Root-knot nematodes (RKN) severely reduce watermelon yields worldwide, despite its nutraceutical value. This study investigated the effects of rock dust (RD) and poultry manure (PM) amendments, applied singly or in combination, on RKN suppression and watermelon fruit yield enhancement. A two-trial field experiment was conducted utilizing a randomized complete block design with three replicates. The treatments included RD and PM each applied at 0, 2.5, or 5 t/ha and combined applications of RD and PM at 2.5 or 5 t/ha each. At 60-66 days post-inoculation, root galling and RKN population density were assessed alongside root-shoot weight. The results indicated that root galling in watermelons was reduced by 60-85 % and 67-89 % in the combined RD- and PMtreated plots across the 1st and 2nd trials, respectively, in contrast to the control plots. Likewise, the RKN population was suppressed by 94-99 % in treated plots in both trials, differing from the control plots. Notably, watermelon fruit yield was significantly higher (p < 0.05) in combined RD and PM treated plots, ranging from 24.7 to 33.7 t/ha and 34.6-46.5 t/ha in the 1st and 2nd trials, respectively, compared to control plots with 13.5 t/ha in the 1st trial compared to and 20.9 t/ha yield in the 2nd trial. In conclusion, our study indicates that coapplication of RD and PM effectively reduced RKN damage and enhanced watermelon fruit yield, providing a sustainable strategy for watermelon production.

In this paper, a comprehensive overview was conducted on machine vision in potato cultivation, harvesting, and storage. Common weeds and diseases encountered during potato cultivation were summarized, and the advantages and disadvantages of various detection methods were compared. Additionally, methods for soil clod separation and tuber damage detection during harvesting were reviewed, along with a comparative analysis of their strengths and weaknesses. Furthermore, the defect grading and sprouting detection methods during storage were discussed. While machine vision technology shows good detection ability in potato cultivation, harvesting, and storage, further research is still needed to enhance the accuracy and adaptability of these methods, ultimately promoting the development of the potato industry.

Silicon nanoparticles (SiNPs) have emerged as multifunctional tools in sustainable agriculture, demonstrating significant efficacy in promoting crop growth and enhancing plant resilience against diverse biotic and abiotic stresses. Although their ability to strengthen antioxidant defense systems and activate systemic immune responses is well documented, the fundamental mechanisms driving these benefits remain unclear. This review synthesizes emerging evidence to propose an innovative paradigm: SiNPs remodel plant redox signaling networks and stress adaptation mechanisms by forming protein coronas through apoplastic protein adsorption. We hypothesize that extracellular SiNPs may elevate apoplastic reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels by adsorbing and inhibiting antioxidant enzymes, thereby enhancing intracellular redox buffering capacity and activating salicylic acid (SA)-dependent defense pathways. Conversely, smaller SiNPs infiltrating symplastic compartments risk oxidative damage due to direct suppression of cytoplasmic antioxidant systems. Additionally, SiNPs may indirectly influence heavy metal transporter activity through redox state regulation and broadly modulate plant physiological functions via transcription factor regulatory networks. Critical knowledge gaps persist regarding the dynamic composition of protein coronas under varying environmental conditions and their transgenerational impacts. By integrating existing mechanisms of SiNPs, this review provides insights and potential strategies for developing novel agrochemicals and stress-resistant crops.

Pine wilt disease (PWD) is a devastating forest disease that severely impacts pine trees, with widespread outbreaks leading to catastrophic damage in pine forests worldwide. Our study aims to investigate the dynamics of PWD infection on soil physicochemical properties and biological activities, as well as the interrelationships between them. Soil samples were collected from 0 to 10 cm and 10 to 20 cm depths in subtropical Pinus massoniana (Masson pine) forests with PWD infection years of 0 (non-infection), 6, 10, and 16 years. The physicochemical properties, microbial biomass, and enzymatic activities of these soil samples were measured. The results revealed that soil non-capillary porosity, clay, microbial biomass carbon and microbial biomass nitrogen decreased significantly in 6 years forests. Available potassium consistently decreased with longer invasion periods, while soil polyphenol oxidase, leucine amino peptidase, and available phosphorous peaked in 6 years forests and then declined over time. The soil physicochemical properties, biological activities all decreased as soil depth increased. Redundancy analysis and Mantel tests underscored the critical role of Total potassium, pH, Total phosphorous, and bulk density in shaping microbial activities. This study demonstrated that PWD infection significantly effect on soil physicochemical properties, microbial biomass, and enzymatic activities with the chronosequence progresses. These finding contribute to a deeper understanding of how invasive pathogens like PWD can reshape soil environments, with implications for forest conservation and restoration practices.

