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Plant Disease Diagnostics and Surveillance in Plant Protection
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Plant Disease Diagnostics and Surveillance in Plant Protection

A topical collection in Plants (ISSN 2223-7747). This collection belongs to the section "Plant Protection and Biotic Interactions".

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Editors

Dr. Nicola Fiore

E-Mail Website
Collection Editor
Department of Plant Health, Faculty of Agricultural Sciences, University of Chile, Santiago 8820808, Chile
Interests: detection; biological and molecular characterization; epidemiology and control of plant viruses; viroids and phytopathogenic bacteria; pathogen-host interaction
Dr. Kaidi Cui

E-Mail Website
Collection Editor
College of Plant Protection, Henan Agricultural University, Zhengzhou 450046, China
Interests: fungi; plant diseases; plant protection; food security
Dr. Ana Belen Ruiz-Garcia

E-Mail Website
Collection Editor
Department of Virology, Plant Protection and Biotechnology Center, Instituto Valenciano de Investigaciones Agrarias, 46113 Moncada, Valencia, Spain
Interests: HTS; plant virology; diagnostics; molecular characterization of plant viruses
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Antonio Olmos

E-Mail Website
Collection Editor
Department of Virology, Plant Protection and Biotechnology Center, Instituto Valenciano de Investigaciones Agrarias (IVIA), 46113 Moncada, Valencia, Spain
Interests: plant virology; molecular diagnosis; NGS applied to virus diag-nostics; development and validation of new techniques for virus detection and identification
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Assunta Bertaccini

E-Mail Website
Collection Editor
Department of Agricultural and Food Sciences, Alma Mater Studiorum—University of Bologna, 40127 Bologna, Italy
Interests: bacteria; phytoplasmas; plant diseases; detection; epidemiology
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Topical Collection Information

Dear Colleagues,

Plant diseases pose a significant threat to global agriculture, causing significant economic losses and threatening food security. Accurate diagnostics and effective surveillance systems are key components in managing and mitigating these threats.

This Topic Collection aims to bring together cutting-edge research, comprehensive reviews, and innovative methodologies in the field of plant disease diagnostics and surveillance. Contributions to this Topical Collection highlight recent advances in diagnostic techniques, epidemiological studies, and surveillance strategies to enhance plant protection efforts. It will cover a wide range of topics, including, but not limited to, the following:

  • Development and application of plant disease diagnostic tools.
  • Application of remote sensing and imaging technologies in plant disease detection.
  • Epidemiological modeling and data analytics for disease forecasting and surveillance.
  • Integration of artificial intelligence and machine learning in plant disease diagnostics.
  • Case studies on the successful implementation of surveillance systems in different agricultural settings.
  • Effects of climate change on the emergence and spread of plant diseases.

Dr. Nicola Fiore
Dr. Kaidi Cui
Dr. Ana Belen Ruiz-Garcia
Dr. Antonio Olmos
Dr. Assunta Bertaccini
Collection 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 collection 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 diseases
  • plant surveillance
  • disease diagnostics
  • remote sensing and imaging technologies
  • plant protection
  • food security

Published Papers (8 papers)

