Aphis gossypii shows strong intraspecific host specialization, making it an excellent model for olfaction-driven host adaptation. Hap1 (cotton-specialized haplotype) and Hap3 (cucurbit-specialized haplotype) are the two main haplotypes. Odorant-binding proteins (OBPs) play pivotal roles in insect host recognition and are potential RNAi targets. This study aims to elucidate the functional role of AgosOBP3 in host specialization of A. gossypii. We used genome-wide identification, transcriptomic comparison, RNA interference, host choice assays and life table analysis to characterize AgosOBP3 function. We identified 13 OBP genes from the A. gossypii genome, among which AgosOBP3 expression in polyphagous Hap4 was significantly higher than in the cotton-specialized Hap1 (1.79-fold, P < 0.05). Life table assays confirmed that Hap1 performed well on cotton but exhibited extremely low survival and reproduction on cucumber, demonstrating typical host-specialization characteristics. RNAi-mediated silencing of AgosOBP3 (46.8% expression reduction) substantially altered host preference in Hap1: at 48 h, 70% of control aphids selected cotton, whereas 65% of treated aphids chose cucumber, representing a significant reversal in host selection. Bioassay results revealed that RNAi-treated Hap1 A. gossypii showed a 39.6% increase in fecundity on cucumber but a 39.5% decrease on cotton. The expression level of AgosOBP3 directly governs host preference in A. gossypii toward its specialized hosts. Interference with this gene disrupts host selection preference, redirecting the cotton-specialized haplotype toward nonadapted hosts. Our results establish AgosOBP3 as a critical determinant of host specialization, offering theoretical insights and a viable molecular target for olfactory disruption-based sustainable management strategies against aphid pests. © 2026 Society of Chemical Industry.

The insect olfactory system plays an important role in guiding chemical-driven behaviors, such as host selection, oviposition, and mating. Odorant-binding proteins (OBPs) serve as a bridge for transmitting chemical signals in insects; however, the transcriptional regulation of their expression patterns remains unknown. In this study, we demonstrated that CchiBarH2 regulates the expression of CchiOBP6, mediating the olfactory recognition of female Callosobruchus chinensis for 2,3-butanediol. CchiBarH2 directly bound to the promoter region of CchiOBP6 and enhanced the transcriptional activity of CchiOBP6 in vitro using a dual-luciferase reporter system and electrophoretic mobility shift assay (EMSA). RNAi-mediated silencing of CchiBarH2 significantly decreased the expression level of CchiOBP6, weakened the electrophysiological responses, and the attraction of C. chinensis females to 2,3-butanediol disappeared simultaneously. These results revealed that CchiBarH2 regulated the expression of CchiOBP6, thereby mediating the EAG and behavioral responses of female C. chinensis to 2,3-butanediol. These findings also provide potential molecular targets for disrupting olfactory-driven behaviors in agricultural pest management. © 2026 Society of Chemical Industry.

Fusarium oxysporum causes damping-off disease in Pinus massoniana seedlings. While Trichoderma koningiopsis can enhance seedling resistance by regulating rhizosphere plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR), the specific bacterial compositions and their role in disease resistance remained undefined. To elucidate this mechanism, we used amplicon and metagenomic sequencing to identify T. koningiopsis-assembled PGPR. Synthetic PGPR communities were constructed from isolated strains to validate their effects on disease suppression and growth promotion. Microbial community analysis indicated that T. koningiopsis reshaped the bacterial community: Actinospica, Dyella, and Streptomyces decreased in presence, and Bacillus and Arthrobacter increased. A total of 153 PGPR strains were isolated from the T. koningiopsis-inoculated treatment. Of these, eight strains demonstrated significant inhibitory effects against F. oxysporum, ranging from 33.81% to 59.52%. Four synthetic communities (SynComs) (C1, C2, HT, and 2K) were further constructed, exhibiting superior inhibitory effects against F. oxysporum compared to individual strains. Compared to the control, the C2 and HT SynComs increased seedling height by 10.18% and 9.44%, and reduced disease incidence by 50% and 36.67%, respectively. These treatments also enhanced protective enzyme activity and alleviated membrane damage. At the molecular level, the C2 and HT SynComs boost plant resistance by modulating the plant hormone and mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signaling pathways, thereby activating the expression of crucial resistance genes such as PR1, FLS2, and CAT1. Trichoderma koningiopsis alters the composition of rhizosphere PGPR community. The synthetic PGPR community assembled under the influence of T. koningiopsis effectively enhances damping-off resistance and promotes the growth of Masson pine seedlings. © 2026 Society of Chemical Industry.

