Novel Methods for Detection and Control Strategies of Phytopathogens

A special issue of Plants (ISSN 2223-7747). This special issue belongs to the section "Plant Protection and Biotic Interactions".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 August 2024) | Viewed by 8887

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
IFAPA, Sustainable Plant Protection, 04745 La Mojonera, Almeria, Spain
Interests: etiology of plant diseases; plant virus detection; epidemiology and control; virus–vector–plant relationships
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

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Guest Editor
1. Department of Agricultural Botany, Faculty of Agriculture, Tanta University, Tanta, Egypt
2. Department of Plant Pathology, Citrus Research and Education Center, University of Florida, Lake Alfred, FL, USA
Interests: plant responses; metabolomics; biotic stress; phytobacteriology; citrus greening disease; host–pathogen interaction; phytochemistry
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Plant diseases threaten global ecosystems, health, food security, and the economy. Plants are particularly vulnerable to disease due to geographic expansion, climate change, modified land use, and the increased use of agrochemicals including insecticides, herbicides, fungicides, and nematicides in agricultural practices. Plant disease can be caused by a broad range of phytopathogens that include fungi, bacteria, bacteria, viruses, and phytoplasmas, and this occasionally leads to important crop losses of global economic importance. Recent research and developments, such as the use of molecular biology, have led to improved technologies for the better and more effective detection and identification of phytopathogens. Moreover, consumer demands for healthier food and food production sustainability have led many farmers to switch to integrated disease management strategies. On the other hand, global climate changes and increased traffic of people and goods lead to the emergence of new diseases, or the re-emergence of diseases from the past, placing modern agriculture in state of constant vigilance.

In this Special Issue, articles (original research papers, perspectives, hypotheses, opinions, reviews, and modeling approaches and methods) that focus on novel technologies for the detection and identification of phytopathogens as well as integrated disease management at all levels, including new pathogen species and strains,  in field and greenhouse crops, trees, native species, and aquatic plants, in addition to the control strategies of these plant diseases, are most welcome.

Dr. Dirk Janssen
Dr. Yasser Sobhy Ahmed Nehela
Guest Editors

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Keywords

  • plant disease
  • plant pathogens
  • phytopathogen identification
  • early detection and diagnosis
  • epidemiology
  • ecology
  • vector-borne diseases
  • host–pathogen interactions
  • management and control of plant disease
  • decision making in crop protection
  • viral diseases
  • fungal diseases
  • bacterial diseases
  • diagnosis
  • first report

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Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

