Tea plant (Camellia sinensis) originates from China and is one of the most widely consumed beverages in the world. Tea plants are vulnerable to leaf diseases such as Tea Leaf Blight, Tea Red Leaf Spot, and Tea Red Scab, which can reduce the quality and productivity of the harvest. Manual disease identification is still commonly used, but this method has many limitations, such as dependence on farmers’ experience and inaccuracy in early detection. This study aims to apply the YOLOv11 algorithm as an object detection method to automatically, quickly, and accurately detect four classes of tea leaf conditions (three diseases and one healthy). The dataset used consists of 3,960 high-resolution tea leaf images that have undergone segmentation, augmentation, and normalization processes. The research was carried out through image preprocessing, YOLOv11 model training, and model performance evaluation using precision, recall, F1-score, and mean Average Precision (mAP) metrics. The results of tea leaf disease detection using YOLOv11 achieved an average precision of 97.2%, recall of 98.2%, mAP@0.5 of 98.8%, and mAP@0.5:0.95 of 95.5%. This model can be used to help farmers identify tea leaf diseases more quickly and reduce the risk of crop yield losses.

Stemphylium leaf blight (SLB), which is caused by the fungus Stemphylium vesicarium, is the most common foliar disease affecting onions ( Allium cepa ) in the northeastern United States. It causes severe necrosis and premature defoliation, thus reducing the photosynthetic area, and may deleteriously affect bulb size. Onion production in New York relies on multiple fungicide applications for foliar disease control because no information regarding the susceptibility of the locally suitable and commercially available long-day onion cultivars to SLB is available. In this study, both replicated controlled environment and field trials were conducted to evaluate the susceptibility of selected long-day onion cultivars to SLB using S. vesicarium isolates representative of the New York population. The severity of SLB was estimated at regular intervals and used to calculate the area under disease progress curve (AUDPC) to reflect epidemic progress. Yield, average bulb size (ABS), and average bulb weight (ABW) of eight cultivars tested in the field trial in 2024 were also recorded. In the controlled environment trials, there were small differences in susceptibility among cultivars, with the lowest AUDPC for SVNY1610 and Redwing. In the field trial, AUDPC was also significantly lower for all cultivars except for Patterson and Candy. Yield, ABS, and ABW were significantly higher for ‘SVNY1608’ than for ‘Candy’ and ‘Red Spring’. These findings may assist the design of integrated disease management strategies for SLB and foliar disease control programs and inform breeding programs for SLB resistance in onions.

Rice production is integral to the agricultural sector of India; over 65% of the populations are dependent on rice as their major staple. The cultivation of rice sustains this important agricultural sector; yet, there are many challenges encountered by rice producers, one of which is several types of disease that negatively impact yield and quality. Due to the fact that rice leaf smut, brown spot and bacterial leaf blights are among the most important types of diseases that can significantly reduce the yield and quality of rice, it is important to be diligent when identifying these diseases using accurate and speedy methods on an annual basis for successful and sustainable production of rice crops. As technology advances there continue to be emerging technologies such as Deep Learning (DL) as applied in agriculture to identify diseases and therefore reshape the agricultural paradigm so as to address agricultural disease challenges more readily. This research proposes a previously undemonstrated approach for identifying Rice Leaf Disease using EfficientNetV2; a Diffusion Bounded Attention method for disease detection. The quality of the input imagery has been greatly increased using a Preceding Noise Reduction (PNR) using the Guided Filopic Diffusion (GFD) technique, retaining important characteristics of Rice Leaves (Leaf Texture) which are critical for disease classification within agricultural imaging. To evaluate the performance of our model we utilized the Dice Similarity Coefficient (DSC). This coefficient measures how much the predicted image areas representing disease overlap with the actual affected areas of the image. Therefore, DSC is a reliable way to evaluate model segmentation capability. The Rice Leaf Diseases Dataset we used to identify and classify Rice Leaf Diseases was very comprehensive. Our model achieved an accuracy rate of 98.92% and also attained the best recall, precision and F1 score.

