Soil-Associated Fungi and Their Role in Biological Control
A special issue of Journal of Fungi (ISSN 2309-608X).
Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 March 2023) | Viewed by 10801
Special Issue Editors
Interests: mycology; pant and soil Microbiome; biofungicides; biofertilizers
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Fungi are common inhabitants of soil and play vital roles in the soil environment as pathogens, antagonists, symbionts and as decomposers. Indeed, the soil is a huge reservoir of fungal biodiversity, which has still to be completely explored. Several fungal strains have antagonistic activities against a wide range of plant pathogens. The efficacy of antagonistic strains in controlling plant-pathogenic organisms depends on their ecological competencies, which comprise several mechanisms or combinations of modes of action, such as parasitism, antibiosis, competition for nutrients and space, production of siderophore, secondary volatile and non-volatile metabolites, and induced systemic resistance in the plant. Although the use of chemical control of plant disease is still prevalent, biological control of plant pathogens is becoming an important alternative to replace or integrate synthetic fungicides, due to the rising attention on agricultural practices that preserve human health and the environment.
The aim of this Special Issue is to collect the most recent scientific contributions on fungal biocontrol of plant diseases with emphasis on the application of soil-associated fungal biocontrol agents (BCAs). Articles covering new insights on the key strategies to optimize selection, characterization, mechanisms of action and different approaches to increase their effectiveness and stability are welcome.
Dr. Claudia Maria Oliveira Longa
Dr. Lidia Nicola
Guest Editors
Manuscript Submission Information
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Keywords
- fungal biocontrol
- antagonistic fungi
- antagonistic yeast
- soil-born fungi
- fungi BCAs
- fungus-like BCAs
- soil mycobiome
- organic agriculture
- suppressive soils
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