As of 2016, the Deutsche Phytomedizinische Gesellschaft (German Scientific Society for Plant Protection and Plant Health (DPG)) and Springer jointly publish the society’s official organ, Journal of Plant Diseases and Protection. The journal was previously published by Ulmer and under the professional scientific and managerial guidance of the Editor-in-Chief, Prof. Dr. Bärbel Gerowitt, and the Managing Editor, Dr. Christine Struck. Both directed the advancement of the journal to where it stands today and deserve our deepest gratitude for their tireless efforts to make our journal a highly respected publishing platform for all issues in the field of plant health and protection.

Released six times a year, Journal of Plant Diseases and Protection (JPDP) addresses all aspects of plant pathology and plant protection as well as newly emerging pests and diseases, to further our understanding of plant health and plant protection. Although JPDP primarily focuses on plant diseases and protection, manuscripts on legislative aspects will also be considered.

Dr. Stephan Winter, Leibniz-Institute DSMZ in Braunschweig, Germany, is the new Editor-in-Chief and, supported by the managing editors Dr. Falko Feldmann and Dr. Christian Carstensen, both DPG, will take the challenge to further develop the journal. Dr. Christina Eckey, Senior Editor of Life Sciences at Springer, said: “We are honored and excited about the DPG’s decision to publish their journal with Springer, and are looking forward to a constructive and productive collaboration. This will give the journal even more exposure and international visibility.”

Springer is part of Springer Nature, one of the world’s leading global research, educational and professional publishers and home to an array of respected and trusted brands providing quality content through a range of innovative products and services:

Online First™ at SpringerLink, Springer’s online information platform, provides immediate access to new research findings published in JPDP. Editorial Manager, an online peer review and author submission system, Cross Reference Linking, and alert services have been implemented for a faster and more convenient review procedure. In addition, Springer’s Open Choice™ program offers authors the option of, e.g., publishing their articles as an open-access source.

Most importantly and as part of the services included in their membership fee, all DPG members have free online access to the electronic edition of the Journal of Plant Disease and Protection via their member login at www.phytomedizin.org.

JPDP accepts Original Articles describing original research, Short Communications in an abbreviated format, and Reviews on topical issues. In addition, JDPD is pleased to announce two new formats:

Position Papers are short contributions highlighting urgent or neglected topics to stimulate discussion and reconsideration, while Opinion Papers report on original and personal views on a specific subject. Authors should take a clear position, propose actions and solutions, and present original and groundbreaking ideas to stimulate research and development in our field.

The DPG warmly invites all colleagues to submit the results of their work in our journal, the Journal of Plant Diseases and Protection!