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Background: Aspergillus spp. infection might induce negative effects on peanut seeds, including decreased germination rates and suppressed seedling vigor. Furthermore, A. flavus can secret aflatoxin, regarding food safety and human health. The prolonged use of fungicides for treating mold infections has raised concerns regarding the emergence of fungicide-resistant strains, environmental pollution, and adverse effects on human health. The usage of lactic acid bacteria, including Lactiplantibacillus plantarum and Levilactobacillus brevis for the management of plant diseases, has garnered increasing attention in recent years as a viable alternative to chemical-based therapies. This study aimed to investigate the efficacy of LABs in pre-treating peanut seeds as a biological solution against A. flavus infection before cultivation. Results: Lactiplantibacillus plantarum and Levilactobacillus brevis have demonstrated the ability to suppress A. flavus in vitro. In the in vivo investigation, pre-treatment of peanut seeds with cell-free supernatant derived from L. plantarum (LP-CFS) and L. brevis (LB-CFS) significantly reduced A. flavus infection levels. The conidial count decreased from 8.63 log conidia/g in the untreated group to 5.35 log conidia/g with LP-CFS treatment and 4.59 log conidia/g with LB-CFS treatment. Additionally, A. flavus infection reduced the germination rate of peanut seeds to only 20.4% compared to 63.6% in the control group. In comparison, pre-treatment with LP-CFS and LB-CFS increased the germination rate to 75.6% and 76.8%, respectively, and further improved the vigor index in A. flavus-infected peanut seeds. Conclusion: The present findings indicated that bioactive compounds derived from L. plantarum and L. brevis emerge as promising candidates for treating peanut seeds, effectively protecting them against A. flavus infection. Moreover, these compounds facilitate the growth of seedlings, which could be a potential alternative to chemical fungicides, and contribute to sustainable agricultural development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Unpredictable precipitation is a common problem for plant growth in India’s Deccan plateau, which is known for its poor soil and frequent droughts. Critical to the regulation of plant diseases and the enhancement of plant growth are root-colonizing rhizobacteria like Rhizobium. Isolating productive Rhizobium species from soil around the Eturnagram region’s cotton rhizosphere was the goal of a study carried out at Palamuru University. Rhizobium variant-5, currently known as Rhizobium sp. PKS [NCBIOK663003, NCMR-MCC4960], was one of five different strains of Rhizobium isolated using the top layer method. It showed strong support for the growth of six different cotton cultivars. Out of the six cotton varieties tested, the Mahyco cultivar had the lowest proline levels while having higher amounts of IAA, proteins, chlorophyll, and sugars. The effectiveness of Mahyco was confirmed by experimental field testing conducted in four distinct cotton agricultural soils of Mahabubnagar District using Rhizobium sp. PKS [NCBI-OK663003, NCMR-MCC4960]. Deep black soil showed improved phytohormone synthesis and good biochemical alterations, whereas shallow black soil showed that the strains considerably enhanced plant development. Based on these results, the novel Rhizobium sp. PKS could be used as a bioinoculant in cotton fields on the Deccan plateau, which could improve agricultural yields despite the harsh conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bacterial plant diseases are difficult to control as the durability of deployed control measures is thwarted by continuous and rapid changing of bacterial populations. Although application of copper compounds to plants is the most widespread and inexpensive control measure, it is often partially efficacious for the frequent appearance of copper-resistant bacterial strains and it is raising concerns for the harmful effects of copper on environment and human health. Consequently, European Community included copper compounds in the list of substances candidates for substitution. Nanotechnologies and the application of nanoparticles seem to respond to the need to find new very effective and durable measures. We believe that Argirium-SUNCs®, silver ultra nanoclusters with an average size of 1.79 nm and characterized by rare oxidative states (Ag2+/3+), represent a valid candidate as a nano-bactericide in the control of plant bacterial diseases. Respect to the many silver nanoparticles described in the literature, Argirium-SUNCs have many strengths due to the reproducibility of the synthesis method, the purity and the stability of the preparation, the very strong (less than 1 ppm) antimicrobial, and anti-biofilm activities. In this mini-review, we provide information on this nanomaterial and on the possible application in agriculture. Key points: • Argirium-SUNCs have strong antimicrobial activities against phytopathogenic bacteria. • Argirium-SUNCs are a possible plant protection product. • Argirium-SUNCs protect tomato plants against bacterial speck disease. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rice Tungro Bacilliform Virus (RTBV) and Rice Tungro Spherical Virus (RTSV) cause Tungro virus disease. Although the two viruses have different characteristics, the green leafhopper, which only sucks on RTSV-infected plants, can catch and transmit RTSV. However, green leafhoppers, which only feed on RTBV-infected rice plants, cannot notice RTBV, and no transmission occurs. Meanwhile, when a green leafhopper sucks a plant infected with RTSV and then sucks a plant infected with RTBV, the green leafhopper can transmit both viruses. Pesticides can control the spread of tungro, but excessive use can cause losses to farmers. Furthermore, control theory and dynamic analysis are used to analyze the spread of the disease and determine the best use of pesticides to get the optimal solution. The results show that using specifications can reduce the intensity of the infected population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Streptomyces have a uniquely complex developmental life cycle that involves the coordination of morphological differentiation with the production of numerous bioactive specialized metabolites. The majority of Streptomyces spp. are soil-dwelling saprophytes, while plant pathogenicity is a rare attribute among members of this genus. Phytopathogenic Streptomyces are responsible for economically important diseases such as common scab, which affects potato and other root crops. Following the acquisition of genes encoding virulence factors, Streptomyces pathogens are expected to have specifically adapted their regulatory pathways to enable transition from a primarily saprophytic to a pathogenic lifestyle. Investigations of the regulation of pathogenesis have primarily focused on Streptomyces scabiei and the principal pathogenicity determinant thaxtomin A. The coordination of growth and thaxtomin A production in this species is controlled in a hierarchical manner by cluster-situated regulators, pleiotropic regulators, signalling and plant-derived molecules, and nutrients. Although the majority of phytopathogenic Streptomyces produce thaxtomins, many also produce additional virulence factors, and there are scab-causing pathogens that do not produce thaxtomins. The development of effective control strategies for common scab and other Streptomyces plant diseases requires a more in-depth understanding of the genetic and environmental factors that modulate the plant pathogenic lifestyle of these organisms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bacterial wilt caused by Ralstonia solanacearum is a destructive plant disease, particularly in potato (Solanum tuberosum). R. solanacearum deploys a diverse and potent arsenal of type III effectors to inhibit the plant immune system. However, the understanding of individual effectors promoting susceptibility in host plants and interfering with plant immunity responses is still limited. Here, we demonstrated that the type III effector RipV1 functioned as a novel E3 ubiquitin ligase (NEL) effector and exhibited E3 ubiquitin ligase activity in vitro. Transient expression of RipV1 suppressed plant pathogen‐associated molecular pattern (PAMP)‐triggered immunity (PTI) responses in Nicotiana benthamiana, such as the expression of PTI‐related genes and the reactive oxygen species (ROS) burst. Prolonged expression of RipV1 induced cell death in N. benthamiana leaves. Notably, mutating the conserved cysteine residue of RipV1 abolished its E3 ligase activity and its ability to suppress plant PTI responses. This study also revealed the indispensability of RipV1 for R. solanacearum's full virulence in potato. Transgenic potato plants overexpressing ripV1 but not the catalytic mutant ripV1‐C444A displayed enhanced susceptibility to R. solanacearum. RipV1 was observed to localize specifically to the plant plasma membrane, with its N‐terminus