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Horticulturae
Special Issues
Fungal Diseases and Pathogens Affecting Horticultural Crops: New Challenges
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Fungal Diseases and Pathogens Affecting Horticultural Crops: New Challenges

A special issue of Horticulturae (ISSN 2311-7524). This special issue belongs to the section "Plant Pathology and Disease Management (PPDM)".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (15 November 2024) | Viewed by 6907

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Manuel Anguita Maeso

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Biology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA
Interests: plant microbiome; plant-microbe interactions; metagenomics; plant health
Dr. Zhi Li

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
College of Horticulture, Northwest A&F University, Yangling 712100, China
Interests: grape; fungal disease; effector; biocontrol
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Min Gao

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
State Key Laboratory of Crop Stress Biology in Arid Areas, College of Horticulture, Northwest A&F University, Yangling 712100, China
Interests: stress; resistance; ROS; phytohormone; host-pathogen interactions; disease control; molecular breeding
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

This Special Issue is dedicated to exploring the latest challenges, research developments, and innovative strategies in understanding, managing, and mitigating fungal diseases and pathogens that afflict horticultural crops. It provides a platform for researchers, scientists, and experts in plant pathology, agriculture, and related fields to contribute their findings and insights.

We welcome submissions of different article types, such as original research, methods, mini-review, review, and perspective articles, dealing with fungal diseases and pathogens affecting horticultural crops. We particularly encourage studies on fungal disease dynamics, pathogen identification and characterization, host–pathogen interactions, disease management strategies, crop protection, diagnostic tools, sustainable agriculture practices, genetic diversity and germplasm conservation, emerging threats, case studies, success stories, and future directions.

By encompassing these areas, this Special Issue aims to contribute to the advancement of knowledge and the development of sustainable strategies for protecting and enhancing the productivity of horticultural crops in the face of evolving fungal challenges.

Dr. Manuel Anguita Maeso
Dr. Zhi Li
Dr. Min Gao
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. Horticulturae 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 2200 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

  • fungal diseases
  • pathogens
  • horticultural crops
  • plant pathology
  • crop protection

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Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

