Geminiviruses (family Geminiviridae) are arthropod-borne plant viruses infecting a diverse range of host plants. Characterized by single-stranded DNA, these viruses can reprogram plant cellular processes by manipulating gene expression, cell signalling, and protein turnover. This results in altered host gene patterns and impaired plant defence systems. Geminiviruses are widely distributed in the tropical to subtropical and temperate regions, where they cause disease outbreaks in a wide range of cultivated and non-cultivated plants. Common agricultural crops affected include cassava, cotton, maize, and tomato. The viruses stunt plant growth, causing distinctive curling of leaves in corn and tomato. Severe economic losses in food, feed, and fibre crops are attributed to geminivirus infection. Their increasing spread into diverse agricultural zones necessitates further investigation into the interaction between virus and plant.

To secure crop production worldwide, it is crucial to study the interactive dynamics of geminiviruses in specified plant tissues, as well as the plant host response in terms of pathogenesis-related metabolites and proteins; plants have evolved various strategies to subvert virus invasion and reinstate homeostasis. The innovative tools that enable this study include next generation sequencing, bioinformatics, and genome editing. Basic and applied research is needed on geminivirus replication strategy in host plants to their management in open fields. In terms of biotechnology and molecular biology, geminiviruses can be utilized as an alternative to VIGS and/or plant expression vectors. Thus, they are an ideal model for research studies related to plant DNA replication, cell-cycle regulations, and other basic and applied aspects.

This Research Topic intends to update the scientific community about various aspects of geminivirus interaction with their plant hosts. This Research Topic welcomes submissions in the form of research manuscripts and review articles including (but not limited to):

• geminivirus infection cycle
• triad plant-virus-insect interactions
• interaction with other geminiviruses and DNA-satellites
• ecological and molecular evolutionary dynamics of the geminivirus genome
• functional landscape of versatile geminiviruses
• geminivirus molecular interactions with phytohormones
• molecular strategies to block interactive dynamics of geminiviruses with host plants
• plant antiviral defense and counter defense mechanisms

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Frontiers in Plant Science

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