being pivotal in determining this localization. These findings showcase that RipV1 acts as a NEL effector and contributes to R. solanacearum virulence by suppressing plant PTI responses through its E3 activity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cereals are some of the most important global crops that contribute directly and indirectly to the production of food for human consumption. Cereal aphids can cause significant damage to wheat, barley and oats, particularly via the transmission of plant viruses that cause devastating plant diseases, such as yellow dwarf disease. High levels of yellow dwarf disease can result in yield losses of around 20%, rising to 80% if infection is severe. Yellow dwarf disease is caused by multiple viruses, including viruses within the families Tombusviridae and Solemoviridae. These include yellow dwarf virus species within the genus Luteovirus (Barley yellow dwarf virus) and Polerovirus (Cereal yellow dwarf virus, Wheat yellow dwarf virus, Maize yellow dwarf virus). Some yellow dwarf virus species are primarily vectored by one aphid species whereas others can be transmitted by multiple vectors. Biological diversity within a given vector species (e.g., genotype, biotype) can influence virus transmission efficiency. However, it is unclear what biological factors drive this variation within a given vector species. Understanding how biological variation in vector populations influences virus transmission efficiency can help to identify biological traits that underpin successful transmission in competent vector populations. Here, the available literature on yellow dwarf virus transmission efficiency is synthesized and significant variation in yellow dwarf virus transmission efficiency is detected between different populations for several vector species. Three biological mechanisms that potentially underpin this variation are proposed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

SUMMARY: Watercore is a common physiological disease of Rosaceae plants, such as apples (Malus domestica), usually occurring during fruit ripening. Apple fruit with watercore symptoms is prone to browning and rotting, thus losing commercial viability. Sorbitol and calcium ions are considered key factors affecting watercore occurrence in apples. However, the mechanism by which they affect the occurrence of watercore remains unclear. Here, we identified that the transcription factor MdWRKY9 directly binds to the promoter of MdSOT2, positively regulates the transcription of MdSOT2, increases sorbitol content in fruit, and promotes watercore occurrence. Additionally, MdCRF4 can directly bind to MdWRKY9 and MdSOT2 promoters, positively regulating their expression. Since calcium ions can induce the ubiquitination and degradation of the transcription factor MdCRF4, they can inhibit the transcription of MdWRKY9 and MdSOT2 by degrading MdCRF4, thereby reducing the sorbitol content in fruit and inhibiting the occurrence of fruit watercore disease. Our data sheds light on how calcium ions mitigate watercore in fruit, providing molecular‐level insights to enhance fruit quality artificially. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims: Damping-off disease, caused by Fusarium oxysporum, affects the growth of Pinus massoniana seedlings. Plant growth-promoting fungi and rhizobacteria (PGPF and PGPR) are widely used in agriculture to control plant soil-borne disease, however, the joint mechanism by which they inhibit damping-off disease in forestry requires further exploration. Methods: The current study screened for the ability of antagonistic PGPF and PGPR strains to inhibit the pathogen, and used soil microbiome and plant transcriptome technologies to characterize the biocontrol mechanism. Results: PGPF strain 3Y, identified as Trichoderma longibrachiatum, and PGPR strain K29, identified as Burkholderia stabilis, were screened and found to strongly inhibit the growth of F. oxysporum through direct contact with the hyphae. The combined use of T. longibrachiatum and B. stabilis effectively reduced disease incidence and severity, and promoted the growth of P. massoniana seedlings, and enhanced soluble sugar, proline, SOD and POD activities. Compound strains treatment impacted the structure of rhizosphere bacterial microbial community, causing significant differences in the relative abundances of some key phyla and genera, promoting the enrichment of some beneficial microorganisms. Transcriptome profiles showed that combination treatment with the biocontrol strains induced the expressions of 8541 differentially expressed genes (DEGs). These genes participated in key biological pathways associated with starch and sucrose metabolism, plant hormone signal transduction, photosynthesis, antioxidant enzymes, and proline synthesis. Conclusion: The combined use of PGPF and PGPR strains controlled F. oxysporum infection of P. massoniana seedlings by regulating physiological responses and soil microbial community. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Agriculture is an essential part of human life. The crop productivity is based on the soil and environmental factors. Different crops are cultivated in different areas. Nowadays, the crop productivity level is affected by the climate change and diseases in the crops. Due to this pest infestation, the crop growth is heavily affected. To overcome this problem, the right fertilizer for a particular crop has to be chosen and fertilizer helps farmers to improve the crop productivity rate. This process can be done by using various machine learning techniques. In this work, various features selection techniques with classifiers used to predict the suitable fertilizer for a crop. The experimental results show that recursive feature elimination along the proposed Heterogeneous Stacked Ensemble classifier gives better prediction rate than other methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cucumber downy mildew, caused by Pseudoperonospora cubensis , typically remains hidden from view during its initial infection stage. To address this issue, this study proposed an early diagnosis model for greenhouse cucumber downy mildew. This study was conducted under controlled conditions, utilising a large-scale mobile chlorophyll fluorescence imaging system to monitor the samples during their seedling stage on a daily basis from the first day of inoculation. A total of 98 sets of fluorescence parameter values and corresponding fluorescence images were collected. Machine learning methods, such as recursive feature elimination (RFE) and Least Absolute Shrinkage and Selection Operator (LASSO) regression with L1 regularisation, were used to screen the chlorophyll fluorescence parameter Ft_D3, whose corresponding the chlorophyll fluorescence images were used as inputs to the proposed model, following by employing a convolutional neural network (CNN) transfer learning method to the early detection task of cucumber downy mildew in fluorescence images. The study improved the topology structure of ResNet50, the network model with a learning rate of 0.001 and 16 cycles as the optimal feature extractor. The results indicated that the enhanced network displayed improved performance in early detection of cucumber downy mildew compared with other CNNs. Infected leaves were distinguished from healthy leaves in the early stages of infection, specifically 3 days before the appearance of symptoms. The accuracy of the model in the task of early diagnosis of downy mildew was 94.76%. This study presents an efficient approach for the photosynthetic characterisation and early identification of cucumber downy mildew. • Chl-FI showed potential for early diagnosis of downy mildew. • The improved-ResNet model attained 94.76% accuracy for early disease detection. • The data proportion was modified to mimic natural plant disease spread. • The Focal loss function was used to solve the category imbalance problem. