Search for Articles:
Title / Keyword
Author / Affiliation / Email
Journal
Article Type
 
 
Advanced Search
 
Section
Special Issue
Volume
Issue
Number
Page
 
8.4
4.0
Journals
JoF
Special Issues
Integrated Management of Plant Fungal Diseases—2nd Edition
share announcement

Integrated Management of Plant 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: 30 June 2026 | Viewed by 534

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Mahfuz Rahman

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Extension Service, Davis College of Agriculture, West Virginia University, 1194 Evansdale Drive, Morgantown, WV 26506, USA
Interests: plant disease diagnostics; epidemiology and management of plant fungal diseases; integrated plant disease management; biological control; chemical control; soilborne pathogens; fungicide resistance management
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Prof. Dr. Tofazzal Islam

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Institute of Biotechnology and Genetic Engineering (IBGE), Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Agricultural University, Gazipur 1706, Bangladesh
Interests: rhizosphere ecology; microbial bioremediation; genome editing; emerging pollutants; sustainable environmental technology
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Fungal pathogens are a major cause of plant diseases among biotic agents and can be highly damaging under a conducive environment, significantly reducing yield and quality. Fungicides have been widely used to control plant diseases. However, the injudicious use of fungicide products can adversely affect human health and the environment, in addition to resistance development in fungal populations. Alternative options under integrated disease management (IDM) have gained popularity due to their proven role in fostering sustainability in disease management and thus maximizing crop yields. Reduced fungicide use under the IDM strategy minimizes the potential of resistance development in fungal populations and complies with regulations pertaining to fungicide residues on produce for the export market. This Special Issue will include the latest critical findings on different aspects of IDM that support fungicide resistance management, sustainability, environmental protection, resilience to climate change, compliance with regulations, and economic benefits for growers.

Prof. Dr. Mahfuz Rahman
Prof. Dr. Tofazzal Islam
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-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

  • fungi
  • plant disease
  • integrated management
  • biology
  • epidemiology
  • biological control
  • chemical control
  • host resistance
  • fungicide resistance

Benefits of Publishing in a Special Issue

  • Ease of navigation: Grouping papers by topic helps scholars navigate broad scope journals more efficiently.
  • Greater discoverability: Special Issues support the reach and impact of scientific research. Articles in Special Issues are more discoverable and cited more frequently.
  • Expansion of research network: Special Issues facilitate connections among authors, fostering scientific collaborations.
  • External promotion: Articles in Special Issues are often promoted through the journal's social media, increasing their visibility.
  • Reprint: MDPI Books provides the opportunity to republish successful Special Issues in book format, both online and in print.

Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.

Related Special Issue

Published Papers (2 papers)

Download All Papers
Order results
Result details
Show export options expand_more Show export options expand_less
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:

