Mycorrhizal and Endophytic Fungi as a Tool for Sustainable Environments

Dear Colleagues,

A great variety of fungi (arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi, dark septate fungi (DSE) and other endophytes) are associated with the roots of vascular plants, presenting a wide range of symbiotic interactions. Among their many functions, they make the uptake of nutrients by plants from organic and inorganic sources more efficient, producing extracellular enzymes, secreting organic acids, phytosiderophores, etc. Also, they produce precursors of plant hormones. They facilitate the absorption of water and at the same time mitigate the effect of salinity on plants. Those microorganisms reduce the effect of pollutants on plants, especially heavy metals. In addition, fungi not only tolerate but degrade hydrocarbons, agrochemicals and other organic pollutants, using them as a carbon source. It is also known that these fungi usually increase the resistance of crops to different kinds of phytopathogens. The gradual increase in our knowledge about these symbiosis processes expands the potential application of these natural mechanisms in agriculture and the environment. In this way, they can contribute to a more sustainable system, in order to overcome the crises that exist in the current state of our civilization. This Special Issue of Plants will highlight the advances made regarding the knowledge of the multifaceted role played by different types of fungi associated with plants under different environmental conditions. Our objective is to show recent developments and future trends in this complex topic.

Dr. Raúl S. Lavado
Dr. Viviana M. Chiocchio
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 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.

• fungi functions
• symbioses mechanisms
• symbiotic interactions
• nutrient availability
• tolerance to biotic and abiotic stress
• fungi tolerance to contaminants
• degradation of organic compounds
• fungi and environment
• mycoremediation