Advancing Plant Disease Resistance: Integrated Genomic and Epigenomic Strategies

Plants play a crucial role in our lives by contributing food as crops, oilseeds, fruits, spices and vegetables, ornamentals, cloth, rubber, timber, and fuel. However, plant diseases, triggered by various biotic stressors like fungi, bacteria, viruses, and nematodes, can lead to significant economic losses. Therefore, it is important to develop strategies for the understanding, prevention, and management of plant diseases along with the development of disease-resistant varieties. Currently, advanced high-throughput next-generation sequencing techniques involving multi-omics data and bioinformatics analysis have significantly enhanced our understanding of the molecular mechanisms underlying disease resistance in genetics. These approaches encompass various levels, including epigenomics, genomics, transcriptomics, metagenomics, proteomics, metabolomics, and genome-wide association studies (GWAS). This comprehensive analysis enables the identification of disease-resistant genes across a range of diseases, and the elucidation of proteins and pathways involved in diverse host-pathogen interactions.This Research Topic aims to deepen the understanding of plant disease resistance through the utilization of genomic and epigenomic strategies. Specifically, it focuses on the identification and application of resistant genotypes using genomic selection to advance our capability in managing plant diseases and developing highly resistant plant varieties. By integrating genetic and epigenetic knowledge, this Research Topic strives to offer innovative solutions for sustainable plant health management. We will consider Original Research and Review papers covering recent, promising, and novel research trends in the field of genetics and epigenetics of plant disease resistance. Areas to be covered in this Research Topic may include, but are not limited to, the following themes:• Role of Epigenetic regulation including DNA modification, RNA modification, and Histone modification in plant disease resistance• Development and application of genetic and epigenetic strategies for the improvement and understanding of plant disease resistance• Multiomics with NGS data sets of genome, metagenome, transcriptome, proteome, metabolome, epigenome, and microbiome to study plant disease resistance• Perspectives, opinions, and reviews in plant disease resistance• Development of quantitative trait loci mapping, fine mapping, and GWAS to understand the genetic basis of plant disease resistance• Techniques of plant disease management and improvement in plant disease resistance Topic editors: Kalpana Singh, Inderjit Singh Yadav, Rajesh Kumar Pathak, Lakshman Prasad Source: https://www.frontiersin.org/research-topics/70308/advancing-plant-disease-resistance-integrated-genomic-and-epigenomic-strategies