Grapevine trunk diseases cause severe damage in grapevines. Management strategies focus on protection of grapevine pruning wounds using chemical fungicides or biological control agents. Botryosphaeria dieback, caused mainly by Lasiodiplodia spp., is one of the main trunk diseases in northwest Mexico. This study obtained endophytic bacteria and fungi from the heritage grapevine Vitis vinifera cv. ‘Mission’ for potential biological control of Botryosphaeria dieback. A collection of 135 bacterial and 37 fungal isolates were obtained and initially tested for antagonistic activity against Lasiodiplodia brasiliensis. The most promising isolates belonging to Trichoderma and Bacillus spp. were selected and characterized to determine their modes of action. Bacillus isolates produced volatile organic compounds that inhibited growth of Neofusicoccum parvum, and diffusible organic compounds with antifungal effects against L. brasiliensis and N. parvum. Trichoderma isolates produced diffusible organic compounds and were mycoparasites. In greenhouse assays, plants inoculated with three Trichoderma asperellum isolates (T20BCMX, EF09BCMX, and EF11BCMX), B. amyloliquefaciens (BEVP26BCMX) or Bacillus sp. (rbES015), applied preventively in soil, gave up to 50% smaller necrotic lesions when compared with the plants inoculated only with L. brasiliensis. In the field, plants inoculated with three Bacillus isolates (BEVP02BCMX, BEVP26BCMX, BEVP31BCMX) or five Trichoderma (T11BCMX, T15BCMX, T17BCMX, T20BCMX, and EF11BCMX) had lesions up to four times smaller than control plants inoculated only with L. brasiliensis. This study has demonstrated the potential of heritage grapevines to provide biological control agents for Botryosphaeria dieback.

Grapevine cultivation in Mexico is important, especially in the states of Baja California and Coahuila, which are the main wine production regions in the country. Grapevine trunk diseases (GTDs) impact productivity and cause substantial economic losses, with Botryosphaeria dieback being one of the most destructive. This disease is caused by fungi in the Botryosphaeriaceae, including species of Botryosphaeria, Diplodia, Lasiodiplodia, and Neofusicoccum. To date, Lasiodiplodia spp. are the primary Botryosphaeriaceae fungi reported in Mexico. The present study aimed to enhance the epidemiological knowledge of Botryosphaeriaceae in Mexican vineyards. Samples from grapevine plants exhibiting disease symptoms were collected from the states of Baja California and Coahuila. Of a total of 37 Botryosphaeriaceae isolates, six species were identified: Neofusicoccum parvum, N. australe, N. vitifusiforme, Botryosphaeria dothidea, Diplodia corticola, and D. seriata. Neofusicoccum parvum isolates were the most virulent, but were less virulent than previously reported Lasiodiplodia spp. The optimum growth temperatures for N. parvum and B. dothidea were from 28 to 30°C, but 25°C for D. seriata, N. vitifusiforme, and N. australe isolates. Only D. seriata isolates recovered growth when transferred to room temperature after exposure to 37°C or 40°C. This report is the first identification of B. dothidea and N. parvum as causative agents of Botryosphaeria dieback in the vine-growing regions of Mexico.

Field capacity (FC) and permanent wilting point (PWP) thresholds are critical parameters in climate-smart agriculture because they directly relate to soil water availability, which is essential for optimizing water use, improving crop yields, and ensuring resilience against climate variability. Using the continuous mosaic of SoilGrids data, pedotransfer functions based on bulk density, clay content, and sand content were applied to estimate the threshold values of FC and PWP across Mexico utilizing random forest (RF) algorithms. The selection of these parameters was based on their positive contribution to the model’s prediction: bulk density (0.51), clay content (0.21), and sand content (0.16). Soil organic carbon (SOC) contributed negatively; this negative importance score warrants careful interpretation. The 30–60 cm depth was chosen based on the assumption that it is reasonably uniform across other depths and lies below the highly variable surface horizon, which is strongly influenced by management practices and organic matter dynamics. Here we address key technical and scientific critiques regarding the use of SoilGrids for generating FC and PWP data. Additionally, the relevant role of FC and PWP thresholds in the context of climate-smart agriculture is highlighted, from the calculation of available soil water to their role in achieving sustainable development goals.

