Beneficial Relationships Between Fungal Endophytes and Host Plants
A special issue of Plants (ISSN 2223-7747). This special issue belongs to the section "Plant Protection and Biotic Interactions".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 September 2025 | Viewed by 1098
Special Issue Editor
Interests: endophytic fungi; natural products; secondary metabolites; biological activity
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Fungal endophytes have been found in every plant species that has been extensively studied so far. Endophytes possess a close continual metabolic interaction with their host plants, ranging from symbiotic to pathogenic. Plants can provide suitable ecological habitats for endophytes such as space and nutrients. In turn, endophytes may contribute to their host plants by synthesizing a large number of beneficial active substances. These substances include plant hormones that enhance the growth of their hosts, as well as bioactive secondary metabolites that increase the resistance to the biotic/abiotic stresses of hosts. This interaction between the endophytes and host plants is complex and mutualistic. Therefore, it is necessary to deeply investigate the interaction between the endophytes and host plants, especially the beneficial relationships that ultimately provide survival value to the plants. This Special Issue aims to focus on these beneficial relationships between endophytes and their host plants, with emphasis on the ecology of fungal endophytes, plant–endophyte interactions, and diverse secondary metabolites isolated from endophytes.
Dr. Peng Zhang
Guest Editor
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. Plants is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly 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.
Keywords
- fungal endophytes
- plants
- mutualism
- secondary metabolites
- plant hormones
- interaction
- ecology
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.