Introduction Verticillium wilt is a severe soil-borne disease that affects cotton growth and yield. Traditional monitoring methods, which rely on manual investigation, are inefficient and impractical for large-scale applications. This study introduces a novel approach combining machine learning with feature selection to identify sensitive spectral features for accurate and efficient detection of cotton Verticillium wilt.Methods We conducted comprehensive hyperspectral measurements using handheld devices (350-2500 nm) to analyze cotton leaves in a controlled greenhouse environment and employed Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) hyperspectral imaging (400-995 nm) to capture canopy-level data in field conditions. The hyperspectral data were pre-processed to extract wavelet coefficients and spectral indices (SIs), enabling the derivation of disease-specific spectral features (DSSFs) through advanced feature selection techniques. Using these DSSFs, we developed detection models to assess both the incidence and severity of leaf damage by Verticillium wilt at the leaf scale and the incidence at the canopy scale. Initial analysis identified critical spectral reflectance bands, wavelet coefficients, and SIs that exhibited dynamic responses as the disease progressed.Results Model validation demonstrated that the incidence detection models at the leaf scale achieved a peak classification accuracy of 85.83%, which is about 10% higher than traditional methods without feature selection. The severity detection models showed improved precision as disease severity of damage increased, with accuracy ranging from 46.82% to 93.10%. At the canopy scale, UAV-based hyperspectral data achieved a remarkable classification accuracy of 93.0% for disease incidence detection.Discussion This study highlights the significant impact of feature selection on enhancing the performance of hyperspectral-based remote sensing models for cotton wilt monitoring. It also explores the transferability of sensitive spectral features across different scales, laying the groundwork for future large-scale early warning systems and monitoring cotton Verticillium wilt.

Salicornia europaea L. is a euhalophyte increasingly cultivated as a high-value green vegetable. In July 2021, root and crown rot occurred on 6-month-old S. europaea plants grown in peat-filled pots under a greenhouse, affecting 25% of plants. The causal agent was identified as Fusarium pseudograminearum O'Donnell & T. Aoki using morphological and molecular analyses. An experiment to assess the pathogenicity of this fungus to S. europaea was conducted with 96 seedlings in hydroponic culture. Half of these plants were inoculated with a conidial suspension of F. pseudograminearum. At 24 days post inoculation (dpi), half of the plants were transferred into a new hydroponic system, while the other plants were transplanted into pots. At 80 dpi, all inoculated plants grown in pots had shoot browning and desiccation symptoms, while these symptoms developed more slowly in 70% of the hydroponically grown inoculated plants. A qualitative symptom severity assessment scale showed that disease severity was greater (63%) in pot-grown plants than in hydroponically grown plants (46%). Fusarium pseudograminearum was consistently reisolated from diseased plants in both cultivation systems (62% from pots and 83% from hydroponics) fulfilling Koch's postulates. Production of deoxynivalenol (DON) and zearalenone (ZEA) was investigated in vitro and in planta. Traces of DON (0.029 +/- 0.012 mg kg(-1)) were found in severely damaged plants grown in hydroponics. In the in vitro test, F. pseudograminearum isolates from wheat crops in Spain (isolate ColPat-351) and Italy (isolate PVS Fu-7) were also assessed, and all tested isolates produced considerable amounts of ZEA. Fusarium pseudograminearum isolates obtained from S. europaea produced more DON (6.81 +/- 0.24 mg kg(-1), on average) than the Italian isolate PVS Fu-7 (0.37 +/- 0.06 mg kg(-1)), while DON production by the Spanish isolate ColPat-351 was less than the limit of detection (< 0.25 mg kg(-1)). This is the first report of root and crown rot caused by F. pseudograminearum on S. europaea.

Bacterial wilt disease caused by Trinickia (Burkholderia) caryophylli poses a significant threat to carnation cultivation in many regions around the world, often leading to severe damage once established. In this study, we developed a BIO-PCR method with high sensitivity and accuracy to detect and quantify T. caryophylli in soil, enabling precise evaluation of pathogen contamination levels. Single PCR (using a touchdown PCR program) was performed using the bacterial cells pre-incubated in a selective liquid medium as a template. The detection limit for this assay was 3 colony-forming-units (cfu) per g dry mass soil. By combining the most probable number (MPN) method and touchdown BIO-PCR, T. caryophylli can be quantified simultaneously. We validated this method in carnation cultivation fields and found a correlation between the degree of disease in each field and the measured density of the bacteria. This method will help develop and establish effective pest control techniques because it targets only live T. caryophylli in soil and can measure the density with high sensitivity and accuracy.

