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Powdery Mildew of Bigleaf Hydrangea: Biology, Control, and Breeding Strategies for Resistance
Hydrangea macrophylla, commonly known as bigleaf, garden, French, or florist hydrangea, is the most economically important member of the Hydrangea genus, with a breeding history spanning hundreds of years. Bigleaf hydrangea breeding improvement has largely focused on aesthetic traits and there are few varieties tolerant or resistant to major diseases such as powdery mildew. Powdery mildew is an obligate biotrophic Ascomycete in the order Erysiphales represented by approximately 900 species worldwide. The disease-causing agent in hydrangeas is Golovinomyces orontii (formerly Erysiphe polygoni DC), which tarnishes the beauty, growth, and salability of bigleaf hydrangea plants, especially those packed closely in production environments. Chemical or biological control is commonly used in production. A recently published haplotype-resolved genome of bigleaf hydrangea enables targeted analyses and breeding techniques for powdery mildew resistance. Analyzing transcriptomes of tolerant and susceptible hydrangeas through RNA sequencing will lead to the identification of differentially expressed genes and/or pathways. Concurrent application of marker-assisted selection, genetic transformation, and gene editing will contribute to the development of powdery-mildew-resistant varieties of bigleaf hydrangea. The aim of this review is to give a general overview of powdery mildew, its impact on bigleaf hydrangea, current control methods, molecular mechanisms, and breeding prospects for powdery mildew resistance in bigleaf hydrangea
Role of Chemical Priming Agents in Modulating Germination Response to Enhance Crop Eetablishment in Cereal Crops
Seed priming is a critical pre-sowing strategy to enhance germination and early seedling vigour under diverse environmental conditions. This study evaluated the effects of various priming agents, including Boric acid, DAP, CaCO3, FeCl2, Urea, PEG (5%), CuSO4, MOP, PEG (10%), and ZnSO4, on germination parameters-germination percentage (GP), germination speed (GS), germination energy (GE), and vigour index (VI)-across rice, wheat, and maize varieties. A two factorial experiment was conducted using a completely randomized design, with ANOVA revealing significant effects (p \u3c 0.001) of variety, treatment, and their interaction on germination traits. The results demonstrated that FeCl2 significantly improved germination in rice, particularly for the BRRI Dhan-66 variety, while CaCO3 and PEG treatments showed varying efficacy across crops. In wheat, the Bijaya variety exhibited superior performance with CaCO3 treatment, whereas DAP was more effective for Banganga. Maize showed the highest germination rates overall, with Sundarharaicha-LR1 responding positively to ZnSO4 and boric acid. Correlation and PCA analyses highlighted strong interdependence among germination traits, with GS and GP emerging as robust indicators. Varietal clustering in PCA revealed genetic variability in response to priming agents. This study provides valuable insights into optimizing priming techniques for enhancing seed performance in cereals. The findings emphasize the importance of tailored priming strategies based on crop species and variety to maximize agricultural productivity