Meloidogyne enterolobii, a highly virulent and broad-host-range plant-parasitic nematode, poses an increasing threat to global agricultural production. By inducing the formation of nutrient-rich giant cells in host roots and deploying a diverse array of effector proteins to modulate plant immune responses, this nematode achieves efficient colonization and invasion, resulting in impaired crop growth and significant economic losses. In recent years, global climate warming combined with the rapid development of protected agriculture has broken the traditional geographical limits of tropical and subtropical regions, thereby increasing the risk of M. enterolobii occurrence in temperate and high-latitude areas. Concurrently, conventional chemical control methods are increasingly limited by environmental pollution and the development of resistance, steering research toward green control strategies. This review systematically summarizes the latest research progress of M. enterolobii in terms of ecological diffusion trends, pathogenic mechanisms, and green control, and explored the feasibility of integrating multidisciplinary technologies to construct an efficient and precise control system. The ultimate aim is to provide theoretical support and technical supports for green and sustainable development of global agriculture.

Research on plant–virus–vector interactions has revealed that viruses can enhance their spread to new host plants by attracting nonviruliferous vectors to infected plants or driving viruliferous vectors to noninfected plants. However, whether viruses can also modulate the feeding preference of viruliferous vectors for different plant parts remains largely unknown. Here, by using rice stripe virus (RSV) and its vector, the small brown planthopper (SBPH), as a model, the effect of the virus on the feeding preference of its vector was studied by calculating the number of nonviruliferous and viruliferous SBPHs settling on different parts of rice plants. The results showed that the RSV-free SBPHs significantly preferred feeding on the stems of rice plants, whereas RSV-carrying SBPHs fed more on rice leaves. Moreover, the rice plants inoculated with RSV on the leaves showed more severe symptoms, with enhanced disease incidence and virus accumulation compared with rice plants inoculated at the top and bottom of stems, suggesting that the leaves are more susceptible to RSV than the stems of rice plants. These results demonstrate that RSV modulates the feeding preference of its transmitting vector SBPH from the stems to leaves of rice plants to promote virus infection. Interestingly, we also found that the leaves were more susceptible than the stems to rice black-streaked dwarf virus. This study proves that the feeding preference of insect vectors can be modulated by plant viruses to facilitate virus transmission.

Anthracnose is recognized as a significant agricultural disease. This study investigates the disease symptoms characterized by black dots on walnut fruits observed in the walnut orchards of Longnan City, Gansu Province, China, in June 2022. These symptoms resemble those of anthracnose reported in previous studies. A strain designated Ht-10 was initially isolated and identified as belonging to the Colletotrichum species based on its morphological features. Pathogenicity tests confirmed that this strain induced pronounced anthracnose symptoms in walnuts, consistent with those originally observed in the field. Subsequently, multilocus phylogenetic analysis, which included partial sequences of the internal transcribed spacer (ITS), actin (ACT), glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH), β-tubulin2 (TUB2), and chitin synthase (CHS-1) genes of Ht-10, indicated that it most likely clustered with Colletotrichum fioriniae. The determination of biological characteristics revealed that the optimal temperature for the growth of Ht-10 was 25 °C in full light at a pH of 6, with soluble starch and yeast paste serving as the optimal carbon and nitrogen sources, respectively. To our knowledge, this is the first report of C. fioriniae as a causal agent of anthracnose in walnut fruits in China.

Trichoderma longibrachiatum is a filamentous fungus that functions as a biocontrol agent against multiple plant diseases. However, the lack of a genetic transformation system has hindered studies on gene function and the underlying biocontrol mechanisms in this species. In this study, protoplast preparation conditions were optimized using single-factor experiments and response surface methodology, yielding 2.05 × 10⁷ protoplasts/g. PEG-mediated transformation yielded a GFP-labeled strain (GFP-40418). This strain enhanced resistance against Meloidogyne incognita, with root galling decreased by 47.6%. Treatment with GFP-40418 enhanced the activities of antioxidant enzymes, including PAL, POX, SOD, PPO, APX, and CAT. Plants treated with GFP-40418 alone showed the highest expression value, with relative transcriptional levels of PR2, Pal1, LOX, MYC2, ETR1, and ACO1 that were 29.62, 5.76, 7.30, 3.64, 4.79, 9.99-fold higher in comparison with control plants, respectively. These findings provide a genetic platform for exploring the gene functions of T. longibrachiatum 40418 and validate its biocontrol prospect against root-knot nematodes.

Tomato spotted wilt disease, caused by Tomato spotted wilt virus (TSWV), poses a severe, widespread threat to commercial crop production. Triggering endogenous plant defense capacity serves as a promising tactic for sustainable disease control. Environmental factors, such as temperature, can modulate plant metabolic activities to suppress disease development. To characterize how sub-low temperatures shape tomato responses to TSWV, we maintained tomato seedlings under three regimens: room temperature (25 °C) and two sub-low temperatures (15 °C and 10 °C). Subsequent viral inoculation and phenotypic monitoring revealed that 15 °C pretreatment was associated with markedly reduced TSWV disease severity. RT-qPCR quantification further demonstrated that this 15 °C priming correlated with diminished accumulation of the viral NSs gene. Transcriptome profiling indicated that the 15 °C regime was linked to coordinated activation of cold acclimation pathways, hormone signaling cascades, and antiviral defense programs, which correlated with reduced TSWV accumulation. Specifically, 15 °C conditioning was correlated with the induction of a cold-responsive transcriptional network that overlaps with plant antiviral immune responses. This activated transcriptional signature is putatively associated with the stimulation of defensive cascades, maintenance of cellular homeostasis, and lowered viral accumulation, which collectively align with alleviated spotted wilt symptoms. To our knowledge, this work presents the first correlative evidence associating 15 °C sub-low temperature preconditioning with reduced TSWV accumulation in tomato. Collectively, these observations highlight the potential of temperature manipulation as a chemical-free disease mitigation approach and provide a valuable reference for sustainable crop protection strategies.

Cyst nematodes are obligate parasitic nematodes found in the fields of many cultivated crops. These nematodes, which have great economic importance, pose a threat to food security, though they are frequently ignored or misdiagnosed as pests because of covert parasitism. A cyst nematode population parasitizing on Artemisia lavandulaefolia DC., one of the traditional Chinese medicines was collected in Gansu Province. The species was diagnosed using integrative taxonomy and molecular approaches. The cyst population is spherical or lemon-shaped, light brown or dark brown in color, with a long neck and a protruding vulval cone. The stylet of the second-stage juvenile is strong, and the front end of the ball at the base of the stylet is concave; the median bulb and excretory pore are prominent; the tail is blunt and circular, and the transparent tail is usually shorter than the stylet. A phylogenetic analysis was carried out using the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) and 28S genes of ribosomal DNA, which further confirmed the presence of Cactodera chenopodiae. According to our literature review, this is the first report on C. chenopodiae in Compositae. By following this research, we can better understand the challenges posed by A. lavandulaefolia DC. and develop effective strategies for managing its spread and impacts. This will help to protect vulnerable ecosystems and ensure the sustainability of agricultural and forestry activities in affected areas.