Emerging Strategies for Diagnosis and Management of Virus Diseases in Horticultural Crops: New Methods and Their Applications

Dear Colleagues,

Plant viruses are major threats to agriculture that cause severe production losses and affect the quality of crops. Current strategies for viral disease control include the use of resistant crop varieties, chemical control, and cultural practices aiming to reduce the spread of the virus. However, the management of viral diseases remains difficult due to the rapid evolution and variability of viruses, as well as their effective transmission through vectors and the diversity of their pathogenesis mechanisms. Additional challenges include the emergence of novel viruses or variants, the presence of mixed infections causing disease synergism, and the possibility of co-infections with other pathogens that affect the infection’s outcome, complicating the management of epidemics.

Sustainable agriculture requires the innovative, sustainable, and ecologically and economically “friendly” management of viral diseases. A critical issue is highly sensitive and precise diagnosis, as pathogen identification is necessary in order to determine proper management strategies and broaden our knowledge regarding viral diversity and interactions. This Special Issue invites research articles, reviews, short notes, and opinions that expand our knowledge of cutting-edge diagnostics and management strategies, including, but not limited to, genomics, transcriptomics, and metagenomics approaches; biochemical and molecular methods; RNA-based technologies, gene editing; and viral interactions with other viruses, pathogens, and insect vectors.

Dr. Claudia Villicaña
Dr. Stefania Mirela Mang
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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