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Flammulina was found frequently distributed in the District Mansehra during the present research work. The genus was ignored and not studied for prevalence previously, as F. velutipes was the exclusively reported species from the research vicinity. During the present research work, three new species were explored i-e F. hazariansis (N. J201177, N. J201178), F. solatium (N. J201188, N. J201167) and F. dwarftype (N. J201187, NJ201139) were amassed from the surrounding areas of Hazara University Mansehra. Our findings revealed that the reported species are novel, the molecular, morphological, and phylogenetic characterizations proved it. The specimens were collected from various habitats, vegetation, damp places, and forest areas with rich organic soil favor the mushroom's growth from May to November. The species were studied for morphological characteristics like size, shape and color of the pileus, stripe, and spore size were also recorded. The species were preserved by sun and oven drying strategies. The Kit methods for molecular characterizations were used for the extraction of DNA, and for PCR, ITS4 primer was designed from conserved regions described in previous studies. The amplified PCR products were sequenced from Microgen Korea. Phylogenetic analysis of the obtained sequences was done based on the maximum likelihood method using Mega version 6.0. Our findings based on morphological and phylogenetic analysis confirmed the existence of three new species in the already described genera from the region. The area of District Mansehra is enriched with natural vegetation and can be explored for brand-spanking new species.

Sugarcane smut is the most damaging disease that is present almost across the globe, causing mild to severe yield losses depending upon the cultivar types, pathogen races and climatic conditions. Cultivation of smut-resistant cultivars is the most feasible and economical option to mitigate its damages. Previous investigations revealed that there is a scarcity of information on early detection and effective strategies to suppress etiological agents of smut disease due to the characteristics overlapping within species complexes. In this study, 104 sugarcane cultivars were screened by artificial inoculation with homogenate of all possible pathogen races of Sporisorium scitamineum during two consecutive growing seasons. The logistic smut growth pattern and the disease intrinsic rate were recorded by disease growth curve. Variable levels of disease incidence i.e., ranging from 0 to 54.10% were observed among these sugarcane cultivars. Besides, pathogen DNA in plant shoots of all the cultivars was successfully amplified by PCR method using smut-specific primers except 26 cultivars which showed an immune reaction in the field trial. Furthermore, the plant germination and tillering of susceptible sugarcane cultivars were greatly influenced by pathogen inoculation. In susceptible cultivars, S. scitamineum caused a significant reduction in setts germination, coupled with profuse tillering, resulting in fewer millable canes. Correlation analysis demonstrated that there was a positive relationship between reduction in setts germination and increase in the number of tillers. The present study would be helpful for the evaluation of smut resistance in a wide range of sugarcane germplasm, especially from the aspects of setts germination and tillers formation, and it also screened out several excellent germplasm for potential application in sugarcane breeding., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. capsici (Foc) poses a significant position in agriculture that has a negative impact on chili plant in terms of growth, fruit quality, and yield. Biological control is one of the promising strategies to control this pathogen in crops. Chili is considered as one of the most important crops in the Hyderabad region that is affected by Fusarium wilt disease. The pathogen was isolated from the infected samples in the region and was confirmed by morphological characteristics and PCR with a band of 488 bp. The bacterial strains were isolated from the rhizosphere soil of healthy plant and also confirmed by PCR with a band of 1,542 bp.The molecular characterization of the fungal and bacterial strain has shown 99.9% homology with the retrieved sequences of Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. capsici and Bacillus subtilis from NCBI. The 1-month-old Ghotki chili plants were inoculated with 1×10 5 cfu spore/ml -1 suspension and confirmed that the FOC -1 is responsible for chili Fusarium wilt disease. Subsequently, among the 33 screened Bacillus strains, only 11 showed antagonistic activity against F. oxysporum . Out of these, only two strains (AM13 and AM21) have shown maximum antagonistic activity against the pathogen by reducing the infection and promoting growth parameters of chili plants under both in vitro and greenhouse conditions. The study suggested that biological control is the most promising control strategy for the management of Fusarium wilt of chili in the field., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2024 Iqbal, Syed, Rajput, Wang, Lodhi, Khan, Jibril, Atiq and Li.)

Effective in a variety of insect orders, including dipteran, lepidopteran, and hemipteran, Wolbachia -based control tactics are investigated, noting the importance of sterile and incompatible insect techniques. Encouraging approaches for controlling Aedes mosquitoes are necessary, as demonstrated by the evaluation of a new SIT/IIT combination and the incorporation of SIT into Drosophila suzukii management. For example, Wolbachia may protect plants from rice pests, demonstrating its potential for agricultural biological vector management. Maternal transmission and cytoplasmic incompatibility dynamics are explored, while Wolbachia phenotypic impacts on mosquito and rice pest management are examined. The importance of host evolutionary distance is emphasised in recent scale insect research that addresses host-shifting. Using greater information, a suggested method for comprehending Wolbachia host variations in various contexts emphasises ecological connectivity. Endosymbionts passed on maternally in nematodes and arthropods, Wolbachia are widely distributed around the world and have evolved both mutualistic and parasitic traits. Wolbachia is positioned as a paradigm for microbial symbiosis due to advancements in multiomics, gene functional assays, and its effect on human health. The challenges and opportunities facing Wolbachia research include scale issues, ecological implications, ethical conundrums, and the possibility of customising strains through genetic engineering. It is thought that cooperative efforts are required to include Wolbachia -based therapies into pest management techniques while ensuring responsible and sustainable ways.