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Plant disease diagnosis in smart agriculture is a crucial issue that carries substantial economic significance on a global scale. To address this challenge, intelligent and smart agricultural solutions are currently being developed to assist farmers in implementing preventive measures to increase crop production. As deep learning technology continues to evolve, many convolutional neural network (CNN) models have emerged as highly effective for detecting plant leaf diseases. These CNN-based models require heavy computation and processing cost. So, this paper develops a new lightweight deep convolutional neural network named lightweight DenseNet (LWDN) for detection of plant leaf disease for agricultural applications. Based on the DenseNet121 architecture, the presented model comprises pruned and concatenated architecture of DenseNet121. The presented study involved training and testing a proposed model (LWDN) on the PlantVillage dataset to acquire a knowledge of plant disease features. The model was trained using a combination of partial layer freezing, transfer learning, and feature fusion techniques. Out of several models experimented with, the proposed model has 99.37% classification accuracy, a model size of 13.8 MB, with 1.5 M parameters. The proposed model has 93% fewer parameters than InceptionV3 and Xception and 90% and 50% fewer parameters compared to VGG16 and MobileNetV2, respectively. Furthermore, the proposed method has superior diagnostic capabilities compared to several prior studies and larger state-of-the-art models utilizing plant leaf images. The compact size and competitive accuracy of the LWDN model render it appropriate for real-time plant diagnosis on portable and mobile devices with restricted computational resources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Disease is a serious problem in tomato plants, causing huge economic losses. Disease detection, as the premise of protection, is important. This paper employed Electronic nose (E-nose) and Gas Chromatography–Mass Spectrometer (GC–MS), as an auxiliary technique, to predict disease type and its severity in the tomato plant. Twenty-five volatile constituents were identified using GC–MS. Their concentrations were calculated and showed the difference in different groups. Furthermore, the results of E-nose and GC–MS were compared and showed a good correlation. Moreover, the possibility of E-nose in classifying tomato plants infected with different types and severities of disease either respectively or together was proved based on either Principal Component Analysis (PCA) or Discriminant Functions Analysis (DFA). Then, Backpropagation neural network (BPNN) was introduced and showed that the correct classification rates were 98.3% for the training set and 97.5% for the testing set for predicting disease type and severity. Moreover, 100% correct classification rate was obtained for the diseased groups, which was very meaningful for the prevention of disease spread and met actual application needs. This study demonstrates the feasibility of E-nose in predicting tomato plants infected with disease in different types and severities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The quest for eco-friendly antifungal compounds from natural sources has surged, seeking alternatives to synthetic fungicides. In this study, we explored Cupressus sempervirens organic extracts antifungal potential against Botrytis cinerea, a destructive fungus causing grey mold disease in crops. Extracts from various phenological stages were evaluated for their antifungal activities. The dichloromethanolic extract from the flowering stage exhibited the highest efficacy, completely inhibiting B. cinerea mycelial growth, at 250 μg/mL and preventing conidia germination at 500 μg/mL. Bioguided fractionation and chromatography, led to the identification of isoquercetin as the active compound responsible for the antifungal effects. These findings present promising possibilities for the development of sustainable biofungicides to combat grey mould disease in agriculture. Further investigations into isoquercetin's potential as a biofungicide are warranted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Phenology is a key adaptive trait of organisms, shaping biotic interactions in response to the environment. It has emerged as a critical topic with implications for societal and economic concerns due to the effects of climate change on species' phenological patterns. Fungi play essential roles in ecosystems, and plant pathogenic fungi have significant impacts on global food security. However, the phenology of plant pathogenic fungi, which form a huge and diverse clade of organisms, has received limited attention in the literature. This diversity may have limited the use of a common language for comparisons and the integration of phenological data for these taxonomic groups. Here, we delve into the concept of 'phenology' as applied to plant pathogenic fungi and explore the potential drivers of their phenology, including environmental factors and the host plant. We present the PhenoFun scale, a phenological scoring system suitable for use with all fungi and fungus‐like plant pathogens. It offers a standardised and common tool for scientists studying the presence, absence, or predominance of a particular phase, the speed of phenological phase succession, and the synchronism shift between pathogenic fungi and their host plants, across a wide range of environments and ecosystems. The application of the concept of 'phenology' to plant pathogenic fungi and the use of a phenological scoring system involves focusing on the interacting processes between the pathogenic fungi, their hosts, and their biological, physical, and chemical environment, occurring during the life cycle of the pathogen. The goal is to deconstruct the processes involved according to a pattern orchestrated by the fungus's phenology. Such an approach will improve our understanding of the ecology and evolution of such organisms, help to understand and anticipate plant disease epidemics and their future evolution, and make it possible to optimise management models, and to encourage the adoption of cropping practices designed from this phenological perspective. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For centuries, Gram‐negative pathogens have infected the human population and been responsible for numerous diseases in animals and plants. Despite advancements in therapeutics, Gram‐negative pathogens continue to evolve, with some having developed multi‐drug resistant phenotypes. For the successful control of infections caused by these bacteria, we need to widen our understanding of the mechanisms of host–pathogen interactions. Gram‐negative pathogens utilise an array of effector proteins to hijack the host system to survive within the host environment. These proteins are secreted into the host system via various secretion systems, including the integral Type III secretion system (T3SS). The T3SS spans two bacterial membranes and one host membrane to deliver effector proteins (virulence factors) into the host cell. This multifaceted process has multiple layers of regulation and various checkpoints. In this review, we highlight the multiple strategies adopted by these pathogens to regulate or maintain virulence via the T3SS, encompassing the regulation of small molecules to sense and communicate with the host system, as well as master regulators, gatekeepers, chaperones, and other effectors that recognise successful host contact. Further, we discuss the regulatory links between the T3SS and other systems, like flagella and metabolic pathways including the tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle, anaerobic metabolism, and stringent cell response. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Plants are known to be infected by a wide range of pathogenic microbes. To study plant diseases caused by microbes, it is imperative to be able to monitor disease symptoms and microbial colonization in a quantitative and objective manner. In contrast to more traditional measures that use manual assignments of disease categories, image processing provides a more accurate and objective quantification of plant disease symptoms. Besides monitoring disease symptoms, computational image processing provides additional information on the spatial localization of pathogenic microbes in different plant tissues. Results: Here we report on an image analysis tool called ScAnalyzer to monitor disease symptoms and bacterial spread in Arabidopsis thaliana leaves. Thereto, detached leaves are assembled in a grid and scanned, which enables automated separation of individual samples. A pixel color threshold is used to segment healthy (green) from chlorotic (yellow) leaf areas. The spread of luminescence-tagged bacteria is monitored via light-sensitive films, which are processed in a similar manner as the leaf scans. We show that this tool is able to capture previously identified differences in susceptibility of the model plant A. thaliana to the bacterial pathogen Xanthomonas campestris pv. campestris. Moreover, we show that the ScAnalyzer pipeline provides a more detailed assessment of bacterial spread within plant leaves than previously used methods. Finally, by combining the disease symptom values with bacterial spread values from the same leaves, we show that bacterial spread precedes visual disease symptoms. Conclusion: Taken together, we present an automated script to monitor plant disease symptoms and microbial spread in A. thaliana leaves. The freely available software (https://github.com/MolPlantPathology/ScAnalyzer) has the potential to standardize the analysis of disease assays between different groups. