Italian Bugloss Mill.) is a common flowering plant native to Jordan and an important medical herb that has many pharmaceutical uses and has beautiful blue flowers that attract bees. A rust disease was found infecting many Italian Bugloss plants with high infection rate of a leaf rust disease during a field-trips in March, 2022 in Mutah, Karak Province of Jordan. The diseased plants had shown yellow to orange pustules of rust disease on their leaves that shown curled, malformed, wilted and dead. The leaves were only infected part of the diseased plant thus the disease is a leaf rust. Disease incidence was about 32% and severity ranged from 10-86%. The pustules were orange aecia round to ovoid in shape aeciospores with orange color were seen that have an average of 25 x 28 μm in size. Aceia stage was found on Italian Bugloss as a secondary host forPuccinia tritici- duri which is a leaf rust pathogen on durum wheat that is common in Mediterranean region and Jordan.
Soybean is one of the most valuable legume crops globally and an excellent source of vegetable oil. However, its productivity is significantly affected by seed-borne pathogens that contribute to yield reduction. In the present study, seed samples of five soybean cultivars—JS-335, MAUS-162, AMS-1001, AMS-MB-5-18, and MAUS-71—were collected and evaluated for seed-borne mycoflora using the standard blotter paper method, standard agar plate method, and rolled paper towel method as per ISTA guidelines. A total of nine seed-borne fungi, including both saprophytic and parasitic species, were identified: Alternaria alternata, Rhizoctonia bataticola, Curvularia lunata, Fusarium solani, Cladosporium cladosporioides, Drechslera rostrata, Aspergillus niger, Aspergillus flavus, and Rhizopus stolonifer. Among the detection methods, the standard blotter method recorded the highest frequency of fungal occurrence, with Fusarium solani being the most dominant (25.25%), followed by A. flavus (16.75%), A. niger (13.27%), D. rostrata (4.90%), and others in decreasing order. R. bataticola was predominantly detected using the agar plate method, showing 18.35% frequency. These findings emphasize the importance of seed health testing and fungal detection methods for effective disease management in soybean cultivation.
Timely and accurate detection of plant pathogens is essential to safeguard global food production, particularly in the context of emerging diseases and climate-induced agricultural vulnerabilities. Conventional diagnostic techniques such as enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), polymerase chain reaction (PCR), and loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP), although effective under laboratory conditions, are often constrained by high costs, extended processing times, and limited field portability. In this context, biosensor technology has emerged as a promising alternative, enabling rapid, sensitive, and on-site detection of plant pathogens with minimal technical requirements. This review examines the evolution, historical development, and recent advances in biosensor-based diagnostics for plant disease detection. Various biosensor platforms, including antibody-based, DNA-based, optical, and electrochemical biosensors, are discussed. These devices utilize molecular recognition mechanisms that convert biological interactions into measurable signals through techniques such as impedance spectroscopy, surface plasmon resonance, and colorimetric assays. Special emphasis is placed on the incorporation of nanomaterials, including gold nanoparticles, quantum dots, and carbon nanotubes, which significantly enhance detection sensitivity, signal transduction, and probe stability. Despite notable progress, several challenges remain, such as analyte interference, limited multiplexing capability, and the need for robust field validation. Nevertheless, ongoing innovations in microfluidics, portable sensing platforms, and artificial intelligence-integrated diagnostics are expected to accelerate the adoption of biosensors in plant disease surveillance. The integration of biosensor technologies into agricultural monitoring systems supports early disease intervention, reduces reliance on chemical inputs, and represents a critical step toward sustainable, data-driven, and resilient farming practices.
Dragon fruit is an emerging high-value crop in tropical and subtropical regions, affected by stem rot disease, posing a significant threat to its commercial cultivation. The present study was undertaken during 2023–2024 at ICAR–National Institute of Abiotic Stress Management (NIASM), Baramati, to isolate, identify, and assess the pathogenicity of Fusarium spp. associated with stem rot in dragon fruit. Disease samples exhibiting typical necrotic lesions were collected from ICAR-NIASM orchards and nearby farmer fields. Pathogen isolation was performed on potato dextrose agar (PDA), resulting in pure cultures from 20 out of 25 samples. Eight distinct isolates were characterized based on cultural and morphological features, including colony pigmentation, hyphal structures, and conidial measurements. Macroconidia were typically 3–5 septate, slender, and foot-shaped at the basal cell, while microconidia were oval to spindle-shaped and 0–2 septate; chlamydospores were observed in select isolates. Pathogenicity was confirmed via a detached cladode assay under controlled laboratory conditions using a standardized spore suspension (1×10⁶ spores/mL). Inoculated cladodes developed characteristic stem rot symptoms, and the pathogen was successfully re-isolated, fulfilling Koch's postulates. The findings confirm Fusarium oxysporum and F. solani as key causal agents of stem rot in dragon fruit. This study provides foundational data for targeted disease management strategies and contributes to sustainable dragon fruit production in India.
Pea ( L.) is one of the most important legume crop after chickpea in Pisum sativum India. In the present investigation, keeping in view these facts, roving survey was conducted during 2018-19 and 2019-20 to obtain information on the natural disease incidence and distribution of Pea diseases in the farmers’ fields in four different districts of Madhya Pradesh. Apooled mean of seed and seedling disease ranging from 10.19 to 41.22%, wilt incidence ranging from 23.46 to 42.53 %, Powdery mildew incidence ranging from 41.29 to 59.62% and Downy mildew incidence ranging from 1.97 to 18.33% was observed during 2018-19 and 2019-20. Diseases transmitted through seeds are becoming a significant threat to the production of peas.(Katni, Mandla, Narsinghpur and Jabalpur).
