New Perspectives on Brown Rot Fungi

A special issue of Journal of Fungi (ISSN 2309-608X). This special issue belongs to the section "Fungi in Agriculture and Biotechnology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 April 2024) | Viewed by 3718

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
Department of Agricultural, Food and Environmental Sciences, Marche Polytechnic University, 60131 Ancona, Italy
Interests: physiological processes in plant–pathogen interaction; functional genomic; comparative genomics evolution; transcriptomics; mycorrhizal fungi; postharvest disease

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Guest Editor
Department of Soil, Plant and Food Sciences, University of Bari Aldo Moro, 70126 Bari, Italy
Interests: fungal plant pathogens; comparative genomics; transcriptomics; metagenomics; innovative and sustainable crop protection; mycoviruses; genetic diversity in microbes

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Brown rot caused by Monilinia spp. is an important disease of stone and pome trees in pre- and postharvest resulting in great economic losses. Innovative approaches for sustainable disease management, reducing the use of traditional chemicals, are needed to maintain the quality and quantity of production while reducing impact on the environment and human health. The new strategies of disease control recommend understanding the molecular bases of pathogenic fungal lifestyles. New technologies might facilitate the translation of these knowledge advancements into tangible benefits for brown rot management. In this Special Issue, articles that focus on brown rot fungi at all levels, including detection and diagnosis methods, genomics and other ‘omics’ sciences, fungi, and plant–fungus interactions, putting a new light on different aspects on fungal pathogenesis, are appreciated. In addition, advances in the control of fungal agents of brown rot developed using ecofriendly and new biotechnological tools and host resistance/tolerance studies are most welcome.

Dr. Lucia Landi
Dr. Rita Milvia De Miccolis Angelini
Guest Editors

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Keywords

  • brown rot fungi
  • brown rot control
  • omic sciences
  • fungal pathogenicity
  • plant defense response
  • plant–pathogen interaction
  • Monilinia spp.

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Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

12 pages, 4515 KiB  
Article
Control of Peach Brown Rot Disease Produced by Monilinia fructicola and Monilinia laxa Using Benzylidene-Cycloalkanones
by Alejandro Madrid, Valentina Silva, Constanza Reyes, Enrique Werner, Ximena Besoain, Iván Montenegro, Evelyn Muñoz and Katy Díaz
J. Fungi 2024, 10(9), 609; https://doi.org/10.3390/jof10090609 - 27 Aug 2024
Viewed by 644
Abstract
Fruit rots caused by filamentous fungi such as Monilinia fructicola and Monilinia laxa have a strong impact on crop yield and fruit commercialization, especially as they affect a wide variety of stone fruits. The antifungal efficacy of benzylidene-cycloalkanones has been previously described in [...] Read more.
Fruit rots caused by filamentous fungi such as Monilinia fructicola and Monilinia laxa have a strong impact on crop yield and fruit commercialization, especially as they affect a wide variety of stone fruits. The antifungal efficacy of benzylidene-cycloalkanones has been previously described in in vitro assays against M. fructicola; so, this study aims to evaluate the in vivo inhibitory potential of these hybrids on fruits that have been inoculated with M. fructicola, and use molecular docking to visualize the main interactions of these molecules in the active site of the enzyme succinate dehydrogenase (SDH). The results indicate that compound C achieves the highest inhibition of both Monilinia species (15.7–31.4 µg/mL), spore germination in vitro (<10 µg/mL), and has promising results in vivo, without causing phytotoxicity in fruits. The results from molecular docking suggest that hydroxyl groups play a crucial role in enhancing the binding of compound C to SDH and contribute to the formation of hydrogen bonds with amino acid residues on the enzyme active site. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue New Perspectives on Brown Rot Fungi)
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17 pages, 3828 KiB  
Article
Efficacy of Essential Oil Vapours in Reducing Postharvest Rots and Effect on the Fruit Mycobiome of Nectarines
by Giulia Remolif, Fabio Buonsenso, Giada Schiavon, Marco Garello and Davide Spadaro
J. Fungi 2024, 10(5), 341; https://doi.org/10.3390/jof10050341 - 8 May 2024
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1085
Abstract
Nectarines can be affected by many diseases, resulting in significant production losses. Natural products, such as essential oils (EOs), are promising alternatives to pesticides to control storage rots. This work aimed to test the efficacy of biofumigation with EOs in the control of [...] Read more.
Nectarines can be affected by many diseases, resulting in significant production losses. Natural products, such as essential oils (EOs), are promising alternatives to pesticides to control storage rots. This work aimed to test the efficacy of biofumigation with EOs in the control of nectarine postharvest diseases while also evaluating the effect on the quality parameters (firmness, total soluble solids, and titratable acidity) and on the fruit fungal microbiome. Basil, fennel, lemon, oregano, and thyme EOs were first tested in vitro at 0.1, 0.5, and 1.0% concentrations to evaluate their inhibition activity against Monilinia fructicola. Subsequently, an in vivo screening trial was performed by treating nectarines inoculated with M. fructicola, with the five EOs at 2.0% concentration by biofumigation, performed using slow-release diffusers placed inside the storage cabinets. Fennel, lemon, and basil EOs were the most effective after storage and were selected to be tested in efficacy trials using naturally infected nectarines. After 28 days of storage, all treatments showed a significant rot reduction compared to the untreated control. Additionally, no evident phytotoxic effects were observed on the treated fruits. EO vapors did not affect the overall quality of the fruits but showed a positive effect in reducing firmness loss. Metabarcoding analysis showed a significant impact of tissue, treatment, and sampling time on the fruit microbiome composition. Treatments were able to reduce the abundance of Monilinia spp., but basil EO favored a significant increase in Penicillium spp. Moreover, the abundance of other fungal genera was found to be modified. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue New Perspectives on Brown Rot Fungi)
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16 pages, 3469 KiB  
Article
Deciphering the Effect of Light Wavelengths in Monilinia spp. DHN-Melanin Production and Their Interplay with ROS Metabolism in M. fructicola
by Lucía Verde-Yáñez, Josep Usall, Neus Teixidó, Núria Vall-llaura and Rosario Torres
J. Fungi 2023, 9(6), 653; https://doi.org/10.3390/jof9060653 - 10 Jun 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1456
Abstract
Pathogenic fungi are influenced by many biotic and abiotic factors. Among them, light is a source of information for fungi and also a stress factor that triggers multiple biological responses, including the activation of secondary metabolites, such as the production of melanin pigments. [...] Read more.
Pathogenic fungi are influenced by many biotic and abiotic factors. Among them, light is a source of information for fungi and also a stress factor that triggers multiple biological responses, including the activation of secondary metabolites, such as the production of melanin pigments. In this study, we analyzed the melanin-like production in in vitro conditions, as well as the expression of all biosynthetic and regulatory genes of the DHN–melanin pathway in the three main Monilinia species upon exposure to light conditions (white, black, blue, red, and far-red wavelengths). On the other hand, we analyzed, for the first time, the metabolism related to ROS in M. fructicola, through the production of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) and the expression of stress-related genes under different light conditions. In general, the results indicated a clear importance of black light on melanin production and expression in M. laxa and M. fructicola, but not in M. fructigena. Regarding ROS-related metabolism in M. fructicola, blue light highlighted by inhibiting the expression of many antioxidant genes. Overall, it represents a global description of the effect of light on the regulation of two important secondary mechanisms, essential for the adaptation of the fungus to the environment and its survival. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue New Perspectives on Brown Rot Fungi)
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