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ever since the first crops were domesticated over 10,000 years ago, pests and pathogens have wreaked havoc on crop production. Despite diverse threats from longstanding and emerging diseases, plants continue to play a central role in meeting humanity's requirements for calories and nutrients. In this review, we discuss historical advances made by plant pathologists and breeders that have helped keep many plant diseases at bay. We focus predominantly on fungal diseases of five food crops—rice, wheat, maize, soybean and potato—that provide the bulk of calories consumed globally. We cover such historical triumphs in plant pathology as (i) advanced knowledge of fungal biology revolutionizing disease management strategies, (ii) integration of genetics by the ‘wheat wizard’ Rowland Biffen and others transforming the landscape of resistance breeding and (iii) the advent of modern fungicides—from a sinking ship in the 1660s—leading to dramatic yield enhancements. We also discuss (iv) the potential for emerging biocontrol agents to holistically promote plant health and yield. Today, the high homogeneity of crops in modern agricultural systems exacerbates yield losses due to disease by increasing pest/pathogen transmission rates and eroding natural spatial barriers to pest/pathogen dispersal. Meanwhile, climate change is altering the compositions of global pest and pathogen populations and expanding pest/pathogen territories with unpredictable consequences. As we look to the future, the strength of the plant pathology community remains central to developing innovative solutions to tackle these complex and expanding threats to plant health and secure a plentiful food supply. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fertilizers and plant diseases contribute positively and negatively to crop production, respectively. Macro- and micronutrients provided by the soil and fertilizers are transported by various plant nutrient transporters from the soil to the roots and shoots, facilitating growth and development. However, the homeostasis of different nutrients has different effects on plant disease. This review is aimed at providing insights into the interconnected regulation between nutrient homeostasis and immune responses, and it highlights strategies to enhance disease resistance by optimal manipulation of nutrient transporters in rice. First, we highlight the essential roles of six macronutrients (nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, sulfur, calcium, magnesium) and eight micronutrients (iron, manganese, zinc, copper, boron, molybdenum, silicon, nickel), and summarize the diverse effects of each on rice diseases. We then systematically review the molecular mechanisms of immune responses modulated by nutrient transporters and the genetic regulatory pathways that control the specific nutrient-mediated immune signaling that is regulated by the pathogens and the host plant. Finally, we discuss putative strategies for breeding disease-resistant rice by genetic engineering of nutrient transporters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Materials and Methods Results Conclusions This study aimed to evaluate the incidence of implant failure in patients with oral lichen planus (OLP) and investigate the potential association between OLP and peri‐implant diseases.Embase, Web of Science, PubMed, and Scopus databases were searched for studies with no time restrictions. Meta‐analysis was performed calculating pooled proportion of peri‐implantitis (PI), peri‐implant mucositis (PIM), and bleeding on probing (BOP) prevalence using fixed‐effects model. Odds ratio and corresponding 95% CI were calculated to assess the potential risk of PI, PIM, and BOP in dental implant patients with OLP compared to healthy controls.Implant failure rate was 4.38% at the patient level and 4.37% at the implant level. Six patients (3.92%) from five studies were diagnosed with oral cancer after receiving implant. The prevalence of PI, PIM, and BOP at the implant level were 14.00%, 20.00%, and 40.00%, respectively. There was no significant difference in the occurrence of PI and PIM between OLP patients and healthy controls.Stabilized OLP is not considered a significant risk factor for peri‐implant diseases. It is advised against placing implants or prostheses during the acute phase of the disease. Histopathological investigation to differentiate OLP from oral lichenoid dysplasia is crucial. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Learning to recognize novel visual classes from few samples is challenging but promising. Previous studies have shown that few-shot model tends to overfit and lead to poor generalization performance, which is because it finds a biased distribution based on a few samples. In addition, in agriculture-specific domains, there are more serious research challenges such as imbalanced disease distribution, one-shot representation biases, fine-grained recognition, and granularity shift. As far as we know, this study is the first work on the fine-grained "Coarse-to-Fine" few-shot plant disease classification, which classifies "fine-grained novel classes" (specific to disease severity) based on "coarse-grained base classes" (specific to plant species). A complete two-stage in-use calibration strategy is presented in this paper. Firstly, we propose an attention-based inverse Mahalanobis distance weighted prototype calibration module (AIPCM). By transferring statistics from sample-rich coarse-grained base classes to sample-scarce fine-grained novel classes, we achieve prototype calibration for 1-shot sample and obtain an unbiased distribution in the feature space. Secondly, to generate more reasonable decision boundaries, we propose a prior-driven task-adapted decision boundary calibration module (TDBCM) based on class-covariance metric. The original Euclidean/Cosine distance is updated to the Mahalanobis distance by introducing the prior mean and covariance of the high-dimensional features. Experimental results on several datasets demonstrate that our model outperforms the state-of-the-art (SOTA) models. It can be said that our work is a valuable supplement to the domain-specific agricultural applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bulb rot, a highly damaging disease of tulip plants, has hindered their profitable cultivation worldwide. This rot occurs in both field and storage conditions posing significant challenges. While this disease has been attributed to a range of pathogens, previous investigations have solely examined it within the framework of a single-pathogen disease model. Our study took a different approach and identified four pathogens associated with the disease: Fusarium solani, Penicillium chrysogenum, Botrytis tulipae, and Aspergillus niger. The primary objective of our research was to examine the impact of co-infections on the overall virulence dynamics of these pathogens. Through co-inoculation experiments on potato dextrose agar, we delineated three primary interaction patterns: antibiosis, deadlock, and merging. In vitro trials involving individual pathogen inoculations on tulip bulbs revealed that B. tulipae,was the most virulent and induced complete bulb decay. Nonetheless, when these pathogens were simultaneously introduced in various combinations, outcomes ranged from partial bulb decay to elongated rotting periods. This indicated a notable degree of antagonistic behaviour among the pathogens. While synergistic interactions were evident in a few combinations, antagonism overwhelmingly prevailed. The complex interplay of these pathogens during co-infection led to a noticeable change in the overall severity of the disease. This underscores the significance of pathogen-pathogen interactions in the realm of plant pathology, opening new insights for understanding and managing tulip bulb rot. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Cassava leaf samples degrade quickly during storage and transportation from distant areas. Proper sampling and efficient, low-cost storage methods are critical for obtaining sufficient quality DNA and RNA for plant virus epidemiology and improving disease control understanding. This is useful when samples are collected from remote areas far from a laboratory or in developing countries where money and materials for virus diagnostics are scarce. Results: The effect of sample storage duration on nucleic acid (N.A.) quality on virus detection was investigated in this study. A simple, rapid, and cost-effective CTAB-based approach (M3) for single N.A. extraction was optimized and tested alongside two existing CTAB-based methods (M1 and M2) for N.A. extraction from fresh and herbarium cassava leaves stored for; 1, 8, 26, and 56 months. The amount and quality of DNA and RNA were determined using Nanodrop 2000 c U.V.