Buchwaldoboletus xylophilus is an edible bolete species belonging to the family Boletaceae and the genus Buchwaldoboletus. It is found in tropical and subtropical regions, which are known for their rare wild resources. In this study, wild B. xylophilus was isolated and cultured, and its biological characteristics and artificial cultivation techniques were studied. The results show that the optimal carbon source, nitrogen source, and inorganic salt for the mycelium growth of B. xylophilus were maltose, ammonium tartrate, and magnesium sulfate, respectively. The most appropriate temperature was 28 °C, and the pH value was between 5 and 6. The most effective combination was determined via orthogonal experimentation, as follows: dextrose, ammonium nitrate, potassium dihydrogen phosphate, and 28 °C. The results of artificial cultivation in mushroom houses show that the mycelium of B. xylophilus was strong and grew well on the culture medium. The mycelial growth rate was 4.54 mm/d, and the fungus bags were filled about 50 days after inoculation. The primordia formed 9 to 14 days after covering with soil and the fruiting body matured in 6~8 days. The average yield of fresh mushrooms reached 131.07 ± 29.38 g/bag, and the average biological efficiency reached 28.48 ± 6.39%. In this study, artificial cultivation technology in respect of B. xylophilus in mushroom houses is reported for the first time. The fruiting bodies obtained through cultivation were identified using morphological and molecular biological methods. This technology offers benefits such as affordability, a brief cultivation cycle, substantial yields, and superior quality, making it ideal for industrial-scale and extensive cultivation.

Botrytis cinerea poses severe postharvest losses in horticultural products, while synthetic fungicides raise food safety concerns. This study developed a GRAS-compliant antifungal strategy using vapor-phase Cymbopogon citratus essential oil (EO). GC-MS revealed citronellal (17.06%) as the dominant bioactive compound. The EO exhibited superior vapor-phase activity against B. cinerea, with EC₅₀ of 14.69 µg/mL (mycelial growth) and MIC of 7.81 µg/mL (spore germination), significantly lower than direct-contact efficacy (p < 0.05). Mechanistic analysis revealed a tripartite mode of action—rapid membrane disintegration (48% electrolyte leakage within 4 h), suppression of ROS defense enzymes (SOD/CAT/POD inhibition > 50%), and disruption of mitochondrial energetics (SDH activity reduced by 58.1%)—which induced irreversible cellular collapse. This multi-target strategy mitigates resistance development, a key limitation of single-mode fungicides. In commercial-scale trials, EO fumigation (125 µg/mL) reduced cherry tomato decay by 81.9–92.6% during 28-day storage, while maintaining firmness (15.9% higher than control) and nutritional quality (titratable acidity (TA) and total sugar content (TSC)). Notably, the vapor-phase EO also exhibited potent inhibitory activity against the spore germination of rubber tree powdery mildew (EC₅₀: 3.19 µg/mL), demonstrating its broad-spectrum antifungal potential. This finding significantly expands the application scope of C. citratus EO from postharvest preservation to preharvest crop protection. This work provides a scalable, residue-free alternative to synthetic fungicides for industrial postharvest applications.

Buchwaldoboletus xylophilus is an edible boletes species belonging to the family Boletaceae and the genus Buchwaldoboletus, is found in tropical and subtropical regions, and is known for its rare wild resources. In this study, wild B. xylophilus was isolated and cultured, and its biological characteristics and artificial cultivation techniques were studied. The results showed that the optimal carbon source, nitrogen source and inorganic salt for the mycelium growth of B. xylophilus were maltose, ammonium tartrate and magnesium sulfate, respectively. The most appropriate temperature is 28 ℃ and the pH value is between 5 and 6. The most effective combination was determined by orthogonal experiment as follows: glucose, ammonium nitrate, potassium dihydrogen phosphate and 28 ℃. The results of artificial cultivation in mushroom houses showed that the mycelium of B. xylophilus was strong and grew well on the culture medium. The mycelial growth rate is 4.54 mm/d, and the fungus bags are filled about 50 days after inoculation. The primordium is formed 9 to 14 days after covering with soil and the fruiting body matured in 6 ~ 8 days. The average yield of fresh mushrooms reached 131.07±29.38 g/bag, and the average biological efficiency reached 28.48±6.39 %. In this study, the artificial cultivation technology of B. xylophilus in mushroom house was reported for the first time. The fruiting bodies obtained through cultivation were identified by morphological and molecular biological methods. This technology offers benefits such as affordability, a brief cultivation cycle, substantial yields, and superior quality, making it ideal for industrial-scale and extensive cultivation.