The most damaging disease of oil palm is Fusarium wilt caused by a soilborne fungal pathogen, Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. elaeidis (Foe). The disease is endemic to Africa and affects oil palm production there. Limited Fusarium wilt outbreaks have occurred in South America, but the disease has not yet been reported in South-East Asia. An earlier review of Foe in 2006 provided updates on symptoms, spread and the difficulty in managing the disease. This paper updates our knowledge of oil palm, socio-economic and environmental impacts of cultivation, Fusarium wilt disease epidemiology, Foe detection techniques, disease management strategies and biosecurity perspectives. Breeding for tolerant plant materials has significantly advanced in Africa, but financial constraints in several countries have limited the production of tolerant oil palm seed materials. Other emerging technologies for Foe control are also presented here, acknowledging the specific challenges to help inform the oil palm industry. We highlight the need to strengthen biosecurity plans in disease-free regions. In these countries/regions that are currently free from the pathogen but cultivating susceptible plant materials, biosecurity protocols are essential to reduce threat of disease introduction and spread. Climatic change is another challenge for oil palm-producing countries, both those currently free from the disease and those where Foe is endemic, and should be taken into consideration when planning and implementing biosecurity measures.

Genera Pseudomonas and Xanthomonas include bacterial species that are etiological agents of several diseases of major vegetable crops, such as tomato, pepper, bean, cabbage and cauliflower. The bacterial pathogens of those genera may cause severe crop damage, leading to symptoms like leaf spots, wilting, blights, and rotting. These plant pathogens can affect propagation materials and spread rapidly through plant tissues, contaminated soils, or water sources, making them challenging to control using conventional chemical products alone. Biopesticides, such as essential oils (EOs), are nowadays studied, tested and formulated by employing nano- and micro-technologies as innovative biological control strategies to obtain more sustainable products using less heavy metal ions. Moreover, there is a growing interest in exploring new biological control agents (BCAs), such as antagonistic bacterial and fungal species or bacteriophages and understanding their ecology and biological mechanisms to control bacterial phytopathogens. These include direct competition for nutrients, production of antimicrobial compounds, quorum quenching and indirect induction of systemic resistance. Optimisation of the biocontrol potential goes through the development of nanoparticle-based formulations and new methods for field application, from foliar sprays to seed coatings and root inoculation, aimed to improve microbial stability, shelf life, controlled release and field performance. Overall, the use of biological control in horticultural crops is an area of research that continues to advance and shows promising potential. This review aims to provide an in-depth exploration of commercially accessible biocontrol solutions and innovative biocontrol strategies, with a specific focus on the management of bacterial diseases in vegetable crops caused by Pseudomonas and Xanthomonas species. In this article, we highlighted the advancements in the development and use of EOs and other BCAs, emphasizing their potential or shortcomings for sustainable disease management. Indeed, despite the reduced dependence on synthetic pesticides and enhanced crop productivity, variable regulatory frameworks, compatibility among different BCAs, and consistent performance under field conditions are among the current challenges to their commercialization and use. The review seeks to contribute valuable insights into the evolving landscape of biocontrol in vegetable crops and to provide guidance for more effective and eco-friendly solutions against plant bacterial diseases.

Soil and water pollution represent significant threats to global health, ecosystems, and biodiversity. Healthy soils underpin terrestrial ecosystems, supporting food production, biodiversity, water retention, and carbon sequestration. However, soil degradation jeopardizes the health of 3.2 billion people, while over 2 billion live in waterstressed regions. Pollution of soil, air, and water is a leading environmental cause of disease, contributing to over 9 million premature deaths annually. Soil contamination stems from heavy metals, synthetic chemicals, pesticides, and plastics, driven by industrial activity, agriculture, and waste mismanagement. These pollutants induce oxidative stress, inflammation, and hormonal disruption, significantly increasing risks for non-communicable diseases (NCDs) such as cardiovascular disease (CVD). Emerging contaminants like micro- and nanoplastics amplify health risks through cellular damage, oxidative stress, and cardiovascular dysfunction. Urbanization and climate change exacerbate soil degradation through deforestation, overfertilization, and pollution, further threatening ecosystem sustainability and human health. Mitigation efforts, such as reducing chemical exposure, adopting sustainable land-use practices, and advancing urban planning, have shown promise in lowering pollution-related health impacts. Public health initiatives, stricter pollution controls, and lifestyle interventions, including antioxidant-rich diets, can also mitigate risks. Pollution remains preventable, as demonstrated by high-income nations implementing cost-effective solutions. Policies like the European Commission's Zero-Pollution Vision aim to reduce pollution to safe levels by 2050, promoting sustainable ecosystems and public health. Addressing soil pollution is critical to combating the global burden of NCDs, particularly CVDs, and fostering a healthier environment for future generations.