Taro leaf blight (TLB), the most destructive disease of taro caused by the oomycete Phytophthora colocasiae. An effective strategy for controlling this disease is the development of resistant cultivars. In this study, a genome-wide association study (GWAS) was conducted on 265 taro genotypes to identify genomic regions and putative candidate genes associated with TLB resistance and yield traits. The field experiments were conducted at the National Root Crops Research Institute (NRCRI), Umudike, in 2021/2022 and 2022/2023 planting seasons. TLB severity, plant height, vigor, number of suckers, corm weight, cormel weight, and total tuber weight were evaluated. A genome-wide association mapping detected 18 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) markers significantly associated with TLB, number of suckers, corm weight, cormel weight, and total tuber weight. Gene annotation of significant SNP loci identified 6, 1, 2, 2, and 1 putative candidate genes associated with TLB resistance, number of suckers, corm weight, cormel weight, and total tuber weight respectively. Co-localization of a significant SNP 83978367 associated with corm weight and total tuber weight on chromosome 11 is possibly an indication of pleiotropic effects or the presence of closely linked genes controlling these traits. GWAS failed to detect significant associations in plant height and vigor. This study provides a basis for research on genetic control of TLB resistance, number of suckers, and yield-associated traits and thus provides resources for the ongoing effort to develop high-yielding, and disease resistant taro cultivars.

Northern (Exserohilum turcicum) and southern (Bipolaris maydis) corn leaf blights threaten fresh-market sweet corn in Florida, yet region-specific data on efficacy and economics of fungicide programs are scarce. Four replicated field trials were conducted in Belle Glade, FL (spring 2023, spring 2024, fall 2024, spring 2025) comparing eight treatments with foliar programs that contrasted early pre-tassel (V3/V7 growth stages; mancozeb mixed with single-site fungicides) with systemic-only programs beginning at tasseling/silking (VT/R1). Yield was collected in 2023 and 2025. Under high disease pressure (disease severity > 80%), early fungicide programs reduced relative area under disease progress curve (rAUDPC) more than VT and R1 programs. Results were consistent across independent epidemics: in southern corn leaf blight epidemics, programs initiated at V3 and V7 limited mean rAUDPC to 19% versus 47% in non-treated; in northern corn leaf blight epidemic, V3/V7 programs averaged 6% versus 36% in non-treated. Yield responses paralleled disease control. The best programs protected yield by 2.44 t ha⁻¹ in 2023 (two pass V7 and R1) and by 1.93 t ha⁻¹ in 2025 (four pass grower standard). Treated plots showed greater kernel filling, which mediated most of yield response. Economic results were favorable, with typical program costs covered by ≤0.4 t ha⁻¹ of protected yield, and top programs demonstrated ROI of 92 to 762%. In subtropical sweet corn, starting protection by V7 and maintaining coverage through VT/R1 maximizes blight suppression, safeguards kernel fill, and improves profitability. Streamlined two-pass programs can match three- or four-pass schedules while reducing inputs and stewardship risks.

Proper orchard management is crucial for optimizing the productivity as well as quality of large cardamom. This study was conducted in Marsyangdi, Dudhpokhari, and Dordi rural municipalities, which were purposively selected to assess the cardamom orchard management practices by the rural farmers of Lamjung district, Nepal. Data were collected through household survey using semi-structured questionnaires, Focus Group Discussion (FGD) and Key Informant Interview (KII). Altogether 60 respondents were selected with a purposive random sampling method. Descriptive and inferential statistics were computed using STATA software. The results showed that the majority of the respondents were from Janajati ethnicity (95%), middle-age group i.e. 30-50 age (48.33%) and male (75%). Furthermore, most of them belonged to medium-sized family (73.33%) and were earning most of their income from agriculture (85%). Results of the study revealed the variation in the scale of adoption of different management practices among the sampling household. Most of the households practiced weeding (98.33%), pruning (51.6%) and applied farmyard manure (81.67%) while the least of them have irrigation facilities in their cardamom field (25%). Mulching was practiced by 30% and Bordeaux mixture was applied by 13.33%. The highest incidence of the borer pest and leaf blight disease was observed by the respondents. The chi-square test revealed that the factors such as age, gender and education level were significantly associated with the adoption of field management practices. Lack of inputs, irrigation facilities and greater infestation of diseases and pests were found to be the major problems for cardamom production. It is recommended that improving access to irrigation facilities, use of certified planting material, use of an appropriate dose of fertilizer, and proper diseases and pest management practices must be prioritized in the study area.

