Ginger (Zingiber officinale Roscoe), a widely consumed edible and medicinal plant, possesses significant nutritional and economic value. Abiotic stresses such as drought and low temperatures can impact the growth and development of ginger. The plant-specific transcription factor Teosinte branched1/cycloidea/proliferating cell factor (TCP) has progressively been identified in various plants for its role in regulating plant growth and development as well as conferring resistance to abiotic stresses. However, limited information on the TCP family is available in ginger. In this study, we identified 20 TCP members in the ginger genome, which were randomly distributed across 9 chromosomes. Based on phylogenetic analysis, these ginger TCP were classified into two subfamilies: Class I (PCF) and Class II (CIN, CYC/TB). The classification of the identified ginger TCPs was supported by a multi-species phylogenetic tree and motif structure analysis, suggesting that the amplification of the ginger TCP gene family occurred prior to the differentiation of angiosperms. The promoter region of ginger TCP genes was found to contain numerous cis-acting elements associated with plant growth, development, and abiotic stress response. Among these elements, the stress response element, anaerobic induction, and MYB binding site play a dominant role in drought responsiveness. Additionally, expression pattern analysis revealed variations in the expression of ginger TCP gene among different tissues and in response to diverse abiotic stresses (drought, low temperature, heat, and salt). Our research offers a thorough examination of TCP members within the ginger plant. This analysis greatly contributes to the understanding of how TCP genes regulate tissue development and response to stress, opening up new avenues for further exploration in this field.

To counter the harmful impacts of agricultural chemicals on the environment and human health, there is an increasing demand for safe, eco-friendly, and potent plant-based biopesticides. In this study, we aimed to investigate the antimicrobial effects of ginger essential oil and selected volatile compounds (linalool, eugenol, citral, and cinnamaldehyde [CA]) against Fusarium oxysporum FOX-1. Minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) were determined using the mycelium growth inhibition method. The compound CA exhibited the most potent antifungal effect against F. oxysporum FOX-1 and was selected for further investigation. After treatment with CA at 1/2 MIC or MIC, the spore germination of F. oxysporum FOX-1 was significantly inhibited at 12 h. Furthermore, microscopic observation revealed that CA treatment resulted in the morphological degradation of F. oxysporum FOX-1. CA destroyed the cell membrane integrity of F. oxysporum FOX-1, increasing the relative conductivity and the leakage of intracellular protein, nucleic acids, and malondialdehyde, affecting the integrity and metabolism of the cell membrane. The effects were positively related to CA concentration. Additionally, in vivo experiments with rhizome sections showed that CA significantly reduced the pathogenicity of F. oxysporum FOX-1. Overall, these findings provide evidence for the potential of using ginger essential oil components as fungicides, offering a basis for future research to develop robust and eco-friendly plant-derived fungicides that serve as a sustainable means to reduce fungus-driven agricultural losses.

Fusarium wilt, mainly caused by Fusarium oxysporum, affects ginger yield and quality worldwide. To explore a safe and sustainable method of preventing and controlling Fusarium wilt, the inhibitory effects of eugenol on F. oxysporum FOX-1 were analysed in this study. The results showed that eugenol inhibited the reproductive and vegetative growth of F. oxysporum FOX-1 in vitro. Microscopic observations revealed that eugenol disrupted the hyphal morphology of F. oxysporum. In addition, eugenol destroyed the cell membrane integrity of the pathogenic fungi, resulting in the leakage of F. oxysporum FOX-1 intercellular contents, including electrolytes, soluble proteins, nucleic acids, and malonydialdehyde. Results of an in vivo inoculation test showed that eugenol exerted a strong inhibitory effect on Fusarium wilt in ginger seedlings. In summary, eugenol had an inhibitory effect on the growth of F. oxysporum FOX-1 and controlled Fusarium wilt in ginger seedlings. These findings provide a foundation for future development of botanical antifungal agents to manage Fusarium wilt.

Pine wilt disease (PWD), which poses a significant risk to pine plantations across the globe, is caused by the pathogenic agent Bursaphelenchus xylophilus, also referred to as the pine wood nematode (PWN). A droplet digital PCR (ddPCR) assay was developed for the quick identification of the PWN in order to improve detection sensitivity. The research findings indicate that the ddPCR assay demonstrated significantly higher analysis sensitivity and detection sensitivity in comparison to traditional quantitative PCR (qPCR). However, it had a more limited dynamic range. High specificity was shown by both the ddPCR and qPCR techniques in the diagnosis of the PWN. Assessments of reproducibility revealed that ddPCR had lower coefficients of variation at every template concentration. Inhibition tests showed that ddPCR was less susceptible to inhibitors. There was a strong linear association between standard template measurements obtained using ddPCR and qPCR (Pearson correlation = 0.9317; p < 0.001). Likewise, there was strong agreement (Pearson correlation = 0.9348; p < 0.001) between ddPCR and qPCR measurements in the evaluation of pine wood samples. Additionally, wood samples from symptomatic (100% versus 86.67%) and asymptomatic (31.43% versus 2.9%) pine trees were diagnosed with greater detection rates using ddPCR. This study’s conclusions highlight the advantages of the ddPCR assay over qPCR for the quantitative detection of the PWN. This method has a lot of potential for ecological research on PWD and use in quarantines.