Erwinia amylovora, a highly destructive bacterial disease affecting pears, apples, and other rosaceous plants, has been reported in over 60 countries. Accurate identification during monitoring is essential to prevent its spread to new regions, underscoring the need for efficient, reliable detection techniques. Conventional methods are often instrument-dependent and unsuitable for early field detection, so establishing a rapid, sensitive, field-adaptable assay is crucial for timely pathogen detection and integrated green control, especially under resource-limited conditions. A sensitive, rapid detection system was developed by combining recombinase polymerase amplification (RPA) with a colloidal gold-based lateral flow dipstick (LFD) for specific E. amylovora identification. The assay demonstrated high specificity when evaluated against 22 bacterial species (such as Erwinia pyrifoliae, Dickeya fangzhongdai, Bacillus velezensis, etc.), four pear pathogenic fungi (such as Valsa pyri, Botryosphaeria dothidea, Alternaria alternata, etc.), and four pear DNA samples. The entire procedure can be completed within 1 h, providing a simple and rapid detection platform, with broad operational flexibility (effective amplification at 25-45 °C, 10-30 min), and a detection sensitivity of 10 fg μL-1 genomic DNA, 5 × 103 CFU mL-1, or 1000-fold diluted crude extracts. The RPA-LFD system achieved a 94.6% positive detection rate for artificially inoculated samples with visual LFD readout. This system enables rapid on-site detection of E. amylovora and provides a practical tool for implementing timely phytosanitary interventions and science-based control strategies. Furthermore, the technique shows significant potential for widespread application in fire blight monitoring and integrated disease management. © 2026 Society of Chemical Industry.

Fungal pathogen causes a persistent threat to global agricultural productivity. Thiazole and hydrazide derivatives exhibit broad-spectrum and potent antifungal activity, demonstrating significant potential as novel antifungal agents. In this article, 45 thiazolyl hydrazide derivatives were designed and synthesized as potential succinate dehydrogenase (SDH) inhibitors. These compounds exhibited broad-spectrum antifungal activity against seven pathogens, notably compounds A5 and A33 showed the most significant activity against Pythium aphanidermatum and Sclerotinia sclerotiorum, and compound A37 with cyclopropyl and 3-chloro-2-fluorophenyl substituents showed significant efficacy against Rhizoctonia cerealis (half-maximal effective concentration (EC50 = 0.49 mg L-1) and Alternaria alternata (EC50 = 1.81 mg L-1), while maintaining a comparable protective effect (88.5%) to that of the reference fungicide bixafen. The structure-activity relationship has also been analyzed in detail. Preliminary mechanistic studies indicated that compound A37 disrupted the tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle through inhibiting SDH. Concurrently, the activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT) were reduced, resulting in elevated reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels and malondialdehyde (MDA) accumulation, which will damage the integrity of fungi cells. Molecular docking and molecular dynamics simulation confirmed the binding affinity of compound A37 with SDH. The cytotoxicity experiments indicated that the thiazolyl hydrazide derivatives belong to the low-toxicity compounds. Bioactivity screening and antifungal mechanism suggested the potential of thiazolyl hydrazide derivatives as promising, eco-friendly candidates for the development of novel antifungal agents. © 2026 Society of Chemical Industry.

This study assessed the perceptions and management strategy choices of maize farmers in Ghana towards fall armyworm (FAW) infestation, which poses a severe threat to their livelihoods, and examined the factors influencing farmers' adoption of FAW management strategies. All respondents demonstrated high awareness of FAW, with 98% reporting devastating effects on their farms. FAW affected an average of 30% of maize farmland, with farmers losing an estimated 536 kg ha-1, representing approximately 27% of expected maize yield. A significant knowledge gap persists in effective control measures, as indicated by a mean perception index of 0.21, reflecting farmers' limited understanding of effective FAW management strategies. Relative to biological/botanical and traditional pest management strategies, farmers largely perceive synthetic pesticides to be the ideal solution, with 42% strongly agreeing and 25% agreeing with this view. Factors significantly influencing control measure choice included age, gender, household size, labour, household head status, farm size, farm experience and non-farm income. The most pressing challenge with FAW management was difficulty in accessing synthetic control measures. Pest control practices vary significantly across agroecological zones, suggesting the need for region-specific strategies. Despite high awareness of FAW, farmers lacked adequate knowledge of effective control strategies, with many applying pesticides based on hearsay rather than expert recommendations. These findings underscore the need for targeted training programs focused on improving farmers' understanding and adoption of integrated, sustainable FAW management practices, while addressing the misguided perception that synthetic pesticides are inherently superior. © 2026 The Author(s). Pest Management Science published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Society of Chemical Industry.

