<div>Background: The gummy stem blight caused by the fungal pathogen Didymella bryoniae (Auersw.) is a common and serious disease of watermelon plants in Vietnam. Bacillus species have been used to control plant diseases as biological control agents. The objectives of this studies were to determine the fungal inhibition of D. bryoniae and disease suppression of gummy stem blight under greenhouse by Bacillus sp. strains. 
 
Methods: The study was carried out at University of Agriculture and Forestry, Hue University during 2022-2023. Six potential Bacillus strains namely S1A1, S1F3, S13E2, S13E3, S18F11 and S20D12 isolated from stem-base of groundnut in central Vietnam were tested its fungal inhibition of D. bryoniae and disease suppression of gummy stem blight. 
 
Result: All tested strains of Bacillus sp. showed inhibition of the hyphal growth of D. bryoniae strain DB-01 in potato dextrose broth. Among the strains, Bacillus sp. S20F12 had highest inhibition of the growth of mycelia of D. bryoniae strain DB-01 with an antagonistic efficiency of 65.7% at 10 days after fungal inoculation. By 21 days after fungal inoculation, disease incidences were low in the plants treated with Bacillus sp. S20D12 and S1F3 by 46.6 and 50.0% and disease severity by 15,3% and 20.6%, respectively. As results, watermelon plants were prevented from damage of gummy stem blight caused by D. bryoniae strain BD-01 by Bacillus sp. S20D12 and S1F13. The results would contribute to the knowledge of antagonistic activities of the Bacillus to optimize the biological control against D. bryoniae.</div>

Biological Control of Gummy Stem Blight Caused by Didymella bryoniae (Auersw.) on Watermelon by Bacillus sp. Strains

<div>Background: Aerial blight (Rhizoctonia solani Kuhn) and Anthracnose/pod blight (Colletotrichum truncatum) are important soybean diseases, affect most of the present varieties with varying intensity, in India. There are also few reports of resistance against both the diseases.&nbsp; 
 
Methods: To identify resistance, a set of 121 diverse soybean genotypes including six susceptible checks i.e. JS 93-05, JS 335, JS 72-280, Punjab 1, RKS 18 and VLS 58 were evaluated under high disease pressure field conditions during 2017, 2018 and 2019. Moreover, assessment of yield losses due to these diseases were also worked out in highly infected plants of susceptible checks. 
 
Result: It was observed that aerial blight (0.0-46.8 per cent) and anthracnose/pod blight (0.0-56.2 per cent) were affected soybean genotypes from R1 to R7 and V3 to R7 stages, respectively. The genotypes responded differently and showed absolute resistance to susceptible reaction. Out of 121 genotypes, only five genotypes i.e. JS 20-57, JSM 222, MACS 1407, PS 1611 and Cat 2126 B were found to be highly resistant against both the diseases. Per cent pod and yield losses were significantly correlated with varying severity of aerial blight (0.966** and 0.995**) and anthracnose/pod blight (0.957** and 0.995**), respectively. However, the highest yield loss of 41.0 and 64.8 per cent were recorded on 55.6 and 75.2 per cent disease index (at 90 days) of aerial blight and anthracnose/pod blight, respectively.</div>

<div>Identification of Sources of Resistance and Yield Loss Assessment for Aerial Blight and Anthracnose/Pod Blight Diseases in Soybean</div>

<div>Pulses in India have been considered as the poor man&rsquo;s only source of protein. Among them Cowpea (Vigna unguiculata) is an important food legume which is also known as vegetable meat due to high amount of protein in the grain with better biological value on dry weight basis. Various factors viz., diseases and insect pests are mostly responsible for its low production.&nbsp;Among diseases, web blight caused by Rhizoctonia solani is one of the most important disease of cowpea. The web blight appears every year at varying intensity and causes heavy losses in yield. Web blight disease is most severe at seedling and vegetative stage. The disease is characterized by oval or spindle shaped brown black lesions having length ranging from 0.2-8 cm at soil level near collar region and girdling the basal portion of the stem&nbsp;and lesions developed by basidiospores of Thanatephorus cucumeris which are 2-4 mm in diameter, circular and appear as brown necrotic spots with light brown centre. Cob web like symptoms also noticed hence, the name web blight.</div>

