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Epidemiology and Population Genetics of Fungal Plant Pathogens
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Epidemiology and Population Genetics of Fungal Plant Pathogens

A Special Issue of Journal of Fungi (ISSN 2309-608X) belonging to the section "Fungal Genomics, Genetics and Molecular Biology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 December 2026 | Viewed by 1566

Editors

Dr. Radivoje Jevtić

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Institute of Field and Vegetable Crops Serbia, Novi Sad, Serbia
Interests: phytopathology; cereals diseases; genetic resources; phenotyping; breeding for resistance
Dr. Vesna Župunski

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Institute of Field and Vegetable Crops Serbia, Novi Sad, Serbia
Interests: phytopathology; host–pathogen interactions; plant disease
Dr. Elena Gultyaeva

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Laboratory of Mycology and Phytopathology, All-Russian Institute of Plant Protection, 3, Shosse Podbelskogo, Pushkin, 196608 St. Petersburg, Russia
Interests: wheat diseases; diversity of pathogen population; wheat resistance to harmful organisms; plant–pathogen interaction; marker-assisted selection
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Fungal plant pathogens represent a major and persistent threat to agricultural production and natural ecosystems worldwide. Their ability to spread efficiently, adapt rapidly, and overcome host resistance poses significant challenges for sustainable disease management. Epidemiology provides essential insight into the temporal and spatial dynamics of disease development, linking pathogen life cycles with host susceptibility and environmental conditions. At the same time, population genetics reveals the evolutionary processes that shape pathogen diversity, including gene flow, recombination, and selection driven by host resistance and fungicide use.

This Special Issue aims to bring together research that bridges epidemiology and population genetics to advance our understanding of fungal plant pathogen dynamics across diverse agroecosystems and natural environments. Contributions may address, but are not limited to, pathogen dispersal and migration, temporal changes in population structure, the emergence of new races or lineages, host–pathogen coevolution, and the impacts of climate variability and management practices on disease development. Studies employing field experiments, long-term monitoring, molecular markers, genomics, and modeling approaches are particularly welcome.

This Special Issue aims to improve our understanding of pathogen dynamics and support the development of more effective and resilient disease management strategies.

Dr. Radivoje Jevtić
Dr. Vesna Župunski
Dr. Elena Gultyaeva
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

  • epidemiology
  • population genetics
  • fungal pathogens
  • plant disease
  • pathogen evolution
  • genetic diversity
  • disease dynamics
  • host–pathogen interactions

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

26 pages, 18304 KB  
Article
Pea Rust in Western Siberia: Resistant Varieties and Defense Mechanisms
by Lyudmila Plotnikova, Svetlana Kuzmina, Valeria Knaub and Marina Kukoleva
J. Fungi 2026, 12(7), 514; https://doi.org/10.3390/jof12070514 - 13 Jul 2026
Viewed by 519
Abstract
Rust, caused by the fungus Uromyces pisi, is the most harmful disease of peas in temperate regions. It is necessary to search for sources of resistance with different defense mechanisms in the pea gene pool. A set of 38 Pisum sativum accessions [...] Read more.
Rust, caused by the fungus Uromyces pisi, is the most harmful disease of peas in temperate regions. It is necessary to search for sources of resistance with different defense mechanisms in the pea gene pool. A set of 38 Pisum sativum accessions of various origin was studied in Western Siberia in 2021–2024. The aim of the research was to assess the accessions in the field and under controlled conditions using seedlings and adult plants, as well as to study the interaction of U. pisi with resistant varieties, and to determine genetic control of rust resistance. All accessions showed partial (incomplete) resistance to rust in the field. A set of 10 resistant varieties was used for studying U. pisi interaction with peas using cytological methods. The protective mechanisms of Russian varieties led to the inhibition of 50–90% spores on leaf surfaces before penetration into the stomata, and a part of the small colonies died without hypersensitive reaction in the tissues. Hydrogen peroxide and phenolic compounds with red and green autofluorescence appeared by the stage of sporogenesis. Five varieties showed adult resistance to rust. A hybridological analysis revealed monogenic dominant control of resistance in two varieties, and digenic control in two others. The information obtained expands the understanding of the partners’ interaction in the pathosystem ‘U. pisi–P. sativum’, and can also be used for breeding pea varieties with different resistance mechanisms. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Epidemiology and Population Genetics of Fungal Plant Pathogens)
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17 pages, 3548 KB  
Article
A Rapid Recombinase Polymerase Amplification–CRISPR/Cas12a Assay for Detecting Grapevine Black-Foot Pathogens
by Wenwen Liang, Baoyu Wang, Junbo Peng, Caiping Huang, Yueyan Zhou, Xing Li, Wei Zhang and Jiye Yan
J. Fungi 2026, 12(7), 455; https://doi.org/10.3390/jof12070455 - 23 Jun 2026
Viewed by 612
Abstract
Grapevine black-foot disease is a destructive trunk disease with a complex pathogen composition that often involves mixed and latent infections, making timely field diagnosis challenging. To improve rapid field detection, we developed a rapid, sensitive, and low instrument-dependent nucleic acid assay. The assay [...] Read more.
Grapevine black-foot disease is a destructive trunk disease with a complex pathogen composition that often involves mixed and latent infections, making timely field diagnosis challenging. To improve rapid field detection, we developed a rapid, sensitive, and low instrument-dependent nucleic acid assay. The assay integrates recombinase polymerase amplification (RPA) and clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR)–Cas12a for the detection of Ilyonectria and Dactylonectria, two genera associated with grapevine black-foot disease. Conserved regions of the histone H3 and β-tubulin genes were selected for the design of specific RPA primers and corresponding CRISPR RNAs (crRNAs) for Ilyonectria and Dactylonectria, respectively. A workflow integrating RPA, Cas12a-mediated recognition, and lateral flow assay (LFA)-based visualization was established. The reaction conditions were optimized to enhance amplification efficiency and Cas12a recognition stability. Specificity was evaluated using DNA from target and non-target fungi, and sensitivity was determined using serially diluted templates. Under optimized conditions, the assay detected Ilyonectria DNA at concentrations as low as 3.6 ng/μL within 1 h at 39 °C. For Dactylonectria, the detection limit reached 80 fg/μL within 50 min at 41 °C. No cross-reactivity was observed. The LFA strips exhibited positive and negative bands within minutes, enabling rapid visual interpretation. This RPA-CRISPR/Cas12a-LFA system provides a rapid, visually interpretable approach for detecting selected grapevine black-foot disease-associated species in China. The workflow reduces the requirement for specialized thermocycling and fluorescence detection equipment during amplification and readout, following DNA extraction. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Epidemiology and Population Genetics of Fungal Plant Pathogens)
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