Mechanisms and Management of Fungicide Metabolism and Resistance

About this Research Topic

Submission deadlines

  1. Manuscript Summary Submission Deadline 2 February 2026 | Manuscript Submission Deadline 23 May 2026

  2. This Research Topic is currently accepting articles.

Background

The impact of fungicides in fungal resistance to a variety of agricultural and clinical drug therapies is one of the most pressing problems to be solved by fungal biologists. Resistance not only threatens crop productivity and human health but also reshapes fungal communities across natural and anthropogenic environments. While genetic and molecular mechanisms of resistance are increasingly described, the metabolic consequences of fungicide exposure and adaptation remain underexplored. Metabolic rewiring, altered nutrient utilization, and stress tolerance responses can profoundly influence fungal physiology, virulence, and persistence. Understanding these interconnected processes across environmental, agricultural, and clinical contexts is key to mitigating the global rise of antifungal resistance.



This Research Topic aims to bring together multidisciplinary studies that dissect the mechanisms and broader consequences of fungicide resistance in fungi. We invite contributions that explore how resistance emerges, stabilizes, and propagates within populations and microbial communities. Particular emphasis will be placed on how fungicide pressure triggers metabolic adaptations that affect fungal growth, virulence, and ecological fitness. We also welcome integrative studies that link molecular and biochemical mechanisms with environmental or clinical observations, including the spread of resistant strains in soil, plant, and host-associated niches. By bridging mechanistic and ecological perspectives, this Research Topic seeks to provide a comprehensive view of how fungicides shape fungal evolution, physiology, and pathogenic potential, ultimately informing more sustainable antifungal strategies.



We welcome a wide range of article types, including original research, reviews, mini-reviews, methods, and perspectives. Topics of interest include (but are not limited to):

- Molecular, genetic, and biochemical mechanisms of fungicide resistance

- Metabolic and physiological adaptations associated with resistance

- Environmental and clinical dissemination of resistant fungi

- Mycobiome-level responses to antifungal or pollutant stress

- Evolutionary and ecological consequences of fungicide exposure



Interdisciplinary and comparative studies that connect agricultural, clinical, and environmental systems are particularly encouraged. Contributions combining genomics, metabolomics, transcriptomics, or experimental ecology approaches are highly welcome.

Article types and fees

This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:

  • Brief Research Report
  • Editorial
  • FAIR² Data
  • General Commentary
  • Hypothesis and Theory
  • Methods
  • Mini Review
  • Opinion
  • Original Research

Articles that are accepted for publication by our external editors following rigorous peer review incur a publishing fee charged to Authors, institutions, or funders.

Keywords: Fungi, Fungicides, Resistance, Metabolism, Antifungals, Virulence, Fungal Ecology

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.

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Manuscripts can be submitted to this Research Topic via the main journal or any other participating journal.