Topics and Trends in Most Cited Plant Virus Research Studies Papers

Ranked by citations 18 months after publication

Class of 2026 (Papers Published in 2024)

What topics and trends defined most-cited Plant Virus Research Studies research in the Class of 2026?

The class of 2024 plant virus research is heavily defined by model organisms like Nicotiana benthamiana and the integration of CRISPR-Cas9 genome editing tools. A notable shift towards studying liquid-liquid phase separation and biomolecular condensates reflects a growing focus on precise subcellular viral-host interactions.

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Updated July 17, 2026

At a glance

Field
Plant Virus Research Studies
Cohort label
Class of 2026 (2024 publications)
Papers analyzed
6200
Papers ranked
20
Top topics in ranked papers
Nicotiana benthamiana, CRISPR-Cas9, Biomolecular condensates, Liquid-liquid phase separation
Publication window
Jan 1, 2024 – Dec 31, 2024
Eligibility
Research articles; reviews excluded
Citation window
18 months post-publication
18m citation range
22–76
Data source
OpenAlex · Retrieved July 2026
License
CC BY 4.0

Rankings

20 papers ranked by 18-month citation count

#1 of 6,200
7618m citations

Birth of protein folds and functions in the virome

Jason Nomburg et al.Nature202410.1038/s41586-024-07809-y

Jennifer A. DoudnaGladstone-UCSF Institute of Data Science and Biotechnology, United States

viral protein structureseukaryotic viral speciesAlphaFold databasestructural homologyinnate immunity evasionRNA ligase T-like phosphodiesterasescyclic dinucleotides3′,3′-cGAMP2′,3′-cGAMPavian poxvirusesbacteriophagecGAMP hydrolysisvirus-host interactionsprotein fold evolutionsequence divergencestructural analogue predictionimmune-activating moleculesphage-encoded proteinsviral protein annotationvirome structural database
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#3 of 6,200
4718m citations

Combating wheat yellow mosaic virus through microbial interactions and hormone pathway modulations

Fangyan Wang et al.Microbiome202410.1186/s40168-024-01911-z

Haoqing Zhang, Tida GeNingbo University, China

wheat yellow mosaic virusWYMVPolymyxa graminisrhizosphere microbiomesoil-borne viral diseasesSphingomonas azotifigensRhizobium desertiSphingomonasAllorhizobium-Neorhizobium-Parararhizobium-RhizobiumBipolarisFusicollamachine learning predictionstructural equation modelingauxin signaling pathwaycytokinin signaling pathwayjasmonic acid pathwaysalicylic acid pathwaymicrobial re-introductionhigh-throughput sequencingtranscriptome sequencing
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#4 of 6,200
4418m citations

Synthesis of 4<i>H</i>-Pyrazolo[3,4-<i>d</i>]pyrimidin-4-one Hydrazine Derivatives as a Potential Inhibitor for the Self-Assembly of TMV Particles

Ya Wang et al.Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry202410.1021/acs.jafc.3c05334

Zhaokai Yang, Jian WuGuizhou University, China

4H-Pyrazolo[3,4-d]pyrimidin-4-onehydrazine derivativesTMVtobacco mosaic virusviral self-assembly inhibitionantiviral compoundspyrazolopyrimidinone scaffoldvirus particle assemblystructure-activity relationship
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#5 of 6,200
3918m citations

Heritable gene editing in tomato through viral delivery of isopentenyl transferase and single-guide RNAs to latent axillary meristematic cells

Degao Liu, Evan E Ellison et al.Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences202410.1073/pnas.2406486121

Degao Liu, Evan E. Ellison, Daniel F. VoytasUniversity of Minnesota, United States

Heritable genome editingSolanum lycopersicumRNA viral vectorsisopentenyl transferasesingle-guide RNAsaxillary meristemsCas9-expressing transgenic plantsshoot apical meristem exclusionmeristem trimmingcytokinin biosynthesisshoot inductiongermline transmissionmultiplexed gene editingvirus-mediated sgRNA deliverytissue culture bypassSomatic cell editingdicotyledonous crops
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#6 of 6,200
3818m citations

Nanomaterial inactivates environmental virus and enhances plant immunity for controlling tobacco mosaic virus disease

