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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 June 2025 | Viewed by 9907

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Dr. Moussa El Jarroudi

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SPHERES Research Unit, Department of Environmental Sciences and Management, University of Liège, Arlon, Belgium
Interests: crop modeling; climate change; environmental impact assessment; sustainable agriculture; agrometeorology; monitoring; remote sensing
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

This Special Issue delves into cutting-edge research and practical applications aimed at minimizing the impact of plant pathogens while promoting ecological balance and agricultural sustainability. From advanced biotechnological interventions to eco-friendly farming practices, the issue covers a spectrum of strategies designed to enhance plant health, resilience, and productivity. Key topics include biocontrol agents, precision agriculture techniques, integrated pest management, genetic resistance breeding, and the utilization of beneficial microorganisms. By synthesizing interdisciplinary insights, the issue aims to foster collaboration among scientists, policymakers, and practitioners to address the global challenge of plant disease management in a sustainable and holistic manner.

Dr. El Jarroudi Moussa
Guest Editor

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Keywords

sustainable agriculture
plant pathology
disease management
biocontrol
precision farming
integrated pest management
genetic resistance
eco-friendly practices
microbial ecology
agricultural sustainability

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Published Papers (9 papers)

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Research

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18 pages, 6523 KiB

Open AccessArticle

A Herpetosiphon llansteffanensis Strain from Forest Soil Exhibits Biocontrol Activity Against Pear Fire Blight

by Wen Lv, Ruiyue Wang, Wenbo Ji, Benzhong Fu, Ming Luo and Jian Han

Plants 2025, 14(11), 1564; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants14111564 - 22 May 2025

Viewed by 209

Abstract

Fire blight, a devastating bacterial disease caused by Erwinia amylovora, has posed significant challenges to apple and pear production for over a century. This study introduces a gliding filamentous bacterium, the strain NSD29, isolated from natural forest soil in Xinjiang, China, as a biological control agent for managing this disease. Comprehensive characterization based on morphological, physiological, biochemical, 16S rRNA gene, and whole-genome analyses identified the strain NSD29 as Herpetosiphon llansteffanensis. The train NSD29 demonstrated potent predatory activity against E. amylovora in vitro. Its biocontrol efficacy was subsequently evaluated on detached leaves, inflorescences, young fruit, and shoots of fragrant pear under controlled greenhouse conditions. Results indicated that applying H. llansteffanensis NSD29 significantly inhibited lesion expansion on pear leaves and young fruit, achieving protective efficacies of 75.2% and 72.0%, respectively. Furthermore, pre-treatment spraying with NSD29 effectively reduced the incidence of blossom blight, with a control efficacy of 61.2%. On detached pear shoots, the application of NSD29 fermentation broth suppressed lesion expansion, demonstrating substantial protective (86.8%) and curative (75.6%) efficacies. This research provides the first evidence for the potential of Herpetosiphon species in the biological control of plant diseases, highlighting H. llansteffanensis NSD29 as a promising candidate for developing strategies to combat fire blight. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Strategies for Managing Plant Diseases)

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17 pages, 3843 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Trends of Cochineal (Dactylopius coccus) Infestation as Affected by Armed Conflict, and Intervention Mechanisms for Sustainable Management in Tigray, Northern Ethiopia

by Haftay Gebreyesus Gebreziher, Simon Zebelo, Yohannes Gerezihier Gebremedhin, Gebremedhin Welu Teklu, Yemane Kahsay Berhe, Daniel Hagos Berhe, Araya Kahsay Gerezgiher, Araya Kiros Weldetnsae, Zinabu Hailu, Gebrekidan Tesfay Weldeslasse, Gebremariam Gebrezgabher Gebremedhin, Tsegay Kahsay Gebrekidan, Zaid Negash, Beira H. Meressa and Liberato Portillo

Plants 2025, 14(8), 1228; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants14081228 - 16 Apr 2025

Viewed by 531

Abstract

The cactus pear (Opuntia ficus-indica) is a crucial plant in Tigray, northern Ethiopia, widely distributed in arid and semi-arid environments. It serves as a seasonal food, and is used in livestock feed, fencing, soil conservation, and environmental protection. Recently, the cactus pear populations in Tigray have been severely affected by an exotic insect, the cochineal (Dactylopius coccus). It damaged cactus pear populations in the region’s southern, southeastern, and eastern zones. The Tigray war that broke out in November 2020 exacerbated D. coccus infestation. A study was conducted in the eastern zone of Tigray to assess the impact of the armed conflict on the trends of this infestation and propose sustainable management approaches for sustainable cactus pear production in post-war Tigray. Both primary and secondary data were collected and analyzed. The findings revealed that D. coccus infestation significantly increased during the war and in the post-war period, compared to in the pre-war period. The number of districts involved and level of D. coccus infestation of cactus pear populations increased. The rapid spread was attributed to the interruption of pest management activities due to the armed conflict. To mitigate the spread and ensure sustainable cactus pear production, this study recommends different management approaches to manage D. coccus dissemination and sustainably produce cactus pear in the region, including pest prevention, suppression, or eradication. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Strategies for Managing Plant Diseases)

