The cucurbit vegetable chieh-qua (Benincasa hispida var. chieh-qua How) is an important crop in South China and southeast Asian countries. Viral diseases cause substantial loss of chieh-qua yield. To identify the viruses that affect chieh-qua in China, ribosomal RNA-depleted total RNA sequencing was performed using chieh-qua leaf samples with typical viral symptoms. The virome of chieh-qua comprises four known viruses (melon yellow spot virus (MYSV), cucurbit chlorotic yellows virus (CCYV), papaya ringspot virus (PRSV) and watermelon silver mottle virus (WSMoV) and two novel viruses: cucurbit chlorotic virus (CuCV) in the genus Crinivirus and chieh-qua endornavirus (CqEV) in the genus Alphaendornavirus. The complete genomes of the two novel viruses in chieh-qua and three other isolates of CuCV in pumpkin, watermelon and cucumber were determined and the recombination signals of pumpkin and watermelon isolates of CuCV were detected. A reverse transcriptase PCR indicated that the dominant viruses of chieh-qua in Hainan are MYSV (66.67%) and CCYV (55.56%), followed by CuCV (27.41%), WSMoV (7.41%), cucumber mosaic virus (8.15%), zucchini yellow mosaic virus (6.67%), PRSV (6.67%) and CqEV (35.56%). Our findings support diagnostic and prevalence studies of viruses infecting chieh-qua in China, enabling sustainable control strategies for cucurbit viruses worldwide.

The genus Meloidogyne is one of the most economically damaging plant parasitic nematodes on a worldwide basis. To date, only the dragon fruits in Brazil were reported infected by M. javanica or M. incognita in previous surveys. From 2019–2021, we conducted our investigation in 62 orchards from 10 counties of Hainan, which are the main producing areas of dragon fruits in China. The collected roots were visually scored by gall index to evaluate the distribution and severity of diseases caused by Meloidogyne. Then, the isolated nematodes were further confirmed by a combination of morphological and molecular analysis. This survey revealed that the root-knot nematodes were widely distributed in red dragon fruit planting areas in Hainan and caused severe symptoms including stunting, wilting, and yellowing of the stems. The nematode populations were identified as M. enterolobii and M. javanica, among which, M. enterolobii accounted for a larger proportion, 93.9%. To our knowledge, this is the first report of M. enterolobii causing diseases on red dragon fruit. The results obtained from this survey will provide an insight into the presence of root-knot nematodes in dragon fruit plants. Also, these results will raise attention for developing effective management strategies to prevent further spread of root-knot nematodes on dragon fruit in Hainan.

Early detection of pathogens before the planting season is valuable to forecast disease occurrence. Therefore, rapid and reliable diagnostic approaches are urgently needed, especially for one of the most aggressive root knot nematodes, Meloidogyne enterolobii. In this study, we developed a novel primer–TaqMan probe set aimed at M. enterolobii. The primer–probe set was successfully applied in the identification and quantification of M. enterolobii via qPCR technology. It was also suitable for improved PCR technology, known as ddPCR analyses, and this work presents the first application of this technology for plant parasitic nematodes. Compared with qPCR, ddPCR exhibited better performance with regard to analytical sensitivity, which can provide a more accurate detection of M. enterolobii concealed in field soil. In addition, we generated standard curves to calculate the number of eggs in soil using the qPCR and ddPCR platforms. Hopefully, the results herein will be helpful for forecasting disease severity of M. enterolobii infection and adopting effective management strategies.

Spodoptera frugiperda is a highly destructive and polyphagous pest that causes severe damage to various crops, especially maize. The wide use of chemical insecticides to control S. frugiperda results in resistance against commonly used chemicals and resistant mutations will expand in populations accompanied by a spread to vulnerable areas. Consequently, more effective and friendly strategies must be explored to minimize losses caused by S. frugiperda. Entomopathogenic nematodes (EPN) are good candidates for the biological control of different species of insect pests, including S. frugiperda. In the current study, the infective capabilities of the EPN species HbSD, belonging to Hetrerorhabditis bacteriophora, were evaluated against S. frugiperda under laboratory, greenhouse and field conditions. In laboratory assays, HbSD was highly virulent against 3rd/5th instar larvae, which was related to HbSD concentration and exposure durations. In greenhouse assays, spraying aqueous HbSD also showed good performance in killing larvae on maize leaves. However, the virulence of HbSD decreased in field trials where many adverse factors affecting survival and efficacy were encountered by HbSD. Overall, our study provides an alternative EPN for the biological control of S. frugiperda with the potential to be developed as a sustainable option for efficient pest management.

Root-knot nematodes (Meloidogyne spp.) are the most economically damaging group of plant-parasitic nematodes. They are considered to be a major constraint of pepper (Capsicum annuum L.) crops worldwide. In China, Hainan Island is the main producer of pepper, where the climatic conditions and cropping patterns are favorable for infection by Meloidogyne spp. In this study, we conducted a detailed investigation of the occurrence, severity, and population distribution of root-knot nematodes infesting pepper throughout Hainan Island. We also tested the level of resistance to M. enterolobii and M. incognita of the common pepper cultivars in Hainan. Our results showed that root-knot nematodes belonging to M. enterolobii, M. incognita, and M. javanica were found in Hainan, and the dominant population was M. enterolobii, which is the predominant species in the tropical area. Notably, all the pepper cultivars in this study were highly susceptible to M. enterolobii, which is probably a reason for its rapid spread throughout Hainan. The pepper cultivars exhibited different levels of resistance to M. incognita. This study promotes the comprehensive understanding of the root-knot nematode distribution and host resistance level of Meloidogyne in Hainan, which will guide the effective control of root-knot nematodes.

In November 2015, an unknown leaf spot was observed during a survey of Capsicum frutescens L.var.longum Bailey growing in Tanniu town of Wenchang City. Small water-soaked grayish spots were present on the infected leaves initially. Typical symptoms showed irregular dark-brown lesions surrounded by a black halo between veins. The infected leaves eventually became wilted and dry. Symptomatic tissues from the junction of diseased and healthy leaf tissue were surface sterilized in 70% ethanol for 30 s, 0.1% mercuric chloride solution for 1 min, and washed three times with sterile distilled water, then placed on potato dextrose agar plates, incubated at 28 ± 1°C. The cultures were initially gray-white and then developed from gray-brown to dark brown. The colonies developed straight or slightly curved brown conidiophores. Conidia were also brown, 7.0 to 14.5 × 13.1 to 26.8 μm (avg. 10.8 ×21.5 μm) (n= 200) with three septa, curved at the third cell from the base that is longest and darkest of the four cells. The...