Role of QTL in the Resistance of the Cereal Fungal Diseases, Possibilities to Their Integrated Control and Management

Dear Colleagues,

Cereals are the most important food sources of mankind when it comes to cereal foods and animal products. The rusts and powdery mildew are classic diseases, where the resistance was determined by several effective resistance genes. As most of the genes lost protective power via emerging new races, new and more effective genes are being searched for, in order to protect the plants. Beside this traditional line, a search for non-race-specific QTLs was described and pyramiding of effective genes was suggested to come closer to a durable resistance. We are interested in receiving papers with new methodical insights to develop more effective control.

New emerging diseases are caused by toxigenic fungi. Regulation of toxin contamination and resistance can be different; therefore, it seems that resistance alone may not be effective. We would need more data on the regulation and genetic background and therefore, we encourage the publication of such papers. Papers on improved methodology, resistance types or components are invited. This is important first of all in phenotyping for genetic studies for QTLs, more precise measuring of resistance level and toxin contamination. As plants have not had immunity until now, the cooperation between genetic resistance, fungicide use and agronomy is of high importance. In the research, many methodical problems are open or not detected. Such papers are also welcomed.

All diseases depend strongly on environmental effects. Therefore, the adaptation of plants with differing resistance level to diseases to different environments and long run climatic is also a hot topic.

The success of this work depends largely on the registration process of the new cultivars. For this, a significant improvement of the applied methodology can be necessary. 

Plants is a journal with a wide interest in plant sciences; this therefore seems to us to be an excellent occasion to give a possible complex analysis of the topic.

Prof. Dr. Ákos Mesterházy
Guest Editor

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• cereals
• fungal diseases
• resistance
• toxin production
• breeding for resistance
• methodical improvement
• risk analysis
• adaptation
• climatic change
• variety registration