–vis Spectrophotometer and agarose gel electrophoreses. The sample degradation rate was estimated using a simple mathematical model in Matlab computational software. The results show no significant difference in mean DNA concentration between M1 and M2 but a significant difference between M3 and the other two methods at p < 0.005. The mean DNA concentration extracted using M3 was higher for 1 and 8 months of leave storage. M3 and M2 produced high concentrations at 26 and 56 months of leave storage. Using a developed scale for quality score, M3 and M2 produced high-quality DNA from fresh samples. All methods produced poor-quality DNA and RNA at 8 and 26 months of leave storage and no visual bands at the age of 56 months. Statistically, there was a significant difference in the mean DNA quality between M1 and M2, but there was no significant difference between M3 and the other two methods at p < 0.005. However, Cassava brown streak virus (CBSV) and Ugandan cassava brown streak virus (UCBSV) were readily detected by RT-PCR from RNA isolated using M3. The quality of DNA declined per storage time at 0.0493 and 0.0521/month, while RNA was 0.0678 and 0.0744/month. Compared to the existing two methods, modified CTAB extracted enough high-quality N.A. in one-third the time of the existing two methods. Conclusion: Our method provides cost-effective, quick, and simple processing of fresh and dry samples, which will quicken and guide the decision on when and what type of sample to process for plant disease management and surveillance actions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A nation’s progress is directly linked to the effective functioning of its agricultural sector. The detection and classification of plant disease is an essential component of the agricultural industry. Plant diseases may result in substantial financial losses due to decreased crop production. As per the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, it is estimated that plant diseases result in a reduction of approximately 10-16% in global crop yields annually. Farmers are traditionally relying on visual inspection, using naked eye observation, as the primary method for detecting plant diseases. This involves a meticulous examination of crops to identify any visible signs of diseases. However, manual disease detection can lead to delayed identification, resulting in significant crop losses. Various methods, coupled with machine learning classifiers, were demonstrated effectiveness in scenarios involving manual feature extraction and limited datasets. However, to handle larger datasets, deep learning models such as Inception V4, ResNet-152, EfficientNet-B5, and DenseNet-201 were studied and implemented. Among these models, DenseNet-201 exhibited superior performance and accuracy compared to the previous methodology. Additionally, A Fine-tuning Deep Learning Model called SympDense was developed, which surpassed other deep learning models in terms of accuracy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tea plant is one of the most important commercial crops worldwide. The Didymellaceae fungi can cause leaf blight disease of tea plant. In this study, 240 isolates were isolated from tea plant leaves of 10 provinces in China. Combined with multi-locus (ITS, LSU, RPB2 and TUB2) phylogenetic analysis and morphological characteristics, these isolates were identified as 25 species of six genera in Didymellaceae, including 19 known species Didymella coffeae-arabicae, D. pomorum, D. segeticola, D. sinensis, Epicoccum catenisporum, E. dendrobii, E. draconis, E. italicum, E. latusicollum, E. mackenziei, E. oryzae, E. poaceicola, E. rosae, E. sorghinum, E. tobaicum, Neoascochyta mortariensis, Paraboeremia litseae, Remotididymella anemophila and Stagonosporopsis caricae, of which 15 species were new record species and six novel species, named D. yunnanensis, E. anhuiense, E. jingdongense, E. puerense, N. yunnanensis and N. zhejiangensis. Amongst all isolates, D. segeticola was the most dominant species. Pathogenicity tests on tea plant leaves showed that E. anhuiense had the strongest virulence, while E. puerense had the weakest virulence. Besides, D. pomorum, D. yunnanensis, E. dendrobii, E. italicum, E. jingdongense, E. mackenziei, E. oryzae, E. rosae, E. tobaicum, N. mortariensis, N. yunnanensis, N. zhejiangensis and R. anemophila were non-pathogenic to the tea plant. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Agriculture in Taiwan is facing problems such as population aging and labor shortage. Therefore, effectively managing the crops in the planting process is often impossible, easily exposing them to disease threats and leading to heavy losses. This study builds a crop disease detection system and applies it to apple scab, tomato early blight, late blight, and leaf mold. The system first collects apple and tomato crop photos and crop disease data from the Plantvillage dataset on the Kaggle platform. Secondly, according to the crop dataset, the crop type recognition and leaf detection model is trained to identify crop types and detect plant leaves. Finally, the detected leaves are inputted into the disease recognition model for disease detection, and the plants infected with the disease are found. The crop detection system intends to help farmers improve the efficiency of monitoring crop disease through aerial cameras so that farmers can treat plants early and avoid agricultural impacts caused by crop disease. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• ZnO nanoparticles (NPs) were active in inhibiting growth of Fusarium oxysporum. • Plants grown in NPs-amended soil showed improved growth. • NPs caused increased activity of plant defense-related enzymes. • Plants showed enhanced expression of defense-related genes after NPs application. Management of Fusarium wilt, a destructive plant disease, mainly relies on chemicals, but research on novel and eco-friendly methods is needed due to the hazardous effects of chemical pesticides. This study explored the soil application of zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnONPs) to manage Fusarium wilt disease in cucumber plants. The antifungal activity of ZnONPs against in-vitro growth of Fusarium oxysporum was tested through food poisoning test on the potato dextrose agar medium. The in-vivo potential of NPs for managing Fusarium wilt was checked in pot experiment. In-vitro results confirmed the concentration-dependent in-vitro antifungal activity. The NPs application at 500 µg/ml and 600 µg/ml concentrations showed phytotoxicity and significantly inhibited seed germination and growth of cucumber plants. However, NPs at 300 µg/ml significantly suppressed the pathogenic effects of F. oxysporum on cucumber plants without any phytotoxic effect. The pathogen-inoculated cucumber plants grown in soil amended with NPs showed significantly enhanced growth, lower disease severity, and improved root physiology compared to untreated plants. The plants under NPs treatment showed higher chlorophyll and nitrogen content while decreased membrane permeability and malondialdehyde content. Along with direct antifungal activity, the application of NPs caused an increased expression of defense-related genes and higher activities of defense-related enzymes. These findings verified the efficiency of ZnONPs for suppressing Fusarium wilt disease in cucumber crops, thereby promoting a non-chemical and environmentally friendly approach to controlling Fusarium wilt disease. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The sweet potato is of great socioeconomic importance in Brazil and throughout the world. Among the fungal pathogens associated with root diseases of this crop, Fusarium is of particular importance due to the diversity of species, the pathogenic potential in their various hosts and their ability to survive inside plants as endophytes without apparently causing damage. The objective of this work was to identify fusarioid genera from stems and roots of symptomatic and asymptomatic plants. The identification of fungal species was based on multilocus phylogenetic analysis and morphology. A total of 51 isolates, distributed in the Fusarium incarnatum‐equiseti species complex (FIESC), Fusarium fujikuroi species complex (FFSC), Fusarium oxysporum species complex (FOSC)—with a taxonomic novelty—and Neocosmospora were identified. The pathogenicity test on roots showed that 13 of the 14 tested isolates obtained from symptomatic roots and stems and from asymptomatic stems were capable of reproducing the rot symptoms observed in the field. The confirmation of the pathogenicity of isolates from asymptomatic stems corroborates the hypothesis that these fungi can live endophytically in asymptomatic tissue and are capable of causing damage to their hosts in stress situations. This is the first report of Fusarium agrestense, Fusarium annulatum, Fusarium caatingaense, Fusarium elaeidis, Fusarium pernambucanum, Fusarium pseudocircinatum, Neocosmospora falciformis and Neocosmospora suttoniana associated with root and stem rot of sweet potato. