Mycology

Friend and Foe: Fungi's impact on Global Crop Security

Fungi play a crucial dual role in agricultural ecosystems, profoundly impacting crop health and food security. On one hand, pathogenic species such as Magnaporthe oryzae can devastate crops through serious diseases, significantly reducing yields or causing complete crop failure, thereby directly threatening global food supplies. On the other hand, many fungi serve as indispensable agricultural allies: mycorrhizal fungi establish symbiotic relationships with crop roots that dramatically enhance water and nutrient absorption efficiency, while biocontrol fungi effectively suppress soil-borne diseases and parasitic pests, offering environmentally sustainable alternatives to chemical interventions. This ecological duality positions fungi as both potential threats and powerful guardians of agricultural systems, with sustainable development ultimately depending on humanity's ability to understand and strategically manage this complex dynamic balance—protecting crops from harmful species while simultaneously harnessing the beneficial properties of advantageous fungi to create resilient, productive agricultural ecosystems capable of meeting growing global food demands.

The global challenge of achieving SDG 2 (Zero Hunger) remains one of humanity's most pressing concerns. The SDG 2 aims to ​end hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture. The key targets include:​ By 2030, ensure sustainable food production systems and implement resilient agricultural practices that increase productivity and production, that help maintain ecosystems, that strengthen capacity for adaptation to climate change, extreme weather, drought, flooding and other disasters and that progressively improve land and soil quality. To accelerate the achievement of these targets, Mycology invites submissions for a special Article Collection “Friend and Foe: Fungi's impact on Global Crop Security”, which ​focuses on innovative research addressing SDG 2 challenges.

This Article Collection, edited by Editor-In-Chief Professor Lei Cai, is part of Taylor & Francis’ SDG Article Collection Series. This series features Article Collections focused on groundbreaking research addressing global sustainability challenges while accelerating progress toward achieving the UN's SDGs. Papers published within the SDG Article Collection series will benefit from additional promotional activities across Taylor and Francis, increasing the discoverability and visibility of your research. ​

This collection welcomes Research Articles, and Reviews, exploring: ​

1. Fungi as Foes --- Threats to Crop Safety

• Pathogenic mechanisms and signaling pathways of crop pathogenic fungi
• Advanced technologies for detecting fungal pathogen infections in planted crops
• Innovative approaches to identify, monitor, predict, and reduce fungal toxins in stored crops
• Mechanisms of fungal transmission and their effects on crops

2. Fungi as Friends --- Enhancing Crop Safety

• Identification and development of novel fungal species as biological control agents for integrated pest management and microbial infection in crops
• Biological control effects of fungal strains on mycotoxins contamination in crops
• New fungal species as natural fertilizers and their impact on crop quantity and quality traits
• Role of mycorrhizal fungi in soil improvement and crop health
• Active ingredients in secondary metabolites produced by fungi for crop protection

Submission Guidelines:

• Manuscripts should clearly demonstrate relevance to SDG 2
• Instructions for authors: Submit to Mycology
• Deadline: 30th April 2026

Please contact Changluan, Zhou <Changluan.Zhou@taylorandfrancis.com> with any queries and discount codes regarding this Article Collection.

To submit your papers to this Article Collection, please:

1. Check "yes" for the question, "Are you submitting your paper for a specific special issue or article collection?"
2. Select the relevant Article Collection from the drop-down menu under the question, "Friend and Foe: Fungi's impact on Global Crop Security"