Zika virus (ZIKV), an emerging arthropod-borne flavivirus, was first isolated in Uganda in 1947 from monkeys and first detected in humans in Nigeria in 1952; it has been associated with a dramatic burden worldwide. Since then, interventions to reduce the burden of ZIKV infection have been mainly restricted to mosquito control, which in the end proved to be insufficient by itself. Hence, the situation prompted scientists to increase research on antivirals and vaccines against the virus. These efforts are still ongoing as the pathogenesis and immune evasion mechanisms of ZIKV have not yet been fully elucidated. Understanding the viral disease mechanism will provide a better landscape to develop prophylactic and therapeutic strategies against ZIKV. Currently, no specific vaccines or drugs have been approved for ZIKV. However, some are undergoing clinical trials. Notably, different platforms have been evaluated for the design of vaccines, including DNA, mRNA, viral vectors, virus-like particles (VLPs), inactivated virus, live attenuated virus, peptide and protein-based vaccines, passive immunizations by using monoclonal antibodies (MAbs), and vaccines that target vector-derived antigens. These vaccines have been shown to induce specific humoral and cellular immune responses and reduce viremia and viral RNA titers, both in vitro and in vivo. This review provides a comprehensive summary of current advancements in the development of vaccines against Zika virus.

Rapeseed (Brassica napus L.) is an important oilseed crop grown worldwide with a planting area of 6.57 million ha in China, which accounts for about 20% of the world’s total rapeseed planting area. However, in recent years, the planting area in China has decreased by approximately 12.2% due to the low yield and economic benefits. Thus, to ensure oil security, it is necessary to develop high-efficiency cultivation for rapeseed production. Crop growth models are powerful tools to analyze and optimize the yield composition of crops under certain environmental and management conditions. In this study, the CROPGRO-Canola model was first calibrated and evaluated using the rapeseed planting data of four growing seasons in Wuhan with nine nitrogen fertilizer levels (from 120 to 360 kg ha⁻¹) and five planting densities (from 15 to 75 plants m⁻²). The results indicated that the CROPGRO-Canola model simulated rapeseed growth well under different nitrogen rates and planting densities in China, with a simulation error of 0–3 days for the anthesis and maturity dates and a normalized root mean square error lower than 7.48% for the yield. Furthermore, we optimized the management of rapeseed by calculating the marginal net return under 10 nitrogen rates (from 0 to 360 kg ha⁻¹ at an increasing rate of 40 kg ha⁻¹) and 6 planting densities (from 15 to 90 plant m⁻² at an increasing rate of 15 plant m⁻²) from 1989 to 2019. The results indicated that the long-term optimal nitrogen rate was 120–160 kg N ha⁻¹, and the optimal planting density was 45–75 plants m⁻² under normal fertilizer prices. The optimal nitrogen rate decreased with increasing fertilizer price within a reasonable range. In conclusion, long-term rapeseed management can be optimized based on rapeseed and nitrogen cost using long-term weather records and local soil information.

Photinia × fraseri Dress was introduced to China in 1998 and has been widely used in gardens as an ornamental plant. From April 2021 to 2022, a diseasecausing blight and root discoloration in approximately 80% of P. × fraseri at several landscape sites in Xuanwu Lake Park. Symptomatic root tissues were immersed in 75% ethanol for 30 s followed by 1% NaClO for 90 s, rinsed with sterile water 3 times, and placed on Potato Dextrose Agar (PDA). After 3 days of dark incubation at 25 °C, white Fusarium-like colonies grew out from the symptomatic root tissue pieces. Three representative isolates (SG1, SG6, and SG23) were obtained and deposited in China’s Forestry Culture Collection Center. The hyphae grew radially and the aerial hyphae were velvety, white or pinkish-white . After 20 days, macroconidia, microconidia, and chlamydospores were produced in the colonies on PDA. Macroconidia are sickle-shaped, slightly curved, 23-50.6 µm × 4-6 µm in size. Microconidia were numerous, oval or kidney-shaped, 6.7-12.6 µm × 3.5-5.7 µm in size, with germinating from one or both ends (Fig S1E, F). Chlamydospores were spherical, smooth, and round, in chains or solitary in hyphae (Fig S1G). All three isolates had identical morphological features. Phylogenetic analysis of concatenated CAMD, RPB2 and TEF1 sequences showed that the three isolates clustered in the same clade as F. oxysporum. Two-year old P. × fraseri potted seedlings (30-cm tall, n=12) were placed at the greenhouse (temperature; 26°C, daylight; 14 hours) for the pathogenicity tests . Roots of P. × fraseri were dipped in a 10 mL of the conidial suspension (106 conidia/mL) of each isolate for 2 hours, and the control plants were inoculated with sterile water. Results showed that after 21 days post-inoculation, all inoculated seedlings (n=9) showed crown and root rot . In contrast, none of the control seedlings (n=3) were affected. Re-isolation of three fungal isolates (infected root) showed that their morphology and gene markers sequence were identical to the original isolates thus fulfilled Koch’s postulates. Globally, this is the first report of F. oxysporum causing crown blight and root rot of P. × fraseri, which is also a potential threat to the two parent hosts (P. serratifolia and P. glabra). Additional surveys are being conducted for mapping the distribution of F. oxysporum in the Nanjing Province of China.