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13 pages, 5222 KiB  
Article
Diversity of Colletotrichum spp. on Aristolochia grandiflora: A Case Study in an Italian Botanical Garden
by Federico Brugneti, Silvia Turco, Luca Rossini, Diana Martignoni and Angelo Mazzaglia
Horticulturae 2024, 10(11), 1215; https://doi.org/10.3390/horticulturae10111215 - 17 Nov 2024
Viewed by 332
Abstract
During a survey conducted in autumn 2022 and spring 2023, extensive leaf spots were observed on Aristolochia grandiflora plants in the Botanical Garden “Angelo Rambelli” (Viterbo). To preserve the botanical garden collection and avoid disease spread, morphological and molecular identification of the causal [...] Read more.
During a survey conducted in autumn 2022 and spring 2023, extensive leaf spots were observed on Aristolochia grandiflora plants in the Botanical Garden “Angelo Rambelli” (Viterbo). To preserve the botanical garden collection and avoid disease spread, morphological and molecular identification of the causal agent were carried out. The results revealed three distinct Colletotrichum species belonging to the Colletotrichum boninense and Colletotrichum orchidearum species complexes, which have never been reported together within the same host and, for two of them, never in Italy. These findings may contribute to further extend the state of the art on leaf anthracnose, as well as provide new insights and molecular data for further phylogenetic studies. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Fungal Diseases and Pathogens Affecting Horticultural Crops: New Challenges)
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16 pages, 3715 KiB  
Article
Olive Escudete (Dalmatian Disease) Caused by Botryosphaeria dothidea as a Result of Fly–Midge–Fungus Interaction
by Hani K. Aldebis, Antonio Santos-Rufo, Ibrahim Eldesouki-Arafat, Enrique Vargas-Osuna, Juan Moral, Antonio Trapero and Francisco Javier López-Escudero
Horticulturae 2024, 10(4), 321; https://doi.org/10.3390/horticulturae10040321 - 26 Mar 2024
Viewed by 1100
Abstract
Escudete, which is caused by Botryosphaeria dothidea, is a disease that is widely distributed in the Mediterranean basin, but is of little general importance. Nevertheless, serious attacks have been observed on occasion, which have caused a considerable reduction in the quality of [...] Read more.
Escudete, which is caused by Botryosphaeria dothidea, is a disease that is widely distributed in the Mediterranean basin, but is of little general importance. Nevertheless, serious attacks have been observed on occasion, which have caused a considerable reduction in the quality of table olives. The incidence of the pathogen has been associated with damage caused by the olive fly (Bactrocera oleae) and the presence of a possible vector agent, i.e., the midge Prolasioptera berlesiana, whose larvae can feed on fly eggs (although the role the midge may play in the spread of this disease is not well known). Therefore, it is necessary to clarify these interactions to adopt appropriate disease control measures. Studies were conducted in olive orchards planted with the Gordal Sevillana, Picudo, and Hojiblanca olive cultivars. Field surveys were carried out in order to sample their fruits for laboratory analysis, and several bioassays were also performed. Moreover, the population of B. oleae adults was monitored using traps that were baited with food attractants. The results indicated that the three agents developed and evolved in parallel under field conditions. Thus, the midges were attracted by the oviposition punctures caused in fruits by olive fruit flies, regardless of whether the punctures contained eggs. All the investigated olive fruits in which midges were present inside punctures created by olive fruit flies exhibited typical symptoms of escudete, which is necessary for the development of this disease. Forty-eight hours after fly punctures were artificially simulated in the olive fruits, 48.0% of them contained a midge, whereas no midges appeared in the artificially created shapeless wounds in the fruits. This indicates that an olive fly egg is not required for the development of midges; however, they do prefer punctures made by B. oleae. Moreover, when the olive fruits were incubated in a humid chamber, the B. dothidea fungus only appeared in those fruits that contained midges, thus indicating a close relationship between these two agents. Additionally, the midges were able to complete their entire development from egg to adult under controlled conditions, and they fed on the pure cultures of the B. dothidea fungus. Furthermore, although no pathogens were present in the immature midges, some of the pathogens could have been isolated from the inner tissues of the adult female midges. The fact that mycangia is present in the abdomen of P. berlesiana supports the hypothesis that their relationship with B. dothidea may be mutualistic and that they may act as a vector for the fungus. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Fungal Diseases and Pathogens Affecting Horticultural Crops: New Challenges)
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23 pages, 10059 KiB  
Article
Biological Control and Cross Infections of the Neofusicoccum spp. Causing Mango Postharvest Rots in Spain
by Lucía Guirado-Manzano, Sandra Tienda, José Antonio Gutiérrez-Barranquero, Antonio de Vicente, Francisco M. Cazorla and Eva Arrebola
Horticulturae 2024, 10(2), 166; https://doi.org/10.3390/horticulturae10020166 - 11 Feb 2024
Viewed by 1632
Abstract
Mango is one of the main subtropical crops growing in southern Spain. Spanish mango fruit production can be efficiently transported to the rest of Europe, and these mangoes are very appreciated for their quality and flavour. However, postharvest rots have been detected in [...] Read more.
Mango is one of the main subtropical crops growing in southern Spain. Spanish mango fruit production can be efficiently transported to the rest of Europe, and these mangoes are very appreciated for their quality and flavour. However, postharvest rots have been detected in stored mango fruits, making their commercialization difficult. The causal agents associated with such rot symptoms have been isolated and identified. Because the mango crops used to share the same growing area with avocado crops, fungal presence on surrounding asymptomatic avocado fruits was also analysed to detect potential cross infections. Artificial inoculation with Neofusicoccum parvum and N. mediterraneum was able to reproduce rot symptoms in mango but was also able to induce rots in avocado fruits. To approach a biological control strategy against these rot-producing fungi, two very well-known antagonistic biocontrol bacteria, Pseudomonas chlororaphis PCL1606, and Bacillus velezensis UMAF6639, were tested. The obtained results revealed that both bacteria can control the fungal rots on stored mango and avocado fruits under controlled conditions. Additionally, the strain B. velezensis UMAF6639 showed the ability to persist on the fruit surface of adult commercial trees in experiments under open field conditions, helping to prevent the appearance of these postharvest diseases. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Fungal Diseases and Pathogens Affecting Horticultural Crops: New Challenges)
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11 pages, 1760 KiB  
Article
First Molecular Phylogenetic Identification and Report of Pseudocercospora cannabina Causing Leaf Spot Disease on Cannabis sativa in Thailand
by Dulanjalee Lakmali Harishchandra, Sukanya Haituk, Patchareeya Withee, Nisachon Tamakaew, Nittaya Nokum, Chaorai Kanchanomai, Tonapha Pusadee, Chiharu Nakashima and Ratchadawan Cheewangkoon
Horticulturae 2023, 9(12), 1261; https://doi.org/10.3390/horticulturae9121261 - 23 Nov 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1547
Abstract
Cannabis sativa is gaining attention as an agronomically important crop in many countries around the world. The identification and control of leaf diseases in cannabis are very important for cannabis cultivators as leaves are the most economically important part of the cannabis plants. [...] Read more.
Cannabis sativa is gaining attention as an agronomically important crop in many countries around the world. The identification and control of leaf diseases in cannabis are very important for cannabis cultivators as leaves are the most economically important part of the cannabis plants. In 2022, several cannabis plants in cultivations showing olive leaf spot symptoms emerged from Chiang Rai province, Thailand. Preliminary studies indicated that the causal organism is Pseudocercospora sp. Species of Pseudocercospora are important plant pathogens that are now identified through morphological studies combined with DNA sequence data of Internal Transcribed Spacer (ITS), Actin (act), Translation Elongation Factor (tef), and RNA Polymerase II second largest subunit (rpb2) gene regions. We aimed to investigate and understand the emergence of olive leaf spot disease in cannabis plants in Chiang Rai province, Thailand, with a specific focus on the combined morpho-molecular identification of the pathogen. In our study, Pseudocercospora cannabina, the causal organism of olive leaf spot disease, was identified as the leaf spot-causing pathogen with both morphological and phylogenetic analyses. Our study is the first to provide molecular data for Ps. cannabina as the typenor Ps. cannabina isolates from previous studies have made molecular data available for this species. A pathogenicity test, re-isolation, and identification steps were performed to fulfill Koch’s postulates. This comprehensive approach enhances our understanding of the olive leaf spot disease and its causative agent in cannabis. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Fungal Diseases and Pathogens Affecting Horticultural Crops: New Challenges)
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Review