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ash dieback is a disease caused by the fungal pathogen Hymenoscyphus fraxineus. Since its emergence in the 1990s, this pandemic disease has spread throughout much of the native range of its host species, the European ash (Fraxinus excelsior). Where present, it can kill up to 85% of ash trees. The loss of these trees has had an enormous impact, particularly in Britain and Ireland where they formed an integral component of wood and farmland, supporting complex communities of other species. Thanks in part to widespread public interest, the ash dieback pandemic has also had a large political impact, leading to changes in the management of plant diseases. Now, three decades after the emergence of the disease, ambitious projects to breed tolerant plants, and evidence of natural selection for resistance, give hope for the recovery of European ash. The aim of this review is to provide an overview of the history of the ash dieback pandemic, from its emergence to current efforts to mitigate its effects. We discuss the emergence of ash dieback and the wide body of research that has led to our current understanding of the disease. We question which aspects of the disease have led to it holding a particular interest to the public. With a focus on the islands of Britain and Ireland, we discuss how this has driven changes in the management of plant diseases, which may give hope for the control of emerging pathogens in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A tomato‐infecting virus known as Beet curly top Iran virus (BCTIV) cause a significant disease for tomato plants and several other plant species around the world. Chitosan polysaccharide is a natural biopolymer that has been utilised as an exo‐elicitor to enhance plant defence mechanisms against a variety of plant diseases. This study investigates the efficacy of chitosan in combating BCTIV disease on tomato plants and modulating the host–virus interaction under greenhouse conditions. Twenty‐four hours before the virus inoculation, tomato plants were sprayed with a protective chitosan solution at different concentrations (0.5, 1, 1.5, and 2 mg/mL). Tomato plants were inoculated with a BCTIV infectious clone using an Agrobacterium‐inoculation method. The findings clearly demonstrated a reduction in the severity of the disease in chitosan‐treated plants as compared to Mock‐plants, with the percentage decreasing from 61.53% to 75.28% in 1.5 mg/mL treated plants and from 9.01% to 28.43% in 0.5 mg/mL treated plants. In addition, the utilisation of chitosan has the potential to deactivate the accumulation of BCTIV within the host tissues. The virus accumulation was greatly alleviated in 1, 1.5, and 2 mg/mL‐treated plants by 71.29%, 90.11%, and 93.14%, respectively, and over the mock plants. Furthermore, it was found that chitosan applied at all tested concentrations increased the relative expression and mRNA accumulation of genes related to resistance, including the pathogenesis‐related protein gene PR‐1, the HSP90 gene, and the AGO2a antiviral gene. These genes reached their maximum by 22.9‐, 12.93‐, and 4.44‐fold increases, respectively, over the untreated control. According to gas chromatography–mass spectroscop (GC‐MS) fractionation profile, chitosan increased 28 bioactive metabolic components, such as n‐hexadecanoic acid, heptanone, 1,2‐dimethylbenzene, dicarboxylic acid, and cis‐11‐octadecenoic acid methyl‐ester, to improve metabolic pathways. Results reported here revealed that foliar application of chitosan decreases the rate of the disease severity and virus accumulation in BCTIV‐infected tomato plants. This effect is associated with increased gene expression and defence‐related factors, enhancing tomato resistance to BCTIV infection. Consequently, chitosan treatments could be part of an integrated approach for reducing the severity of BCTIV disease in tomato and other host plants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Natural products, known for their environmental safety, are regarded as a significant basis for the modification and advancement of fungicides. Melatonin, as a low‐cost natural indole, exhibits diverse biological functions, including antifungal activity. However, its potential as an antifungal agent has not been fully explored. In this study, a series of melatonin derivatives targeting the mitogen‐activated protein kinase (Mps1) protein of fungal pathogens were synthesized based on properties of melatonin, among which the trifluoromethyl‐substituted derivative Mt‐23 exhibited antifungal activity against seven plant pathogenic fungi, and effectively reduced the severity of crop diseases, including rice blast, Fusarium head blight of wheat and gray mold of tomato. In particular, its EC50 (5.4 µM) against the rice blast fungus Magnaporthe oryzae is only one‐fourth that of isoprothiolane (22 µM), a commercial fungicide. Comparative analyzes revealed that Mt‐23 simultaneously targets the conserved protein kinase Mps1 and lipid protein Cap20. Surface plasmon resonance assays showed that Mt‐23 directly binds to Mps1 and Cap20. In this study, we provide a strategy for developing antifungal agents by modifying melatonin, and the resultant melatonin derivative Mt‐23 is a commercially valuable, eco‐friendly and broad‐spectrum antifungal agent to combat crop disease. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Global environmental issues shift crop production to the new conditions. This increases all kinds of biotic and abiotic stresses, beside others also plant diseases. Such changes are also in Kazakhstan where potato production is dramatically increasing, and crop is growing in regions with continental climate. Problems with potato virus type Y (PVY) need cultivars with better resistance. Introduction of silencing small interfering RNA (siRNA) is new technology. In vitro experiment was done on potato (Solanium tuberosum L.) local cultivar Izolda. Results show significant effect of siRNA in decreasing mortality and occurrence of PVY symptoms and allow expansion of potato cultivation to continental climate conditions, where are faced with new virus problems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Taphrina deformans is the causal agent of leaf curl, a serious peach disease which causes significant losses in peach production worldwide. Nowadays, in order to control plant diseases, it is necessary to adopt novel and low-cost alternatives to conventional chemical fungicides. These promising strategies are targeted at eliciting host defense mechanisms via priming the host through the consecutive application of plant immunity inducers prior to pathogen challenge. In this study, we investigated whether chitosan or yeast cell wall extracts could provide enhanced tolerance against leaf curl in two-season field trials. Furthermore, we addressed the possible molecular mechanisms involved beyond the priming of immune responses by monitoring the induction of key defense-related genes. The efficacy of spraying treatments against peach leaf curl with both inducers was significantly higher compared to the untreated control, showing efficacy in reducing disease severity of up to 62.6% and 73.9% for chitosan and yeast cell wall extracts, respectively. The application of chitosan in combination with copper hydroxide was more efficient in reducing disease incidence and severity, showing efficacy values in the range of 79.5–93.18%. Peach plantlets were also spray-treated with immunity inducers three times prior to leaf inoculation with T. deformans blastospores in their yeast phase. The relative expression levels of nine key defense and priming genes, including those encoding members of pathogenesis-related (PR) proteins and hub genes associated with hormone biosynthesis, were monitored by RT-qPCR across three days after inoculation (dai). The results indicate that pre-treatments with these plant immunity inducers activated the induction of genes involved in salicylic acid (SA) and jasmonate (JA) defense signaling pathways that may offer systemic resistance, coupled with the upregulation of genes conferring direct antimicrobial effects. Our experiments suggest that these two plant immunity inducers could constitute useful components towards the effective control of T. deformans in peach crops. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ralstonia solanacearum, the bacterium that causes bacterial wilt, is a destructive phytopathogen that can infect over 450 different plant species. Several agriculturally significant crop plants, including eggplant, tomato, pepper, potato, and ginger, are highly susceptible to this plant disease, which has a global impact on crop quality and yield. There is currently no known preventive method that works well for bacterial wilt. Bacteria use two-component systems (TCSs) to sense their environment constantly and react appropriately. This is achieved by an extracellular sensor kinase (SK) capable of sensing a suitable signal and a cytoplasmic response regulator (RR) which gives a downstream response. Moreover, our investigation revealed that R. solanacearum GMI1000 possesses a substantial count of TCSs, specifically comprising 36 RRs and 27 SKs. While TCSs are known targets for various human pathogenic bacteria, such as Salmonella, the role of TCSs in R. solanacearum remains largely unexplored in this context. Notably, numerous inhibitors targeting TCSs have been identified, including GHL (Gyrase, Hsp, and MutL) compounds, Walk inhibitors, and anti-TCS medications like Radicicol. Consequently, the investigation into the involvement of TCSs in virulence and pathogenesis has gained traction; however, further research is imperative to ascertain whether TCSs could potentially supplant conventional anti-wilt therapies. This review delves into the prospective utilization of TCSs as an alternative anti-wilt therapy, focusing on the lethal phytopathogen R. solanacearum. