Development and evaluation of polyclonal antibodies for detection of Pythium aphanidermatum and Fusarium oxysporum in ginger

Benzalkonium Chloride and Benzethonium Chloride Effectively Reduce Spore Germination of Ginger Soft Rot Pathogens: Fusarium solani and Fusarium oxysporum

Ginger soft rot is a serious soil-borne disease caused by Fusarium solani and Fusarium oxysporum, resulting in reduced crop yields. The application of common chemical fungicides is considered to be an effective method of sterilization, and therefore, they pose a serious threat to the environment and human health due to their high toxicity. Benzalkonium chloride (BAC) and benzethonium chloride (BEC) are two popular quaternary ammonium salts with a wide range of fungicidal effects. In this study, we investigated the fungicidal effects of BAC and BEC on soft rot disease of ginger as alternatives to common chemical fungicides. Two soft rot pathogens of ginger were successfully isolated from diseased ginger by using the spread plate method and sequenced as F. solani and F. oxysporum using the high-throughput fungal sequencing method. We investigated the fungicidal effects of BAC and BEC on F. solani and F. oxysporum, and we explored the antifungal mechanisms. Almost complete inactivation of spores of F. solani and F. oxysporum was observed at 100 mg/L fungicide concentration. Only a small amount of spore regrowth was observed after the inactivation treatment of spores of F. solani and F. oxysporum in soil, which proved that BAC and BEC have the potential to be used as an alternative to common chemical fungicides for soil disinfection of diseased ginger.

Pythium Damping-Off and Root Rot of Capsicum annuum L.: Impacts, Diagnosis, and Management

Capsicum annuum L. is a significant horticulture crop known for its pungent varieties and used as a spice. The pungent character in the plant, known as capsaicinoid, has been discovered to have various health benefits. However, its production has been affected due to various exogenous stresses, including diseases caused by a soil-borne pathogen, Pythium spp. predominantly affecting the Capsicum plant in younger stages and causing damping-off, this pathogen can incite root rot in later plant growth stages. Due to the involvement of multiple Pythium spp. and their capability to disperse through various routes, their detection and diagnosis have become crucial. However, the quest for a point-of-care technology is still far from over. The use of an integrated approach with cultural and biological techniques for the management of Pythium spp. can be the best and most sustainable alternative to the traditionally used and hazardous chemical approach. The lack of race-specific resistance genes against Pythium spp. can be compensated with the candidate quantitative trait loci (QTL) genes in C. annuum L. This review will focus on the epidemiological factors playing a major role in disease spread, the currently available diagnostics in species identification, and the management strategies with a special emphasis on Pythium spp. causing damping-off and root rot in different cultivars of C. annuum L.