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Biodiversity, Systematics, and Evolution of Plant Pathogenic Fungi
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Biodiversity, Systematics, and Evolution of Plant Pathogenic Fungi

A special issue of Journal of Fungi (ISSN 2309-608X). This special issue belongs to the section "Fungal Evolution, Biodiversity and Systematics".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 June 2025 | Viewed by 3924

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Xiangyu Zeng

E-Mail Website
Collection Editor
Department of Plant Pathology, College of Agriculture, Guizhou University, Guiyang 550025, China
Interests: fungal taxonomy; fungal plant pathology; fungal genetics; molecular mycology; metabolomics
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Haixia Wu

E-Mail Website
Collection Editor
International Fungal Research and Development Centre, Institute of Highland Forest Science, Chinese Academy of Forestry, Kunming 650224, China
Interests: taxonomy and evolution of microfungi; fungal taxonomy; fungal plant pathology
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Prof. Dr. Yong Wang

E-Mail Website
Collection Editor
Department of Plant Pathology, College of Agriculture, Guizhou University, Guiyang 550025, China
Interests: plant fungal pathogens; fungal taxonomy; fungal plant pathology
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Fungal phytopathogens are a significant concern in the fields of agriculture, floriculture, and horticulture. They are major agents of plant diseases resulting in great economic losses every year. However, most fungal plant pathogens do not produce sexual morphs and may have overlapping morphological characteristics, making it difficult to identify these species accurately. DNA-based phylogenies may also encounter difficulties in accurate identifications due to insufficient sampling sizes, wrong sequence data, and misinterpretation of analyses. Current taxonomic systems of many pathogenic fungal groups are far from perfect, and complex and cryptic species are commonplace. It is interesting to see the same species causing disease in a wide range of hosts, whereas some species are host-specific or geographically endemic. Some phytopathogens are emerging or re-emerging, creating a potential threat to the biodiversity as well as the economy of a country. Hence, studies on phytopathogens are essential.

This Topical Collection aims to unravel the taxonomic boundaries of fungal phytopathogens. Both original research articles and reviews about fungal pathogens, especially those on crops, are welcomed.

We look forward to receiving your contributions.

Dr. Xiangyu Zeng
Dr. Haixia Wu
Prof. Dr. Yong Wang
Collection 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. Journal of Fungi 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

  • diversity
  • ecology
  • evolution
  • fungal pathogens
  • novel taxa
  • phylogeny
  • systematics
  • taxonomy

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Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