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2025

Jump to: 2024

12 pages, 2035 KiB  
Brief Report
Identification and Characterization of Diaporthe citri as the Causal Agent of Melanose in Lemon in China
by Yang Zhou, Liangfen Yin, Wei Han, Chingchai Chaisiri, Xiangyu Liu, Xiaofeng Yue, Qi Zhang, Chaoxi Luo and Peiwu Li
Plants 2025, 14(12), 1771; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants14121771 - 10 Jun 2025
Viewed by 230
Abstract
Lemon, widely used in food, medicine, cosmetics, and other industries, has considerable value as a commodity and horticultural product. Previous research has shown that the fungus Diaporthe citri infects several citrus species, including mandarin, lemon, sweet orange, pomelo, and grapefruit, in China. Although [...] Read more.
Lemon, widely used in food, medicine, cosmetics, and other industries, has considerable value as a commodity and horticultural product. Previous research has shown that the fungus Diaporthe citri infects several citrus species, including mandarin, lemon, sweet orange, pomelo, and grapefruit, in China. Although D. citri has been reported to cause melanose disease in lemons in China, key pathological evidence, such as Koch’s postulates fulfillment on lemon fruits and detailed morphological characterization, is still lacking. In May 2018, fruits, leaves, and twigs were observed to be infected with melanose disease in lemon orchards in Chongqing municipality in China. The symptoms appeared as small black discrete spots on the surface of fruits, leaves, and twigs without obvious prominent and convex pustules. D. citri was isolated consistently from symptomatic organs and identified provisionally based on the morphological characteristics. The identification was confirmed using sequencing and multigene phylogenetic analysis of ITS, TUB, TEF, HIS, and CAL regions. Pathogenicity tests were performed using a conidium suspension, and melanose symptoms similar to those observed in the field were reproduced. To our knowledge, this study provides the first comprehensive evidence for D. citri as a causal agent of melanose disease in lemons in China, including morphological characterization and pathogenicity assays on lemon fruits. This report broadens the spectrum of hosts of D. citri in China and provides useful information for the management of melanose in lemons. Full article
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14 pages, 1940 KiB  
Article
Phytophthora inundata: A New Root Pathogen of Citrus in Europe and the Mediterranean Region
by Cristian Bua, Maria Catena Tambè, Sebastiano Conti Taguali, Mario Riolo, Alessandro Vitale, Antonella Pane and Santa Olga Cacciola
Plants 2025, 14(9), 1333; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants14091333 - 28 Apr 2025
Viewed by 680
Abstract
Citruses are one of the major fruit crops globally. Among Mediterranean citrus producers, Sicily (southern Italy) is renowned for its high-quality fresh fruit production. Phytophthora diseases are a serious issue for citrus production worldwide and Phytophthora nicotianae is a prevalent causal agent of [...] Read more.
Citruses are one of the major fruit crops globally. Among Mediterranean citrus producers, Sicily (southern Italy) is renowned for its high-quality fresh fruit production. Phytophthora diseases are a serious issue for citrus production worldwide and Phytophthora nicotianae is a prevalent causal agent of root rot in most citrus growing areas globally and particularly in the Mediterranean region. This study reports the occurrence of Phytophthora inundata as a root pathogen of declining mature citrus trees in eastern Sicily in association with P. nicotianae. This is the first record of P. inundata on citrus in Europe and the Mediterranean region. The species was identified on the basis of a morphology and multi-gene phylogenetic analysis, which included the internal transcribed spacer, β-tubulin and cytochrome c oxidase subunit 1. Pathogenicity tests on citrus saplings showed P. inundata was a less aggressive pathogen than P. nicotianae. However, the co-inoculation of both species produced more severe symptoms than inoculation with a single species, indicating an additive effect of these two pathogens and suggesting that opportunistic secondary pathogens like P. inundata may have a crucial role in complex diseases. Full article
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22 pages, 7129 KiB  
Article
First Report of a Psyllid Vector of ‘Candidatus Phytoplasma pruni’ (Strain 16SrIII-J)
by Tomás Llantén, Sebastián Cabrera, Javiera Fuentes, Camila Gamboa, Constanza González, Alan Zamorano, Tomislav Curkovic, Daniel Burckhardt and Nicola Fiore
Plants 2025, 14(9), 1279; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants14091279 - 23 Apr 2025