Qinhong Jiang, Yonghui Xie et al.Nature Communications202410.1038/s41467-024-52851-z

Jie Shen, Shuo YanChina Agricultural University, China

tobacco mosaic virus (TMV)star polycation (SPc)lentinan (LNT)virus coat proteinelectrostatic interactionhydrogen bondingLNT/SPc complexplant immunitynano-protectantenvironmental virus inactivationcellular uptakeTMV-GFP relative expressionpreventive and curative effectsnanoscale assemblywetting performanceimmune inducercontrol efficacynanocarriercrop virus disease
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#7 of 6,200
3718m citations

Integrating viruses into soil food web biogeochemistry

Cátia Carreira et al.Nature Microbiology202410.1038/s41564-024-01767-x

Cátia CarreiraAarhus University, Denmark

soil food webviral ecologybiogeochemical cyclingviral lysismicrobial mortalitycarbon cyclingnutrient cyclingsoil virusesmicrobial loopdissolved organic matterviral shuntsoil biogeochemistryhost-virus interactionsmicrobial community dynamicsecosystem functioning
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#8 of 6,200
3518m citations

Plants interfere with non-self recognition of a phytopathogenic fungus via proline accumulation to facilitate mycovirus transmission

Du Hai et al.Nature Communications202410.1038/s41467-024-49110-6

Jiǎtāo XièHuazhong Agricultural University, China

non-self recognitionPlant pathogenic fungiproline accumulationmycovirus transmissionmolecular parasiteshost plant manipulationfungal populationsheterokaryon incompatibilityplant-fungus-virus interactionsmetabolic interference
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#9 of 6,200
3418m citations

Activation of plant immunity through conversion of a helper NLR homodimer into a resistosome

Muniyandi Selvaraj et al.PLoS Biology202410.1371/journal.pbio.3002868

Muniyandi Selvaraj, AmirAli Toghani, Hsuan Pai, Yu Sugihara, Jiorgos Kourelis, Enoch Lok Him Yuen, Tarhan Ibrahim, He Zhao, Rongrong Xie, Abbas Maqbool, Juan Carlos De la Concepción, Mark J. Banfield, Lida Derevnina, Benjamin Pêtre, David M. Lawson, Tolga O. Bozkurt, Chih‐Hang Wu, Sophien Kamoun, Mauricio P. ContrerasUniversity of East Anglia, United Kingdom

NLR proteinshelper NLRresistosomeNRC2Nicotiana benthamianaRx proteincoiled-coil domainhomodimer to oligomer conversioncryo-EM structureautoinhibitiondimerization interfacesNRC paralogsimmune receptor activationplant immunitypathogen detectionsensor NLRvirus disease resistance
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#10 of 6,200
3218m citations

Precision Agriculture Through Deep Learning: Tomato Plant Multiple Diseases Recognition With CNN and Improved YOLOv7

Muhammad Umar et al.IEEE Access202410.1109/access.2024.3383154

Muhammad UmarPir Mehr Ali Shah Arid Agriculture University, Pakistan

tomato plant disease detectionYOLOv7SimAM attention mechanismDAiAM attention mechanismmax-pooling convolution (MPConv)SIFT segmentationCNN classifierTomato yellow leaf curl virusleaf moldlight blightearly blightmosaic virusSeptoria leaf spotbacterial spotprecision agricultureearly yield estimationfeature extractiontarget detection modelgreenhouse data acquisition
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#11 of 6,200
3218m citations

Design, Synthesis, and Biological Activities of Novel Coumarin Derivatives as Pesticide Candidates

Henan Ma et al.Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry202410.1021/acs.jafc.3c08161

Ziwen Wang, Qingmin WangTianjin Normal University, China

coumarin derivativesantiviral activitytobacco mosaic virus (TMV)fungicidal activityinsecticidal activityribavirinmolecular dockingTMV CPRhizoctonia cerealisPhysalospora piricolaSclerotinia sclerotiorumPyricularia griseaMythimna separatapesticide-likeness analysisnatural product-based pesticidesPlant pathogenic fungiEC50 valuespesticide lead compounds
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#12 of 6,200
2818m citations

