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Monitoring, Management and Ecotoxicological Implications of Plant Fungal Disease Control
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Monitoring, Management and Ecotoxicological Implications of Plant Fungal Disease Control

A Special Issue of Journal of Fungi (ISSN 2309-608X).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 December 2026 | Viewed by 2086

Editors

Prof. Dr. Gil Rodrigues dos Santos

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Programa de Pós-Graduação em Produção Vegetal, Universidade Federal do Tocantins, Gurupi 77402-970, Brazil
Interests: plant health; alternative control; bioprospecting; epidemiology; integrated disease management
Dr. Eugenio E. Oliveira

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Departamento de Entomologia, Universidade Federal de Viçosa, Viçosa 36570-900, Brazil
Interests: biorational control; molecular toxicology; phytosanitary defense; pesticide development
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The diagnosis, monitoring, and management of fungal diseases are essential for enhancing crop productivity and improving the quality of harvested products, thereby contributing to global food security. Technological advancements have increasingly supported growers and agricultural professionals in detecting plant pathogens, enabling the more effective implementation of integrated disease management strategies.

This Special Issue of Journal of Fungi is dedicated to innovative research and comprehensive reviews addressing the diagnosis, monitoring, epidemiology, and integrated control of fungal and oomycete diseases in cultivated plants.

We welcome the submission of original research articles and reviews on a wide range of topics, including but not limited to molecular diagnostic techniques, epidemiological modeling of plant diseases, and various control methods. These may encompass the application of modern fungicides and the biological control of fungal phytopathogens using diverse organisms such as fungi, bacteria, and mycoviruses, as well as cultural practices, plant nutrition strategies, genetic resistance, and botanical approaches to managing pathogenic fungi and oomycetes.

In particular, studies focusing on the ecotoxicological impacts of novel control strategies on non-target organisms, such as beneficial insects, pollinators, natural enemies, and soil or phyllosphere microorganisms, are highly encouraged. Understanding potential adverse effects and ensuring the ecological safety of new technologies is fundamental to the development of sustainable plant disease management programs. Research that integrates environmental risk assessment and explores the selectivity and compatibility of innovative methods with ecosystem services will be of high relevance to this Special Issue.

The aim of this Special Issue is to bring together novel findings and effective practices that advance the development of tools and knowledge to support plant disease diagnosis and protection, ultimately fostering increased agricultural productivity and sustainability.

Prof. Dr. Gil Rodrigues dos Santos
Dr. Eugênio Eduardo de Oliveira
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 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

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-anonymized 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

  • diagnosis
  • epidemiology
  • biorational control
  • phytopathogens
  • integrated management
  • plant health practices
  • agricultural sustainability
  • ecotoxicology
  • non-target organisms

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Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.

Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

18 pages, 3001 KB  
Article
Identification and Biological Control of Pestalotiopsis microspora Causing Leaf Spot Disease on Amomum villosum
by Na Pu, Rui Wang, Wanshan Shao, Tangjie Zhao, Xiaoxuan He, Dan Li, Xiahong He, Xin Hao and Jie Chen
J. Fungi 2026, 12(8), 570; https://doi.org/10.3390/jof12080570 - 1 Aug 2026
Viewed by 410
Abstract
Amomum villosum is an evergreen perennial herb widely distributed in tropical and subtropical regions, with significant economic and medicinal importance. Throughout the cultivation process, it faces severe fungal disease problems that significantly impact its yield and quality. In July 2025, leaf spot disease [...] Read more.
Amomum villosum is an evergreen perennial herb widely distributed in tropical and subtropical regions, with significant economic and medicinal importance. Throughout the cultivation process, it faces severe fungal disease problems that significantly impact its yield and quality. In July 2025, leaf spot disease with a 56% incidence was observed on A. villosum in Wenshan, Yunnan, China. Affected leaves initially developed irregular grayish-white lesions surrounded by brown margins. As symptom development progressed, semi-submerged black spots formed on the lesion surfaces. Severe infections resulted in premature leaf abscission and, ultimately, death of the entire plant. To identify the pathogen responsible, we conducted isolation and pathogenicity studies. Through morphological characterization, phylogenetic analysis (ITS, LSU, and TUB), and pathogenicity tests, Pestalotiopsis microspora was determined as a pathogen. Koch’s postulates were fulfilled on attached leaves. After 15 days, typical necrotic lesions appeared on inoculated leaves, while controls remained symptom-free. This is the first report of A. villosum leaf spot caused by P. microspora in China. Biocontrol assays revealed that Trichoderma harzianum T15 and T. asperellum T16 exhibited significant antagonistic activity against P. microspora, with inhibition rates of 44.77% and 50.70%, respectively. In addition, Bacillus velezensis SWFU41, isolated from healthy A. villosum leaves, showed superior disease suppression, achieving a control efficacy of 60.52%. Compared with the fungal biocontrol agents, B. velezensis demonstrated greater inhibitory activity against the pathogen, suggesting that bacterial antagonists may provide a more effective biological control strategy for managing A. villosum leaf spot disease. This is the first report of P. microspora-caused leaf spot disease on A. villosum. Furthermore, the comparative evaluation of fungal and bacterial antagonists demonstrated that B. velezensis SWFU41 outperformed T. harzianum and T. asperellum in disease suppression, highlighting its potential as a promising biocontrol agent for sustainable disease management. These findings provide a scientific basis for pathogen monitoring, epidemiological studies, and the development of integrated biological control strategies for A. villosum cultivation. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Monitoring, Management and Ecotoxicological Implications of Plant Fungal Disease Control)
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13 pages, 4277 KB  
Article
Colletotrichum Species Causing Anthracnose in Ipê Trees
by Elder F. M. Silva, Ana G. G. Amaral, André N. Oliveira, Luis O. Viteri, Cristiano B. Moraes, Eugênio E. Oliveira, Ailton Reis, Lavínia G. A. Freitas, Gil R. Santos and Marcos P. S. Câmara
J. Fungi 2026, 12(4), 284; https://doi.org/10.3390/jof12040284 - 17 Apr 2026
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1032
Abstract
Ipê trees (Bignoniaceae), mainly belonging to the genus Handroanthus, are widely used in urban landscaping and reforestation programs in Brazil. Anthracnose, typically associated with species of Colletotrichum, represents one of the major diseases affecting ipê seedlings and ornamental trees. However, the [...] Read more.
Ipê trees (Bignoniaceae), mainly belonging to the genus Handroanthus, are widely used in urban landscaping and reforestation programs in Brazil. Anthracnose, typically associated with species of Colletotrichum, represents one of the major diseases affecting ipê seedlings and ornamental trees. However, the etiological agents involved have not yet been fully clarified using modern phylogenetic tools. In this study, we identified Colletotrichum species associated with anthracnose in ipê trees from Pernambuco, Brazil. A total of 22 isolates were obtained from symptomatic leaves of Handroanthus impetiginosus and H. chrysotrichus. Species identification was based on multilocus phylogenetic analyses using CAL, GAPDH, GS, and TUB2 loci. The isolates were assigned to three species: Colletotrichum siamense, C. tropicale, and C. karsti. Colletotrichum siamense was the most prevalent species (50%), followed by C. tropicale (36.3%), while C. karsti represented 13.7% of the isolates. Pathogenicity tests confirmed that all isolates were pathogenic to both ipê species, producing typical anthracnose symptoms. Aggressiveness differed between hosts, with H. impetiginosus showing higher susceptibility, as indicated by larger lesion development, whereas H. chrysotrichus exhibited lower disease aggressiveness. Thus, our findings represent the first multilocus-based identification of Colletotrichum species causing anthracnose in ipê trees, providing new insights into the diversity and epidemiology of this disease in urban environments. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Monitoring, Management and Ecotoxicological Implications of Plant Fungal Disease Control)
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