Plant Protection and Biotic Interactions
A section of Plants (ISSN 2223-7747).
Section Information
Almost all plants are affected by plant diseases, insects, mites, weeds, and other pest organisms. Plants also live in association with a diverse range of nonpathogenic microorganisms that can impact plant fitness. The Plant Protection and Biotic Interactions section aims to increase our knowledge of plant interactions with pathogenic, beneficial symbiotic and nonsymbiotic microorganisms, arthropod pests, and weed species. Research articles using interdisciplinary approaches to unravel complex mechanisms underlying plant interactions with other organisms or to study novel strategies for plant pest management are welcomed. Aside from these biological interaction areas, the section also focuses on disease and pest reports, diagnostics, and management, always taking into account the plant point of view. The section also welcomes papers on all aspects of plant pathology, entomology, and weed science, especially studies which show how these organisms affect the plant.
Keywords
- Plant–microbe interactions
- Plant pathogenic fungi, oomycota, bacteria, viruses
- Plant disease epidemiology
- Diagnosis of plant disease
- Plant parasitic nematology
- Plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria
- Mycorrhizal fungi symbiosis
- Entomology
- Acarology
- Forest pathology
- Molecular plant–arthropod interactions
- Chemical ecology of plant–arthropod interactions
- Integrated pest management
- Soil-borne pathogens and arthropods
- Insect–plant–microbe interactions
- Insect vectors of plant diseases
- Weed science
- Weed ecology
- Plant microbiome
- Integrated weed management
- Plant protection chemicals
- Beneficial microbes
- Herbicide resistance
- Biological control
- Plant immunity
- Induced resistance
- Plant biotic stress
- Plant defenses
- Elicitors
- Impact of abiotic stress on plant–microbe interaction
Editorial Board
Topical Advisory Panel
Special Issues
Following special issues within this section are currently open for submissions:
- Management of Pests and Diseases in Tropical Fruit Crops (Deadline: 15 August 2025)
- Interactions Between Plants and Beneficial Microorganisms (Deadline: 30 August 2025)
- The Mechanisms of Plant Resistance and Pathogenesis (Deadline: 31 August 2025)
- Soil-Beneficial Microorganisms and Plant Growth: 2nd Edition (Deadline: 30 September 2025)
- Beneficial Relationships Between Fungal Endophytes and Host Plants (Deadline: 30 September 2025)
- Microbial Formulations to Increase Crop Production, from Laboratory to Fields (2nd Edition) (Deadline: 30 September 2025)
- Functional Plants for Ecological Control of Agricultural Pests (Deadline: 30 September 2025)
- Advances in Microbial Solutions for Sustainable Agriculture (Deadline: 30 September 2025)
- Soil Health and Its Role in Crop Protection (Deadline: 20 October 2025)
- New Strategies for the Control of Plant-Parasitic Nematodes (Deadline: 20 October 2025)
- Harnessing Plant Microbiome to Improve the Resilience of Crop Species Under Various Biotic and Abiotic Stress Conditions (Deadline: 30 October 2025)
- Biological Control of Plant Diseases Caused by Pathogenic Microorganisms—2nd Edition (Deadline: 31 October 2025)
- Occurrence and Control of Plant Bacterial Diseases (Deadline: 31 October 2025)
- Novel Insight into Elicitors of Plant Immunity and the Activated Defensive Pathways (Deadline: 31 October 2025)
- Biological Control Strategies for Managing Major Bacterial Diseases in Horticultural Crops (Deadline: 31 October 2025)
- Biocontrol of Toxicogenic Fungi in Vegetables Through the Use of Antagonistic Microorganisms (Deadline: 31 October 2025)
- Plant Volatiles as Multifunctional Mediators: Bridging the Lab-Field Gap in Sustainable Pest Management (Deadline: 30 November 2025)
- Microbial Symbionts in Plant–Insect Interactions (Deadline: 30 November 2025)
- Biological Control of Agricultural and Forestry Plant Diseases (Deadline: 9 December 2025)
- Integrated Pest Management—from Chemicals to Green Management (Deadline: 15 December 2025)
- Harnessing Plant-Microbe Interactions for Enhanced Biotic and Abiotic Stress Resilience in Plants (Deadline: 15 December 2025)
- Sustainable Disease Management in Tropical Crops (Deadline: 30 December 2025)