Whip smut disease of sugarcane, caused by Sporisorium scitamineum, is considered one of the main constraints in the successful cultivation of sugarcane. The pathogen infection can decrease the quantity and quality of the produce. Cultivation of resistant varieties is the most feasible strategy to combat the harms of this devastating disease. Development of varieties having disease-resistance together with improved important traits such as brix, pol, purity, CSS, and low fiber contents are desirable. Therefore, we documented the variances in quality traits of 104 sugarcane cultivars under disease pressure in split-plot design with 6 replications. The split ANOVA revealed a highly significant impact (p<0.0001) between treatments (inoculated and uninoculated), within cultivars as well as interaction 'Cultivars x Treatments' effect on brix, pol, fiber, purity, and CSS contents. In inoculated plots, the infection of S. scitamineum brought a highly significant reduction (t>4.032) in brix, pol, purity, and CSS of more than 40% of the cultivars used, as compared to the uninoculated ones. On the other hand, the smut infection caused a highly significant (t>4.032) increase in fiber percentage of 41 cultivars. We found significant positive correlations between smut rating and reduction of brix, pol, purity, and CSS contents. The cultivars that were caught with greater disease severity, compromised a higher reduction of their useful contents. Similarly, a significant positive correlation was found between increased fiber percent and smut rating. Remarkably, cultivars that showed immune reactions to whip smut disease were not statistically different from uninoculated ones in brix, pol, purity, CSS, and fiber contents. Variable effects of whip smut infection to quality parameters of different cultivars depict the importance of further improvement through breeding programs., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

Whip smut of sugarcane is the most serious and widely spread disease of sugarcane and causes a significant reduction in cane quantity and quality. The severity of this disease often depends on the pathogen races, environmental conditions, cultivar genotype and the interaction among these three factors. Under optimum climatic conditions, this disease has the potential to cause total crop failure. Resistance screening is an ongoing process due to the variability among smut pathogen isolates. Multiple races and mutation ability of smut pathogen makes the breeding task more complex. A number of studies on various aspects of the disease epidemiology and management have been published. Due to many overlapping characteristics within the species complex, there is a dearth of information on early detection and strategies to control the smut pathogen. Furthermore, there is a need to coordinate these findings to expedite its research and control. In this paper, we summarize the disease etiology, especially disease impact on the qualitative and quantitative parameters of sugarcane. We also gathered research progress on molecular-based detection and available information on genetic variability in S. scitamineum. The research on the set of management options needed to effectively cope with the disease are reviewed herein. The present review is expected to be helpful for the further investigation on smut resistance in sugarcane.

Coumadin ridge is a normal anatomic variant that is occasionally found in the left atrium. It can present as a linear or nodular mass which can undulate with cardiac motion and if particularly prominent, can easily be mistaken for a tumor or thrombus. Careful evaluation and consideration of the common variants discussed in this review can help limit misdiagnosis, as well as unnecessary workup and treatment. We present a case of coumadin ridge that was found on a patient using two-dimensional transthoracic echocardiography.

The genus Phytopythium (Peronosporales) has been described, but a complete circumscription has not yet been presented. In the present paper we provide molecular-based evidence that members of Pythium clade K as described by Lévesque & de Cock (2004) belong to Phytopythium. Maximum likelihood and Bayesian phylogenetic analysis of the nuclear ribosomal DNA (LSU and SSU) and mitochondrial DNA cytochrome oxidase subunit 1 (COI) as well as statistical analyses of pairwise distances strongly support the status of Phytopythium as a separate phylogenetic entity. Phytopythium is morphologically intermediate between the genera Phytophthora and Pythium. It is unique in having papillate, internally proliferating sporangia and cylindrical or lobate antheridia. The formal transfer of clade K species to Phytopythium and a comparison with morphologically similar species of the genera Pythium and Phytophthora is presented. A new species is described, Phytopythium mirpurense.

Dystrophic cardiac calcification is often associated with conditions causing systemic inflammation and when present, is usually extensive, often encompassing multiple cardiac chambers and valves. We present an unusual case of dystrophic left atrial calcification in the setting of end stage renal disease on hemodialysis diagnosed by echocardiography and computed tomography. Significant calcium deposition is confined within the walls of the left atrium with no involvement of the mitral valve, and no hemodynamic effects.