Research

16 pages, 6066 KB  
Article
Validation and Improvement of a Rapid, CRISPR-Cas-Free RPA-PCRD Strip Assay for On-Site Genomic Surveillance and Quarantine of Wheat Blast
by Dipali Rani Gupta, Shamfin Hossain Kasfy, Julfikar Ali, Farin Tasnova Hia, M. Nazmul Hoque, Mahfuz Rahman and Tofazzal Islam
J. Fungi 2026, 12(1), 73; https://doi.org/10.3390/jof12010073 (registering DOI) - 18 Jan 2026
Abstract
As an emerging threat to global food security, wheat blast necessitates the development of a rapid and field-deployable detection system to facilitate early diagnosis, enable effective management, and prevent its further spread to new regions. In this study, we aimed to validate and [...] Read more.
As an emerging threat to global food security, wheat blast necessitates the development of a rapid and field-deployable detection system to facilitate early diagnosis, enable effective management, and prevent its further spread to new regions. In this study, we aimed to validate and improve a Recombinase Polymerase Amplification coupled with PCRD lateral flow detection (RPA-PCRD strip assay) kit for the rapid and specific identification of Magnaporthe oryzae pathotype Triticum (MoT) in field samples. The assay demonstrated exceptional sensitivity, detecting as low as 10 pg/µL of target DNA, and exhibited no cross-reactivity with M. oryzae Oryzae (MoO) isolates and other major fungal phytopathogens under the genera of Fusarium, Bipolaris, Colletotrichum, and Botrydiplodia. The method successfully detected MoT in wheat leaves as early as 4 days post-infection (DPI), and in infected spikes, seeds, and alternate hosts. Furthermore, by combining a simplified polyethylene glycol-NaOH method for extracting DNA from plant samples, the entire RPA-PCRD strip assay enabled the detection of MoT within 30 min with no specialized equipment and high technical skills at ambient temperature (37–39 °C). When applied to field samples, it successfully detected MoT in naturally infected diseased wheat plants from seven different fields in a wheat blast hotspot district, Meherpur, Bangladesh. Training 52 diverse stakeholders validated the kit’s field readiness, with 88% of trainees endorsing its user-friendly design. This method offers a practical, low-cost, and portable point-of-care diagnostic tool suitable for on-site genomic surveillance, integrated management, seed health testing, and quarantine screening of wheat blast in resource-limited settings. Furthermore, the RPA-PCRD platform serves as an early warning modular diagnostic template that can be readily adapted to detect a wide array of phytopathogens by integrating target-specific genomic primers. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Integrated Management of Plant Fungal Diseases—2nd Edition)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

16 pages, 2853 KB  
Article
Quantitative Morphological Profiling and Isolate-Specific Insensitivity of Cacao Pathogens to Novel Bio-Based Phenolic Amides
by Ezekiel Ahn, Masoud Kazem-Rostami, Sunchung Park, Richard D. Ashby, Helen Ngo and Lyndel W. Meinhardt
J. Fungi 2026, 12(1), 33; https://doi.org/10.3390/jof12010033 - 1 Jan 2026
Viewed by 330
Abstract
Fungal pathogens, including Colletotrichum gloeosporioides and Pestalotiopsis spp., are significant threats to global cacao production. Understanding their varying responses to novel antifungal agents is crucial for developing sustainable plant protection strategies. This study investigated the quantitative morphological responses and isolate-specific sensitivity of three [...] Read more.
Fungal pathogens, including Colletotrichum gloeosporioides and Pestalotiopsis spp., are significant threats to global cacao production. Understanding their varying responses to novel antifungal agents is crucial for developing sustainable plant protection strategies. This study investigated the quantitative morphological responses and isolate-specific sensitivity of three cacao pathogen isolates (one Pestalotiopsis sp. and two C. gloeosporioides) to four novel bio-based phenolic-branched fatty acids and their corresponding amides derived from renewable feedstocks. We observed a high degree of isolate-specific susceptibility. A phenol-branched soy oil-derived fatty amide (PhSOAM) proved most potent, significantly inhibiting the growth of Pestalotiopsis sp. and one C. gloeosporioides isolate. In contrast, the second C. gloeosporioides isolate displayed complete insensitivity to all tested compounds, highlighting significant intraspecific variation. Notably, quantitative image analysis revealed that PhSOAM uniquely altered fungal colony morphology by significantly increasing the length-to-width ratio, suggesting a mechanism of action involving the disruption of polarized growth. Multivariate analyses and machine learning models (R2 up to 0.74) effectively classified these responses, identifying the specific pathogen-compound pairing as the most critical determinant of the interaction outcome. This work not only highlights the potential of bio-based amides but also establishes a powerful analytical framework, combining morphological profiling with predictive modeling, to gain deeper insights into the complex, isolate-specific nature of fungal–antifungal interactions. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Integrated Management of Plant Fungal Diseases—2nd Edition)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

Show export options expand_more Show export options expand_less
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:
 
Displaying articles 1-2
Back to TopTop