Peer Review Digest- April 2026

Swarnalatha Moparthi, North Carolina State University – SPDN, Sara Bratsch, Minnesota Department of Agriculture – NCPDN, Ashley Philbrick, North Carolina State University – SPDN 
The Communicator: Volume 7, Issue 3, April 2026 

Contact Swarnalatha Moparthi (smopart@ncsu.edu), Sara Bratsch (sara.bratsch@state.mn.us), and Ashley Philbrick (aphilbr@ncsu.edu) for suggestions to include.

Denotes publications with one or more authors who are members of NPDN.Denotes publications with one or more authors who are members of NPDN.

Diagnostic guides

None

Pathogens

Bacteria:

Denotes publications with one or more authors who are members of NPDN.Pantoea-Induced Interveinal Chlorosis (PIC): A new bacterial disease of corn and sorghum caused by Pantoea agglomerans identified in the Texas Panhandle

Denotes publications with one or more authors who are members of NPDN.Diversity and specific detection of Pseudomonas syringae associated with zucchini squash seed production

Detection and occurrence of airborne Xanthomonas hortorum pv. carotae in carrot seed production systems

Fungi/Oomycete:

A survey of canker-associated pathogens in declining cold-hardy interspecific hybrid grapevines in Iowa

Fighting against invasive species through global and stakeholder partnerships—A case study of boxwood blight

Denotes publications with one or more authors who are members of NPDN.A Ceratobasidium species associated with vascular streak dieback of woody ornamental plants in Virginia, U.S.A.

The 2022 Fusarium head blight outbreak in Ethiopia: Emerging pathogens, mixed mycotoxins, and interspecies interactions

Surrounded: Inoculum sources of Colletotrichum gloeosporioides complex pathogens around Florida ericales crops: Tea, camellia, and blueberry

Progression of corn tar spot and reproducibility assessment of an inoculation protocol in semicontrolled environments

Population structure of Phytophthora × alni on a local scale and its temporal development

Mating-type loci modulate pathogenicity and non-sexual development through autocrine pheromone signalling in the asexual fungus Fusarium oxysporum

Virus and Phytoplasma:

Citrus tristeza virus: From devastating epidemics to effective management in citrus-producing regions around the world

Methods and protocols

Denotes publications with one or more authors who are members of NPDN.Development of molecular markers for the detection of Ceratobasidium sp. D.P. Rogers associated with vascular streak dieback of woody ornamentals in the United States

Development and validation of molecular assays for detection of root- and butt-rot diseases in western redcedar 

Using leaf hyperspectral data to early detect flavescence dorée before the onset of symptoms in a heavily affected vineyard of Tuscany (central Italy)  

Estimating the potential for soybean seed infection by Diaporthe spp. and Cercospora spp. at physiological maturity

Notable First Reports

Field crops:

First report of Clonostachys rhizophaga causing root rot of soybeans in North Dakota  

First report of Xanthomonas translucens pv. undulosa causing bacterial leaf streak on wheat in Arizona, U.S.A.

First report of soybean seed disease caused by Epicoccum italicum in North Dakota

First report of Curvularia leaf spot of corn caused by Curvularia lunata in Minnesota

Fruit and spices:

First report of Ralstonia pseudosolanacearum (Phylotype I) causing bacterial wilt in Zingiber officinale in Slovenia

Denotes publications with one or more authors who are members of NPDN.Watermelon crinkle leaf-associated virus 1 and watermelon mosaic virus mixed infecting watermelon (Citrullus lanatus) in Indiana

First Report of a new potexvirus isolate infecting citrus in the United States

Woody ornamentals:

First report of anthracnose caused by Colletotrichum fioriniae on flowering dogwood (Cornus florida) in the southeastern United States

Cannabis:

First report of Fusarium graminearum causing head blight on hemp (Cannabis sativa) in Wisconsin

First report of Pythium myriotylum causing damping off and root rot in Cannabis sativa in Florida

Peer review highlights

Development of a field-deployable loop-mediated isothermal amplification assay for the rapid detection of Erysiphe corylacearum in Hazelnut

A multi-scale perception-enhanced lightweight network with knowledge distillation for rice leaf disease detection

Characterization of Fusarium species composition, trichothecene genotype, and in planta and in vitro fungicide sensitivity of isolates from wheat and corn in Michigan, United States

Developing PCR-based assays for detecting pea seed-borne mosaic virus (PSbMV) in plants, seeds, and its aphid vector, Acyrthosiphon pisum

Development of a quantitative PCR method to detect the bacterial gall pathogen Pseudomonas amygdali pv. loropetali from loropetalum plant materials 

Denotes publications with one or more authors who are members of NPDN.Development of a translation elongation factor 1-alpha (tef)–based taqman qPCR assay for Diaporthe humulicola, the causal agent of halo blight of hop

Real-time collection of conidia released from living single colonies of Podosphaera aphanis on strawberry leaves under natural conditions with electrostatic techniques

Re-envisioning the plant disease triangle: Full integration of the host microbiota and a focal pivot to health outcomes  

Denotes publications with one or more authors who are members of NPDN.Plant pathogen name game: Cross kingdom review for the naming of biotic agents associated with plants

Seed pathology: Challenges and advances in ensuring a safe global seed supply

Extension

Florida blueberry leaf disease guide

2026 North Carolina peach and nectarine disease and pest management guide

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