The National Onion Bacterial Strain Collection (NOBSC) is a publicly accessible resource comprising more than 2,200 bacterial strains isolated primarily from diseased onion plants across major U.S. onion-producing regions. Developed as part of the United States Department of Agriculture National Institute of Food and Agriculture Specialty Crops Research Initiative project “Stop the Rot” (award no. 2019-51181-30013), the NOBSC represents a substantial curation of onion-associated bacteria available to the research community. The collection houses strains from genera that include species with important onion pathogens—Burkholderia, Enterobacter, Pantoea, Pseudomonas, Rahnella, and Xanthomonas—as well as isolates of more than 130 other genera recovered from symptomatic onion tissues (foliage and bulbs). Accompanying metadata include geographic origin, host tissue type, phenotypic assessments (including onion pathogenicity assays), and 16S rRNA-based genus assignments. The NOBSC provides an excellent resource for plant pathology studies, comparative genomics, and the development of molecular diagnostic tools, as well as standardized strain material for phenotypic screening of onion germplasm for resistance to bacterial pathogens. All strains are available for request directly from nobsc.alliumnet.com at cost-recovery rates, contingent on the requester having appropriate permitting. The collection is maintained at the University of Georgia. [Figure: see text] The author(s) have dedicated the work to the public domain under the Creative Commons CC0 “No Rights Reserved” license by waiving all of his or her rights to the work worldwide under copyright law, including all related and neighboring rights, to the extent allowed by law, 2026.
The plant growth–promoting rhizobacteria strain Rossellomorea sp. RL-WG62, previously isolated from the rhizospheric compartment of the salt-tolerant cultivar Sea Rice 86 (SR86), could enhance plant growth and mitigate salt stress of SR86. Its beneficial effects are linked to the regulation of ion homeostasis, increased plant biomass and chlorophyll content, and reduction of proline and malondialdehyde levels in roots. Here, we present the complete genome sequence of strain RL-WG62, providing a foundation for elucidating the molecular mechanisms underlying its salt tolerance–promoting activity and exploring its potential for agricultural applications. [Figure: see text] Copyright © 2026 The Author(s). This is an open access article distributed under the CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 International license.
Air sampling is used to monitor aerially dispersed grape fungal pathogens. Capturing the airborne fungal community (aeromycobiome) is a promising approach for monitoring fungi that may impact grapevine health. However, the optimal sampler type, placement, and weather conditions for aerial community-based surveillance in vineyards remain ill-defined. In this study, air and rainwater samplers captured the aeromycobiome at three canopy heights (0.61m, 1.37m, and 1.83m) using ITS1 amplicon-based sequencing (n= 117 samples). Various meteorological factors were identified as influencing community composition from July to September 2022 (nine weeks) within a Vitis interspecific hybrid ‘Vignoles’ vineyard in Michigan. Air samplers recovered 464 genera, and rainwater samplers recovered 598 genera. Taxa of interest included Botrytis spp. and Cladosporium spp. in the air samplers and Aureobasidium spp. and Hanseniaspora spp. in the rainwater samplers. PERMANOVA results indicated significant differences in community composition between air and rainwater samplers ( R 2 = 0.27, p = 0.001) and by week in both air ( R 2 = 0.70, p = 0.001) and rainwater samples ( R 2 = 0.28, p = 0.001). Height had no effect on air community composition ( R 2 = 0.036, p = 0.272) but impacted rainwater community composition ( R 2 = 0.057, p = 0.017). Height’s minimal effect suggests that the aerial fungi present within the canopy remain consistent. Minimum relative humidity correlated with the shifts in aerial community composition. These findings provide baseline data on sampler choice, sampler height, and weather conditions that influence fungal dynamics, potentially aiding in the detection of pathogens and yeasts of viticultural interest.
Ten commercially available non-fumigant synthetic and biological nematicides were evaluated for suppressing mid-season densities of plant-parasitic nematodes and protecting corn grain yield at two locations (Jackson and Pulaski Counties) in Arkansas from 2022 to 2025. Nematicide active ingredients consisted of abamectin, fluopyram, terbufos, Bacillus amyloliquefaciens (PTA4838), B. amyloliquefaciens + cis-jasmone, B. flavus (I-1582), and Burkholderia rinojensis (A396) applied as seed treatment and/or in-furrow at planting. Nematode genera varied among site-years and included Meloidogyne spp., Paratrichodorus spp., Pratylenchus spp., and Tylenchorhynchus spp. Nematode densities were generally low or below economic thresholds for corn production in Arkansas. None of the nematicide treatments were effective in reducing nematode densities for any of the corn nematodes present or in protecting grain yield potential. These data indicate that currently available nematicides provide limited and inconsistent benefits in corn production, particularly when nematode densities for multiple genera are low.
Cercospora sojina , the causal agent of frogeye leaf spot (FLS), is an economically important fungal pathogen of soybean in the southeastern United States and has become endemic throughout the Midwest and upper Midwest. Current research on C. sojina focuses on epidemiology, host resistance, early detection, and molecular characterization, highlighting the need for a high-quality genome assembly to support accurate identification of molecular mechanisms underlying pathogenicity and adaptation. This study reports the first PacBio HiFi-based, high-quality, chromosome-level genome assembly of C. sojina with a total length of 40.7 Mb, an N50 of 4.53 Mb, a longest contig of 6.16 Mb, and 99.5% BUSCO genome completeness, consisting predominantly of single-copy genes, based on the Mycosphaerellaceae family dataset. Comparative genomic analysis revealed four regions of structural divergence with the current reference genome representing candidate structural variants that require further validation to distinguish biological variation from assembly-related differences. Together, this chromosome-level genome provides a high-quality resource for studies on C. sojina evolution, pathogenicity, and population dynamics, thereby advancing efforts to improve frogeye leaf spot management in soybean.
