Besides abiotic stress, various groups of pathogens target plants and cause direct and indirect yield losses. An important group is the viruses; the diversity of which is being expanded by affordable methods of high-throughput sequencing (HTS).
Mixed viral infections refer to the co-existence of multiple viruses in the host system. Such infections open the possibility for recombination events, which can generate new viral strains and also have an influence on the plant host's innate immunity – ultimately hindering efficient diagnostics and worsening symptom development. Mixed viral infections were studied using traditional methods of molecular biology in the pre-HTS era; since then, HTS has provided a more in-depth picture of a plant host’s virome which is an invaluable tool for their investigation. While using HTS to study mixed infections in annual and perennial plants is useful, the artificial infection of model plants with several viruses at once will help to further elucidate the underlying mechanisms of their co-infection and potential interaction.
This Research Topic aims to collate the latest research on mixed viral infections in plants and improve understanding of this field. Such knowledge will aid in developing multi-virus-resistant plants and securing crop yield, which is paramount to strengthening food security in the face of the changing climate and global population growth.
We therefore welcome all types of submissions covering, but not limited to, the following subtopics:
- Characterization of mixed virus infections and multiple strains (genotypes) of the same virus;
- Plant-virus interactions during mixed virus infections;
- Plant responses to individual viruses;
- The transmission of viral mixtures;
- Virus-virus interactions within the host plant system.
Descriptive studies that report phenotypic (morphological, developmental, or physiological) responses or that describe effects already shown in other species will not be considered if they do not address the molecular relevance to the plant pathogen association or if they provide negligible advancement of knowledge.
Besides abiotic stress, various groups of pathogens target plants and cause direct and indirect yield losses. An important group is the viruses; the diversity of which is being expanded by affordable methods of high-throughput sequencing (HTS).
Mixed viral infections refer to the co-existence of multiple viruses in the host system. Such infections open the possibility for recombination events, which can generate new viral strains and also have an influence on the plant host's innate immunity – ultimately hindering efficient diagnostics and worsening symptom development. Mixed viral infections were studied using traditional methods of molecular biology in the pre-HTS era; since then, HTS has provided a more in-depth picture of a plant host’s virome which is an invaluable tool for their investigation. While using HTS to study mixed infections in annual and perennial plants is useful, the artificial infection of model plants with several viruses at once will help to further elucidate the underlying mechanisms of their co-infection and potential interaction.
This Research Topic aims to collate the latest research on mixed viral infections in plants and improve understanding of this field. Such knowledge will aid in developing multi-virus-resistant plants and securing crop yield, which is paramount to strengthening food security in the face of the changing climate and global population growth.
We therefore welcome all types of submissions covering, but not limited to, the following subtopics:
- Characterization of mixed virus infections and multiple strains (genotypes) of the same virus;
- Plant-virus interactions during mixed virus infections;
- Plant responses to individual viruses;
- The transmission of viral mixtures;
- Virus-virus interactions within the host plant system.
Descriptive studies that report phenotypic (morphological, developmental, or physiological) responses or that describe effects already shown in other species will not be considered if they do not address the molecular relevance to the plant pathogen association or if they provide negligible advancement of knowledge.