Dear Colleagues,

Botanicals and compounds of a natural origin have been used for a long time for a wide variety of purposes, and have become very important as additives in food and cosmetic industry, as well as being a treasure chest for new drug discovery, mainly because of their antimicrobial and antioxidant properties—driven by the growing demand for herbal medicines and plant extract-based functional food, additives, and sustainable pesticides. The market of natural compounds is projected to reach USD 59.4 billion in the next five years, with a CAGR of 16.5%, from 2019 to 2025. Over the years, the study of such diverse and fascinating molecules, pure or in mixtures, has given us important knowledge for the control of crop pests and human pathogens; nevertheless, much remains to be discovered, as their huge chemical diversity copes badly with the majority of in vitro assays used, for example, to assess the scavenging activity predictive for the in vivo desired biological effect. On the other hand, studies aimed at the evaluation of the biological effect of plant extracts or derivatives in fungal species, as well as their molecular, biochemical, or metabolic bases, are now more essential than ever for exploiting their best potentialities. In this sense, fungi might be thought of as excellent model organisms—well suited for investigating the biochemical events that characterize the cell cycle and metabolism, together with the opportunity for genetic manipulations and the high amount of accessible data, fungi represent an ideal system for the study of mechanisms controlling biology and development in eukaryotes, at the same time lending themselves to the drawing up of broad screenings for bioactive efficacy.

This Special Issue of Plants aims to bring to the fore the importance of fungal microorganisms as model systems, collecting the most updated results in the examination of botanicals and natural compounds. Papers focused on plant extracts—or derivatives—and supporting new possibilities for the use of fungicides or protectants for plant, human, and animal health; describing their role in ruling the interactions of fungi with their environment; providing insight into their molecular/cellular targets; or simply assessing new, unexpected, and intriguing biological activities, are encouraged.

Prof. Dr. Francesca Degola
Dr. Luca Nerva
Guest Editors

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• plant extracts
• botanicals
• fungi
• fungal model system
• natural bioactives
• in vivo assays
• biocontrol
• new generation fungicides
• plant protection
• antioxidants compounds