Fungal Diseases in Crops

Dear Colleagues,

Phytopathogenic fungi are among the most dominant causal agents of crop diseases. Fungal diseases lead to a significant reduction in crop yield and quality, thereby posing a significant risk to global food security and economic development. The most devastating fungal disease is rice blast caused by Magnaporthe oryzae, resulting in losses of up to 10–30% of the global yield of rice worldwide. In addition to causing yield and quality losses, many fungal pathogens, such as Fusarium graminearum, produce mycotoxins during infection that pose great threats to human and animal health. As the global climate and tillage system change, fungal diseases are emerging on new hosts and in new places. In order to develop sustainable management strategies for crop protection and improve crop resistance to fungal diseases, we must understand the pathogen biology, host–pathogen interactions, and host resistance to diseases, as well as epidemiology and disease management.

The aim of this Special Issue is to cover the research on fungal diseases in crops. We welcome manuscripts on the following subtopics, but not limited to: 1) biology of fungal pathogens towards gaining more insights into the infection process and the weak spots in the disease cycles; 2) host–pathogen interaction and plant immunity to fungal pathogens; 3) diseases caused by emerging and re-emerging fungal populations or species; 4) population diversity and adaptive evolution revealed by genomics and population genomics. Manuscripts addressing epidemiology, the impact of climate change, and novel strategies to control fungal diseases and/or mycotoxin contamination are also welcome.

We invite you to submit research articles, as well as reviews and short communications related to state-of-the-art research on fungal diseases in crops.

Prof. Dr. Huiquan Liu
Prof. Dr. Cong Jiang
Prof. Dr. Guotian Li 
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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