- Fungicide Resistance in Plant Pathogens: Monitoring, Detection, Mechanisms and Management (Deadline: 30 December 2025)
- Insect Pests and Pathogens: Biological Control Measures and Biodiversity (Deadline: 31 December 2025)
- Light and Plant Responses (Deadline: 31 December 2025)
- Plant–Insect Interactions—3rd Edition (Deadline: 31 December 2025)
- Plant Immunity and Disease Resistance Mechanisms (Deadline: 31 December 2025)
- Mycology and Plant Pathology—2nd Edition (Deadline: 31 December 2025)
- Sustainable Conservation and Management of Medicinal Plants (Deadline: 31 December 2025)
- Molecular Pathways in Plant Immunity and Protection Against Stress (Deadline: 31 December 2025)
- Molecular Mechanisms of Interactions Between Pathogenic Fungi and Host Plants (Deadline: 31 December 2025)
- Molecular Mechanisms and Signal Transduction Pathways of Plant Immunity (Deadline: 31 December 2025)
- Plant Protection: Focusing on Phytophagous Mites (Deadline: 31 December 2025)
- Bioinoculants: A Sustainable Solution to Biotic and Abiotic Stresses (Deadline: 31 December 2025)
- New Advancements in Plant–Microbes Interactions (Deadline: 31 December 2025)
- Florivory: The Ecology and Evolution of Flower Predation (Deadline: 31 December 2025)
- Integrated Management of Top Ten Fungal Diseases of Plants (Deadline: 31 December 2025)
- Biopesticides for Plant Protection (Deadline: 31 December 2025)
- Innovative Strategies for Managing Soilborne Pathogens and Enhancing Plant Health in Arable Crops (Deadline: 15 January 2026)
- Translating Ecological Research into Biological Control Strategies (Deadline: 15 January 2026)
- Strategies for Sustainable Innovative Crop Pest Management (Deadline: 20 January 2026)
- Plant–Microbe Interaction (Deadline: 30 January 2026)
- Plant-Derived Biopesticides: Promising Alternatives for Pest Management (Deadline: 31 January 2026)
- Role of Beneficial Bacteria in Plant Growth and Health Promotion (Deadline: 31 January 2026)
- The Conservation of Protected Plant Species: From Theory to Practice (Deadline: 31 January 2026)
- Contribution of Plant Growth-Promoting Microorganisms (PGPMs/PGPR) to Plant Growth and Development (Deadline: 31 January 2026)
- Plant Viruses, Viroids and Phytoplasmas: Insight into Evolutionary, Pathogenicity, and Epidemiology Studies—2nd Edition (Deadline: 31 January 2026)
- Rice-Pathogen Interaction and Rice Immunity (Deadline: 10 February 2026)
- Beneficial Effects of Bacteria on Plants (Deadline: 10 February 2026)
- Molecular Diagnosis of Plant Pathogenic Bacteria and Disease Management Strategies (Deadline: 28 February 2026)
- Fungal–Plant Interactions: From Symbiosis to Pathogenesis (Deadline: 28 February 2026)
- Wheat Breeding for Disease Resistance (Deadline: 28 February 2026)
- Sustainable Alternatives to Synthetic Fungicides: Natural and Biological Control of Fungal Plant Pathogens (Deadline: 28 February 2026)
- Plant–Microbiome Interactions (Deadline: 1 March 2026)
- Advances in Weed Control and Management (Deadline: 20 March 2026)
- Innate Immunity and Stress Responses in Plants: Mechanisms and Resilience (Deadline: 30 March 2026)
- Biological Control: Insect-Plant Interactions for Sustainable Pest Management (Deadline: 31 March 2026)
- Biocontrol Agents for Sustainable Plant Disease Management (Deadline: 31 March 2026)
- The Mechanism Between Plant Pathogenic Oomycetes and Plant Hosts (Deadline: 31 March 2026)
- Plant–Rhizosphere Interactions (Deadline: 31 March 2026)
- Weed Management and Control in Paddy Fields (Deadline: 31 March 2026)
- Plant Virology and Disease Management in Crops (Deadline: 31 March 2026)
- Reactive Oxygen Species and Antioxidant Networks in Plant–Pathogen Interactions (Deadline: 31 March 2026)
- Advances in Plant–Fungal Pathogen Interaction—2nd Edition (Deadline: 20 April 2026)
- Sustainable Strategies for Managing Plant Diseases, 2nd Edition (Deadline: 20 April 2026)
- Plant Chemical Ecology—2nd Edition (Deadline: 30 April 2026)
- Silicon in Sustainable Agriculture: Facing Abiotic and Biotic Stress in Crops (Deadline: 31 May 2026)
- Selected Papers from the 1st International Electronic Conference on Plant Protection (Deadline: 31 July 2026)
Topical Collections
Following topical collections within this section are currently open for submissions:
