Dear Colleagues,

The causal agents of plant diseases are very often different phytopathogenic fungi and bacteria. Since there is usually not enough data on the susceptibility of different plant cultivars to microbial pathogenic agents, the identification of cultivars tolerant/resistant to phytopathogenic fungi and bacteria is crucial.

As of now, an adequate and satisfactory curative for different plant diseases of cultivated plants has not been found, and there is a need to find alternative effective compounds for plant protection and control. A possible solution to this phytopathological problem is reflected through research on plants’ bioactive substances, which is not particularly prevalent, although according to the literature there is a great number of plants that could be potential sources of these compounds. These active substances represent a potential solution to contemporary problems in phytomedicine, since the number of registered pesticides is rapidly decreasing.

It is expected that plant bioactive substances have insufficiently known and used antimicrobial efficiency. The application of these substances could also reduce the use of toxic synthetic pesticides and solve the problem of pesticide resistance in the future, but they are also the answer to people’s health, which is being increasingly endangered. Interest in these compounds is expected to grow even more, and in order to evaluate the potential doses and methods of application, further and successive studies are needed.   

This Microorganisms Special Issue, "Plant Pathogens: Monitoring, Identification and Biological Control", will present the latest research on the identification and characterization of different phytopathogenic fungi and bacteria of cultivated and wild plants. Papers on the antimicrobial effects of complex bioactive plant ingredients on different plant pathogens will also be welcome.

Some of the focal points include, but are not limited to, the following:

1. Microbial pathogenic agents of different plant diseases.
2. The antimicrobial effects of complex antimicrobial ingredients on phytopathogenic organisms (e. g. essential oils and their components).
3. The use of plant-based biopesticides and bioactive compounds.
4. Plant disease management.
5. Plant-based biopesticides.
6. Fungi and bacteria as causal agents of plant disease.

Dr. Sara Godena
Prof. Dr. Stefania Tegli
Dr. Damir Dermic
Guest Editors

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