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Black heart rot is a serious disease of apricot and it has been reported to be caused by Alternaria solani , around the world. The present research was designed to control this disastrous disease using zinc oxide nanoparticles (b-ZnO NPs). These NPs were synthesized in the filtrate of a useful bacterium ( Bacillus safensis ) and applied to control black heart rot of apricot. After synthesis, the reduction of b-ZnO NPs was confirmed by UV-visible spectroscopy, at 330 nm. Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectra ensured the presence of multiple functional groups (alcohols, phenols, carboxylic acids, nitro compounds and amines) on the surface of b-ZnO NPs. X-Ray diffraction (XRD) analysis elucidated their average size (18 nm) while scanning electron microscopy (SEM) micrograph described the spherical shape of b-ZnO NPs. The synthesized b-ZnO NPs were applied in four different concentrations (0.25 mg/ml, 0.50 mg/ml, 0.75 mg/ml, 1.0 mg/ml) under both in vitro and in vivo conditions. These NPs were very efficient in inhibiting mycelial growth (85.1%) of A. solani at 0.75 mg/ml concentration of NPs, in vitro. Same concentration also performed best, in vivo, and significantly reduced disease incidence (by 67%) on self-inoculated apricot fruit. Apart from this, application of b-ZnO NPs helped apricot fruit to maintain its quality under fungal-stress conditions. The decay of apricot fruit was reduced and they maintained greater firmness and higher weight. Moreover, b-ZnO NPs treated fruits controlled black heart rot disease by maintaining higher contents of ascorbic acid, soluble sugars and carotenoids. These b-ZnO NPs were produced in powder form for their easy carriage to the farmers’ fields.

Castanea sativa is a high-value tree species whose stands have faced significant threats over the past century. The occurrence of one such threat, Chestnut Red Stain—a heartwood discoloration caused by the fungus Fistulina hepatica—has recently increased. This disease devalues the timber by up to 70% due to the rejection of stained wood by the industry. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of three management strategies on the occurrence of F. hepatica in chestnut coppice stands. Additionally, the co-occurrence of F. hepatica and Cryphonectria parasitica, both highly prevalent in the study area, was assessed. In 2013, three different silvicultural treatments were applied to five plots. Seven years later, the stand characteristics were measured, and the incidence of F. hepatica was evaluated using molecular tools. Data modeling revealed that the quadratic mean diameter before the interventions was related to the incidence of F. hepatica. Our results suggest that the thinning at earlier stand stages may be more critical than the type or intensity of the thinning in reducing the incidence of the fungus in the mid-term. This finding provides forest managers with new guidance to improve silvicultural treatments and prevent F. hepatica damage.

Bacterial heart rot (BHR) disease in pineapple variety MD2 is caused by Dickeya zeae syn. Erwinia chrysanthemi . The present study aims to screen the effectiveness of four systemic chemical pesticides in different dosages for controlling the BHR pathogen in vitro and to evaluate the effectiveness of delivery techniques of the selected chemical pesticides based on in vitro results to control the disease under rain shelter conditions. The pathogen was isolated from symptomatic pineapple leaves with the appearance of water-soaked and rotten basal tissues and confirmed via pathogenicity test. A poisoned food technique was used for in vitro assessment. The pathogen was tested with different pesticide concentrations of 250, 500, 750, 1000 and 1500 mg L −1 . Two fungicides were selected based on in vitro study for further investigation under the rain shelter condition. This in vivo study was performed with arrangement of complete randomize design with five treatments and 10 replicates of pineapple plants per treatment. The treatments were difenoconazole with pathogen, mancozeb with pathogen, benomyl with pathogen (standard industry), positive control (pathogen only) and negative control (without pathogen). Data of disease incidence (DI) and disease severity index (DSI) were collected for six-weeks after the early symptoms of BHR were detected. Finding of in vitro study showed that mancozeb and difenoconazole were able to control the pathogen at the lowest concentration of 250 mg L −1 from the recommended rate. These two fungicides were consistently giving the similar results for the rain shelter study. The treatments with difenoconazole recorded the lowest value of DI and DSI with 4.60% and 0.00%, respectively. Then followed by mancozeb with DI of 5.62% and 63.71%. In contrast, besides positive control, the treatment of benomyl displayed the high values of DI (8.38%) and DSI (89.81%). Based on these findings, difenoconazole with combination method is the most effective control method for controlling BHR in pineapple. However, this research is highly recommended to be further investigated under the field conditions.

