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Grey mould, caused by Botrytis cinerea and other Botrytis spp., is a major cause of fruit rot in strawberries and other fruit crops worldwide. Repeated fungicide applications are essential in order to secure harvests. However, resistance to all currently registered single-site fungicides is widespread. The rising importance of strains with multiple resistance to most or all fungicides is of particular concern. These strains may be introduced into fields via contaminated nursery plants and/or by immigration from adjacent plots. On the basis of research conducted in northern German and Danish strawberry production, a concept to manage fungicide resistance under northern European conditions has been developed and put into regional strawberry production practice. This principally includes the testing of nursery plants for fungicide-resistant Botrytis strains prior to planting; the restricted and specific use of fungicides at flowering in the production fields, taking account of the resistance spectrum within the local Botrytis population; and crop sanitation measures such as the removal of rotting fruits at the beginning of harvest. Further options such as protected cultivation, reduced fertilisation and biological control are also discussed. The practical implementation of such a strategy in northern Germany and Denmark has been shown to reduce the occurrence of multi-resistant strains to a tolerable steady-state level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There are two primary forms of plant propagation: sexual and asexual. In nature, propagation of plants most often involves sexual reproduction, and this form is still used in several species. Over the years, horticulturists have developed asexual propagation methods that use vegetative plant parts. Innovation in plant propagation has supported breeding programs and allowed the production of high-quality nursery plants with the same genetic characteristics of the mother plant, and free of diseases or pests. The purpose of this Special Issue, "Innovation in Propagation of Fruit, Vegetable and Ornamental Plants", was to present state-of-the-art techniques recently developed by researchers worldwide. The Special Issue has brought together some of the latest research results of new techniques in plant propagation in nine original papers, which deal with a wide range of research activities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Paulownia species are fast growing trees native to China, which are being grown in managed plantings in several European countries for the production of wood and biomasses. In 2018, wilting, stunting, leaf yellowing, and collapse, as a consequence of root and crown rot, were observed in around 40% of trees of a 2-year-old planting of Paulownia elongata × P. fortunei in Calabria (Southern Italy). Two species of Phytophthora were consistently recovered from roots, basal stem bark, and rhizosphere soil of symptomatic trees and were identified as Ph. nicotianae and Ph. palmivora on the basis of both morphological characteristics and phylogenetic analysis of rDNA ITS sequences. Koch's postulates were fulfilled by reproducing the symptoms on potted paulownia saplings transplanted into infested soil or stem-inoculated by wounding. Both Phytophthora species were pathogenic and caused root rot and stem cankers. Even though P. palmivora was the only species recovered from roots of naturally infected plants, in pathogenicity tests through infested soil P. nicotianae was more virulent. This is the first report of Phytophthora root and crown rot of a Paulownia species in Europe. Strategies to prevent this emerging disease include the use of healthy nursery plants, choice of well-drained soils for new plantations, and proper irrigation management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Investigations were conducted in the greenhouse of the Faculty of Agriculture with the aim of studying the influence of biostimulators on the quality of medicinal, aromatic and herb nursery plants. The nursery plants of basil (Ocimum basilicum L.), lemon balm (Melissa officinalis L.), cone flower (Echinacea angustifolia D.C.), lavender (Lavandula angustifolia Mill.), rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis L.) i marjoram (Majorana hortensis L.) were grown in polystyrene containers (Speedling system) 76 cm³ in size. The first part of the experiment was focused on the effect of the natural biostimulator Viva (3 ml/1) and Megafol (1.5 ml/1) on the quality of basil, lemon balm and cone flower nursery plants. The second part of the study encompassed the influence of different Viva biostimulator rates (0 - control, 1, 2, 3, 4 ml/1) on the quality of lavender, rosemary and marjoram nursery plants. Viva soil biostimulator and Megafol leaf biostimulators were added during the production of nursery plants at 10-day intervals. Based on the results obtained, a positive effect of natural biostimulator (Viva and Megafol) use was noted in the production of basil, garden balm and cone flower nursery plants. In addition, the use of different Viva biostimulator rates in the production of lavender, rosemary and marjoram nursery plants showed positive influence. The highest Viva biostimulator rate (4 ml/1) showed the most favourable effect on lavender and marjoram nursery plant quality. In case of rosemary nursery plants the rate of 3 ml/1 was the most favourable. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]