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Novel 2-methyl-5-phenyl-7-amino-[1,3,4]-thiadiazolo[3,2-a]pyrimidine6-carbonitrile derivatives 3 were synthesized from 2-amino-5-methyl-1,3,4-thiadiazole 1 and benzylidinemalononitrile 2 in ethanol by refluxing the mixture with catalytic amount of NaOH. The structures of all compounds were characterized by elemental analysis, IR, MS, and ¹H nuclear magnetic resonance spectra. The newly synthesized compounds were also seen as an affective fungicide against Rhizoctonia solani and Trichoderma sp., two fungal microbes causing diseases in rice plants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Most consumers dispose of rotten food without a second thought; however, they also throw away a dynamic group of plant pathogens that can be utilized for inquiry-driven investigations into host/pathogen interactions. Botrytis cinerea is a common necrotrophic fungus that can infect most plants but causes substantial losses to the grape and fresh berry industries. Because most store-bought strawberries eventually succumb to this pathogen (due to the presence of spores from the field or packing facility), they are a dependable source of fungal inoculum to test novel hypotheses about the nature of disease. Across the produce aisle, apples are a diverse, well-characterized, and susceptible host population that enables students to construct individualized experiments about the nature of disease with adequate replication for meaningful analysis. This experimental protocol will outline how to conduct an infection assay with B. cinerea and commercially available apple varieties for students to develop their own experiments, inoculate their own plants, and analyze their own data to answer important questions about how pathogens cause disease. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article in the Journal of Fish Diseases examines the effects of the fungicide dimethomorph on various species of oomycetes, which are harmful to plants and animals, including humans. The study specifically focuses on three oomycete species that cause significant economic losses in agriculture and aquaculture. Through in vitro tests and scanning electron microscopy, the researchers found that dimethomorph inhibited the growth of the oomycetes and caused morphological changes in one species. The study suggests that more research is needed to fully understand these pathogens and develop effective treatments. [Extracted from the article]

Aubergine (Solanum melongena L.) (Solanaceae) is a widespread crop in the Mediterranean basin. Verticillium dahliae is one of the main soil-borne pathogens affecting the aubergine crop. Its control has traditionally been achieved by soil fumigation with chemical disinfectants. Restrictions on the use of chemical fumigants have led to the search for solutions in genetic resistance using rootstocks. In southeastern Spain, aubergines are grafted for the control of V. dahliae. Two Solanum torvum rootstocks (Hugo F1 and Torpedo) and a Solanum melongena hybrid (Javah F1) were tested against five isolates of V. dahliae obtained from grafted (A1 and A2) and ungrafted (Vd8, Vd17 and Vd66) aubergines compared with the susceptible cultivar Larne F1 under controlled conditions. Isolates from grafted plants infected all three rootstocks, with differences observed in the percentage of plants with symptoms and in the disease symptom severity. Three strains isolated from the ungrafted aubergines (Vd8, Vd17 and Vd66) infected Javah F1 rootstock. The Hugo F1 and Torpedo rootstocks showed a high level of resistance to V. dahliae, while Javah F1 was susceptible to the pathogen. The Hugo F1 and Torpedo rootstocks are suitable for mitigating the effects of Verticillium wilt in Mediterranean aubergine crops. Understanding the nature of the resistance from S. torvum could enhance the benefits of grafting or facilitate the introduction of resistance into commercial cultivars. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fusarium wilt of bananas (FWB) is a severe plant disease that leads to substantial losses in banana production worldwide. It remains a major concern for Cuban banana cultivation. The disease is caused by members of the soil‐borne Fusarium oxysporum species complex. However, the genetic diversity among Fusarium species infecting bananas in Cuba has remained largely unexplored. In our comprehensive survey, we examined symptomatic banana plants across all production zones in the country, collecting 170 Fusarium isolates. Leveraging genotyping‐by‐sequencing and whole‐genome comparisons, we investigated the genetic diversity within these isolates and compared it with a global Fusarium panel. Notably, typical FWB symptoms were observed in Bluggoe cooking bananas and Pisang Awak subgroups across 14 provinces. Our phylogenetic analysis revealed that F. purpurascens, F. phialophorum, and F. tardichlamydosporum are responsible for FWB in Cuba, with F. tardichlamydosporum dominating the population. Furthermore, we identified between five and seven distinct genetic clusters, with F. tardichlamydosporum isolates forming at least two subgroups. This finding underscores the high genetic diversity of Fusarium spp. contributing to FWB in the Americas. Our study sheds light on the population genetic structure and diversity of the FWB pathogen in Cuba and the broader Latin American and Caribbean regions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Streptomyces sp. isolate SRF1 has previously demonstrated promising results in controlling various plant fungi under in vitro conditions. However, further exploration of its genome and its efficacy in disease control and plant growth promotion under in vivo conditions is warranted. This study aimed to utilise whole genome sequencing (WGS) to classify Streptomyces sp. isolate SRF1 at the species level and predict genes associated with antagonistic ability and plant growth promotion, thereby assessing its potential as a biocontrol agent against fusarium wilt and a promoter of plant growth. WGS was employed to elucidate the taxonomic classification of isolate SRF1 and predict genes involved in disease suppression and plant growth promotion. In vitro assays were conducted to evaluate its antagonistic activity against Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. lycopersici (Fol) and its production of cellulase, amylase, indole-3-acetic acid (IAA), and siderophores. Pot experiments were carried out using SRF1 cell suspension and culture filtrate to assess its efficacy against Fol and its impact on tomato growth. Real-time PCR analysis was performed to correlate gene expression levels with observed activities. The results showed that isolate SRF1 was classified as S. hygroscopicus subsp. hygroscopicus and demonstrated antagonism against Fol. Furthermore, WGS revealed genes or gene clusters associated with disease control, including those encoding antifungal agents such as butyrolactol A, nigericin, and hygromycin A. Additionally, genes responsible for auxin biosynthesis, siderophore production, and carbohydrate-digesting enzymes such as chitinase, cellulase, and amylase were identified, suggesting potential roles in disease suppression and plant growth promotion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

DNA marker technology, being an alternative to classical hybrid selection approach, is a rapid method for identifying genes and loci associated with breeding-important traits at the early stages of ontogenesis, and, consequently, represents an approach for intensifying the breeding process. This review presents an overview of the studies on the identification of the economically important traits in the pear genome, as well as the development and use of marker-assisted selection (MAS) techniques. To date, a number of genetic factors have been identified in the pear genome, including the resistance to diseases and pests, namely, the resistance to European pear scab (V. pirina Aderh) and Asian pear scab (V. nashicola), to black spot (Alternaria alternata (Fr.) Keissler) and brown spot (Stemphylium vesicarium) disease, fire blight (Erwinia amylovora), pear psylla (Cacopsylla pyri), pear slug (Caliroacerasi), pear blister mite (Eriophyes pyri), self-incompatibility locus, and dwarf trait gene. Major genes and quantitative trait loci (QTLs) for the fruit quality characteristics have also been identified, namely those controlling fruit skin color and fruit russeting, fruit size and weight, taste, the level of ethylene production, and harvest time. It should be noted that Russian studies in this field are limited to the validation and use of MAS techniques developed abroad. According to the experience of Japanese researchers, the use of MAS for several key traits had considerably increased the efficiency of breeding process. Despite the currently limited list of MAS techniques for pears, the high pace of genome research guarantees fairly rapid development of new methods in the future. In combination with new breeding technologies (NBT), the use of MAS for pear is a promising trend in breeding. