Editorial: Current advances in Fusarium wilt

Fusarium wilt, caused by a diverse group of Fusarium spp., remains one of the most formidable soilborne threats to agricultural productivity worldwide. The persistence of its propagules in soil, its broad host range, and its capacity to compromise both yield and quality make it a particularly intractable challenge across cropping systems. With chemical control options constrained by environmental and regulatory concerns, and host resistance often incomplete or unstable, sustainable and integrated disease management solutions have gained renewed urgency. This Research Topic brings together innovative studies aimed at improving the understanding and control of Fusarium wilt through biological, ecological, molecular, and formulation-based approaches. Harnessing Antagonistic Fungi and Soil Amendments A recurrent theme across multiple contributions is the potential of antagonistic fungi, particularly Trichoderma spp., to serve as biocontrol agents against Fusarium wilt. Pradhan et al 2022 conducted a performance evaluation of a novel tablet and powder formulations based on T. viride ITCC 7764 in chickpeas. These formulations demonstrated both superior biocontrol efficacy and agronomic benefits under field conditions compared to synthetic fungicides and talc-based formulations. These formulations were characterized by desirable physical properties and enriched with volatile organic compounds including octan-3-one and 1-octen-3-ol, known for their antifungal activity. In addition, Long et al 2023 isolated a promising T. parareesei strain (N4-3) from banana rhizospheres that exhibit potent antifungal activity against F. oxysporum f. sp. cubense TR4. This strain exhibited hyperparasitic behavior by deploying a range of cell wall-degrading enzymes, including 21 chitinases and 26 β-1,3-glucanases, resulting in severe structural disruption of the pathogen. Its application in pot trials significantly reduced pathogen load and disease index while improving plant growth, highlighting its potential as an eco-friendly solution for banana Fusarium wilt. Chen et al 2023 identified two efficient biocontrol fungi T. harzianum and Pestalotiopsis sp. which can be used for F. oxysporum control in Morinda officinalis. To explore the control mechanism of biocontrol fungi, the authors used transcriptome sequencing for analysis. The authors showed that the expression level sin M. officinalis roots varied significantly following treatment with different biocontrol fungi, regulating signal transduction pathways and phytohormones related to pathogen resistance, such as the MAPK signaling pathway and the ethylene signalling pathway. It could improve disease resistance and growth of M. officinalis. The biocontrol effects of some biological strains in field experiments are not ideal. Therefore, more efficient and locally adapted antagonistic strains still need to be selected. Zhou et al 2024 identified the strain YNF2217 as the native endophytic fungus Pochonia chlamydosporia, selected strain from the root nodules of Dolichos lablab in the mulch of banana fields. This fungus demonstrated very promising potential applications in management of F. oxysporum f.sp cubense race TR4 in banana. Bioactive Plant Compounds and Formulation Innovations The use of plant-derived compounds as green fungicides received notable attention. Saghrouchni et al 2023 evaluated carvacrol, a phenolic monoterpenoid, for its dual function as a plant growth promoter and bio-fungicide in perennial ryegrass. In both in vitro and greenhouse experiments, carvacrol significantly suppressed disease symptoms caused by F. oxysporum, F. solani, and F. nivale, while simultaneously enhancing seedling vigor and root development. The compound's preventive role and biostimulatory effects mark it as a promising tool in sustainable disease management. Mirmajlessi et al 2024 proposed an implementation framework for evaluating the biocidal potential of essential oils against F. oxysporum in spinach. Moving from in vitro assays to in planta trials, the authors assessed key disease and growth parameters, establishing strong evidence for essential oils as viable components in integrated pest management strategies. Together, these studies reflect a shift toward natural, multifunctional compounds capable of addressing plant health and productivity holistically. Exploring Microbial Interactions and Community Dynamics Beyond direct biocontrol, insights into microbial ecology are vital for sustainable management of Fusarium diseases. The work of Todorovic et al 2023 examined the microbial consortia in suppressive soils using high-throughput sequencing and co-occurrence network analysis to identify dominant taxa associated with disease suppression in watermelon. Notably, Trichoderma, Bacillus, and Pseudomonas spp. emerged as key microbial players, suggesting that understanding soil microbial assembly and community structure can inform more targeted biocontrol interventions. In a parallel study, Choi et al 2023 investigated Fusarium graminearum and F. asiaticum using community ecology frameworks. These frameworks revealed how stress tolerance and infectivity traits influence fungal community assembly. Phenotypic clustering, as evidenced by Net Relatedness Index and Nearest Taxon Index, was observed under stress and competition, indicating that local environmental pressures drive convergence among pathogenic strains. These findings underscore the importance of ecological filtering and