The Role of Organic Amendments in Controlling Soilborne Plant Pathogens in Horticulture

A special issue of Horticulturae (ISSN 2311-7524). This special issue belongs to the section "Plant Pathology and Disease Management (PPDM)".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 November 2025 | Viewed by 59

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Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development, 262 South River Road, Carnarvon, WA 6701, Australia
Interests: vegetable varieties; nutrient management; nutrient use efficiency; sensor-based phenotytping; desicision support tools
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Soilborne plant pathogens that cause root and crown rots, wilts, and damping-off are major yield-limiting factors in the production of horticultural crops. It is generally difficult to control soilborne pathogens since they stay deep in soil. Comprehensive approaches such as crop rotation, soil solarization, and the application of beneficial biological control microbes, resistant varieties, soil fumigants, etc., must be utilized to successfully control soilborne pathogens.

External organic amendments have traditionally been applied to improve soil health and fertility, but in some cases, plant disease suppression can also be observed. Prior research has demonstrated that the application of organic amendments can improve different aspects of soil and enable the control of soilborne pathogens.

Organic amendments to soil have been shown to assist in the development of suppressive features, which provide an environment in which plant disease development is reduced. This effect is related to the multiplication and diversification of microbial organisms after an organic input, which might play an important role in the functioning of plants by influencing their physiology and development and may effectively protect them against soilborne pathogens. The continuous development of new technologies for microbial community analysis has allowed a deeper understanding of the mechanisms and activities that soil microbes display under different conditions.

This Special Issue is therefore designed to synthesize up-to-date research on the benefits of using organic amendments that provide horticultural crops with protection against soilborne plant pathogens.

Dr. Giao Nguyen
Guest Editor

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Keywords

  • horticultural crops
  • vegetable varieties
  • soil amendments
  • soil health and fertility
  • biofertilizers
  • fumigation
  • chemical control
  • disease resistance
  • microorganisms
  • cover crops
  • biochar

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