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Strawberry powdery mildew, caused by Podosphaera aphanis, is an economically important disease for strawberry production. Typical symptoms are white mycelium on all aerial parts of affected plants, with young host tissues being the most susceptible. The pathogen overwinters on infected leaves, either as mycelium or chasmothecia, although the quantitative role of chasmothecia in epidemics are not fully understood. In spring, under favourable conditions, the fungus sporulates, disseminating conidia and causing polycyclic infections. The disease is mainly controlled using synthetic fungicides, but there is increasing interest in sustainable alternatives, including microbial biocontrol agents (e.g., Ampelomyces quisqualis, Bacillus spp., Trichoderma spp.) and substances of plant or animal origin (e.g., Equisetum arvense, orange oil, chitosan, whey). Physical methods, (e.g. UV-C, ozone) are also promising alternatives to fungicides. All of these strategies should be combined with appropriate agronomic practices (e.g., overhead irrigation, canopy management) to create unfavourable environments for the pathogen. However, agronomic practices have never been assessed for P. aphanis. Disease forecasting models and DSSs, though available, are underutilized due to their complexity and lack of validation across locations. This review presents the current state of knowledge on P. aphanis the available methods for control of strawberry powdery mildew, and highlights knowledge gaps relating to this host/pathogen relationship. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Blockchain has been described as a breakthrough Information and Communication Technology having the potential to ensure safe, immutable and transparent information exchange between actors. This study attempts to foresee whether Blockchain will play an important role in traceability management and how this innovation is expected to change the agri-food sector's future, using a Delphi group discussion with experts. According to our results, blockchain is potentially recognised as a decentralised system able not only to harmonise safety and quality standards but also to reduce bureaucracy. Greater efficiency and reliability of the system would lead to the establishment and coordination of new supply chain relationships. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nitrogen (N) represents one of the limiting factors for crop growth and productivity and to date has been widely supplied via external application of fertilizers. However, the use of plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) might represent a valuable tool to further improve plant nutrition. This study examines the influence of Azospirillum brasilense strain Cd on nitrate uptake in maize (Zea mays) plants, focusing on the high-affinity transport system (HATS). Plants were induced with nitrate (500 µM) and either inoculated or not with Azospirillum. Inoculation decreased the nitrate uptake rate in induced plants, suggesting that Azospirillum may negatively affect HATS in the short term. The expression dynamics of ZmNF-YA and ZmLBD37 suggested that Azospirillum affected the N balance in the plants, most probably by supplying them with reduced N, i.e. NH4+. This was further corroborated by measurements of total N and the expression of ammonium transporter genes. Overall, our data demonstrate that Azospirillum can counteract the plant response to nitrate induction, albeit without compromising N nutrition. This suggests that the agricultural application of microbial inoculants requires fine-tuning of external fertilizer inputs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]