Dear Colleagues,

DNA sequencing technology has revolutionized the taxonomy and diagnostics of true fungi and oomycetes, here referred to as fungi in a broad sense. Whole-genome sequencing of plant pathogens made the targeted design of primers for molecular diagnosis possible, next-generation sequencing proved to be a powerful tool to study the plant-associated microbiomes and the multi-locus sequence phylogeny resulted in a substantial taxonomic and nomenclatural revision of families and genera, including those of important plant pathogens. However, defining species boundaries is still challenging, and plant pathologists feel the need for a more stable molecular taxonomy. Moreover, not all fungi associated with plants are pathogens, and many shift to an aggressive pathogenic lifestyle when environmental conditions are favorable or the host plant is stressed. A promising aspect of a molecular taxonomy that also takes functional aspects into consideration is the search for genetic markers predicting the pathogenetic potential of fungi.

The aim of this Special Issue is to stimulate the debate on the implications of molecular taxonomy for both plant pathology and crop breeding for disease resistance. This Special Issue welcomes reviews addressing these general topics and scientific contributions demonstrating the usefulness of molecular techniques in identifying fungi associated with agricultural and forestry plants.

Dr. Santa Olga Cacciola
Dr. Alfio Spina
Guest Editors

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• next-generation sequencing
• multi-locus sequence phylogeny
• plant pathogens
• endophytes
• latent pathogens
• pathobiome
• microbiome
• breeding for resistance