Ormosia hosiei Hemsl. & E. H. Wilson, one of the Chinese endemic legume trees, possesses significant economic, medicinal, and ornamental values (Dai et al. 2023). In September 2025, leaf blight symptoms were observed on O. hosiei seedlings in a forest nursery located in Guiyang City, Guizhou Province, China (26.38°N, 107.37°E), with a disease incidence of approximately 47% (n = 300). Initially, brown discoloration and drying appeared on the leaf tips. The symptomatic tissue continued to expand basipetally. Twelve leaves with drying symptoms were collected for pathogen isolation. Symptomatic leaf tissues (5 × 5 mm) were excised from infected margins, surface sterilized sequentially with 1% sodium hypochlorite (30 s) and 75% ethanol (60 s), rinsed three times in sterile water, air-dried, and plated on potato dextrose agar (PDA) medium. Cultures were incubated at 25°C under dark conditions for 3 d. Sixteen isolates showed similar morphology on PDA with dense light brown mycelia. The conidia were brown and contained 2-septate rod spindle (longitudinal septate connection between two transverse septates), averaging 25.1 × 8.2 μm (n = 30) and the crossed septum was ovoid, averaging 17.6 × 19.3 μm (n = 30). These morphological characteristics were consistent with Alternaria sp. (Woudenberg et al. 2013). For molecular identification, genomic DNA from a representative isolate YK1-24 was used to amplify and further sequence three loci: the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region using primers ITS1 and ITS4 (White et al. 1990), the Alternaria major allergen gene (Alt a 1) using primers Alt-for and Alt-rev (Woudenberg et al. 2015), and the large subunit (LSU) using primers LROR and LR5 (Vilgalys and Hester 1990). BLASTn analysis revealed that the ITS, Alt a 1 and LSU sequences of isolate YK1-24 had 100% (548/548), 100% (479/479), and 100% (852/852) sequence identity to the ex-type strain A. gossypina (PX048794, PP057865, OR272091), respectively. Sequences from isolates YK1-24 were deposited in GenBank (ITS: PX670549, Alt a 1: PX677460, LSU: PX670541). Phylogenetic analysis based on the concatenated sequences (ITS, Alt a 1, and LSU) revealed that the isolate YK1-24 clustered with A. gossypina strains. A pathogenicity test was conducted by spraying a conidial suspension (105 conidia/mL) onto the leaves of 5 pots of healthy 1-year-old O. hosiei seedlings. Five seedlings sprayed with distilled water served as the negative control. Plants were maintained in a greenhouse at 25°C with 85% humidity and 12 h photoperiod. By 20 days post-inoculation, all inoculated leaves exhibited symptoms consistent with those observed in the field, except controls. The pathogen was reisolated and confirmed as the inoculated fungus based on morphology. A. gossypina has been reported to cause leaf blight in tobacco and Castilleja tenuiflora (Guo et al. 2024; Solano-Báez et al. 2024). To our knowledge, this is the first report of A. gossypina causing O. hosiei leaf blight in China. These results support future phytosanitary monitoring and sustainable disease management strategies for this leaf blight.

ABSTRACT The management of bacterial plant diseases is impeded by biofilm fortifications and the poor foliar affinity of conventional antimicrobials. Supramolecular assemblies have recently emerged as promising biofilm‐eradicating agents with enhanced surface adhesion. Yet, supramolecular polymers, although endowed with comparable or even greater potential, remain largely untapped in this arena. Herein, we introduce NOP@CB[8], a flower‐like supramolecular polymer self‐assembled in water from a de novo designed cationic pyridinium salt (NOP) and cucurbit[8]uril (CB[8]). Acting as a multifunctional agent, NOP@CB[8] disrupts bacterial membranes, perturbs redox equilibrium, disintegrates biofilms, and concurrently enhances foliar affinity. These combined attributes endow NOP@CB[8] with potent in vivo efficacy, exhibiting protective and curative efficacies of 56.1% and 51.2%, respectively, at 200 µg mL −1 against rice bacterial leaf blight, thereby surpassing both free NOP (47.9%/43.1%) and thiodiazole copper (TC, 36.2%/33.7%). Remarkably, NOP@CB[8] delivers high control efficacy with uncompromised safety toward both target and non‑target organisms, even demonstrates enhanced safety in zebrafish relative to free NOP. Extending its scope to citrus and kiwifruit cankers, NOP@CB[8] achieves approximately 80% protective and over 60% curative efficacy, consistently outperforming NOP and TC. Together, this study delineates a green alternative for crop protection and a conceptual framework for next‐generation functional supramolecular polymers.

