Plant viral diseases are major constraints causing significant yield losses worldwide in agricultural and horticultural crops. The commonly used methods cannot eliminate viral load in infected plants. Many unconventional methods are presently being employed to prevent viral infection; however, every time, these methods are not found promising. As a result, it is critical to identify the most promising and sustainable management strategies for economically important plant viral diseases. The genetic makeup of 90 percent of viral diseases constitutes a single-stranded RNA; the most promising way for management of any RNA viruses is through use ribonucleases. The scope of involving beneficial microbial organisms in the integrated management of viral diseases is of the utmost importance and is highly imperative. This review highlights the importance of prokaryotic plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria/endophytic bacteria, actinomycetes, and fungal organisms, as well as their possible mechanisms for suppressing viral infection in plants via cross-protection, ISR, and the accumulation of defensive enzymes, phenolic compounds, lipopeptides, protease, and RNase activity against plant virus infection.

The prevalence and distribution of pathotypes and mating types of Ascochyta rabiei (Pass.) Labr. in India was evaluated during the winter (October to March) seasons of 2017-18 and 2018-19. Forty-fi...

Cranberry fruit rot (CFR) is a major disease complex that significantly impacts cranberry crops, leading to substantial yield losses. Over the past decade, CFR has become increasingly problematic, particularly in high-yielding and newer cultivars, with reported losses ranging from 50% to 100%. Additionally, the cranberry industry faces increasing restrictions on the use of broad-spectrum fungicides, such as chlorothalonil and mancozeb, necessitating the exploration of alternative management strategies. This study, conducted from 2021 to 2024 at the University of Massachusetts-Amherst Cranberry Station, evaluated novel fungicides from FRAC Groups 7, 9, and 12. The active ingredients—benzovindiflupyr, pydiflumetofen, cyprodinil, and fludioxonil—were tested individually and in combination with azoxystrobin (FRAC 11). The efficacy of these fungicides in reducing CFR incidence and improving yield was assessed on cranberry cultivars ‘Demoranville’, ‘Ben Lear,’ and ‘Stevens’ with applications made at early, mid, and late bloom stages. Significant differences in fruit rot incidence and yield were observed in 2021, 2023 and 2024. Treatments containing pydiflumetofen, pydiflumetofen & fludioxonil, and benzovindiflupyr, when applied in combination with azoxystrobin, consistently resulted in lower rot incidence and higher yields. The treatment containing cyprodinil & fludioxonil plus azoxystrobin, tested only in 2021, also resulted in lower rot incidence and higher yield. These findings highlight the potential of novel fungicides from FRAC Groups 7, 9, and 12 as effective alternatives for CFR management. Their use could diversify the CFR management toolkit, mitigate fungicide resistance, and reduce environmental impacts, addressing the challenges posed by increasing fungicide regulations.

Cranberry fruit rot (CFR) has been a major challenge in cranberry production affecting fruit quality, particularly in Massachusetts and New Jersey. It is known to be a disease complex associated with several diverse fungi. This study provides the first comprehensive assessment of CFR fungal population dynamics across wild, organic, and conventional cranberry production systems in southeastern Massachusetts. By employing multiplex PCR, a high-throughput molecular method for the simultaneous detection of multiple fungi, we investigated the prevalence and diversity of 11 most commonly associated fruit rot fungi in 2021 and 2022, in 32 (23 conventional, 4 organic and 5 wild) and 50 (40 conventional, 4 organic and 6 wild) cranberry bogs respectively. Significant differences in the detection of CFR fungi were observed across these ecosystems. Conventional fields showed varied fruit rot incidence, ranging from 2-42% in 2021 and 1-48% in 2022. Species richness analysis indicated that on average, wild bogs were more species-rich and diverse, with 5.5 CFR fungi detected per sample compared to 4 CFR fungi in both conventional and organic bogs. Organic bogs exhibited a significant decline in species richness from 6 fungi in 2021 to 2 fungi in 2022. Except for Phomopsis vaccinii, which was not observed in organic bogs in either year, all 11 CFR fungi were detected across the ecosystems: some in both growing seasons and some in only one. Key CFR fungi such as Coleophoma empetri, Allantophomopsis cytisporea and Botryosphaeria vaccinii were consistently found across all ecosystems and both years of study. Analysis of year-to-year variation indicates that wild bogs exhibited higher fungal carryover, with 8 out of the 11 CFR fungi persisting from one year to the next, compared to 6 fungi in conventional bogs and 4 fungi in organic bogs. Notably, C. empetri, B. vaccinii, and A. cytisporea demonstrated year-to-year persistence across all three bog types. Among these, C. empetri exhibited the greatest persistence across all three ecosystems, with 96%, 100% and 60% of the conventional, organic and wild bogs maintaining its presence across both years. Colletotrichum spp. persisted in 43% of the conventional bogs but detected only in one of the two years studied in organic and wild bogs resulting in 0% persistence from one year to the next. The study also noted a general decrease in Botryosphaeria vaccinii and an increase in Physalospora vaccinii across all bog types. This research highlights the varying persistence and complex dynamics of CFR fungi across different cranberry ecosystems, as well as the potential impact of management practices on fungal populations.

Cranberry fruit rot (CFR) has constrained commercial cranberry production since the mid-1800s and remains among the most economically significant diseases affecting the crop. Historically viewed as a disease caused by a limited number of fungal pathogens, CFR is now recognized as a complex, multiscale pathosystem involving diverse fungal taxa, latent infections, host developmental stage, and environmentally driven disease expression. Approximately 12–15 fungal species have been associated with the fruit rot complex, although the ecological roles, infection biology, and relative contributions of individual taxa remain incompletely resolved. Recent advances in molecular diagnostics, including quantitative PCR and next-generation sequencing approaches, have expanded understanding of CFR pathogen diversity and revealed that many associated fungi occur asymptomatically during early fruit development before increasing in abundance as fruit mature. These findings challenge traditional assumptions regarding infection timing and disease progression and suggest that CFR development is influenced by interactions among pathogen communities, host physiology, and canopy microclimate. Current management of CFR relies heavily on prophylactic fungicide applications initiated during bloom; however, inconsistent efficacy, fungicide resistance concerns, regulatory restrictions, and increasing production costs highlight the limitations of fungicide-dependent approaches. Increasing evidence suggests that canopy architecture, humidity, fruit temperature, and other environmental variables influence disease severity and pathogen composition, emphasizing the need for integrated disease management strategies incorporating cultural practices, environmental monitoring, and improved forecasting tools. This review synthesizes historical and contemporary understanding of CFR biology, pathogen diversity, epidemiology, diagnostics, and management while identifying key knowledge gaps and future research priorities needed to support sustainable, regionally adapted disease management strategies for cranberry production systems.