<div>Current Status and Prospect of Web Blight of Cowpea: A Review</div>

<div style="text-align: justify;">Stem cells are those cells which show capacity for self-renewal and ability to give rise to multiple differentiated cellular populations. Enzymatic activity, as a marker for cell proliferation and cell viability, is used by metabolic activity assays. Liver stem cells/progenitor cells can be a useful source of liver treatment. &nbsp;They can repopulate and restore injured liver. Fetal liver stem/ progenitor cells have been found to be more capable in this, but are subjected to ethical issues. Adult liver stem cells and stem cells from animals can be used. Alkaline phosphatase and lactate dehydrogenase are enzymatic markers of in vitro hepatocyte culture. During in vitro cell culture, in the culture medium, secreted alkaline phosphatase activity increases during exponential growth of cells, whereas low extracellular lactate dehydrogenase activity indicates increased number of viable cells. Alkaline phosphatase and lactate dehydrogenase activities can be used to assess hepatocytes proliferation in vitro.&nbsp;</div>

Hepatic stem cells and their enzymatic markers- A review

<div>French bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) is a major export vegetable crop that is experiencing severe production problems because of the disease Ascochyta blight (Phoma exigua). The crop can be consumed as a green-pods, dry (mature) beans and shell beans. This is one of the major crops that can be grown all over the world. The most damaging disease of this pulse crop occurring worldwide is Ascochyta blight, attracts a lot of attention from researchers. The pathogen has the ability to significantly reduce yields. In certain parts of the world, it is thus known as a major economically significant disease of the common bean. Understanding the Ascochyta blight of French bean pathogen, disease growth, disease cycle and management strategies for efficient disease control will be the subject of this review. This pathogen first infects the foliage and then on peduncle, petiole, node, on pods and even cause stem girdling also. And there will be formation of clearly visible concentric rings of the fruiting bodies in symptoms. The disease is seed-borne and short distance spread will be with the help of wind and rain-splashes.</div>

​Symptoms, Biology and Management of Ascochyta Blight (Phoma exigua) of French Beans: A Review

Potato (Solanum tuberosum L.), a crucial global food source, is significantly threatened by late blight, a disease caused by Phytophthora infestans. This historically devastating pathogen leads to severe crop losses and economic damage worldwide. Late blight manifests as water-soaked lesions on potato leaves, stems and tubers, resulting in extensive tissue damage and crop failure. The pathogen&rsquo;s ability to reproduce both asexually and sexually enhances its adaptability and persistence. Effective management of late blight requires a comprehensive approach, integrating cultural practices, chemical control, biological controls and genetic resistance. Key cultural methods include crop rotation, field sanitation and the use of disease-free seed potatoes. While chemical controls are useful, their effectiveness is challenged by the growing resistance to fungicides, particularly metalaxyl. Biological control offers a promising alternative, with several microorganisms showing effectiveness in combating P. infestans. Breeding efforts focus on developing resistant potato varieties, with biotechnology advancements like CRISPR/Cas9 providing new opportunities to enhance resistance. Recent advancements in epidemiological modeling, such as the JHULSACAST system, assist in predicting late blight outbreaks and optimizing management strategies. Sustainable management emphasizes reducing chemical fungicide use and promoting eco-friendly practices. Continued research and collaboration among scientists, farmers and policymakers are crucial for mitigating late blight&rsquo;s impact and ensuring the long-term sustainability of potato production. 
&nbsp;

Late Blight of Potato Caused by Phytophthora infestans and its Integrated Management: A Review&nbsp;

<div style="text-align: justify;">Coriander (Coriandrum sativum L.) is an important highly nutritive crop belonging to family Apiaceae. To meet increasing global demand and consumption, coriander productivity must be enhanced. However, biotic stresses such as diseases have impeded coriander cultivation both in the tropics and subtropics. Of them, stem gall of coriander, incited by the fungus Protomyces macrosporus Unger, is one of the most common, widespread and serious diseases throughout the world and causes significant yield losses. Symptomatology, biology, and etiology of stem gall and its control through fungicides, bio-product and bio-control have not been widely studied, and substantial information is still required on the inoculum potential, growth models and epidemiological parameters of stem gall, the influence of changing the climate, impact of extensive use of fungicides and disease resistance. These critical factors may influence the development and emergence of stem gall. Because of the increasing demands of coriander in the world, control of stem gall is gaining importance. The present review deals briefly with different aspects of stem gall disease with major emphasis on its ecology, pathology, epidemiology, and management. Some new approaches such as biological control, integrated management strategies, and some other aspects are also discussed.</div>