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23 pages, 5049 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Native Bacteria Are Effective Biocontrol Agents at a Wide Range of Temperatures of Neofusicoccum parvum, Associated with Botryosphaeria Dieback on Grapevine

by Diyanira Castillo-Novales, Paulina Vega-Celedón, Alejandra Larach, Michael Seeger and Ximena Besoain

Plants 2025, 14(7), 1043; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants14071043 - 27 Mar 2025

Viewed by 558

Abstract

Botryosphaeria dieback, a significant grapevine trunk disease (GTD) caused by various pathogens, represents a serious threat to viticulture. Biocontrol emerges as a promising sustainable alternative to chemical control, aligning toward environmentally friendly viticultural practices. This study evaluated the in vitro, in vivo, and in situ biocontrol potential of Chilean native bacteria isolated from wild flora and endophytic communities of grapevine against Neofusicoccum parvum. In vitro biocontrol assays screened 15 bacterial strains at 10, 22, and 30 °C, identifying four Pseudomonas strains with >30% mycelial growth inhibition. In diffusible agar and double plate assays, plant growth-promoting bacteria AMCR2b and GcR15a, which were isolated from native flora, achieved significant inhibition of N. parvum growth, with reductions of up to ~50% (diffusible agar) and up to ~46% (double plate). In vivo experiments on grapevine cuttings revealed that strains AMCR2b and GcR15a inhibited mycelial growth (17–90%); younger grapevines (1–5 years) were more susceptible to N. parvum. In situ trials using Vitis vinifera L. cv. Cabernet Sauvignon and Sauvignon Blanc demonstrated higher fungal susceptibility in Sauvignon Blanc. These results highlight the potential of Pseudomonas sp. AMCR2b and GcR15a to be effective biocontrol agents against GTDs at a wide range of temperatures, contributing to sustainable viticulture. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Strategies for Managing Plant Diseases)

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20 pages, 5788 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Co-Occurrence of Stromatinia cepivora and Fusarium proliferatum Fungi on Garlic: In Vitro Investigation of Pathogen–Pathogen Interactions and In Planta Screening for Resistance of Garlic Cultivars

by Samara Ounis, György Turóczi and József Kiss

Plants 2025, 14(3), 440; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants14030440 - 2 Feb 2025

Viewed by 951

Abstract

Garlic (Allium sativum L.), a vital global crop, suffers significant losses from soil-borne fungal pathogens such as Fusarium proliferatum, responsible for Fusarium bulb rot, and Stromatinia cepivora, the causal agent of white rot. In May 2023, garlic fields near Makó City, Hungary, showed simultaneous yellowing and wilting symptoms of unknown fungal infestations, which appeared sporadically. The causal pathogens were later confirmed as F. proliferatum and S. cepivora through sampling of symptomatic garlic plants, incubation in humid chambers to stimulate fungal growth, and culturing on Potato Dextrose Agar (PDA) under sterile conditions. This was followed by hyphal tip isolation and purification. Molecular identification was performed using ITS1-2 sequencing, supported with morphological identification based on colony and microscopic features. This research aimed to elucidate pathogen interaction dynamics and assess the resistance of eleven garlic cultivars to both single and simultaneous inoculations by these pathogens, under in vitro and in planta tests. Dual culture assays of F. proliferatum and S. cepivora were studied at two time points: Day 8, marking the cessation of growth along the interacting fronts due to competitive coexistence, and Day 14, when single cultures reached full radial growth. On Day 8, inhibition percentages were 8.47% for F. proliferatum and 6.40% for S. cepivora, reflecting the initial effects of competitive interactions at the point of contact. By Day 14, inhibition rates increased to 25.39% and 28.61%, respectively, highlighting the cumulative effects of sustained competition and the growing difference between single and dual culture growth. Inoculation trials, involving placing fungal disks onto the basal areas of wounded garlic cloves, revealed considerable variability in disease incidence and severity. Cultivars such as ‘Aulxito’, ‘Sabadrome’, ‘Arno’, ‘Garcua’, and ‘Makói Tavaszi’ were highly susceptible to both pathogens, while ‘Flavor’ and ‘Sabagold’ exhibited only mild symptoms when inoculated with F. proliferatum and S. cepivora, respectively. Simultaneous inoculation resulted in more rapid and severe infections, exhibiting disease incidences above 96.00% across all cultivars. Remarkably, the cultivar ‘Elephant’ exhibited complete resistance to both pathogens, even under simultaneous inoculation, highlighting its potential for future garlic resistance breeding programs. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Strategies for Managing Plant Diseases)

