• Research in Plant Disease
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• v.26 no.3
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• pp.121-133
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• 2020

Climate change, increased extreme weather and climate events, and rapidly changing socio-economic environment threaten agriculture and thus food security of our society. Therefore, it is urgent to shift from conventional farming to smart agriculture using big data and artificial intelligence to secure sustainable growth. In order to efficiently manage plant diseases through smart agriculture, agricultural big data that can be utilized with various advanced technologies must be secured first. In this review, we will first learn about agrometeorological big data consisted of meteorological, environmental, and agricultural data that the plant pathology communities can contribute for smart plant disease management. We will then present each sequential components of the smart plant disease management, which are prediction, monitoring and diagnosis, control, prevention and risk management of plant diseases. This review will give us an appraisal of where we are at the moment, what has been prepared so far, what is lacking, and how to move forward for the preparation of smart plant disease management.

• The Plant Pathology Journal
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• v.37 no.3
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• pp.205-214
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• 2021

The use of the supernatant from a Bacillus subtilis culture mixed with sodium bicarbonate was explored as a means of controlling stem brown spot disease in dragon fruit plants. In in vitro experiments, the B. subtilis supernatant used with sodium bicarbonate showed a strong inhibition effect on the growth of the fungus, Neoscytalidium dimidiatum, the agent causing stem brown spot disease and was notably effective in preventing fungal invasion of dragon fruit plant. This combination not only directly suppressed the growth of N. dimidiatum, but also indirectly affected the development of the disease by eliciting the dragon-fruit plant's defense response. Substantial levels of the pathogenesis-related proteins, chitinase and glucanase, and the phenylpropanoid biosynthetic pathway enzymes, peroxidase and phenyl alanine ammonia-lyase, were triggered. Significant lignin deposition was also detected in treated cladodes of injured dragon fruit plants in in vivo experiments. In summary, B. subtilis supernatant combined with sodium bicarbonate protected dragon fruit plant loss through stem brown spot disease during plant development in the field through pathogenic fungal inhibition and the induction of defense response mechanisms.

• Research in Plant Disease
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• v.30 no.1
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• pp.99-102
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• 2024

Integrated pest management is essential for controlling plant diseases that reduce crop yields. Rapid diagnosis is crucial for effective management in the event of an outbreak to identify the cause and minimize damage. Diagnosis methods range from indirect visual observation, which can be subjective and inaccurate, to machine learning and deep learning predictions that may suffer from biased data. Direct molecular-based methods, while accurate, are complex and time-consuming. However, the development of large multimodal models, like GPT-4, combines image recognition with natural language processing for more accurate diagnostic information. This study introduces GPT-4-based system for diagnosing plant diseases utilizing a detailed knowledge base with 1,420 host plants, 2,462 pathogens, and 37,467 pesticide instances from the official plant disease and pesticide registries of Korea. The AI plant doctor offers interactive advice on diagnosis, control methods, and pesticide use for diseases in Korea and is accessible at https://pdoc.scnu.ac.kr/.

• The Plant Pathology Journal
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• v.39 no.2
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• pp.159-170
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• 2023

Spot blotch disease of wheat caused by Bipolaris sorokiniana (Sacc.) Shoem is considered as an economically important disease which affects all the growing stages of wheat crop. Therefore, it is important to search some effective management strategies against the spot blotch pathogen. Some synthetic elicitor compounds (salicylic acid, isonicotinic acid, and chitosan) and nano-particles (silver and aluminum) were tested against the pathogen to observe the change in biochemical activity and defense action of wheat plant against spot blotch disease. All the tested elicitor compounds and nano-particles showed a significant increase in activity of peroxidase, polyphenol oxidase (PPO), and total phenol over control. The highest increase in activity of peroxidase was recorded at 72 h from chitosan at 2 mM and 96 h from silver nano-particle at 100 ppm. Maximum PPO and total phenol activity were recorded from chitosan at 2 mM and silver nano-particle at 100 ppm as compared to pathogen-treated and healthy control. The lowest percent disease index, lowest no. of spots/leaf, and no. of infected leaves/plant were found in silver nano-particle at 100 ppm and chitosan at 2 mM, respectively. The use of defense inducer compounds results in significantly up-regulated enzymatic activity and reduced spot blotch disease. Therefore, chitosan and silver nano-particle could be used as alternative methods for the management of spot blotch disease.

• The Plant Pathology Journal
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• v.18 no.3
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• pp.147-151
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• 2002

Seven fungicides were compared for the control of downy mildew on midge gourd. All treatments had significantly lower rates of disease progress curves and disease severity levels than that of the control. The highest yields were obtained from crops treated with metalaxyl + mancozeb, fosetyl-Al, and chlorothalonil. These treatments also proved to be the most economical considering the treatment costs.

