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Forest ecosystems worldwide are increasingly threatened by a wide range of biotic agents, including fungal pathogens, oomycetes, viruses, and their complex interactions with host trees. These threats, combined with climate change and global trade, are intensifying the risks of disease outbreaks and large-scale forest decline. Understanding how pathogens spread, how trees respond, and how microbial communities influence forest health is therefore critical to safeguarding biodiversity and ensuring forest resilience.
Recent advances in forest pathology and molecular virology offer new opportunities to explore these processes in depth, with high-throughput sequencing, metagenomics, and molecular diagnostics now providing detailed insights into pathogen diversity, virulence factors, and tree–pathogen interactions at cellular and genomic levels. At the same time, molecular virology is reshaping our view of viruses, highlighting their roles not only as harmful agents but also as potential modulators of microbial communities and tree physiology. The integration of these approaches with remote sensing, bioinformatics, and systems biology enhances early detection of invasive pathogens, improved risk assessment, and the development of targeted, sustainable disease management strategies.
In this Special Issue, we aim to bring together research that advances both the molecular and ecological understanding of forest diseases and tree-associated viruses, and we particularly welcome original research papers and reviews addressing the following topics:
- Innovative molecular diagnostics for early detection of forest pathogens and viruses;
- Host–pathogen interaction studies at genomic, cellular, and ecological scales;
- The role of viruses in forest health and microbial community dynamics;
- Applications of bioinformatics, metagenomics, and systems biology in forest pathology;
- Remote sensing and digital tools for disease monitoring and risk assessment;
- Sustainable strategies for disease prevention, mitigation, and adaptation under climate change.
We encourage contributions from experimental studies, field monitoring, and modelling approaches to enrich this Special Issue. By combining molecular insights with ecological perspectives, these studies will provide novel solutions and strategies to strengthen forest resilience against current and future biotic threats.
Dr. Muhammad Kashif
Dr. Margarida Espada
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. Forests 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
- forest pathology
- molecular virology
- tree–pathogen interactions
- fungal and viral diseases in forests
- genomics and metagenomics
- molecular diagnostics
- host resistance mechanisms
- climate change impacts
- invasive forest pathogens
- sustainable disease management
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