Viewed by 584
Abstract
In Graneros, O’Higgins Region, Chile, the mallow psyllid (Russelliana solanicola Tuthill, 1959) from Malva nicaeensis L. was identified as a potential vector of ‘Candidatus Phytoplasma pruni’. Over an 8-month period, 2089 specimens of a species of Psylloidea, including immatures and adults, [...] Read more.
In Graneros, O’Higgins Region, Chile, the mallow psyllid (Russelliana solanicola Tuthill, 1959) from Malva nicaeensis L. was identified as a potential vector of ‘Candidatus Phytoplasma pruni’. Over an 8-month period, 2089 specimens of a species of Psylloidea, including immatures and adults, were captured. We only selected the adults used for transmission trials in Catharanthus roseus (L.) G. Don (periwinkle) plants. By nested PCR, using primer pairs for phytoplasma detection in 16S rRNA and IdpA genes, 7 out of 113 (6.2%) periwinkle plants used in transmission trials were found to be infected by phytoplasmas. Insects that fed on these plants also tested positive for the same phytoplasmas. Periwinkle plants never showed virescence and phyllody, as commonly occurs with phytoplasma 16SrIII-J infection due to the effector SAP54. In this case, using primer pairs for the SAP54 gene, an amplification product was never obtained. Virtual restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) analysis of F2nR2 fragments indicated that the phytoplasma, found in both periwinkle plants and insects used in transmission trials, belongs to the 16SrIII-J ribosomal subgroup. The COI gene of the psyllids samples was amplified and sequenced, showing a similarity ranging from 84.84% to 85.02% with R. solanicola from Solanum tuberosum L. The mitochondrial genome of the psyllid was also sequenced, revealing a 14,835 bp circular DNA molecule with 37 genes. The mallow psyllid transmitted the phytoplasma 16SrIII-J to periwinkle plants. The molecular identification of the insect does not match the morphological one, indicating that the mallow psyllid may constitute a cryptic species within the polyphagous R. solanicola species. This is the first report of a psyllid as a vector of the phytoplasma 16SrIII-J. Full article
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10 pages, 2383 KiB  
Brief Report
Identification and Genome Characterization of Begomovirus and Satellite Molecules Associated with Lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.) Leaf Curl Disease
by Yafei Tang, Mengdan Du, Zhenggang Li, Lin Yu, Guobing Lan, Shanwen Ding, Tahir Farooq, Zifu He and Xiaoman She
Plants 2025, 14(5), 782; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants14050782 - 4 Mar 2025
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 664
Abstract
Lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.) plants showing leaf curl and vein enation symptoms were found in Yunnan province, China. PCR detection with genus-specific primers revealed that symptomatic lettuce plants were infected with Begomovirus. The full-length viral component and satellite molecules were obtained by [...] Read more.
Lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.) plants showing leaf curl and vein enation symptoms were found in Yunnan province, China. PCR detection with genus-specific primers revealed that symptomatic lettuce plants were infected with Begomovirus. The full-length viral component and satellite molecules were obtained by RCA, restriction enzyme digestion, PCR, cloning and DNA sequencing. A viral component (YN-2023-WJ) and three satellite molecules (YN-2023-WJ-alpha1, YN-2023-WJ-alpha2 and YN-2023-WJ-beta) were obtained from diseased lettuce plants. YN-2023-WJ exhibited the highest nt identity at 97.1% with pepper leaf curl Yunnan virus isolated from cigar plants. YN-2023-WJ-beta displayed the highest nt identity at 93.9% with tomato leaf curl China betasatellite. YN-2023-WJ-alpha1 showed the highest nt identity at 94.7% with ageratum yellow vein alphasatellite. YN-2023-WJ-alpha2 shared the highest nt identity at 75.6% with gossypium mustelinum symptomless alphasatellite and vernonia yellow vein Fujian alphasatellite. Based on the threshold for the classification of Begomovirus, Betasatellite and Alphasatellite, YN-2023-WJ was designated as a new isolate of PepLCYnV, YN-2023-WJ-beta as a new isolate of ToLCCNB and YN-2023-WJ-alpha1 as a new member of AYVA, whereas YN-2023-WJ-alpha2 was identified as a new geminialphasatellite species, for which the name pepper leaf curl Yunnan alphasatellite (PepLCYnA) is proposed. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of L. sativa L. infection by PepLCYnV associated with ToLCCNB, AYVA and PepLCYnA, and L. sativa L. is a new host plant of Begomovirus. Full article
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2024

