Management of Verticillium Wilt Disease

Dear Colleagues,

Verticillium wilt disease has been the subject of various investigations throughout many years; however, it remains a major economic challenge in cropping systems across the world. The genus Verticillium consists of phytopathogenic species that cause vascular wilts in plants. The most significant species are V. dahliae, V. albo-atrum, and V. longisporum. The fungus survives in the soil, mainly in the form of microsclerotia, invades the plant through the root system, colonizes the vasculature, and eventually leads to plant death. Due to its prolonged survival in the field in the absence of a host, wide host range, inaccessibility during infection, and limited resistance in host germplasm, the genus Verticillium causes heavy economic losses in annual and perennial crops worldwide.

Verticillium wilt disease management is based on soil fumigation, when no resistant varieties exist, but methyl bromide, the most efficient fumigant, has been banned due to its toxic and adverse environmental effects. Once the pathogen enters the plant, it is inaccessible to chemicals. Therefore, we should consider novel sustainable integrated disease management strategies based on advanced chemical, biochemical, and molecular methodologies. This Special Issue of Plants will highlight cultural practices minimizing the primary Verticillium inoculum in the field, Verticillium–host plant interactions underlying resistance, early detection methods of Verticillium wilt, novel chemicals, biological control agents, and integrated disease management strategies.

Dr. Sotiris Tjamos
Dr. Jesus Mercado-Blanco
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 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

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.