<div style="text-align: justify;">Stem Gall of Coriander: A Review</div>

<div style="text-align: justify;">Onion (Allium cepa) is one of the most important crop grown throughout the world. Onion suffers from many diseases caused by fungi, bacteria, viruses, nematodes and abiotic factors. Among them fungal diseases stemphylium blight is the most serious and devastating disease of onion limiting the quality and quantity of both bulb and seed. The present review is mainly focused on variability associated with Stemphylium vesicarium and its integrated management. Variability studies are important to document the changes occurring in the population and individuals with variability in morphological, cultural and pathogenic characteristics so as to breed the varieties with durable resistance to the stemphylium blight of onion andidentification of source of resistance against the range of virulence present in the pathogen population. Further, management of stemphylium blight of onion through fungicide application is feasible, however, long term usage of fungicides has led to the resistance development in pathogens besides hazardous environmental consequences associated with their use. The most efficient and economical method to mitigate the menace of this disease is therefore, integrated disease management (IDM) approach where other non-chemical ecofriendly management strategies are integrated with chemical methods in order to manage the diseases more efficiently with reduced use of chemicals. Among non-chemical ecofriendly management strategies biological control is gaining interest as an alternative or complement to chemical treatment of the disease. The present review paper deals with distribution, symptomatology, pathogenicity, variability and integrated management.&nbsp;</div>

<div style="text-align: justify;">Stemphylium Blight of Onion: A Review</div>

Background: Homeostasis in adult body is maintained by stem cells which is a powerful reservoir harbored in the body which regenerate tissue and in response to disease and injury.Hair follicle is a dynamic mini organ supporting important biological functions of the body in maintaining homeostasis and skin tissue self-renewal. Hair follicle protects the body from cold and potential injuries. To know the pluripotency nature of hair follicle stem cells, a study was conducted on canine HFSCs (cHFSCs). 
&nbsp; 
Methods: In-vitro culture of cHFSCs was done by William&rsquo;s E medium with several growth factors and passaged. Stemness of the cultured cells was assessed by immunostaining of cells with Anti-cytokeratin 15 (CK15) marker. Viability of cells was checked by acridine orange staining and passage 2 cells were induced for adipogenic differentiation using adipogenic induction media for a period of seven days. 
 
Result: A spindle shaped cell with accumulation of fat droplets was observed in differentiated cHFSCs. Differentiated cHFSCs were positively stained for Oil Red &lsquo;O&rsquo; staining. Thus, this research proves that cHFSCs were multipotent cells which can be differentiated into many other type of cells such as adipocytes, chondrocytes, etc.

Adipogenic Differentiation of Canine Hair Follicle Stem Cells (cHFSCs)

<div>Background: Pigeonpea [Cajanus cajan (L.) Millsp] is one of the primary grain legume crops grown in India for its high quality vegetable protein, animal feed and fodder. It is affected by various fungal and viral diseases. Among these, leaf blight caused by Alternaria alternata is one of the most destructive diseases and recently the disease of minor importance becomes major one in Tamil Nadu. Use of resistant cultivar is the most effective, economically viable and eco-friendly tool for combating the plant diseases. The micronutrients play a key role in many physiological and biochemical functions of the plants which influences plant pathogenic interaction. The micronutrients viz., Zn.Mn,Cu and Fe found to have greater impact on reducing the plant disease severity. Developing integrated disease management strategy involving disease resistant variety, micronutrient and fungicide application would be the best sustainable method for controlling the pigeonpea leaf blight. 
 
Methods: Twenty four pigeonpea genotypes along with two local varieties viz., CO5 and CO6 were evaluated in the field for their resistance against Alternaria alternata leaf blight disease, consecutively for three years from 2015-16 to 2017-18 using the disease resistance scale ranging from 0 to 9. Field experiments were also conducted for three consecutive Kharif season from 2015 to 2018 to evaluate the efficacy of the foliar application of different micronutrients and combination fungicide viz., carbendazim 12% + mancozeb 63% on the incidence of leaf blight disease.&nbsp; 
 
Result: A total of 24 pigeonpea genotypes were screened for their resistance against leaf blight under field condition. Among these, four genotypes viz., BDN2, IPA 8F, IPA 15F and MA6 were found resistance and nine genotypes were moderately resistant and remaining 11 genotypes showed susceptible reaction to leaf blight. The results of the field experiment on micronutrient and fungicide application revealed that foliar spraying of MnSO 4 @0.2% on 30 days after sowing and carbendazim 12%+ mancozeb 63%@ 1g / lit on 45 days after sowing recorded the lowest leaf blight incidence of 8.1 PDI (Per cent Disease Index) with the highest disease reduction of 76.9% as against 35 PDI in the untreated control plot. The above treatments also recorded the highest grain yield of 905 kg/ ha as against 703 kg/ in the untreated control.</div>