Environmentally Safe Strategies for Plant Protection Against Biotic and Abiotic Stresses

Prof. Parissa Taheri is a Plant Pathologist, Mycologist, Ferdowsi University of Mashhad, Iran. Her research focuses on plant pathology; fungal taxonomy and virulence factors, systematics and population genetics of phytopathogenic fungi; molecular plant-microbe interactions; plant defense signaling pathways; cytomolecular and biochemical aspects of plant resistance; redox biology and signaling in plant defense to biotic and abiotic stresses, identification and application of biocontrol agents or bioactive natural products with antifungal effects; and mechanisms of biological control and plant growth promotion via beneficial fungi. She serves as Editor-in-Chief of the Elsevier journal “Physiological and Molecular Plant Pathology”, and Managing Guest Editor of the special issue “Beneficial Microorganisms in Agriculture”. She is editor of other international journals, such as Frontiers in Plant Science and Rhizosphere. She is Managing Guest Editor of the special issue entitled “Natural Plant Protectants against Pathogens and Pests”, published in a new Elsevier journal “Journal of Natural Pesticide Research”.

• 1. Plant-Beneficial microorganisms interaction: microbial communities in the rhizosphere, phyllosphere, endosphere and their importance in agriculture2. Beneficial microbes as biocontrol agents of plant diseases via microbial antagonism3. Microbiome interactions affect plant physiology and immunity to environmental stresses4. Biological and natural compounds as plant defence activators against biotic and abiotic stresses5. Plant innate immunity, phytohormones and defense signaling6. The role of biological or chemical resistance inducers in activating plant immunity against abiotic stresses7. The role of nanoparticles and antimicrobial peptides with natural origin in plant protection8. Biotechnological approaches for plant protection and growth promotion9. Edible and medicinal mushrooms as potential sources of antimicrobial metabolites for production of biofungicides10. Plant extracts and essential oils: application in disease and pest management strategies and mechanisms of action11. Concluding remarks and future prospects