Entomopathogenic fungi (EPF) are promising microbial control agents, but high laboratory virulence alone does not ensure successful development into reliable mycoinsecticides. This review proposes a sequential multi-trait framework organized around three stages: biological candidate qualification, product qualification, and translational qualification. Biological qualification evaluates target-specific pathogenicity, host–pathogen ecological fit, abiotic stress tolerance, and trait stability. Product qualification assesses whether a candidate can be manufactured reproducibly as viable and infective propagules, formulated, dried, stored, and delivered without unacceptable loss of performance. Translational qualification tests whether the formulated product provides consistent pest suppression under relevant greenhouse, semi-field, and field conditions and fits the intended deployment scenario. The framework distinguishes intrinsic strain traits from process-shaped product traits and treats the strain–propagule–process combination as the relevant product-stage unit. It also separates development-limiting weaknesses from limitations that may be mitigated through production, formulation, or deployment technologies, supporting decisions to advance, redirect, or discontinue candidates. This framework provides a practical basis for linking laboratory screening with manufacturability and field performance and for identifying traits that merit prospective validation as predictors of successful mycoinsecticide development.

Citrus diseases are commonly interpreted within a single pathogen framework, yet increasing evidence shows that disease outcomes can also be shaped by mixed infections, disease-associated microbiome restructuring, host responses, and interactions among multiple biotic agents. This review synthesizes current evidence on citrus disease complexes, disease-associated microbiome restructuring, and the mechanisms linking pathobiome dynamics to disease development. Particular attention is given to temporal- and compartment-specific microbiome changes, host physiological remodeling, immune reprogramming, and direct microbial interactions. We distinguish co-detection from functional interaction and emphasize the need to move from descriptive associations toward experimental and mechanistic validation. Across major citrus diseases, disease-associated microbiome restructuring emerges as a dynamic and context-dependent process rather than a uniform loss of microbial diversity. Management strategies based on microbiome restructuring, community preservation, functional biocontrol, and synthetic microbial communities further illustrate the potential of targeting pathogens, host responses, and resident microbiota simultaneously. A pathobiome perspective provides an integrative framework for deciphering and managing complex citrus diseases.

Cadmium (Cd) contamination in paddy soils represents a major risk to global food security and human health because Cd can readily enter the food chain through rice consumption. Therefore, clarification of the key processes and mechanisms by which agronomic practices regulate Cd accumulation in rice is essential. Based on integrated two-year pot and field experiments, we showed that different nitrogen fertilizer formulations, including nitrate-N (N), ammonium-N (A), and urea (U), had distinct effects on Cd accumulation and grain yield in rice. The N treatment reduced Cd concentrations in brown rice by 25.29% to 70% in the pot experiment and by 4.25% to 89.97% in the field experiment but decreased grain yield by 5% to 25%. By contrast, the A treatment increased Cd concentrations in brown rice by 17.86% to 58.62%, while maintaining or slightly increasing grain yield (−3% to +5%), and the U treatment showed intermediate responses. These responses were mainly associated with nitrogen-induced shifts in rhizosphere chemistry, especially changes in soil Cd availability linked to pH and exchangeable H⁺, although unmeasured redox-related processes may have also contributed under flooded conditions. Further analyses of internal Cd distribution and translocation, together with exploratory random forest modeling, suggested that Cd transport efficiency at key stem internodes and Cd redistribution from the panicle to the grain were important regulatory nodes associated with Cd concentrations in brown rice. These regulatory nodes were markedly affected by fertilizer formulation. Overall, our results describe a continuous pathway from rhizosphere Cd availability to internal transport and partitioning, through which nitrogen fertilizer formulations regulate Cd accumulation in rice. This study aimed to clarify how different nitrogen fertilizer formulations regulate the trade-off between grain yield and Cd accumulation in rice, based on the hypothesis that these formulations differentially modify rhizosphere chemistry and Cd bioavailability, that specific stem nodes contribute to control of grain Cd accumulation, and that the main regulatory processes differ between pot and field systems. This study provides s a scientific basis for developing practical nitrogen-management strategies to support safe rice production in Cd-contaminated paddy fields.