Jump to: 2025

19 pages, 4615 KiB  
Article
Pseudomonas syringae Pathovar syringae Infection Reveals Different Defense Mechanisms in Two Sweet Cherry Cultivars
by Claudia Carreras, Alan Zamorano, Luis Villalobos-González, Paula Pimentel, Lorena Pizarro, María Francisca Beltrán, Weier Cui, Manuel Pinto, Franco Figueroa, Carlos Rubilar-Hernández, Analia Llanes, Assunta Bertaccini and Nicola Fiore
Plants 2025, 14(1), 87; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants14010087 - 31 Dec 2024
Viewed by 1334
Abstract
Pseudomonas syringae pv. syringae is the main causal agent of bacterial canker in sweet cherry in Chile, causing significant economic losses. Cultivars exhibit diverse susceptibility in the field and the molecular mechanisms underlying the differential responses remain unclear. RNA-seq analysis was performed to [...] Read more.
Pseudomonas syringae pv. syringae is the main causal agent of bacterial canker in sweet cherry in Chile, causing significant economic losses. Cultivars exhibit diverse susceptibility in the field and the molecular mechanisms underlying the differential responses remain unclear. RNA-seq analysis was performed to characterize the transcriptomic response in cultivars Santina and Bing (less and more susceptible to P. syringae pv. syringae, respectively) after 1 and 7 days post-inoculation (dpi) with the bacterium. Symptoms of bacterial canker became evident from the fifth day. At 1 dpi, cultivar Santina showed a faster response to infection and a larger number of differentially expressed genes (DEGs) than cultivar Bing. At 7 dpi, cultivar Bing almost doubled its DEGs, while cultivar Santina tended to the normal DEG levels. P. syringae pv. syringae infection downregulated the expressions of key genes of the photosynthesis process at 1 dpi in the less susceptible cultivar. The results suggest that the difference in susceptibility to P. syringae pv. syringae is linked to the timeliness of pathogen recognition, limiting the bacteria’s dispersion through modeling its cell wall, and regulation of genes encoding photosynthesis pathway. Through this study, it has been possible to progress the knowledge of relevant factors related to the susceptibility of the two studied cherry cultivars to P. syringae pv. syringae. Full article
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14 pages, 3764 KiB  
Article
Evaluating Native Bacillus Strains as Potential Biocontrol Agents against Tea Anthracnose Caused by Colletotrichum fructicola
by Meixia Chen, Hui Lin, Weifan Zu, Lulu Wang, Wenbo Dai, Yulin Xiao, Ye Zou, Chengkang Zhang, Wei Liu and Xiaoping Niu
Plants 2024, 13(20), 2889; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants13202889 - 15 Oct 2024
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1425
Abstract
Anthracnose of the tea plant (Camellia sinensis), caused by Colletotrichum spp., poses a significant threat to both the yield and quality of tea production. To address this challenge, researchers have looked to the application of endophytic bacteria as a natural alternative [...] Read more.
Anthracnose of the tea plant (Camellia sinensis), caused by Colletotrichum spp., poses a significant threat to both the yield and quality of tea production. To address this challenge, researchers have looked to the application of endophytic bacteria as a natural alternative to the use chemical pesticides, offering potential for enhancing disease resistance and abiotic stress tolerance in tea plants. This study focused on identifying effective microbial agents to combat tea anthracnose caused by Colletotrichum fructicola. A total of 38 Bacillus-like strains were isolated from the tea rhizosphere, with 8 isolates showing substantial inhibitory effects against the mycelial growth of C. fructicola, achieving an average inhibition rate of 60.68%. Among these, strain T3 was particularly effective, with a 69.86% inhibition rate. Through morphological, physiological, and biochemical characterization, along with 16S rRNA gene phylogenetics analysis, these strains were identified as B. inaquosorum (T1 and T2), B. tequilensis (T3, T5, T7, T8, and T19), and B. spizizenii (T6). Biological and molecular assays confirmed that these strains could induce the expression of genes associated with antimicrobial compounds like iturin, fengycin, subtilosin, and alkaline protease, which effectively reduced the disease index of tea anthracnose and enhanced tea plant growth. In conclusion, this study demonstrates that B. inaquosorum, B. tequilensis, and B. spizizenii strains are promising biocontrol agents for managing tea anthracnose. Full article