Botryosphaeria dieback, caused by various pathogens, including Lasiodiplodia spp., is a significant threat to grapevines. Lasiodiplodia brasiliensis has been frequently isolated from grapevines in Baja California and Sonora, Mexico, mainly from plants showing perennial cankers. While chemical and biological control strategies have been explored, alternatives such as organic amendments (OAs) have yet to be studied. This research aimed to evaluate the effect of OAs on the co‐occurrence of latent L . brasiliensis infection and the grapevine endophytic community using qPCR and metabarcoding analysis. Two OAs, compost cow manure and grapevine wood (CMW) and sludge kitchen waste and grapevine wood (KWW), were tested. Extracts were prepared by mixing 140 g of each OA with 210 mL of autoclaved water, shaking for 2 h, and filtering. Grapevine cuttings were soaked in the extracts for 10 days, then inoculated with a L . brasiliensis MXBCL28 conidiospore suspension (1 × 10 ⁵ spores mL ⁻¹ ) and incubated for 30 days. Among treatments, cuttings treated with 10% KWW extract exhibited the highest plant growth parameters, including the number and length of lateral shoots, inflorescences, and roots, with a 70% suppressive effect on L . brasiliensis . The KWW treatment also enhanced the abundance of beneficial endophytic genera, including Acinetobacter , Hymenobacter , Pseudomonas , and Flavobacterium , which were significantly associated with antagonistic activity against the pathogen. Meanwhile, genera such as Sphingomonas , Ochrobactrum , Azospirillum , and Rheinheimer appeared to be involved in plant‐induced systemic resistance. Furthermore, the dominant bacterial genus DMER64 and fungal genus Orbilia , both present in KWW, were recruited to colonize grapevine tissues, potentially promoting plant growth and physiological processes. Overall, the KWW sludge demonstrated multiple suppressive actions, such as the release of humic substances and biochemical compounds, which facilitate the recruitment of beneficial microorganisms in response to latent L . brasiliensis infection. These findings suggest that KWW is a promising alternative for managing grapevine pruning waste, effectively reducing GTD pathogen transmission while enhancing beneficial endophytic communities.

This study employed genomic analysis to elucidate the hybrid origin of Rosa del Peru type 2, a significant patrimonial grapevine in the Americas. Twelve accessions from a historical vineyard in Ensenada, Mexico, were characterized using simple sequence repeats (SSR), with three representative samples—Listan Prieto and two Rosa del Peru type 2 accessions—selected for whole-genome resequencing (WGS). SSR profiling revealed a high prevalence of Listan Prieto within the historical vineyard. Neighbor-net analysis, based on 109,529 high-quality single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), clustered Listan Prieto and Rosa del Peru type 2 with Listan Negro and Manai, a Muscat cultivar of Chinese origin. ADMIXTURE analysis (k = 9, 64,175 SNPs) demonstrated that while Listan Prieto shares its genetic profile with Listan Negro, Rosa del Peru type 2 exhibits a hybrid composition derived from Listan Prieto and Manai. Subsequent PhyloNet modeling further supported that Rosa del Peru type 2 originated from a hybridization event between the lineages of Listan Prieto and Manai. Notably, we identified ~ 7,585 SNPs in these patrimonial cultivars not present in their immediate ancestors Listan Negro and Manai, suggesting potential local adaptation, clonal divergence or incomplete lineage sorting. By providing the first WGS datasets for these cultivars, this work offers a high-resolution genomic resource and clarifies the complex historical migration and diversification of New World grapevines.

Pecan (Carya illinoensis) is a major economic crop in Mexico. The states of Chihuahua and Sonora contribute approximately 80% to the national production. Recently, symptoms of trunk diseases, including necrotic lesions in the xylem, cankers, dieback, and shoot blights, have been observed in pecan orchards in Sonora. This study aimed to determine the presence and identity of fungi responsible for these symptoms. A survey was conducted between 2021 and 2022 in eleven orchards near Hermosillo, Sonora. Fungi were isolated from necrotic tissue on PDA medium, yielding around 150 isolates. Based on colony morphology, 50 isolates were selected for molecular characterization using the translation elongation factor 1 alpha (tef1-α) gene, the nuclear ribosomal DNA-internal transcribed spacer (ITS), and, for some isolates, the β-tubulin gene. The fungi identified included Pseudofusicoccum stromaticum, Lasiodiplodia exigua, L. brasiliensis, Diaporthe caatingaensis, Eutypellla microtheca, and several Fusarium spp. The optimal growth temperature for most isolates was 30°C, with none exhibited growth at 40°C, although some Lasiodiplodia and Pseudofusicoccum isolates showed limited growth at 37°C. Following pathogenicity studies, the Lasiodiplodia species produced the largest lesions on pecan cv. Wichita, followed by P. stromaticum, while D. caatingaensis and E. microtheca exhibited intermediate virulence. The least virulent were D. caatingaensis and Fusarium spp. isolates. This study contributes to understanding the phytosanitary status of pecan orchards in Mexico and lays the groundwork for developing management strategies to control these fungi.