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Current Research on Soilborne Fungal Pathogens in Plants, 2nd Version

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Special Issue Editors

Dr. Andrew Chen

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Guest Editor

School of Agriculture and Food Science, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD 4067, Australia
Interests: Fusarium oxysporum; Fusarium wilt in banana; banana–Fusarium interactions; Verticillium dahliae; host plant resistance to Fusarium oxysporum
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Prof. Dr. Elizabeth Aitken

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Guest Editor

School of Agriculture and Food Science, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD 4067, Australia
Interests: diseases of tropical crops; the genetics of plant–pathogen interactions; molecular aspects of pathogenicity and disease diagnostics; Fusarium oxysporum; Fusarium wilt in banana; Verticillium dahliae
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Soilborne diseases cause major reductions in crop production every year. With a changing climate, pathogens are believed to be adapting and evolving under different geographical conditions conducive for diseases. Crops of all size and shapes, including vegetables, fruits, cereals, ornamentals, and high-value crops are vulnerable to a wide range of soilborne pathogens including but not limited to fungi, oomycetes, nematodes, and viruses. Some of the common soilborne pathogens include Fusarium ssp., Phytophthora spp., Pythium spp., Sclerotinia spp., Verticillium spp., Rhizoctonia spp., and Thielaviopsis spp. In this Special Issue, we welcome original research, short communications, reviews, and reports on all aspects of soilborne fungal pathogens, including advances in fungal pathogen population genetics; pathogen diagnostics to aid early detection of pathogens in the field; forward or reverse genetics in understanding the fungal effectors that are important in plant pathogenesis; epidemiology of the infection process; biological control systems in the effective management of soilborne fungal diseases; soil fertility, health, and studies on pathogen-suppressive soils; integrated systems for disease management; studies at the gene expression and protein level to understand plant–pathogen interactions; host plant resistance mechanisms; large genomic and transcriptomic datasets to understand genome structure and diversity, as well as the pathogenicity of plant soilborne pathogens and the corresponding host defence pathways; proof-of-function knockout mutants; and identification, isolation, and cultivation of these pathogens.

Given the prevalence of these pathogens in agriculture, the difficulties in the long-term control of these pathogens, and their economic significance, we hope that this Special Issue will provide a platform for current research in plant soilborne fungal pathogens to be disseminated and thereby addressing the knowledge gaps to improve our understanding of these pathogens and their management in the field.

Dr. Andrew Chen
Prof. Dr. Elizabeth Aitken
Guest Editors

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Keywords

soilborne pathogens
Fusarium ssp.
Phytophthora spp.
Pythium spp.
Sclerotinia spp.
Verticillium spp.
Rhizoctonia spp.
Thielaviopsis spp.
pathogen population genetics
pathogen diagnostics
biological control of soilborne diseases
plant-pathogen interactions
host resistance to soilborne pathogens
characterization of pathogen effectors
genomic and transcriptomic characterisation of these pathogens

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13 pages, 3644 KB

Open AccessArticle

The FoPLT Gene of Fusarium oxysporum Affects Conidial Development and Pathogenicity

by Xiaoqi Han, Yanglin Zhang, Tianhao Fu, Yinuo Liu, Yanzhao Zhu, Yanan Wang, Xianglong Meng, Pengbo Dai, Keqiang Cao, Bo Li and Shutong Wang

J. Fungi 2026, 12(3), 194; https://doi.org/10.3390/jof12030194 - 9 Mar 2026

Viewed by 535

Abstract

Apple replant disease (ARD) is a soil-borne disease that severely restricts root development in orchards, impedes tree growth, and leads to reduced yields and decreased fruit quality, and thus significant economic losses. Previous studies identified Fusarium oxysporum as a major pathogenic agent. In this study, a T-DNA insertion mutant library of 13,000 F. oxysporum HS2 strains was utilized to screen for mutants with impaired pathogenicity. Nine mutants exhibiting reduced virulence were obtained, and the insertion sites of five mutants were successfully identified. Among them, we selected the HS2-29 strain, which exhibited the most significant decrease in conidial production, for further investigation. Its T-DNA was inserted into the FoPLT gene. RT-qPCR analysis revealed that the expression of the FoPLT gene rapidly increased during the early infection stage, followed by a decline and eventual stabilization. After the deletion of the FoPLT gene, the production of aerial hyphae, conidial yield, conidial length, and conidial diameter all significantly decreased. Stress tolerance assays indicated that FoPLT does not affect cell wall integrity in F. oxysporum. The deletion of the FoPLT gene significantly reduced the pathogenicity of F. oxysporum, and inoculating Malus robusta seedlings with the FoPLT knockout mutant led to significant increases in plant height, root length, fresh weight, and dry weight. These results suggest that the FoPLT gene plays a critical role in the pathogenicity of F. oxysporum. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Current Research on Soilborne Fungal Pathogens in Plants, 2nd Version)

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