Innovative Field Diagnostics for Real-Time Plant Pathogen Detection and Management

The field of plant pathogen diagnostics is critical for ensuring global food security and agricultural productivity. Invasive pathogens such as viruses, fungi, nematodes, mycoplasma, and bacteria significantly threaten crops, leading to reduced yields and substantial economic losses. According to a recent FAO report, plant diseases cost the global economy approximately $220 billion annually. Traditionally, plant diseases are identified by visible symptoms, often when the disease is already advanced, making treatment difficult. Early identification and quantification of pathogens are crucial for ensuring food security and reducing crop loss. Recent advancements in real-time diagnostic research have enabled high-sensitivity and high-specificity field-level disease monitoring. However, current techniques like ELISA, PCR, and FISH, while specific, are often time-consuming and expensive. There is a growing need for rapid, accurate, and cost-effective diagnostics, particularly for emerging diseases or pathogens with subtle initial symptoms. Innovative field-use diagnostic tools, such as portable systems interconnected with the Internet of Things (IoT), nanotechnology and biosensor-based diagnostics, isothermal nucleic acid visual detection systems, and CRISPR/Cas technologies, are critical in this context. These technologies enable the detection of pathogens and are suitable for operational contexts.

This Research Topic aims to provide a comprehensive understanding of recent field-level diagnostics for the real-time identification and timely management of plant diseases. The main objectives include exploring current trends in plant disease diagnosis, recent advancements in pathogen detection enabled by biosensors, and the application of novel molecular diagnostic tools. Specific questions to be addressed include the efficacy of isothermal amplification methods, the role of DNA and RNA-based probes, and the future potential of CRISPR/Cas technologies in plant pathogen detection.

To gather further insights into the boundaries of real-time plant pathogen diagnostics, we welcome articles addressing, but not limited to, the following themes:

- Current trends in plant disease diagnosis and management

- Recent advancements in plant pathogen detection enabled by biosensors

- Recent advances in nucleic acid-based assays

- Bio, LFD, and magnetic assays in plants

- Recent advances in plant field diagnostics

- Insights into isothermal amplification methods for real-time plant diagnosis

- Application of recombinase polymerase amplification techniques in plant disease diagnosis and management

- Role of DNA and RNA-based probes and next-generation sequencing in molecular diagnostics

- Novel tools in molecular diagnostics for plant pathogen detection

- Future of CRISPR/Cas technologies in plant pathogen detection

Keywords: plant disease, plant-pathogen, detection, field-level diagnostics, fungi, bacteria, viruses, insects, nematodes, PCR, LAMP, RPA

Important Note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.