Virus-Induced Diseases in Horticultural Plants
A special issue of Plants (ISSN 2223-7747). This special issue belongs to the section "Horticultural Science and Ornamental Plants".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 28 February 2026 | Viewed by 87
Special Issue Editors
Interests: plant–pathogen interactions; molecular plant virology
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Virus diseases in horticultural crops pose a major threat to global agriculture by influencing the quantity, quality, and marketability of the produce. Viruses are obligatory intracellular parasites that rely on host cell machinery for their replication, movement, and pathogenesis. The relationship between plant viruses and their hosts can be classified into host and non-host interactions at a broad level. Host–virus interactions are compatible in most instances, allowing the virus to enter the plant and replicate within host cells, causing disease. Non-host interactions are incompatible, preventing viral infection and limiting the development of disease.
In susceptible horticultural host plants, viruses hijack delicately regulated plant cell functions, taking over several host factors to enable infection, replication, and disease induction. In resistant hosts, the infection process is significantly hindered due to defense mechanisms within the plant, which have a tendency to confine the virus to the initial infection site. Host–virus interactions are often complex and mechanistically difficult to study. But understanding the mechanisms of natural resistance in plants is necessary to formulate a strategy against virus-borne diseases.
Horticultural crops have evolved sophisticated defense mechanisms to fight viral infection. Researchers across the globe are attempting to identify host factors responsible for resistance and how plant virus-encoded proteins manipulate such host defenses. Such research is critical in the study of plant immunity and could open up new antiviral strategies directed toward the improvement of resistance to viral disease in horticultural crops. Knowledge of the natural resistance, viral replication mechanisms, and defense mechanisms of the host against viruses is crucial to further enhance effective strategies to control virus-induced diseases in horticulture.
Dr. Prabu Gnanasekaran
Dr. Ved Prakash
Guest Editors
Manuscript Submission Information
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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
- viral disease
- resistance factors
- disease management
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