Endophytic Fungi of Citrus Plants

Round 1

Reviewer 1 Report

The manuscript entitled "Endophytic Fungi of Citrus Plants" addresses the topic properly and thoroughly.

The citation list is up to date and the text is well written.

Author Response

Thank you very much for your positive comment.

Reviewer 2 Report

This review will be helpful for those researching endopyhtes.  I don't have any real problems with the material or how it is organised.  I do have a problem wit the use of English in this manuscript.  Starting in the Abstract and all through the paper there are too many awkward sentences, grammar mistakes and inappropriate wording.  

This needs a thorough editing by someone who is better able to reword and rework the ideas and conclusions into a much more readable form.  This should have been done before submission.  The subject and information will be a useful contribution once the issue around the use of English are resolved. 

Author Response

Thank you for your comment.

Reviewer 3 Report

Recommendation: Accept with revision

Comments:

Review of the manuscript "Endophytic Fungi of Citrus plants" by Rosario Nicoletti.

The author reports a review of recent research concerning the occurrence and effects of endophytic fungi in Citrus plants. The manuscript mainly focuses on the investigations on the occurrence of the endophytic fungi and their separation from other ecologically associated taxa in Citrus and also discusses the interactions of endophytic fungi with pests and pathogens of Citrus. The author also summarizes the biotechnological implication of endophytic diversity in sustainable agriculture. Overall, the review will be of interest to the plant-path community, especially Citrus breeding programs.

In my opinion, before publication, the author should address the following points:

Since it is a review paper it would be recommended to add a definition of the term “endophytic”. I know it is very basic, but this would give readers a clear idea about the content of the manuscript. Please provide a definition of the endophytes in the introduction section.

-    Page 1 Line 20: In the sentence “Despite the first pioneering observations”, the author mentioned two synonyms first and pioneer. Instead, I suggest replacing with “Despite the early pioneering observations”.

-    Page 7 Line 144: Please use italics for Hanseniaspora opuntia.

Author Response

Thank you very much for your positive comments. The suggested modifications have been introduced in the new version of the manuscript. Concerning your recommendation to provide a definition of 'endophytes' in the introduction, I remark that this has been indirectly done at lines 23-26. Actually, over the time several definitions have been issued by experts in the field which are all correct, as brilliantly illustrated by Hyde and Soytong in the provided reference [2]. Accordingly, I intended not to lean for any particular definition, giving the reader the opportunity to choose which one in those authors' list best fit.