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Biological Control of Fungal Diseases, 2nd Edition
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Biological Control of Fungal Diseases, 2nd Edition

A special issue of Journal of Fungi (ISSN 2309-608X). This special issue belongs to the section "Fungi in Agriculture and Biotechnology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 October 2025 | Viewed by 1913

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Alessandro Vitale

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Agriculture, Food and Environment (Di3A), University of Catania, 95123 Catania, Italy
Interests: post-harvest diseases; biological control; fungal diseases
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Fungal diseases represent a serious threat for agricultural production and food security worldwide. They significantly decrease the quality and quantity of agricultural commodities, causing heavy economic losses.

According to current sustainability policies, there is a general tendency to reduce the usage of synthetic fungicides, whereas biocontrol-based approaches of phytopathogenic fungi are increasingly attracting researcher interest. In addition to providing an overview of the latest insights into the mode of actions, advantages and applications of biological control of fungi, this Special Issue will provide new findings about the use of (i) biological control agents (BCAs); (ii) bio-molecules, bio-inspired compounds, natural compounds and plant extracts; and (iii) eco-friendly techniques aimed at both achieving biological management and decreasing the impact of fungal diseases on crops, agro-ecosystems and human health. Thus, the main goal of this Special Issue is to encourage the development of innovative and sustainable biocontrol-based approaches for fungal disease management. Research, review and perspective articles as well as short communications are welcome.

Dr. Alessandro Vitale
Guest Editor

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

  • post-harvest diseases
  • biological control
  • fungal diseases
  • diseases of tropical fruits

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Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