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20 pages, 2869 KiB  
Article
Gamma-Aminobutyric Acid (GABA) as a Defense Booster for Wheat against Leaf Rust Pathogen (Puccinia triticina)
by Hala Badr Khalil, Abdullah Mohsen Lutfi, Ahmed Reyad Sayed, Mohamed Tharwat Mahmoud, Salah Abdelfatah Mostafa, Zeyad Ahmed Ibrahim, Asmaa A. Sharf-Eldin, Mohamed A. Abou-Zeid, Mohamed F. M. Ibrahim and Marian Thabet
Plants 2024, 13(19), 2792; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants13192792 - 5 Oct 2024
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1698
Abstract
Wheat leaf rust, caused by Puccinia triticina, poses a growing threat to global wheat production, necessitating alternative strategies for effective disease management. This study investigated the potential of gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) to enhance resistance to leaf rust in two wheat cultivars: the [...] Read more.
Wheat leaf rust, caused by Puccinia triticina, poses a growing threat to global wheat production, necessitating alternative strategies for effective disease management. This study investigated the potential of gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) to enhance resistance to leaf rust in two wheat cultivars: the susceptible Morocco and moderately resistant Sakha 94 cultivar. Our findings revealed that GABA significantly improved resistance in both cultivars to P. triticina, particularly in Morocco, by mitigating disease severity and reducing pustule density and size while extending both incubation and latent periods. This study assessed the effectiveness of two GABA application methods: plants received 1 mM GABA treatment, as a foliar spray, twenty-four hours prior to infection (pre-GABA), and plants received 1 mM GABA treatment both 24 h before and after infection (pre-/post-GABA), with the latter yielding significantly better results in reducing infection severity and improving plant resilience. Additionally, GABA application influenced stomatal behavior, promoting closure that may enhance resilience against leaf rust. GABA application on plants also modulated the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS). This led to a stronger oxidative burst in both susceptible and moderately resistant cultivars. GABA increased O2●− levels in guard cells and surrounding stomata, enhancing stomatal closure and the hypersensitive response. GABA enhanced the accumulation of soluble phenols and increased the activity of key antioxidant enzymes, catalase (CAT) and peroxidase (POX), which are vital for managing oxidative stress. To the best of our knowledge, this investigation represents the first report into the impact of GABA on wheat leaf rust disease. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Novel Methods for Detection and Control Strategies of Phytopathogens)
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9 pages, 1844 KiB  
Article
An Improved Sampling and Baiting Method for Phytophthora tropicalis and P. heveae Detection in Macadamia integrifolia
by Christopher M. Ference and Lisa M. Keith
Plants 2024, 13(19), 2687; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants13192687 - 25 Sep 2024
Viewed by 807
Abstract
Macadamia nuts are, economically, the second most important crop in the state of Hawai’i. A recent decline in yield and acreage has been attributed to insect damage and diseases such as Macadamia Quick Decline (MQD) caused by Phytophthora tropicalis and P. heveae. [...] Read more.
Macadamia nuts are, economically, the second most important crop in the state of Hawai’i. A recent decline in yield and acreage has been attributed to insect damage and diseases such as Macadamia Quick Decline (MQD) caused by Phytophthora tropicalis and P. heveae. To develop an improved methodology for the diagnosis and treatment of MQD, investigations were undertaken to better understand the pathosystem of the disease. These investigations included sampling from multiple locations from sectioned trees utilizing two methods of tissue collection and isolations using two baiting techniques. The collection of tissue from the cambium and phloem of trees after scraping away the bark and in locations of recent or current sap exudation using a narrow diameter steel awl proved to be an efficient means for the molecular detection of the MQD pathogens from infected trees exhibiting MQD symptoms. In addition, a more efficient and cost-effective baiting method using apple puree was developed. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Novel Methods for Detection and Control Strategies of Phytopathogens)
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Review

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27 pages, 1249 KiB  
Review
Resistance Mechanisms of Plant Pathogenic Fungi to Fungicide, Environmental Impacts of Fungicides, and Sustainable Solutions
by Tarequl Islam, Danishuddin, Noshin Tabassum Tamanna, Muhammad Nurul Matin, Hasi Rani Barai and Md Azizul Haque
Plants 2024, 13(19), 2737; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants13192737 - 30 Sep 2024
Cited by 9 | Viewed by 5550
Abstract
The significant reduction in agricultural output and the decline in product quality are two of the most glaring negative impacts caused by plant pathogenic fungi (PPF). Furthermore, contaminated food or transit might introduce mycotoxins produced by PPF directly into the food chain. Eating [...] Read more.
The significant reduction in agricultural output and the decline in product quality are two of the most glaring negative impacts caused by plant pathogenic fungi (PPF). Furthermore, contaminated food or transit might introduce mycotoxins produced by PPF directly into the food chain. Eating food tainted with mycotoxin is extremely dangerous for both human and animal health. Using fungicides is the first choice to control PPF or their toxins in food. Fungicide resistance and its effects on the environment and public health are becoming more and more of a concern, despite the fact that chemical fungicides are used to limit PPF toxicity and control growth in crops. Fungicides induce target site alteration and efflux pump activation, and mutations in PPF result in resistance. As a result, global trends are shifting away from chemically manufactured pesticides and toward managing fungal plant diseases using various biocontrol techniques, tactics, and approaches. However, surveillance programs to monitor fungicide resistance and their environmental impact are much fewer compared to bacterial antibiotic resistance surveillance programs. In this review, we discuss the PPF that contributes to disease development in plants, the fungicides used against them, factors causing the spread of PPF and the emergence of new strains, the antifungal resistance mechanisms of PPF, health, the environmental impacts of fungicides, and the use of biocontrol agents (BCAs), antimicrobial peptides (AMPs), and nanotechnologies to control PPF as a safe and eco-friendly alternative to fungicides. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Novel Methods for Detection and Control Strategies of Phytopathogens)
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