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35 pages, 1589 KiB  
Review
Fungal and Fungal-like Diseases of Halophytes in the Mediterranean Basin: A State-of-the-Art Review
by Emiliano Delli Compagni, Alberto Pardossi and Susanna Pecchia
Horticulturae 2024, 10(4), 313; https://doi.org/10.3390/horticulturae10040313 - 23 Mar 2024
Viewed by 1431
Abstract
Halophytes are salt-tolerant plants growing in saline ecosystems and are spread throughout the Mediterranean area. Recently, there has been a renewed interest in agricultural exploitation of halophytes, but poor attention has been given to pest and disease management of these species. The objective [...] Read more.
Halophytes are salt-tolerant plants growing in saline ecosystems and are spread throughout the Mediterranean area. Recently, there has been a renewed interest in agricultural exploitation of halophytes, but poor attention has been given to pest and disease management of these species. The objective of this review is to assess the extent and distribution of pathogenic fungal and fungal-like (Oomycota) organisms on major Mediterranean halophytes. We retrieved 92 references spanning over 100 years, with more than half published since 2000. Ascomycota is the best-represented phylum, and the order Pleosporales has the highest species diversity. The order Pucciniales prevails in Basidiomycota, whereas Peronosporales is the richest order within Oomycota. Most of the pathogenic species have been isolated from aboveground organs, especially from leaves. Portulaca oleracea is the species with the most associated pathogens (16) and records (28). Leveillula powdery mildew, caused by Leveillula taurica, is the most common disease among the selected species. Cakile maritima was found to be vulnerable to different mycotoxigenic Alternaria species. Strengthening the research on diseases of halophytes is essential to successfully grow these species and to evaluate the risks related to the presence of mycotoxigenic species, which is crucial for the effective exploitation of halophytes as crops. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Fungal Diseases and Pathogens Affecting Horticultural Crops: New Challenges)
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