We tested the equal preference ecological trap hypothesis for breeding yellow-bellied sapsuckers (Sphyrapicus varius) along a time-since-harvest gradient (1-5 yr, 16-20 yr, 21-25 yr, and >60 yr) in selection system-logged hardwood forests in Algonquin Provincial Park, Ontario. Yellow-bellied sapsuckers preferred 1-5 year and >60-year-old cuts equally and more than 16-20 year and 21-25-year-old cuts. More-abundant arthropod food and/or higher-quality sap resources may have attracted yellow-bellied sapsuckers to 1-5 year and >60-year-old cuts. Only 52% of pairs raised fledglings in 1-to 5-year-old cuts during years when nest predation by American black bears (Ursus americanus) was common, the incidence of which was negatively related to increased availability of American beech (Fagus grandifolia) nuts from the previous autumn. By contrast, 88% of pairs raised fledglings in all years in >60-year-old cuts. One-to 5-year-old cuts were demographic sinks that represent equal-preference ecological traps in years when nest predation by bears was common, whereas >60-year-old cuts were always demographic sources. High-quality habitat cues for nesting yellow-bellied sapsuckers appear to be retained for 1-5 years after selection system logging but fail to deliver safe nest sites. Cavities excavated in heart-rot-infected nest trees are least likely to be depredated because cavity walls are typically harder and deter entry by depredating bears. Retaining more potential nest trees per ha at harvest (especially American beech with heart-rot) may increase the proportion of sapsucker nests that are excavated in bear-resistant trees, thereby reducing nest predation and increasing fecundity.

Pomegranate heart rot (black heart) was observed in several pomegranate-growing areas of Algeria. From 2022 to 2025, surveys were conducted across 15 provinces (20 localities), and a total of 85 fruits (symptomatic and asymptomatic) were collected. Fruits were cut transversely to assess internal symptoms, ranging from early aril browning to dry black rot. Thirty Alternaria isolates were obtained and grouped into four morphotypes based on colony and conidial morphological traits. A subset of 18 isolates was analysed by multilocus phylogeny (ITS, EF-1α, GAPDH and OPA10-2); all analysed isolates clustered within the Alternaria alternata species complex, in the clade including the ex-type strain CBS 916.96. Fruit pathogenicity tests with Algerian isolate GA reproduced typical internal heart rot symptoms, and the pathogen was consistently re-isolated from symptomatic tissues. In fruit inoculations with isolate GA, cultivars differed in susceptibility, with mean disease severities of 94%, 62% and 9.5% in ‘Taferrante’, ‘Ikhessène’ and ‘Kares’, respectively, expressed as the percentage of the fruit section presenting rot symptoms. Detached leaf assays indicated isolate-dependent differences in aggressiveness, and ‘Kares’ showed the lowest susceptibility. Overall, the results confirm that A. alternata is the causal agent of pomegranate heart rot in Algeria and provide baseline information for disease diagnosis and management.

Modern agriculture, based on biparental crop varieties have contributed tremendously to the world’s food supply. However, the strategy is also being challenged due to stagnation in yield growth, climate change, susceptibility to biotic and abiotic stresses etc. Biparental crossing, the conventional cereal breeding approach, is inherently limited in its ability to fully harness the rich genetic diversity available within a crop species. This limitation stems from the restricted number of parental lines involved, which restricts the pool of desirable traits that can be combined. In contrast, cutting-edge multi-parental crossing strategies possess immense potential for generating superior trait combinations by tapping into a vastly broader genetic pool. However, despite the several advantages of this approach, its full potential has not been adequately exploited. The existing research on the development of multi-parent advanced generation inter-cross (MAGIC) populations in crops such as rice, maize, and sorghum has primarily focused on the populations themselves, lacking robust demonstrations of the potential advantages of this approach over biparental crossing in terms of developing superior crop varieties. This study aimed to develop post-rainy season sorghum genotypes with enhanced yield potential and improved tolerance to drought, shoot fly, and charcoal rot through the utilization and demonstration of a multi-parent crossing approach. 17 founder lines were utilized to generate four 8-way crosses. The performance of the resulting progeny was systematically evaluated across multiple locations. The results revealed that the 8-way cross-derived lines exhibited remarkable superiority in both grain and stover yields, outperforming not only the 2-way and 4-way cross derivatives but also their founder parents. Notably, the 8-way cross-derived lines demonstrated substantial yield advantages of over 70% and 30% in grain and stover production, respectively, compared to the bi-parent crosses. These lines also displayed enhanced drought tolerance and improved resistance against key insect pests and diseases. Specifically, two 8-way cross-derived lines, S22086RV and S22085RV, significantly outperformed the national check cultivar CSV 29R, with nearly 70% and 60% higher grain yields, and over 30% and 15% greater stover yields, respectively. Importantly, these high-performing lines also exhibited exceptional drought stress tolerance, characterized by high transpiration rate, transpiration efficiency, shoot biomass, harvest index, and grain yield coupled with low total water use, as well as resistance against shoot fly (< 15% dead hearts) and charcoal rot (< 10 charcoal rot index). These versatile, stress-resilient lines hold immense promise as valuable genetic resources to drive further crop improvement and the development of superior post-rainy sorghum varieties. This innovative breeding strategy demonstrates significant potential for transforming post-rainy sorghum cultivation, particularly in contexts constrained by limited phenotypic diversity that impedes progress.

