Beneficial Microorganisms Against Phytopathogens: Innovations in Sustainable Plant Protection

Dear Colleagues,

We are pleased to invite you to contribute to this Special Issue, entitled "Beneficial Microorganisms Against Phytopathogens: Innovations in Sustainable Plant Protection". The urgent need reduce the usage of chemical pesticides, tackle emerging pathogen resistance, and ensure environmentally sustainable crop production has highlighted the vital role that beneficial microorganisms play in the management of plant disease. These microorganisms, such as plant growth-promoting endophytic and rhizobacteria (PGPR) and free-living and mycorrhizal fungi, offer diverse mechanisms of biocontrol; these include pathogen suppression, competition, the induction of systemic resistance, and the promotion of plant growth. Exploring these interactions is crucial for building resilient agroecosystems and advancing eco-friendly disease control strategies.

This Special Issue aims to provide a platform for the latest scientific advances regarding the identification, characterization, and application of beneficial microorganisms to combat phytopathogens. The scope of this Special Issue aligns with the journal's mission to support innovations in plant science, microbiology, biotechnology, and sustainable agriculture. We are particularly interested in multidisciplinary studies that provide molecular, ecological, and applied perspectives to uncover how microbial communities can be integrated or engineered for targeted, effective, and scalable biocontrol solutions.

This Special Issue welcomes the submission of original research articles and comprehensive reviews whose scope includes, but is not limited to, the following topics:

• Mechanisms of microbial antagonism and induced resistance;
• Host–microbe–pathogen interactions and plant immune modulation;
• Formulation and delivery technologies for microbial inoculants;
• Microbiome dynamics and predictive modeling for biocontrol;
• Microbial adaptation, colonization dynamics, and microbiome interactions under field conditions, including predictive modeling for biocontrol efficacy across cropping systems;
• Regulatory and commercialization perspectives for microbial-based products.

We look forward to receiving your contributions and building a high-impact collection that advances the field of plant–microbe interactions and sustainable plant protection.

Prof. Dr. Essaid Ait Barka
Prof. Dr. Rachid Lahlali
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 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. Microorganisms 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 2700 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.