12 pages, 3929 KiB  
Article
Establishment of a Mutant Library for Infection Cushion Development and Identification of a Key Regulatory Gene in Botrytis cinerea
by Maoyao Tang, Kexin Wang, Pan Zhang, Jie Hou, Xiaoqian Yu, Hongfu Wang, Yangyizhou Wang and Guihua Li
J. Fungi 2025, 11(1), 16; https://doi.org/10.3390/jof11010016 - 29 Dec 2024
Viewed by 914
Abstract
Botrytis cinerea, the grey mould fungus affecting over 1400 plant species, employs infection cushion (IC), a branched and claw-like structure formed by mycelia, as a critical strategy to breach host surface barriers. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying IC formation remain largely unexplored. [...] Read more.
Botrytis cinerea, the grey mould fungus affecting over 1400 plant species, employs infection cushion (IC), a branched and claw-like structure formed by mycelia, as a critical strategy to breach host surface barriers. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying IC formation remain largely unexplored. In this study, we utilized a forward genetics approach to establish a large T-DNA tagged population of B. cinerea, which contained 14,000 transformants. Through phenotype screening, we identified 161 mutants with defects in IC development. Detailed analyses revealed that these mutants exhibited various degrees of impairment in IC formation, ranging from complete failure to form ICs to a reduction in the number and maturity of ICs. Further genetic analysis of one of the mutants led to the identification of EXO70, a gene encoding a component of the exocyst complex, as a key regulatory factor in IC development. Mutants with deletion of EXO70 failed to form ICs, confirming its crucial role in the process. The mutant library reported here provides a rich resource for further large-scale identification of genes involved in IC development. Our findings provide valuable insights into the genetic and molecular basis of IC formation and offer new targets for controlling B. cinerea pathogenicity. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biodiversity, Systematics, and Evolution of Plant Pathogenic Fungi)
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22 pages, 7508 KiB  
Article
Diversity of Cytospora Species Associated with Trunk Diseases of Prunus persica (Peach) in Northern China
by Zhizheng He, Pranami D. Abeywickrama, Linna Wu, Yueyan Zhou, Wei Zhang, Jiye Yan, Qiaoxia Shang, Ying Zhou and Shifang Li
J. Fungi 2024, 10(12), 843; https://doi.org/10.3390/jof10120843 - 5 Dec 2024
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1346
Abstract
Peach (Prunus persica) is widely cultivated in China, but fungal diseases, particularly Cytospora canker, significantly impact tree health, reducing fruit yield and economic value. This disease mainly weakens tree branches and trunks, sometimes leading to tree death. There are no updated [...] Read more.
Peach (Prunus persica) is widely cultivated in China, but fungal diseases, particularly Cytospora canker, significantly impact tree health, reducing fruit yield and economic value. This disease mainly weakens tree branches and trunks, sometimes leading to tree death. There are no updated studies on the diversity of Cytospora species associated with peach Cytospora canker in northern China. To determine the Cytospora species associated with this disease, we surveyed five provinces from 2022 to 2023, collecting 72 disease samples with symptoms including branches with black fruiting bodies, cankers, cracking, dieback, and gummosis. Through morphology and multi-loci phylogeny, 127 isolates were identified into four known (C. ailanthicola, C. erumpens, C. leucostoma, and C. leucosperma) and two previously undescribed species (C. gansuensis sp. nov. and C. qinanensis sp. nov.). Cytospora leucostoma (73.60%) was the most abundant. Pathogenicity tests indicated that except for C. ailanthicola, all other species were pathogenic to peach, with C. erumpens being the most aggressive. This study is the first to report the novel host association of C. erumpens on peaches globally and represents the first comprehensive investigation of Cytospora species associated with canker diseases in the main peach production area in northern China, offering a foundation for developing effective disease management strategies. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biodiversity, Systematics, and Evolution of Plant Pathogenic Fungi)
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15 pages, 1741 KiB  
Article
Population Structure and Mating Type Distribution of Cercospora sojina from Soybeans in Indiana, United States
by Guohong Cai, Leandro Lopes da Silva, Natalia Piñeros-Guerrero and Darcy E. P. Telenko
J. Fungi 2024, 10(11), 802; https://doi.org/10.3390/jof10110802 - 19 Nov 2024
Viewed by 1218
Abstract
Frogeye leaf spot on soybeans is traditionally considered as a southern disease in the United States but its impact in North Central USA has been rising in recent years. In this study, we investigated the population structure and mating type distribution in the [...] Read more.
Frogeye leaf spot on soybeans is traditionally considered as a southern disease in the United States but its impact in North Central USA has been rising in recent years. In this study, we investigated the population structure and mating type distribution in the C. sojina population from Indiana, USA. Based on 27 single nucleotide polymorphism markers, 49 multi-locus genotypes (MLGs) were identified in 234 isolates collected from 29 counties in Indiana in 2020. Bayesian analysis grouped the 49 MLGs into three clusters. This grouping was supported by principal coordinate analysis and, in large part, by the unweighted pair group method with arithmetic mean and minimal spanning tree. Only one mating-type idiomorph was found in each isolate and in each MLG. The MAT1-1 idiomorph was found in 22 MLGs and the MAT1-2 idiomorph was found in 27 MLGs. Based on clone-corrected data, the distribution of mating-type idiomorphs did not deviate significantly from 1:1 ratio in Indiana as a whole and in 22 out of 24 counties where two or more MLGs were found. Thirty MLGs contained QoI-resistant isolates and 22 MLGs contained QoI-sensitive isolates, with three MLGs containing both types of isolates. MLG1, the most common MLG with 90 isolates, contained mostly QoI-resistant isolates. Interestingly, MLG1 was also the dominant genotype in the Tennessee population collected in 2015, suggesting that MLG1 has been a dominant genotype in a wider region for many years. Based on the standard index of association (r¯d), the Indiana population as a whole was in significant linkage disequilibrium. However, in five out of 16 counties where three or more MLGs were found, the null hypothesis of linkage equilibrium was not rejected. Tests of linkage disequilibrium between locus pairs showed that 33.3% of locus pairs on the same contigs were in significant disequilibrium and 17.7% of locus pairs on different contigs were in significant disequilibrium. The possibility of a cryptic sexual stage was discussed. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biodiversity, Systematics, and Evolution of Plant Pathogenic Fungi)
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