resource competition in shaping pathogen populations, a critical consideration for designing long-term, evolutionarily robust control measures. Integrating Host Resistance and Genomic Approaches While biocontrol is a key pillar of sustainable disease management, its success is often enhanced by host genetic resistance. Semagn et al 2023in a genome-wide association study (GWAS) of 249 Canadian spring wheat lines identified multiple quantitative trait loci (QTLs) linked to Fusarium head blight resistance. Several of these QTLs overlapped with traits related to plant height and flowering time, reflecting the complexity and pleiotropy inherent in disease resistance breeding. Four QTLs were found to be consistently associated with disease incidence, severity, and visual rating index across environments, accounting for up to 33.2% of phenotypic variance. On the other hand, Xu et al 2024 were the first to create a high-density map of QTLs for yield-related traits, seed colour and sesame Fusarium wilt disease using an F2 population. This study provides a solid basis for further genetic analyses of Fusarium wilt disease-related traits in sesame, including map-based gene cloning and marker-assisted selection breeding. Host-induced gene silencing (HIGS) is a relatively new approach to managing plant diseases. Based on the pharmacological inhibition of calcineurin in F. fujikuroi, Hou et al. (2025) found that the calcineurin inhibitors FK506 and cyclosporin A can prevent the growth of F. fujikuroi. They then used an HIGS strategy to silence the calcineurin genes of F. fujikuroi in rice, finding that the transgenic rice seedlings exhibited enhanced resistance to infect by F. fujikuroi, which suggests that calcineurin is essential for F. fujikuroi to infect rice plants. Furthermore, these results provide valuable insights into the HIGS mechanism in plants and offer a promising approach to enhancing resistance against rice bakanae disease. Comparative genomic and transcriptomic analyses of the different F. oxysporum races would reveal the most significant genetic differences between them, providing a better understanding of the pathogen's evolution and potentially enabling more lasting resistance in crops to be obtained. For this reason, Bates et al. 2024 presented the first full genome and transcriptome data of F. oxysporum f.sp. lactucae (Fola). This has enabled the identification of key differences in the effector repertoire and its expression in the globally significant Fola1 and Fola4 races in lettuce. Mestdagh et al. 2023 employed molecular detection methods (race-specific real-time PCR assays) for detection of F. Fola races 1 and 4 in plant tissue and optimised sample preparation. These methods can now be employed to study the pathogen's spread and evaluate the impact of control measures, including various soil disinfestation methods, new resistant varieties, and alternative crops. This study provides the first quantitative data on the presence of Foal in greenhouse soil. Bhutia et al 2024 employed an RNA sequencing-based approach to analyse the shoot transcriptome in order to gain insight into the molecular mechanisms conferring resistance to Fusarium wilt infec;on in chickpeas. They concluded that efficient energy metabolism, ac;va;on of environmental adapta;on mechanisms, and DNA stability were key to resistance against Fusarium wilt infec;on in chickpea genotypes. In the other hand, charting the F. oxysporum f.sp. pangenome (the characterization of the complete set of genes of a species or an infra-species taxa) blueprint and studying its diversity is an essential and imperative initial step towards uncovering the mechanisms that underlie plant-fungal interactions, and devising new strategies for controlling diseases. Logachev et al 2024 conducted an analysis of the pangenome of 13 F. oxysporum f.sp. lini isolates that belong to 4 clonal lineages with varying virulence, shedding new light on its genomic diversity. Moreover, these studies provide strong support for the hypothesis that Fusarium oxysporum isolates utilise different virulence factors during infection of crops, enabling them to evade plant defence mechanisms. All these researches enrich the -omics tools available to crop breeders and support the integration of molecular and agronomic strategies in combating Fusarium diseases. Closing Remarks The studies presented in this Research Topic reflect the richness and diversity of approaches currently being pursued to manage Fusarium wilt diseases across different crops and agroecosystems. From novel Trichoderma strains and essential oil formulations to genomic mapping and microbial ecology, the collection exemplifies the convergence of traditional plant pathology with modern tools in genomics, formulation science, and ecological modeling. Importantly, several contributions move beyond proof-of-concept, offering scalable solutions with practical relevance under field conditions. The integration of biocontrol agents with plant-based compounds and host resistance strategies appears especially promising, pointing toward multi-layered approaches capable of withstanding pathogen evolution and environmental variability. Future directions should emphasize long-term field validation, compatibility with agricultural inputs, and farmer-centered implementation strategies. As we continue to navigate the global challenge of sustainable food production, such interdisciplinary efforts will be indispensable.

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