Upland forests are traditionally thought to be net sinks for atmospheric methane (CH4). In such forests, in situ CH4 fluxes on tree trunks have been neglected relative to soil and canopy fluxes. We measured in situ CH4 fluxes from the trunks of living trees and other surfaces, such as twigs and soils, using a static closed-chamber method, and estimated the CH4 budget in a temperate upland forest in Beijing. We found that the trunks of Populus davidiana emitted large quantities of CH4 during July 2014–July 2015, amounting to mean annual emissions of 85.3 and 103.1 μg m−2 h−1 on a trunk surface area basis on two replicate plots. The emission rates were similar in magnitude to those from tree trunks in wetland forests. The emitted CH4 was derived from the heartwood of trunks. On a plot or ecosystem scale, trunk CH4 emissions were equivalent to c. 30–90% of the amount of CH4 consumed by soils throughout the year, with an annual average of 63%. Our findings suggest that wet heartwoods, regardless of rot or not, occur widely in living trees on various habitats, where CH4 can be produced.

Pineapple ( Ananas comosus ) is one of the most important fruit crops in tropical and subtropical regions. Bacterial heart rot (BHR), caused by the pathogenic bacterium Dickeya zeae , has emerged as a major threat to pineapple production worldwide. Phyllosphere bacteria, which inhabit the aerial surfaces of plants, have shown potential as biological control agents (BCAs) against BHR due to their antagonistic activity. In this study, the causal agent of BHR was isolated from diseased pineapple plants which exhibiting water-soaked and rotting basal tissues. Meanwhile, phyllosphere bacteria were recovered from asymptomatic pineapple leaves, morphologically characterized, and subjected to an in vitro bioassay using the well-diffusion method to assess their antagonistic potential against BHR pathogenic bacteria. The isolated bacteria were Gram-positive, rod-shaped, with circular in shape, with surface features ranging from convex to flat or undulated, and margins that were either entire or slightly irregular, and cream white color colony. In the well-diffusion assay, the phyllosphere isolates successfully inhibited the growth of the BHR pathogen, forming clear inhibition zones. These findings suggest that phyllosphere bacteria could serve as promising BCAs for managing BHR in pineapple production.

Bogor Botanical Garden (KRB) is an ex-situ conservation area where the world-class plants with important assets that need to be preserved are properly collected. Tree damage in BBG should be recognized appropriately by knowing the type and location as well as the severity of the damage. The type of damage that commonly found is Heart rot, weathered wood, Gall Rust of 36% of the total cases found. Damage’s to the tree found on a total of nine areas where most of them located on between crown base and stump (45%). About 50 % of total tree is in very healthy condition with Plot Level Index of 2.93, and therefore, a study site can be categorized as normal or healthy condition. Damaged trees should be monitored consistently using appropriate techniques, such as Forest Health Monitoring (FHM) technique that may allow the management to share the information of the damaged trees to the visitor, so they can travel safely.

This study was aimed at identifying Alternaria species associated with heart rot disease of pomegranate fruit in southern Italy and characterizing their mycotoxigenic profile. A total of 42 Alternaria isolates were characterized. They were obtained from pomegranate fruits with symptoms of heart rot sampled in Apulia and Sicily and grouped into six distinct morphotypes based on macro- and microscopic features. According to multigene phylogenetic analysis, including internal transcribed spacer (ITS), translation elongation factor 1-α (EF-1α), glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH) and a SCAR marker (OPA10-2), 38 isolates of morphotypes 1 to 5 were identified as Alternaria alternata, while isolates of morphotype 6, all from Sicily, clustered within the Alternaria arborescens species complex. In particular, isolates of morphotype 1, the most numerous, clustered with the ex-type isolate of A. alternata, proving to belong to A. alternata. No difference in pathogenicity on pomegranate fruits was found between isolates of A. alternata and A. arborescens and among A. alternata isolates of different morphotypes. The toxigenic profile of isolates varied greatly: in vitro, all 42 isolates produced tenuazonic acid and most of them other mycotoxins, including alternariol, alternariol monomethyl ether, altenuene and tentoxin.