Plant Pathology Science

In the recant decade, biopesticides with entomopathogenic nematodes (EPNs) have been developed with using different methods and materials. But the production of such biopesticides has always accompanied by some limitations such as low quality of the final product, and reducing the efficacy under field conditions. Recently, significant progress has been made in increasing in the survival time of these products. Applying two types of formulations, water dispersible granules and calcium alginate capsules, has increased the EPN survival time from 7 days to 180 days. As compare to aqueous formulation, the formulations based on the use of insect cadavers with EPNs, showed higher efficiency in pest control. New methods of the mass production of EPNs, using automated production lines and the use of new additives with better properties for field applications and methods in increasing the infectivity of these nematodes in pests are discussed in this article.

Walnut is one of the most important fruit trees in Iran, which is always exposed to pathogens, especially bacteria. The three most important bacterial diseases of walnut in Iran are bacterial blight (Xanthomonas arboricola pv. juglandis), skin cankers (Brenneria nigrifluens, Brenneria rubrifacians) and crown gall (Agrobacterium tumefaciens). Bacteriological characteristics and pathogenicity of pathogenic bacteria, methods of managing these diseases, along with suggestions for identifying resistant genotypes of walnut trees by molecular methods are described in this article.