• The Plant Pathology Journal
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• v.36 no.3
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• pp.204-217
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• 2020

In nature, plants are always under the threat of pests and diseases. Pathogenic bacteria are one of the major pathogen types to cause diseases in diverse plants, resulting in negative effects on plant growth and crop yield. Chemical bactericides and antibiotics have been used as major approaches for controlling bacterial plant diseases in the field or greenhouse. However, the appearance of resistant bacteria to common antibiotics and bactericides as well as their potential negative effects on environment and human health demands bacteriologists to develop alternative control agents. Bacteriophages, the viruses that can infect and kill only target bacteria very specifically, have been demonstrated as potential agents, which may have no negative effects on environment and human health. Many bacteriophages have been isolated against diverse plant-pathogenic bacteria, and many studies have shown to efficiently manage the disease development in both controlled and open conditions such as greenhouse and field. Moreover, the specificity of bacteriophages to certain bacterial species has been applied to develop detection tools for the diagnosis of plant-pathogenic bacteria. In this paper, we summarize the promising results from greenhouse or field experiments with bacteriophages to manage diseases caused by plant-pathogenic bacteria. In addition, we summarize the usage of bacteriophages for the specific detection of plant-pathogenic bacteria.

• The Plant Pathology Journal
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• v.39 no.1
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• pp.1-20
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• 2023

In the past, rice bakanae was considered an endemic disease that did not cause significant losses in Korea; however, the disease has recently become a serious threat due to climate change, changes in farming practices, and the emergence of fungicide-resistant strains. Since the bakanae outbreak in 2006, its incidence has gradually decreased due to the application of effective control measures such as hot water immersion methods and seed disinfectants. However, in 2013, a marked increase in bakanae incidence was observed, causing problems for rice farmers. Therefore, in this review, we present the potential risks from climate change based on an epidemiological understanding of the pathogen, host plant, and environment, which are the key elements influencing the incidence of bakanae. In addition, disease management options to reduce the disease pressure of bakanae below the economic threshold level are investigated, with a specific focus on resistant varieties, as well as chemical, biological, cultural, and physical control methods. Lastly, as more effective countermeasures to bakanae, we propose an integrated disease management option that combines different control methods, including advanced imaging technologies such as remote sensing. In this review, we revisit and examine bakanae, a traditional seed-borne fungal disease that has not gained considerable attention in the agricultural history of Korea. Based on the understanding of the present significance and anticipated risks of the disease, the findings of this study are expected to provide useful information for the establishment of an effective response strategy to bakanae in the era of climate change.

• The Plant Pathology Journal
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• v.37 no.5
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• pp.437-445
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• 2021

Tilletia laevis Kuhn (syn. Tilletia foetida (Wallr.) Liro.) causes wheat common bunt, which is one of the most devastating plant diseases in the world. Common bunt can result in a reduction of 80% or even a total loss of wheat production. In this study, the characteristics of T. laevis infection in compatible wheat plants were defined based on the combination of scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy and laser scanning confocal microscopy. We found T. laevis could lead to the abnormal growth of wheat tissues and cells, such as leakage of chloroplasts, deformities, disordered arrangements of mesophyll cells and also thickening of the cell wall of mesophyll cells in leaf tissue. What's more, T. laevis teliospores were found in the roots, stems, flag leaves, and glumes of infected wheat plants instead of just in the ovaries, as previously reported. The abnormal characteristics caused by T. laevis may be used for early detection of this pathogen instead of molecular markers in addition to providing theoretical insights into T. laevis and wheat interactions for breeding of common bunt resistance.

• Journal of Veterinary Clinics
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• v.35 no.4
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• pp.119-125
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• 2018

In vitro diagnostic veterinary medical reagents (IVDVMRs) were diverted the medical devices from medicine by the revision of the pharmaceutical affairs act enforcement regulations in 2015 in Korea. It classified into class I-IV according to risks of individual and public health. However, good manufacturing practices requirements on IVDVMRs were exempted from the current system. The registration of IVDVMRs by the Animal and Plant Quarantine Agency has gradually increased since 2012, and total of 584 products from 68 companies were registered from 1978 to 2017. Most of these items are clinical immunochemistry (infection disease), clinical immunochemistry (non-infection disease), molecular genetics, endocrinology, blood gas analysis, clinical microbiology, toxin, heavy metal and drug of abuse, other etc. The market size of IVDVMRs reported from the Korea Animal Health Products Association was estimated to be approximately 51.9 billion won in 2017. The domestic consumption and the export sales were approximately 31.2 and 20.7 billion won, respectively. They are increasing 23.9% (CAGR) in domestic consumption and 40.4% (CAGR) in export from 2011 to 2017.

• Korean Journal of Veterinary Research
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• v.60 no.1
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• pp.9-14
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• 2020

This study describes pathological, immunohistochemical, and bacteriological findings in adult dogs and fetuses naturally infected with Brucella (B.) canis. A total of 42 dogs including 40 dogs and 2 aborted fetuses were examined. The most common gross lesions in infected dogs were swelling of lymph nodes and spleen. The testes showed marked swelling with multifocal to diffuse reddish discoloration. The most significant histopathological lesions were observed in the placenta. Placental trophoblasts were markedly hypertrophied due to the accumulation of intra-cellular gram-negative bacteria. Lymphocytic inflammation of varying severity was observed in the reproductive organs such as male testis, epididymis, and prostate gland and female uterus. Strong immunolabelling was observed in the cytoplasm of most trophoblasts in the placental tissues using immunohistochemistry. However, immunohistochemical staining did not demonstrate any organisms in other organs of dogs and fetuses. B. canis isolates were most frequently obtained from the whole blood (82.5%) and superficial inguinal lymph node (77.5%) in both sexes. In addition, the isolation rate was higher in male genital organs than in those of females. Hence, management of male dogs is most important because infected dogs can play a role as carriers.