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14 pages, 2847 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Antioomycete Nanoformulation for Biocontrol of English Walnut Crown and Root Rot Caused by Phytophthora cinnamomi

by Aldo Salinas, Iván Montenegro, Yusser Olguín, Natalia Riquelme, Diyanira Castillo-Novales, Alejandra Larach, Laureano Alvarado, Guillermo Bravo, Alejandro Madrid, Juan E. Álvaro and Ximena Besoain

Plants 2025, 14(2), 257; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants14020257 - 17 Jan 2025

Viewed by 1007

Abstract

In Chile and worldwide, walnut (Juglans regia L.) production faces significant losses due to crown and root rot caused by the phytopathogen Phytophthora cinnamomi. Currently, control methods have proven insufficient or unfavorable for the environment, increasing the need for sustainable alternatives. This research evaluates nanoemulsions based on extracts of medicinal plants endemic to Chile to control P. cinnamomi in walnut crops. The methodology included an in vitro test to determine the effective inhibitory concentrations of three nanoemulsions (N80, N90, and N100) on the mycelial growth of the phytopathogen, a test on walnut plants under controlled conditions, and two field tests using concentrations between 300 and 500 ppm. The in vitro results showed that the nanoemulsions could inhibit 90% of mycelial growth at 80 to 100 ppm concentrations. In the field, the N90 nanoemulsion at 500 ppm significantly reduced disease symptoms preventively and post-inoculation, compared with the control. This research is the first to study the use of nanoemulsions from native Chilean plants to control P. cinnamomi, showing potential to reduce the use of synthetic fungicides, contributing to safer and more ecological phytosanitary management. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Strategies for Managing Plant Diseases)

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17 pages, 2452 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Occurrence of Yam Mosaic Virus and Yam Mild Mosaic Virus on Dioscorea spp. Germplasm Collection in Cuba—Epidemiology of Associated Diseases

by José Efraín González Ramírez, Dariel Cabrera Mederos, Vaniert Ventura Chávez, Rosa Elena González Vázquez, Katia Ojito-Ramos, Liset García Romero, Luis Fabián Salazar-Garcés, Diana Catalina Velastegui-Hernández, Elena Vicenta Hernández Navarro, Michel Leiva-Mora, Fabián Giolitti and Orelvis Portal

Plants 2024, 13(18), 2597; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants13182597 - 17 Sep 2024

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1318

Abstract

Potyvirus diseases are one of the main challenges facing the production of yam (Dioscorea spp.). The objective of this study was to identify the potyviruses present in the Dioscorea spp. germplasm collection at Instituto de Investigaciones de Viandas Tropicales (INIVIT) to establish methodologies for the characterization of the associated diseases. For this purpose, immunochemical and molecular methods were used to identify the potyviruses present. The symptomatology of Dioscorea spp. at INIVIT’s germplasm collection was described. In addition, the severity and incidence in the germplasm collection and production areas were evaluated. As a result, the first report of yam mosaic virus (Potyvirus yamtesselati) and yam mild mosaic virus (Potyvirus yamplacidum) in Cuba is presented. The existence of resistant, tolerant, and susceptible cultivars to potyvirus-associated diseases in the germplasm collection was detected, and the incidence of these diseases was higher than 64% in the production areas evaluated. This study represents a step forward in the establishment of certification programs for propagating material of Dioscorea spp. in Cuba. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Strategies for Managing Plant Diseases)

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21 pages, 4966 KiB

Open AccessArticle

ICPNet: Advanced Maize Leaf Disease Detection with Multidimensional Attention and Coordinate Depthwise Convolution

by Jin Yang, Wenke Zhu, Guanqi Liu, Weisi Dai, Zhuonong Xu, Li Wan and Guoxiong Zhou

Plants 2024, 13(16), 2277; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants13162277 - 15 Aug 2024

