Plant Fungal Pathogens: Isolation, Characterization and Control Strategies

Dear Colleagues,

The outcome of interactions between plants and microbes can be neutral, detrimental, or even beneficial for the photoautotrophic organisms. Cultivated plants and fruit trees are permanently assaulted by several pathogens namely fungi, oomycetes, bacteria, phytoplasmas, viruses, and nematodes.

The interaction between plants and their pathogens is more than just a series of puzzles for plant biologists to resolve, as it can be a matter of life and death for the plant. Nowadays, it has become clear that plant and animal innate immunity display many structural and functional similitudes, which suggests a shared evolutionary origin of pathogen perception and respective signal transduction in higher eukaryotes.

Why are some microbes able to attack certain types of plants and not others? Is it because they do not have the necessary weapons to infect them or because some plants are equipped with better arsenals to counteract the assault?

Why some microbes are pathogenic and others not? How do plants defend themselves from pathogen attack?

Plant pathogens are generally managed by chemical treatments using different synthetic substances belonging to different chemical specialties. However, it is important to understand the cause of symptoms in a plant to effectively control the disease while avoiding unnecessary efforts. In this Special Issue, understanding the critical role of host-pathogen interaction in developing new and alternative biocontrol agents that promote plant health and disease resistance in crop pathosystems is of interest.

Based on the above, we highly encourage experts and researchers to contribute with original scientific articles, reviews, and communications addressing the following topics:

• Isolation, morphological and molecular characterization of plant pathogens;
• Etiology and epidemiology of plant pathogens;
• Pathogenesis mechanisms and plant defense;
• Plants resistance mechanisms;

• Chemical controls and integrated control strategies;

• Biological control: screening, mechanisms of action, formulation and field applications.

Prof. Dr. Essaid Ait Barka
Prof. Dr. Rachid Lahlali
Guest Editors

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