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many plant pathogens secrete effector proteins into the host plant to suppress host immunity and facilitate pathogen colonization. The necrotrophic pathogen Sclerotinia sclerotiorum causes severe plant diseases and results in enormous economic losses, in which secreted proteins play a crucial role. SsCVNH was previously reported as a secreted protein, and its expression is significantly upregulated at 3 h after inoculation on the host plant. Here, we further demonstrated that deletion of SsCVNH leads to attenuated virulence. Heterologous expression of SsCVNH in Arabidopsis enhanced pathogen infection, inhibited the host PAMP‐triggered immunity (PTI) response and increased plant susceptibility to S. sclerotiorum. SsCVNH interacted with class III peroxidase AtPRX71, a positive regulator of innate immunity against plant pathogens. SsCVNH could also interact with other class III peroxidases, thus reducing peroxidase activity and suppressing plant immunity. Our results reveal a new infection strategy employed by S. sclerotiorum in which the fungus suppresses the function of class III peroxidases, the major component of PTI to promote its own infection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Starting in the fall of 2019, mortality, blight symptoms, and signs of white fungal mycelia were observed on external host tissues of non-native landscape trees as well as numerous native trees, understory shrubs, and vines throughout northern and central Florida, USA. We determined that the fungus is an undescribed species of Basidiomycota based on morphological characteristics and DNA sequence analysis. Phylogenetic analyses of the internal transcribed spacer (ITS), large subunit (LSU), and translation elongation factor 1-alpha (tef1) regions revealed that this novel plant pathogen is an undescribed taxon of the genus Parvodontia (Cystostereaceae, Agaricales). We propose the name Parvodontia relampaga sp. nov. which describes its unique morphological features and phylogenetic placement. We confirmed the pathogenicity of P. relampaga in greenhouse inoculations on host plants from which strains of this novel pathogen were isolated, including the non-native gymnosperm Afrocarpus falcatus , the non-native and commercially important Ligustrum japonicum , and the native tree Quercus hemisphaerica. P. relampaga was also detected on a total of 27 different species of woody host plants, including such economically and ecologically important hosts as Fraxinus, Ilex, Magnolia, Persea, Prunus, Salix, Vitis , and Vaccinium. For this new plant disease, we propose the name "relampago blight," which refers to the lightning-like rhizomorph growth (relámpago means 'lightning' in Spanish). This study presents a newly discovered fungal taxon with a wide host range on both angiosperms and gymnosperms that may be an emerging pathogen of concern in Florida and the Gulf Coast region. • A novel thread blight pathogen is formally described as Parvodontia relampaga. • " Relampago blight" is the common name of the disease cause by P. relampaga. • This is the first report of any thread blight pathogen in continental USA. • Relampago blight was detected in plant seedlings in central and north Florida. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Plant diseases cause famines, drive human migration, and present challenges to agricultural sustainability as pathogen ranges shift under climate change. Plant breeders discovered Mendelian genetic loci conferring disease resistance to specific pathogen isolates over 100 years ago. Subsequent breeding for disease resistance underpins modern agriculture and, along with the emergence and focus on model plants for genetics and genomics research, has provided rich resources for molecular biological exploration over the last 50 years. These studies led to the identification of extracellular and intracellular receptors that convert recognition of extracellular microbe-encoded molecular patterns or intracellular pathogen-delivered virulence effectors into defense activation. These receptor systems, and downstream responses, define plant immune systems that have evolved since the migration of plants to land ∼500 million years ago. Our current understanding of plant immune systems provides the platform for development of rational resistance enhancement to control the many diseases that continue to plague crop production. Plant diseases significantly impact human and environmental health. This review encompasses the last 50 years of research in the plant immune system, an overview of the pathogen virulence proteins, and strategies for durable resistance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Crop disease detection and crop baking stage judgement require large image data to improve accuracy. However, the existing crop disease image datasets have high asymmetry, and the poor baking environment leads to image acquisition difficulties and colour distortion. Therefore, we explore the potential of the self-attention mechanism on crop image datasets and propose an innovative crop image data-enhancement method for recurrent generative adversarial networks (GANs) fused with the self-attention mechanism to significantly enhance the perception and information capture capabilities of recurrent GANs. By introducing the self-attention mechanism module, the cycle-consistent GAN (CycleGAN) is more adept at capturing the internal correlations and dependencies of image data, thus more effectively capturing the critical information among image data. Furthermore, we propose a new enhanced loss function for crop image data to optimise the model performance and meet specific task requirements. We further investigate crop image data enhancement in different contexts to validate the performance and stability of the model. The experimental results show that, the peak signal-to-noise ratio of the SM-CycleGAN for tobacco images and tea leaf disease images are improved by 2.13% and 3.55%, and the structural similarity index measure is improved by 1.16% and 2.48% compared to CycleGAN, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Proper transcription orchestrated by RNA polymerase II (RNPII) is crucial for cellular development, which is rely on the phosphorylation state of RNPII's carboxyl-terminal domain (CTD). Sporangia, developed from mycelia, are essential for the destructive oomycetes Phytophthora, remarkable transcriptional changes are observed during the morphological transition. However, how these changes are rapidly triggered and their relationship with the versatile RNPII-CTD phosphorylation remain enigmatic. Herein, we found that Phytophthora capsici undergone an elevation of Ser5-phosphorylation in its uncanonical heptapeptide repeats of RNPII-CTD during sporangia development, which subsequently changed the chromosomal occupation of RNPII and primarily activated transcription of certain genes. A cyclin-dependent kinase, PcCDK7, was highly induced and phosphorylated RNPII-CTD during this morphological transition. Mechanistically, a novel DCL1-dependent microRNA, pcamiR1, was found to be a feedback modulator for the precise phosphorylation of RNPII-CTD by complexing with PcAGO1 and regulating the accumulation of PcCDK7. Moreover, this study revealed that the pcamiR1-CDK7-RNPII regulatory module is evolutionarily conserved and the impairment of the balance between pcamiR1 and PcCDK7 could efficiently reduce growth and virulence of P. capsici. Collectively, this study uncovers a novel and evolutionary conserved mechanism of transcription regulation which could facilitates correct development and identifies pcamiR1 as a promising target for disease control. Author summary: Ser5 phosphorylation (S5p) on the carboxyl-terminal domain of RNA polymerase II (RNPII-CTD) is essential for RNPII activation and enables it properly transcribes genes. Sporangium is dispensable for the development and infection of Phytophthora, it differentiates from hypha rapidly and undergoes remarkable transcriptional changes during the morphological transition. However, the regulatory machinery of the changes and the role of RNPII-CTD-Ser5p in the transition remain a mystery. Herein, a novel microRNA-involved module, pcamiR1-CDK7-RNPII, which could rapidly and precisely ensures transcriptional plasticity by regulating the phosphorylation of an uncanonical heptapeptide repeats of RNPII-CTD is reported. The discoveries could broaden the understanding of transcriptional regulation through a novel way, also could strongly benefit the control of many human and plant diseases based on the evolutionary conserved microRNA with a safe and convenient way. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]