Biochemical changes in pomegranate (Punica granatum L.) varieties in response to bacterial blight induced by Xanthomonas citri pv. punicae

Isolation and identification of Bacillus velezensis Bac302 and its biocontrol potential against Alternaria tenuissima causing leaf blight on Schisandra chinensis

Cotton bacterial blight (CBB), caused by Xanthomonas citri subsp. malvacearum (Xcm), continues to pose a significant threat to upland cotton (Gossypium spp.) production across the US Cotton Belt. To elucidate the genetic basis of resistance to race 18 of CBB and identify potential novel resistance sources, we conducted genome-wide association studies (GWASs) using a diversity panel of 661 upland cotton accessions that included elite US germplasm, tropical landraces, and University of Arkansas germplasm releases. GWAS identified a single 3.3 Mb region on chromosome D02 corresponding to the BB13 locus as the primary determinant of race 18 resistance, with no additional major loci detected, indicating Bb13 as the predominant race 18 resistance source in upland cotton. Population genetic analyses suggested uneven distribution of the Bb13 gene across US breeding programs and landraces, likely originating from the African cultivar S295. Linkage mapping in six recombinant inbred line (RIL) populations confirmed segregation of race 18 resistance at the BB13 locus. Fine mapping using PCR allele competitive extension (PACE) markers delimited BB13 locus to a 154.28kb interval containing nine candidate genes, six of which have homologs implicated in plant disease resistance pathways. The PACE marker CBB16, co-segregating with resistance in both the diversity panel and RIL populations, was identified as a diagnostic marker for Bb13. Local haplotyping further revealed marker groups and haplotypes associated with CBB resistance. Results from this study provide key genomic tools for breeding CBB-resistant cultivars and establish the foundation for positional cloning of the Bb13 gene.

Enterobacter species affect a wide range of plant hosts. They cause a range of symptoms including leaf spots and blight, wilt and root diseases, decay and soft rot and cankers. Some Enterobacter species include strains that are plant growth promoters and occur either in the rhizosphere or as endophytes. Additionally, some strains can protect their hosts from pathogen attack and are regarded as promising biological control agents. Some strains also have potential for the bioremediation of various compounds. Information on the pathogenicity and virulence mechanisms of plant-pathogenic Enterobacter species is limited. Comparison of diverse genomic features revealed no overall differences between plant-pathogenic and plant-beneficial strains. While often reported as a plant pathogen, there is currently no evidence that Enterobacter is the primary cause of any of the reported diseases. In many cases, they would rather act opportunistically. This remains a significant concern, as a wide range of hosts are affected, and problems may intensify due to global warming. It is crucial to investigate these strains for plant pathogenicity and evaluate the risks to human health.

Morphological, cultural, molecular, and pathogenic characterization of Cladosporium proteacearum causing leaf and fruit blight on sweet pepper in the central Ecuadorian highlands

Corrigendum to “Antagonistic activity and application of lipopeptide-producing Bacillus velezensis as biocontrol agent against rice bacterial leaf blight in vivo”[Physiological and Molecular Plant Pathology 142 (2026) 103054

Antagonistic activity and application of lipopeptide-producing Bacillus velezensis as biocontrol agent against rice bacterial leaf blight in vivo

Rice NH2 functions as a positive regulator of salicylic acid-mediated defense responses against sheath blight disease.

Bioinspired berberine-functionalized nano‑sulfur inhibits bacterial leaf blight in rice via direct pathogen targeting and plant defense activation

Nano-armoured Bacillus subtilis consortia protected sunflower against Alternaria leaf blight

Morphological and multi-locus phylogeny-based molecular characterization of Neopestalotiopsis vitis causing leaf blight disease of globe amaranth – a new record from India

Molecular insights into the antifungal activity of Bacillus velezensis JLU-53 against Cochliobolus heterostrophus in maize.