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22 pages, 2863 KiB  
Article
Metabolome and Mycobiome of Aegilops tauschii Subspecies Differing in Susceptibility to Brown Rust and Powdery Mildew Are Diverse
by Veronika N. Pishchik, Elena P. Chizhevskaya, Arina A. Kichko, Tatiana S. Aksenova, Evgeny E. Andronov, Vladimir K. Chebotar, Polina S. Filippova, Tatiana V. Shelenga, Maria H. Belousova and Nadezhda N. Chikida
Plants 2024, 13(17), 2343; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants13172343 - 23 Aug 2024
Viewed by 1364
Abstract
The present study demonstrated the differences in the seed metabolome and mycobiome of two Aegilops tauschii Coss accessions with different resistance to brown rust and powdery mildew. We hypothesized that the seeds of resistant accession k-1958 Ae. tauschii ssp. strangulata can contain a [...] Read more.
The present study demonstrated the differences in the seed metabolome and mycobiome of two Aegilops tauschii Coss accessions with different resistance to brown rust and powdery mildew. We hypothesized that the seeds of resistant accession k-1958 Ae. tauschii ssp. strangulata can contain a larger number of metabolites with antifungal activity compared with the seeds of susceptible Ae. tauschii ssp meyeri k-340, which will determine differences in the seed fungal community. Our study emphasizes the differences in the seed metabolome of the studied Ae. tauschii accessions. The resistant accession k-1958 had a higher content of glucose and organic acids, including pyruvic, salicylic and azelaic acid, as well as pipecolic acids, galactinol, glycerol and sitosterol. The seeds of Ae. tauschii-resistant accession k-1958 were found to contain more active substances with antifungal activity. The genera Cladosporium and Alternaria were dominant in the seed mycobiome of the resistant accession. The genera Alternaria, Blumeria and Cladosporium dominated in seed mycobiome of susceptible accession k-340. In the seed mycobiome of the resistant k-1958, a higher occurrence of saprotrophic micromycetes was found, and many of the micromycetes were biocontrol agents. It was concluded that differences in the seed metabolome of Ae. tauschii contributed to the determination of the differences in mycobiomes. Full article
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16 pages, 15526 KiB  
Article
Identification of Pathogen Causing Bulb Rot in Fritillaria taipaiensis P. Y. Li and Establishment of Detection Methods
by Shijie Wang, Keke Chen, Jiaqi Guo, Panwang Zhang, Yuchen Li, Zhenghao Xu, Langjun Cui and Yi Qiang
Plants 2024, 13(16), 2236; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants13162236 - 12 Aug 2024
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1751
Abstract
Fritillaria taipaiensis P. Y. Li (F. taipaiensis) is a traditional Chinese herbal medicine that has been used for over two millennia to treat cough and expectoration. However, the increasing cultivation of F. taipaiensis has led to the spread of bulb rot [...] Read more.
Fritillaria taipaiensis P. Y. Li (F. taipaiensis) is a traditional Chinese herbal medicine that has been used for over two millennia to treat cough and expectoration. However, the increasing cultivation of F. taipaiensis has led to the spread of bulb rot diseases. In this study, pathogens were isolated from rotten F. taipaiensis bulbs. Through molecular identification, pathogenicity testing, morphological assessment, and microscopy, Fusarium solani was identified as the pathogen causing bulb rot in F. taipaiensis. The colonization of F. solani in the bulbs was investigated through microscopic observation. The rapid and accurate detection of this pathogen will contribute to better disease monitoring and control. Loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) and qPCR methods were established to quickly and specifically identify this pathogen. These results provide valuable insights for further research on the prediction, rapid detection, and effective prevention and control of bulb rot in F. taipaiensis. Full article
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