Fungal Model Systems: What Can They Tell Us about the Biological Activity of Plant Extracts and Natural Compounds?
A special issue of Plants (ISSN 2223-7747). This special issue belongs to the section "Phytochemistry".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (25 December 2020) | Viewed by 29895
Special Issue Editors
Interests: plant physiology and pathology; mycotoxins; plant extracts; antifungals and biopesticides
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Interests: genome editing; plant-microbe interactions; sustainability; agroecology
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Special Issue Information
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
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
- plant extracts
- botanicals
- fungi
- fungal model system
- natural bioactives
- in vivo assays
- biocontrol
- new generation fungicides
- plant protection
- antioxidants compounds
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.