Transgenerational phenotypic plasticity (TGP) allows environmental effects to persist across generations, yet the extent of diet-induced TGP remains incompletely resolved. Prey availability is a key determinant of predator performance in both mass-rearing and field environments, potentially influencing the reliability of pest suppression. Here, we examined how ancestral dietary restriction affects life-history traits in the predatory mite Phytoseiulus persimilis, a widely used biological control agent of the two-spotted spider mite Tetranychus urticae. Founding (F0) and first-generation (F1) individuals were reared under low- or high-prey diets, followed by three generations (F2-F4) under abundant prey to simulate recovery. In F4, individuals from high-prey ancestral lineages exhibited higher survival and larger body size, although size effects were restricted to females. In a second experiment, F5 offspring from crosses manipulating maternal and paternal ancestral diet histories and paternal mating history showed that maternal diet consistently influenced egg size, female developmental duration, and size at maturity. Paternal effects were context-dependent, interacting with maternal lineage and mating history to affect offspring traits. Poor ancestral diet can exert persistent, sex-specific effects on predator performance even after multiple generations of favorable conditions, with maternal influences generally stronger than paternal effects. These findings highlight the complexity of TGP and the importance of considering multigenerational dietary legacies in mass-rearing and field deployment of predatory mites. Optimizing diet during rearing and accounting for ancestral nutritional history may enhance the consistency and effectiveness of biological control programs. © 2026 The Author(s). Pest Management Science published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Society of Chemical Industry.

Plant protection unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) provide an effective solution for aphid control in oilseed rape. However, the absence of dedicated formulations tailored for UAV application currently limits the full exploitation of their high efficiency. Therefore, the development of novel insecticide formulations is of great importance. A ultralow-volume liquid (UL) suitable for plant protection UAV application was developed. The developed UL has a low surface tension, fast wetting speed, strong anti-volatility and a long effective period. Thiamethoxam UL at a dosage of 15 g a.i. ha-1 achieved 94.60% control efficacy against Brevicoryne brassicae 21 days after treatment. The dissipation dynamics of thiamethoxam in rapeseed followed first-order kinetics, with a degradation half-life of 4.35-5.44 days. The developed thiamethoxam UL, when applied using plant protection UAVs, effectively addresses multiple challenges in rapeseed cultivation, including rural labor shortages, hydrophobic rapeseed surfaces, difficulties in manual spraying during the rapeseed pod period, and risks of pesticide poisoning. This technology demonstrates significant potential for widespread adoption in water-scarce mountainous regions. © 2026 Society of Chemical Industry.

Droplet size distribution, droplet velocity, spray angle and flow rate are key factors influencing pesticide efficacy and environmental impact. However, it remains poorly understood how these parameters are affected by the interaction among pulse-width modulation (PWM), nozzle types and, in particular, spray adjuvants. This study investigated these factors using four flat-fan nozzle types (standard with 80° and 110° spray angles, pre-orifice and air-induction). Water and two commercial adjuvant formulations [a nonionic surfactant (NIS), and a drift control agent (DCA)] were used across five PWM duty cycles (20%, 40%, 60%, 80% and 100%). PWM duty cycle primarily governed flow rate, which was mostly unaffected by spray solution. By contrast, droplet size distribution was strongly affected by adjuvant type, duty cycle and nozzle type. Generally, droplet size increased as duty cycle decreased for all nozzle types, regardless of spray solution. Adjuvants further modified droplet size at each duty cycle: DCA markedly increased droplet size and reduced fine droplets, whereas NIS produced a moderate increase compared with water. Both adjuvants tended to produce more uniform droplet size spectra, mitigating the PWM tendency to increase the relative span index at lower duty cycles. Decreasing the duty cycle consistently narrowed the spray angle, with the air-induction nozzle showing the greatest sensitivity owing to incomplete sheet development under short valve-open times. These findings demonstrate that optimizing PWM-controlled spray performance requires not only appropriate duty cycle selection, but also the use of adjuvant formulations tailored to each nozzle type. © 2026 The Author(s). Pest Management Science published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Society of Chemical Industry.