Microbial volatile compounds are a large group of lipophilic carbon‐based chemicals with low molecular weight, low polarity, low boiling point, and high vapor pressure. These compounds belong to different chemical classes such as alcohols, benzenoids, aldehydes, alkenes, acids, esters, ketones, terpenes, pyrazines, and derivatives of benzene and cyclohexanes. Microorganisms produce different arrays of volatile organic compounds (VOCs). The amount and composition of VOCs can vary depending on the strain, the host, and environmental conditions. However, different methods are used to analyze VOCs to explain better their chemical composition and structure. Nevertheless, VOCs were evaluated as a successful biological control strategy against different pre- and postharvest diseases. According to the scientific literature, the use of VOCs is still limited for the control of oomycetes and fungi.

The new European plant health regulation (EU 2016/2031) and 'European Green Deal' aim to accelerate the transition to a more sustainable food system production by 2030. To that end, the use of VOCs could be an ecological and safe strategy to adopt in agriculture against oomycetes (e.g., Phytophthora spp., Pythium spp., Plasmopara viticola) and fungi (e.g., Botrytis, Sclerotinia, Fusarium, Cadophora, Colletotrichum spp.). The use of volatile compounds is a promising strategy for controlling plant diseases as it is a cost-effective, non-toxic, and environmentally friendly method that ensures excellent crop yields in the long term. For these reasons, this Research Topic aims to collect studies that demonstrate that the VOCs can be used effectively against oomycetes and fungi without causing any plant phytotoxicity, showing that their use can be an alternative and eco-friendly strategy for agriculture disease management.

This Research Topic is focused on the effect of the application of microbial VOCs, as an alternative tool and hopeful technology, to control oomycetes and fungal pathogens in several crops. Researchers are invited to contribute original studies and reviews. The main topics include:

• The use of VOCs for countering the effects of damping-off diseases, root rots, seedling blights, foliar blights, downy mildew diseases, powdery mildew diseases, rust diseases, wilt diseases, and postharvest diseases;
• Fungal and bacterial volatile compounds;
• Volatile compounds of yeasts;
• Diversity of microbial volatile compounds;
• Analysis of microbial volatile compounds;
• Modes of action of microbial volatile compounds.

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Frontiers in Plant Science

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