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1362

Abstract

Maize is an important crop, and the detection of maize diseases is critical for ensuring food security and improving agricultural production efficiency. To address the challenges of difficult feature extraction due to the high similarity among maize leaf disease species, the blurring of image edge features, and the susceptibility of maize leaf images to noise during acquisition and transmission, we propose a maize disease detection method based on ICPNet (Integrated multidimensional attention coordinate depthwise convolution PSO (Particle Swarm Optimization)-Integrated lion optimisation algorithm network). Firstly, we introduce a novel attention mechanism called Integrated Multidimensional Attention (IMA), which enhances the stability and responsiveness of the model in detecting small speckled disease features by combining cross-attention and spatial channel reconstruction methods. Secondly, we propose Coordinate Depthwise Convolution (CDC) to enhance the accuracy of feature maps through multi-scale convolutional processing, allowing for better differentiation of the fuzzy edges of maize leaf disease regions. To further optimize model performance, we introduce the PSO-Integrated Lion Optimisation Algorithm (PLOA), which leverages the exploratory stochasticity and annealing mechanism of the particle swarm algorithm to enhance the model’s ability to handle mutation points while maintaining training stability and robustness. The experimental results demonstrate that ICPNet achieved an average accuracy of 88.4% and a precision of 87.3% on the self-constructed dataset. This method effectively extracts the tiny and fuzzy edge features of maize leaf diseases, providing a valuable reference for disease control in large-scale maize production. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Strategies for Managing Plant Diseases)

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25 pages, 22045 KiB

Open AccessArticle

A High-Precision Identification Method for Maize Leaf Diseases and Pests Based on LFMNet under Complex Backgrounds

by Jintao Liu, Chaoying He, Yichu Jiang, Mingfang Wang, Ziqing Ye and Mingfang He

Plants 2024, 13(13), 1827; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants13131827 - 3 Jul 2024

Cited by 6 | Viewed by 1664

Abstract

Maize, as one of the most important crops in the world, faces severe challenges from various diseases and pests. The timely and accurate identification of maize leaf diseases and pests is of great significance for ensuring agricultural production. Currently, the identification of maize leaf diseases and pests faces two key challenges: (1) In the actual process of identifying leaf diseases and pests, complex backgrounds can interfere with the identification effect. (2) The subtle features of diseases and pests are difficult to accurately extract. To address these challenges, this study proposes a maize leaf disease and pest identification model called LFMNet. Firstly, the localized multi-scale inverted residual convolutional block (LMSB) is proposed to perform preliminary down-sampling on the image, preserving important feature information for the subsequent extraction of fine disease and pest features in the model structure. Then, the feature localization bottleneck (FLB) is proposed to improve the model’s ability to focus on and locate disease and pest characteristics and to reduce interference from complex backgrounds. Subsequently, the multi-hop local-feature fusion architecture (MLFFA) is proposed, which effectively addresses the problem of extracting subtle features by enhancing the extraction and fusion of global and local disease and pest features in images. After training and testing on a dataset containing 19,451 images of maize leaf diseases and pests, the LFMNet model demonstrated excellent performance, with an average identification accuracy of 95.68%, a precision of 95.91%, a recall of 95.78%, and an F1 score of 95.83%. Compared to existing models, it exhibits significant advantages, offering robust technical support for the precise identification of maize diseases and pests. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Strategies for Managing Plant Diseases)

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14 pages, 54124 KiB

Open AccessPerspective

Emerging Diseases in Spain Strawberry Crops: Neopestalotiopsis Leaf and Crown Rot and Fusarium Wilt

by Manuel Avilés, Ana M. Pastrana and Celia Borrero

Plants 2024, 13(23), 3441; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants13233441 - 8 Dec 2024

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1540

Abstract

In recent years, strawberry cultivation in Spain has been increasingly affected by new and re-emerging fungal diseases. The most significant emerging diseases in Spain include those caused by Neopestalotiopsis spp. Maharachch., K.D.Hyde & Crous and Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. fragariae Winks & Y.N. Williams. These pathogens are difficult to control due to their pathogenic variability (presence of pathotypes and/or races), the lack of knowledge about the susceptibility of the different cultivars, the limited availability of effective fumigants, and the absence of sufficient information about their sources of inoculum. Both pathogens can cause root and crown rot, leading to plant collapse and significant losses for strawberry producers. Several factors have contributed to the rise of these diseases in Spain: (i) the gradual ban on key soil fumigants has left the crop vulnerable; (ii) there has been a notable diversification in the origin of mother plants used in cultivation, with plants now sourced from various countries, increasing the risk of long-distance pathogen spread; (iii) the introduction of numerous new strawberry varieties, which exposes more genotypes to pathogenic infections; and (iv) changes in planting times, leading to younger and more vulnerable plants being exposed to heat stress, as well as an increase in disease susceptibility. Neopestalotiopsis spp. and Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. fragariae have also become major threats to strawberry crops worldwide, spreading through nursery plants and the movement of plant material. The latest research findings in Spain on both pathogens are highlighted in this manuscript. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Strategies for Managing Plant Diseases)

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