Agronomy

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Dear Colleagues，

The demands for higher food quantities and good food quality are increasing with the growing global population. Plant diseases have always been significant threats to agricultural production, causing a large amount of food losses and reducing the quality of agricultural products annually. Concurrently, plant diseases caused by pathogenic fungi are the most serious among all kinds of pathogens. Accurately identifying pathogens and gaining a clear understanding of their pathogenic mechanisms and of the interactions between pathogens and hosts will play important roles in plant disease control. This Special Issue mainly focuses on research papers related to fungal pathogen identification and phylogeny, comparative genomics, the molecular genetics of fungal plant pathogens, the molecular mechanisms of pathogenic fungi, and the molecular basis of fungal–crop interaction. In the context of this Special Issue, studies on pathogenic fungal diseases related to fruit trees and vegetables are highly important.

In this Special Issue, we aim to share knowledge on any aspects related to the progression of pathogenic fungi, thus facilitating the sustainable development of crop production in plant cultivation.

Dr. Yunpeng Gai
Dr. Hong-Kai Wang
Guest Editors

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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. Agronomy is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly 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.

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

16 pages, 2215 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Evaluation of Maize Hybrids for Resistance to Ear Rot Caused by Dominant Fusarium Species in Northeast China

by Zhoujie Ma, Jianjun Wang, Shenghui Wen, Jiankai Ren, Hongyan Hui, Yufei Huang, Junwei Yang, Bianping Zhao, Bo Liu and Zenggui Gao

Agronomy 2024, 14(4), 855; https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy14040855 - 19 Apr 2024

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Abstract

Ear rot caused by the Fusarium species has led to a decline in maize yield and kernel quality worldwide. The changes in the population structure of pathogens and the widespread planting of susceptible maize varieties have exacerbated the occurrence and harm of ear rot in China. Therefore, it is very important to establish the species composition of Fusarium and evaluate the resistance of the main cultivated hybrids. In this study, 366 single conidial isolates of Fusarium spp. were obtained from three provinces of Northeast China. F. verticillioides, F. subglutinans, F. proliferatum, F. oxysporum, and F. graminearum species complex (FGSC) were identified, with F. verticillioides being the most prevalent with a frequency of 44.0%. Based on the TEF-1α gene sequences analysis, the FGSC populations consisted of two independent species: F. boothii and F. graminearum, which account for 23.8% and 5.7% of the total isolates, respectively. Additionally, the resistance to ear rot by 97 maize hybrids commonly planted in Northeast China was evaluated by inoculation with F. verticillioides during 2021 and 2022. The results showed that the disease parameters of different hybrids varied significantly (p < 0.05). Approximately half of the hybrids had damage rates ranging from 0 to 15%, and 79.4% of the hybrids had a severity rating of less than 5.5. In total, 49 (50.5%) hybrids were rated as moderately resistant, which was the dominant resistance category, and 71 hybrids (73.2%) were identified as moderately to highly resistant to ear rot. Current research confirms that Fusarium ear rot in maize is mainly caused by F. verticillioides in Northeast China, and many hybrids are resistant to the disease. This study will guide growers to scientifically deploy resistant commercial hybrids to control ear rot. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Research Progress on Pathogenicity of Fungi in Crops—2nd Edition)

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14 pages, 5404 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Genome-Wide Identification and Characterization of Tea SGR Family Members Reveal Their Potential Roles in Chlorophyll Degradation and Stress Tolerance

by Hengze Ren, Yating Yu, Chao Huang, Danying Li, Jiale Ni, Wuyun Lv, Kang Wei, Liyuan Wang and Yuchun Wang

Agronomy 2024, 14(4), 769; https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy14040769 - 8 Apr 2024

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Abstract

Photosynthesis plays vital roles in plant growth and development. Stay-green (SGR) proteins are responsible for chlorophyll degradation and photosynthetic metabolism. To identify SGR family members and determine their potential functions in tea plants, we identified and cloned three SGR genes. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that the tea SGR homologs were classified into the SGR subfamily (named CsSGR1 and CsSGR2) and the SGRL subfamily (named CsSGRL). Cis-element analysis indicated that the promoters of CsSGR1, CsSGR2 and CsSGRL contained light-, phytohormone- and stress-related elements. Subcellular localization confirmed that CsSGR1 was localized in the chloroplast, while CsSGR2 and CsSGRL were localized in the chloroplast, membrane and nucleus. The RT-qPCR results showed that the three genes in the matures of albino tea cultivars were expressed higher than in the green tea cultivar. However, only CsSGR2-overexpressing tobacco leaves exhibited a yellowish phenotype and significantly lower Fv/Fm values. CsSGR1 and CsSGR2 exhibited similar expression patterns in different tissues after infection with the pathogen Colletotrichum camelliae, which was opposite to the pattern observed for CsSGRL. In addition, CsSGR1 was significantly induced in response to cold stress, SA, JA and ABA in C. camelliae. These findings identified valuable candidate genes for elucidating the mechanism of leaf albinism, stress response and phytohormone signaling in tea plants. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Research Progress on Pathogenicity of Fungi in Crops—2nd Edition)

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