16 pages, 3130 KiB  
Article
Ozone Treatment Inhibited the Blue Mold Development and Maintained the Main Active Ingredient Content in Radix astragali Infected by Penicillium polonicum Through Activating Reactive Oxygen Species Metabolism
by Jihui Xi, Qili Liu, Qingru Zhang, Zhiguang Liu, Huali Xue and Yuqin Feng
J. Fungi 2025, 11(6), 402; https://doi.org/10.3390/jof11060402 - 23 May 2025
Viewed by 399
Abstract
Radix astragali is a homologous plant of medicine and food with a variety of health benefits. However, our previous study showed that blue mold, caused by Penicillium polonicum, is the most important postharvest disease of fresh R. astragali during storage. Ozone, as [...] Read more.
Radix astragali is a homologous plant of medicine and food with a variety of health benefits. However, our previous study showed that blue mold, caused by Penicillium polonicum, is the most important postharvest disease of fresh R. astragali during storage. Ozone, as a strong oxidizing agent, can effectively control the occurrence of postharvest diseases in fruits and vegetables. Nevertheless, there are few research studies on the effect of ozone-treated fresh Chinese traditional medicine. In this study, we investigated the effect of ozone gas on the postharvest blue mold development, mycotoxin accumulation, and main active component contents in fresh R. astragali infected by P. polonicum, and analyzed the possible action mechanism on ROS metabolism. The result indicates that ozone application significantly inhibited the development of postharvest blue mold caused by P. polonicum infection, reduced the disease incidence, disease index, and weight loss rate, maintained the main active ingredients in fresh R. astragali by activating ROS metabolism, enhanced the antioxidant enzymatic activity, thus avoiding oxidative damage caused by excessive ROS accumulation, and maintained the integrity of the cell membrane, ultimately controlling the occurrence of blue mold of R. astragali. Moreover, ozone treatment also maintained the contents of the main active ingredients in R. astragali before 14 d during P. polonicum infection. In addition, the amount of active ingredients of astragaloside I, calycosin-7-glucoside, and ononin in the ozone-treated group was higher than that in the control group during the storage period. We speculate that, under the action of ozone, astragaloside IV was converted into astragaloside II by oxidative modification and astragaloside II was further oxidized to astragaloside I, resulting in the accumulation of astragaloside I. Similarity, the hydrogen atoms (-H) on the benzene ring in formononetin were oxidized to phenolic hydroxyl groups (-OH) to generate calycosin, which was further converted into calycosin-7-glucoside, resulting in calycosin-7-glucoside accumulation. This study will provide the theoretical basis for ozone commercial application to control the occurrence of postharvest diseases of R. astragali. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biological Control of Fungal Diseases, 2nd Edition)
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15 pages, 5980 KiB  
Article
Prevalence of Neofusicoccum parvum Associated with Fruit Rot of Mango in South Italy and Its Biological Control Under Postharvest Conditions
by Laura Vecchio, Alessandro Vitale, Dalia Aiello, Chiara Di Pietro, Lucia Parafati and Giancarlo Polizzi
J. Fungi 2025, 11(5), 384; https://doi.org/10.3390/jof11050384 - 17 May 2025
Viewed by 347
Abstract
Botryosphaeriaceae species were recently found to be responsible for heavy mango crop losses worldwide. In 2020, mango fruit samples showing fruit decay symptoms were collected from Glenn, Kent, Irwin, Palmer, Brokaw 2, and Gomera 3 accessions in 4 orchards located in Sicily (Italy). [...] Read more.
Botryosphaeriaceae species were recently found to be responsible for heavy mango crop losses worldwide. In 2020, mango fruit samples showing fruit decay symptoms were collected from Glenn, Kent, Irwin, Palmer, Brokaw 2, and Gomera 3 accessions in 4 orchards located in Sicily (Italy). A molecular analysis of the ITS and tub2 regions performed on 41 representative isolates allowed for the identification of mainly Neofusicoccum parvum and occasionally Botryosphaeria dothidea (1/41) as the causal agents of fruit decay. Pathogenicity proofs were satisfied for both fungal pathogens. Ripe and unripe Gomera 3 mango fruits were used to compare the virulence among the N. parvum isolates. Postharvest experiments performed on Gomera 3 fruits and by using different biocontrol agents (BCAs) showed that the performance of treatments in reducing fruit decay depends on N. parvum virulence. The data show that unregistered Wickerhamomyces anomalus WA-2 and Pichia kluyveri PK-3, followed by the trade bioformulate Serenade™ (Bacillus amyloliquefaciens QST713), were the most effective in managing mango fruit rot. This paper shows, for the first time, the potential of different BCAs, including Trichoderma spp., for the controlling of postharvest decay caused by N. parvum on mango fruits. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biological Control of Fungal Diseases, 2nd Edition)
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13 pages, 3034 KiB  
Article
The Resistance Mechanisms of Anilinopyrimidine Fungicide Pyrimethanil in Sclerotinia sclerotiorum
by Yanfen Wang, Zeyuan Chen, Tiancheng Liu, Xupeng Gao, Yanchao Shi, Honghui Wu, Runqiang Liu, Yunchao Kan, Hao Yu and Feng Zhou
J. Fungi 2025, 11(5), 344; https://doi.org/10.3390/jof11050344 - 28 Apr 2025
Viewed by 395
Abstract
The necrotrophic pathogen Sclerotinia sclerotiorum is widely distributed and infects a broad range of hosts, making it one of the most economically damaging plant pathogens. This study demonstrated that pyrimethanil, an anilinopyrimidine fungicide, exhibited potent activity against S. sclerotiorum, with EC50 [...] Read more.
The necrotrophic pathogen Sclerotinia sclerotiorum is widely distributed and infects a broad range of hosts, making it one of the most economically damaging plant pathogens. This study demonstrated that pyrimethanil, an anilinopyrimidine fungicide, exhibited potent activity against S. sclerotiorum, with EC50 values ranging from 0.411 to 0.610 μg/mL. Four highly pyrimethanil-resistant mutants were obtained through chemical taming, with EC50 values of 7.247 to 24.718 μg/mL. These mutants exhibited significantly reduced mycelial growth, sclerotia production, and pathogenicity compared to their wild-type parental isolates, indicating that pyrimethanil resistance suffered a fitness penalty in S. sclerotiorum. Notably, three mutants (DDJH-Pyri-R1, DDJH-Pyri-R3, and DDJH-Pyri-R4), completely lose the capacity to infect detached tomato leaves. Point mutations that cause amino acid changes in the predicted sequence of cystathione-γ synthase (CGS) and cystathione-β lyase (CBL), encoded by SsCGS1 and SsCGS2, were identified in three mutants. However, one mutant (DDJH-Pyri-R2) showed no mutations in these genes, suggesting an alternative resistance mechanism. Molecular docking revealed that mutations in SsCGS1-R3, SsCGS1-R4, and SsCGS2-R1 reduced the binding affinity between pyrimethanil and SsCGSs. No cross-resistance was observed between pyrimethanil and other commonly used fungicides, including carbendazim, fludioxonil, prochloraz, tebuconazole, pyraclostrobin, boscalid, fluazinam, and cyprodinil. These findings provide valuable insights for designing resistance inhibitors and suggest that pyrimethanil has significant potential for controlling soybean sclerotinia stem rot (SSR) caused by S. sclerotiorum. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biological Control of Fungal Diseases, 2nd Edition)
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21 pages, 5344 KiB  
Article
Evaluating the Role of Nutrient Competition in Debaryomyces hansenii Biocontrol Activity Against Spoilage Molds in the Meat Industry
by Helena Chacón-Navarrete, Ignacio García-Álvarez de Toledo, José Ramos and Francisco Javier Ruiz-Castilla
J. Fungi 2025, 11(4), 242; https://doi.org/10.3390/jof11040242 - 22 Mar 2025
Viewed by 529
Abstract
The rejection of chemical preservatives reflects the growing demand for natural and safe products. This concern has spurred scientific interest in yeasts as biocontrol agents, given their antagonistic activity against undesired fungi, which is one of the main problems associated with preservative reduction. [...] Read more.
The rejection of chemical preservatives reflects the growing demand for natural and safe products. This concern has spurred scientific interest in yeasts as biocontrol agents, given their antagonistic activity against undesired fungi, which is one of the main problems associated with preservative reduction. Debaryomyces hansenii is a non-conventional yeast that has shown great potential for inhibiting filamentous fungi in the food industry. This study investigated the role of nutrient competition in the biocontrol activity of D. hansenii against unwanted molds. Potentially pathogenic molds from spoiled food were isolated using different media and identified using Sanger sequencing. The inhibitory effects of different autochthonous D. hansenii strains under varying nutrient conditions were assessed against isolated molds using semipermeable membranes. Inhibition activity was measured by assessing mycelial expansion and spore production using image software analysis and classical cell counting using a Neubauer chamber. The results indicated that D. hansenii effectively inhibited mold growth and sporulation, with the autochthonous strains LR2 and SRF1 showing higher inhibitory activity than the control strain CBS767. The effectiveness of inhibition varied with the yeast–mold combination, highlighting the need for a species-specific analysis. Nutrient competition plays a complementary role in D. hansenii biocontrol but does not directly impact overall inhibition. This suggests that other mechanisms, such as direct cell interactions or metabolite production, may be crucial. These findings enhance our understanding of the potential of D. hansenii as a natural preservative and advance biocontrol methods for food safety. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biological Control of Fungal Diseases, 2nd Edition)
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