TasA gene, encoding a functional amyloid protein critical for biofilm formation and antimicrobial activity, was cloned from the endophytic strain Bacillus amyloliquefaciens BS-3, isolated from rubber tree roots. This study identified the shortest functional TasA variant (483 bp, 160 aa) reported to date, featuring unique amino acid substitutions in conserved domains. Bioinformatics analysis predicted a signal peptide (1–27 aa) and transmembrane domain (7–29 aa), which were truncated to optimize heterologous expression. Two prokaryotic vectors (pET28a and pCZN1) were constructed, with pCZN1-TasA expressed solubly in Escherichia coli Arctic Express at 15 °C, while pET28a-TasA formed inclusion bodies at 37 °C. Purified recombinant TasA exhibited potent antifungal activity, achieving 98.6% ± 1.09 inhibition against Colletotrichum acutatum, 64.77% ± 1.34 against Alternaria heveae. Notably, TasA completely suppressed spore germination in C. acutatum and Oidium heveae Steinmannat 60 μg/mL. Structural analysis via AlphaFold3 revealed that truncation enhanced protein stability. These findings highlight BS-3-derived TasA as a promising biocontrol agent, providing molecular insights for developing protein-based biopesticides against rubber tree pathogens.

Rubber tree powdery mildew caused by Erysiphe quercicola is the most widespread and destructive foliar disease in China’s rubber-growing regions. This disease frequently occurs in severe epidemics during winter–spring each year, delaying rubber tapping by 1–2 months and causing substantial yield losses, and has become a critical bottleneck for stable natural-rubber production. Xishuangbanna is China’s core planting region for natural rubber and a typical representative of mountainous rubber plantations in Yunnan. More than two-thirds of local rubber plantations are located on mountain slopes steeper than 15°. However, the population-genetic background of E. quercicola in this region remains poorly understood. A total of 188 samples of rubber powdery mildew were recovered from nine sampling sites belonging to three geographic populations (Mengla, Menghai, Jinghong). Ten SSR loci were used to analyse the genetic diversity, genetic differentiation and population structure of the tested samples. The results revealed that E. quercicola in Xishuangbanna rubber plantations exhibited high overall genetic diversity. Most samples possessed unique genotypes even at a fine spatial scale, and the Mengla population showed higher genetic diversity than the other populations. Analysis of molecular variance (AMOVA) revealed that the genetic variation of E. quercicola in Xishuangbanna was predominantly partitioned within sampling-site subpopulations. Significant pairwise genetic differentiation was detected among the three geographic populations, although all pairwise ΦPT values were less than 0.1, indicating a pattern of significant yet limited genetic differentiation at fine geographic scales. PCoA and STRUCTURE analyses further confirmed obvious population genetic structure in this region. The results of this study provide a theoretical basis for the epidemic monitoring of rubber powdery mildew in the Xishuangbanna rubber plantation area.

Rubber tree (Hevea brasiliensis) anthracnose, caused by multiple species within the genus Colletotrichum, is a globally significant disease that seriously threatens the sustainable development of the natural rubber industry in China. Characteristic symptoms, including foliar necrosis, defoliation, and shoot blight, culminate in significant economic losses for producers. This review systematically summarizes the epidemiological patterns and damage, pathogen genetic diversity, the molecular pathological mechanisms underlying Colletotrichum–rubber tree interactions, and chemical and biological control strategies. Furthermore, an integrated disease management (IDM) framework is proposed, and key directions for future research are outlined to provide a theoretical foundation for the scientific prevention and control of rubber tree anthracnose in China.