The role of reactive oxygen species in plant-virus interactions

Yao Xu et al.Plant Cell Reports202410.1007/s00299-024-03280-1

Tong JiangLiaocheng University, China

reactive oxygen speciesplant-virus interactionsoxidative stressplant immunityhypersensitive responseantiviral defenseROS signalingviral pathogenesisNADPH oxidasesalicylic acidsystemic acquired resistanceprogrammed cell deathviral suppressor proteinschloroplast ROSmitochondrial ROS
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#13 of 6,200
2618m citations

Advancing common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) disease detection with YOLO driven deep learning to enhance agricultural AI

Daniela Gomez, Michael Gomez Selvaraj et al.Scientific Reports202410.1038/s41598-024-66281-w

Michael Gomez SelvarajInternational Center for Tropical Agriculture, Colombia

Phaseolus vulgarisAngular Leaf Spot (ALS)Common Bacterial Blight (CBB)Common Bean Mosaic Virus (CBMV)Bean RustAnthracnoseYOLOv7YOLOv8YOLO-NASobject detectiondata augmentationwhole leaf annotationmicro annotationwhole pod annotationmAP (mean Average Precision)Android app deploymentDLOps (Deep Learning Operations)field image datasetdisease hotspots Africa and Colombia
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#14 of 6,200
2518m citations

Rapid and efficient <i>in planta</i> genome editing in sorghum using foxtail mosaic virus‐mediated sgRNA delivery

Can Baysal et al.The Plant Journal202410.1111/tpj.17196

Daniel F. VoytasDOE Center for Advanced Bioenergy and Bioproducts Innovation, United States

in planta genome editingfoxtail mosaic virussgRNA deliverySorghum bicolorCRISPR-Cas9barley stripe mosaic virusviral vectorPhytoene desaturaseMagnesium-chelatase subunit I4-hydroxy-3-methylbut-2-enyl diphosphate reductaseLemon white1 orthologsGreen Fluorescent ProteinAmCyanSomatic cell editingtissue culture-independent deliveryrecombinant FoMVSystemic plant infectionmonocotyledonous plantsfunctional genomics
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#15 of 6,200
2518m citations

Development of an efficient and heritable virus-induced genome editing system in <i>Solanum lycopersicum</i>

HuiJun Lee et al.Horticulture Research202410.1093/hr/uhae364

Kyung-Nam KimSejong University, South Korea

CRISPR-Cas9Virus-induced genome editingTobacco rattle virusSolanum lycopersicumSlUbi10 promotermobile guide RNA scaffoldSlFT geneSlPDS genePhytoene desaturasephotobleaching phenotypeIndelsHeritable genome editingCas9-expressing transgenic plantschimeric albino leaveshomozygous knockout seedselite tomato cultivarSaladette paternal line
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#16 of 6,200
2418m citations

A plant NLR receptor employs ABA central regulator PP2C-SnRK2 to activate antiviral immunity

Shen Huang et al.Nature Communications202410.1038/s41467-024-47364-8

Xiaorong TaoNanjing Agricultural University, China

NLR receptorSw-5bPP2C-SnRK2 complexPP2C4SnRK2.3SnRK2.4abscisic acid (ABA) pathwayABA receptor mimicryantiviral immunitypathogen effector recognitionNLR conformational changeNB domainPP2C-SnRK2 interactionSnRK2 release from inhibitionABA-dependent defencehormone signaling activationplant immune receptor mechanism
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#18 of 6,200
2218m citations

A deep learning approach for Maize Lethal Necrosis and Maize Streak Virus disease detection

Tony O’Halloran et al.Machine Learning with Applications202410.1016/j.mlwa.2024.100556

George ObaidoNational University of Ireland, Galway, Ireland

Maize Lethal NecrosisMaize Streak VirusConvolutional Neural NetworksEfficientNet V2 B0EfficientNet V2 B1LeNet-5VGG-16ResNet50Gradient-weighted class activation mappinghyperparameter tuningimage datasetmaize leaf imagesplant disease classificationdeep learning for agricultureautomated disease detectionSub-Saharan Africa crop disease
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#19 of 6,200
2218m citations

