The Chinese flowering cherry (Cerasus serrulata), an ornamental tree with established medicinal values, is observed to suffer from leaf blight within Xi’an’s greenbelts. This disease threatens both the plant’s growth and its ornamental appeal. In this study, 26 isolates were obtained from plants with typical leaf blight, and only 3 isolates (XA-10, XA-15, and XA-18) were found to be pathogenic, causing similar symptoms on the leaves of the host plant. Based on sequence alignment, the ITS and LSU sequences of the three selected isolates were consistent, respectively. Following morphological and molecular analyses, the three selected isolates were further identified as Mortierella alpina. The three selected isolates exhibited similar morphological characteristics, including wavy colonies with dense, milky-white aerial mycelia on PDA medium. Therefore, isolate XA-10 was used as a representative strain for subsequent experiments. The representative strain XA-10 was found to exhibit optimal growth at a temperature of 30 °C and a pH of 7.0. Host range infection tests further revealed that the representative strain XA-10 could also inflict comparable disease symptoms on both the leaves and fruits of three different Rosaceae species (Prunus persica, Pyrus bretschneideri, and Prunus salicina). This study reveals, for the first time, the causative agent of leaf blight disease affecting the Chinese flowering cherry. This provides a deeper understanding of the biology and etiology of M. alpina. This study lays a solid foundation for the sustainable control and management of leaf blight disease in the Chinese flowering cherry.

Background: 4-Methylbenzylidene camphor (4-MBC) is extensively utilized as an ultraviolet (UV) filter in sunscreens due to its ability to block harmful UV radiation. However, growing concerns exist regarding its environmental persistence and bioaccumulative potential, which may pose significant risks to human health. This study aims to systematically investigate the environmental and health impacts of 4‑MBC, with a focus on its potential roles in carcinogenesis and neurodegenerative diseases. This study aims to systematically investigate the environmental and health impacts of 4-MBC, with a focus on its potential roles in carcinogenesis and neurodegenerative diseases. Results: Using network toxicology and molecular docking approaches, we explored the interactions between 4‑MBC and key molecular targets relevant to these diseases, specifically AKT1, ESR1, HDAC1, and MYC. Our results indicate that 4‑MBC may disrupt biological pathways involved in cell proliferation and apoptosis, thereby interfering with cellular mechanisms underlying cancer progression and the onset of neurodegenerative conditions. Conclusions: This study suggests that 4‑MBC represents a notable environmental health risk, underscoring the need to update current regulations and public health policies to mitigate its impacts. These findings advocate for further research into safer UV filters and highlight the importance of monitoring and managing environmental contaminants that compromise human health.