Phytophthora, with 203 species, is a genus of high importance in agriculture worldwide. Here we present the online resource "IDphy" (Link) developed to facilitate the correct identification of species of Phytophthora using the type specimens from the original descriptions wherever possible. IDphy emphasizes species of high economic impact and regulatory concern for the United States. IDphy presents an interactive Lucid key and a tabular key for 161 culturable species described as of May 2018, including 141 ex-types and 20 well-authenticated specimens. IDphy contains SOPs for morphological and molecular characterization, as well as a glossary, image gallery, and numerous links. Each of the 161 factsheets includes access to nomenclature, morphological and molecular features, including sequences of ITS rDNA, COI (barcoding genes), YPT1, β-tub, EF1α, L10, HSP90 and other genes. IDphy contains an innovative in silico BLAST and phylogenetic sequence analysis using NCBI. The IDphy Mobile App, released in August 2021 (free for Android or iOS) (Link) allows users to take the Lucid key into the laboratory. IDphy is the first online identification tool based on the ex-types implemented for plant pathogens. In this manuscript, we also include information for 21 new species and one hybrid described after the publication of IDphy, the status of the specimens of the Types and ex-types at international herbaria and culture collections, and the status of genomes at the GenBank (currently 153 genome assemblies which correspond to 42 described species including 16 ex-types). The model's effectiveness of the IDphy online resource and the content of this manuscript could inspire other researchers to develop additional identification tools for other important groups of plant pathogens.

Climate changes, emerging species of plant pests, and deficits of clean water and arable land have made availability of food to the ever-increasing global population a challenge. Excessive use of synthetic pesticides to meet ever-increasing production needs has resulted in development of resistance in pest populations, as well as significant ecotoxicity, which has directly and indirectly impacted all life-forms on earth. To meet the goal of providing safe, sufficient, and high-quality food globally with minimal environmental impact, one strategy is to focus on targeted delivery of pesticides using eco-friendly and biodegradable carriers that are derived from naturally available materials. Herein, we discuss some of the recent approaches to use biodegradable matrices in crop protection, while exploring their design and efficiency. We summarize by discussing associated challenges with the existing approaches and future trends that can lead the world to more sustainable agricultural practices.

Ineffective delivery of pesticides leads to multiple application cycles of active ingredients (AIs), resulting in increased cost while endangering the environment via soil, water, and air contamination. Herein, we present a facile approach for localized delivery of pesticides by coating seeds with electrospun cellulose diacetate (CDA) nanofibers containing abamectin or fluopyram as model AIs. CDA is used as the polymer of choice because of its good electrospinnability, low water solubility, and eventual biodegradability. Nanofibrous coatings are directly electrospun onto soybean seeds and show no deleterious effects on seed germination regardless of coating thickness and uniformity. Water dissolution studies show that nanofibers maintain their integrity for over 2 weeks, a necessary characteristic to make this approach effective. AI release studies display a slow and sustained release of both abamectin and fluopyram from the nanofibers, with abamectin exhibiting a slower release because of its more hydrophobic nature and possibly stronger interaction with CDA. Functional performance, tested using fluopyram-loaded nanofibers in an in vitro fungal assay against the plant pathogen Alternaria lineariae, consistently inhibits fungal growth. The sustained release profile taken together with moisture stability suggests that nanofibrous seed coatings have a strong potential as an alternative platform to control plant pathogens such as nematodes and fungi.