Editorial: Unraveling pathogen-plant-microbiome interactions in horticultural crops through omics approaches

Author: mycolabadmin
10/1/2025
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Summary

This editorial presents a collection of research on how diseases affect valuable crops like tomatoes, tea, and potatoes. Scientists used advanced genetic and molecular techniques to understand how pathogens infect plants and how the beneficial microbes around plant roots can help fight disease. The studies suggest that managing crop diseases sustainably requires understanding the complex interactions between pathogens, plants, and their microbial communities.

Background

Horticultural crops face substantial threats from pests and diseases caused by bacteria, fungi, and oomycetes, resulting in considerable global yield losses. Pathogens utilize effector molecules including small RNAs, proteins, and volatile organic compounds to facilitate infection. Despite considerable research, gaps remain in understanding microbe-microbe interactions and the influence of the plant microbiome on pathogen virulence.

Objective

This Research Topic aimed to advance understanding of interactions between microbial pathogens and horticultural crops using diverse omics methodologies. The objective was to provide novel insights for sustainable disease management, particularly in host resistance and breeding, addressing pathogen modulation of plant-associated microbial communities and coevolutionary dynamics.

Results

Studies identified enriched microbial communities in mother tree rhizospheres promoting nutrient availability, shifts in microbial composition contributing to pathogen suppression in resistant crops, novel Fusarium species associated with postharvest rot, and 6,822 differentially expressed genes contributing to pathogen pathogenicity. Findings highlighted the importance of horizontal gene transfer, microbial interaction networks, and soil properties in disease dynamics.

Conclusion

The collection demonstrates multifaceted colonization strategies of pathogens and emphasizes the need for integrated disease management approaches incorporating disease prediction models, identification of virulent agents, and sustainable prevention strategies under climate change.

Published in:Frontiers in Plant Science,
Study Type:Editorial/Research Topic Collection,
Source: PMID: 41104433, DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2025.1696789