Exploring Molecular Interactions Between Pathogenic Fungi and Crop Host Plants
A special issue of Agriculture (ISSN 2077-0472). This special issue belongs to the section "Crop Protection, Diseases, Pests and Weeds".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 15 February 2026 | Viewed by 62
Special Issue Editors
Interests: plant genetics; plant molecular biology; plant biotechnology; plant DNA extraction; PCR; molecular markers; disease resistance; plant proteomic; microscopy
Interests: resistance; powdery mildew; molecular markers; crops; genetic diversity; population structure
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Pathogenic fungi pose a significant threat to global agriculture by infecting a wide range of crop plants and causing substantial yield losses. In this view, it is essential to find effective methods to limit or combat this problem. Therefore, a deeper and more comprehensive understanding of the mechanisms of action—from both the pathogen’s and the plant’s perspectives—can provide important insights on this topic.
Fungal pathogens utilize a variety of virulence factors to suppress immune responses, invade host tissues, and manipulate host cellular functions for their benefit. Conversely, plants have evolved a range of defense strategies to detect and respond to fungal invasion. This Special Issue focuses on exploring the molecular interactions between pathogenic fungi and their host plants. We wish to highlight the dynamic processes that determine infection outcomes. We welcome articles shedding light on molecular events involved in fungal infection, such as host penetration, cell wall degradation, and nutrient acquisition, alongside plant defense responses like oxidative bursts, hormone signaling, and transcriptional reprogramming. Advances in omics technologies—genomics, transcriptomics, and proteomics—will significantly enhance our understanding of these host–pathogen interactions, allowing for the identification of critical genes and pathways. The insights gained from studying these molecular mechanisms hold great promise for the development of durable, disease-resistant crop varieties through biotechnology and breeding approaches, ultimately contributing to sustainable agriculture and food security.
Dr. Aleksandra Nucia
Prof. Dr. Sylwia Magdalena Okoń
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. Agriculture 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 2600 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
- pathogenic fungi
- plant–pathogen interactions
- fungal infections mechanism
- crop diseases
- host defense responses
- disease resistance
- molecular plant pathology
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