Alleviating protein-condensation-associated damage at the endoplasmic reticulum enhances plant disease tolerance

Zhijuan Tang et al.Cell Host & Microbe202410.1016/j.chom.2024.07.013

Guoyong XuWuhan University, China

Biomolecular condensatesEndoplasmic reticulumplant disease toleranceER stressprotein aggregationER-associated degradationpathogen resistanceprotein quality controlER homeostasisstress-induced condensatesplant immunityproteostasisLiquid-liquid phase separation
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#20 of 6,200
2218m citations

A viral protein activates the MAPK pathway to promote viral infection by downregulating callose deposition in plants

Lixiao Feng et al.Nature Communications202410.1038/s41467-024-54467-9

Jian Yang, Zhang Song-bai, Yong LiuHunan University, China

MAPK cascadestomato chlorosis virusToCVviral P7 proteinNbMPK3/6callose depositionplasmodesmataphosphorylation at serine 59NbREM1.1plasma membrane localizationnuclear translocationpositive-strand RNA virusviral counter-defencepathogenicity determinantantiviral defence suppressioncell-to-cell viral movementNicotiana benthamiana
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Dominant research themes and year-over-year shifts in Plant Virus Research Studies

What Topics Define the Class of 2026?

The Class of 2026 in plant virus research exhibits a strong emphasis on precise molecular mechanisms and advanced editing tools. Nicotiana benthamiana remains the dominant model organism for investigating viral processes. A key defining characteristic of this cohort is the rapid integration of CRISPR-Cas9 technologies, driving research into heritable genome editing, somatic cell modifications, and Cas9-expressing transgenic plants. Additionally, the exploration of biomolecular condensates and liquid-liquid phase separation within the endoplasmic reticulum points towards a deeper understanding of cellular environments and viral replication processes.

Leading research themes
Leading research themes

How Did Topics Shift from the Class of 2025 to the Class of 2026?

A distinct transition is occurring from traditional studies to highly targeted molecular interventions. The emergence of concepts like CRISPR-Cas9 and heritable genome editing indicates a massive surge in translational editing applications. Furthermore, the rapid rise of biomolecular condensates and liquid-liquid phase separation highlights a new frontier in understanding viral-host interactions at the subcellular level, marking a significant methodological evolution from the previous year's focus. The application of Convolutional Neural Networks also suggests a growing interdisciplinary approach to automated disease detection.

How topics shifted year over year
How topics shifted year over year
Methodology

PRI identifies high-impact research using a transparent, topic-agnostic framework applied consistently across scientific domains. Bibliographic records are drawn from OpenAlex, including publication dates, citation relationships, and document types.

This ranking covers the Class of 2026 cohort: journal articles published in 2024. Reviews and other non-article document types are excluded to ensure comparability.

Research impact is quantified with an 18-month post-publication citation window—the number of citing works published within 18 months of each paper's publication date. This metric captures early impact while controlling for publication age.

An LLM-based relevance classifier then reviews each candidate's title and abstract to confirm substantive alignment with the target domain. Only papers classified as relevant appear in the final ranking.

Zheng Su, Tinsley Li, Thematic Shifts in Early-High-Impact Cancer Genomics and Diagnostics Research: A Bibliometric and Semantic Analysis. bioRxiv 2026.07.04.736459; doi: https://doi.org/10.64898/2026.07.04.736459

Full methodologyGitHubbioRxiv preprint

Cite this ranking

Pepkio Research Index (PRI). Topics and Trends in Most Cited Plant Virus Research Studies Papers, Class of 2026. https://pri.pepkio.com/top-papers/plant-virus-research-studies/2026. Accessed 2026-07-17.

Zheng Su, Tinsley Li, Thematic Shifts in Early-High-Impact Cancer Genomics and Diagnostics Research: A Bibliometric and Semantic Analysis. bioRxiv 2026.07.04.736459; doi: https://doi.org/10.64898/2026.07.04.736459

Source data

The full ranking corpus and analysis files are openly available on an external repository. Please cite the dataset below when reusing this data.

View source dataset →

Pepkio Research Index (2026). Top Papers in Plant Virus Research Studies (2024). [Data set]. Figshare.