Extensive damage to over 1000 plant species, including food crops, oil and industrial crops, vegetables, fruit trees, ornamentals, fodder species and weeds, has been caused by emerging phytoplasma-mediated diseases, thereby posing significant threat to global food security. Multiple factors, including environmental changes, invasion pathways, vector transmission and the emergence of new pathogen lineages, contribute to the spread of these diseases. Effective management requires stable, long-term strategies to safeguard plant health. Key approaches include comprehensive loss assessments, integration of climate change impacts, predictive modelling, enhanced disease surveillance, and improved detection techniques targeting phytoplasmas. This review highlights phytoplasma-associated plant diseases, emerging pathogen threats, and the factors facilitating their spread, alongside methods for surveillance and detection. In addition, case studies and global collaborative efforts are discussed. Finally, we outline future research priorities aimed at improving the management of phytoplasma-induced plant diseases.

A growing demand for wheat as a staple crop leads to an expansion of its production. The consequence is land use change and short rotations for wheat. But wheat grown in short rotations causes yield decline. To secure future food supplies, a deeper understanding of the physiological processes contributing to this yield reduction is needed. Therefore, a three-year data set from a long-term field trial in Northern Germany was analysed to investigate the impact of crop rotational position (CRP) (wheat grown in the first [W1] and in the third [W3] year in self sequence after break crop) in combination with three genotypes and four rates of nitrogen (N) fertilizer on intercepted radiation by the canopy (Q), radiation use efficiency (RUE), grain yield and yield components. All genotypes showed a reduction of Q, RUE and yields in W3. The focus was further set on differences in yield formation pre- and post-anthesis. This revealed a significant interaction between CRP and genotype. An overall reduction in intercepted radiation pre-anthesis as well as in kernels/m2 in W3 suggested, that yield formation under adverse pre-crop conditions was rather ‘source limited’. A possibility to compensate this limitation might be a prolonged phase of radiation interception post-anthesis.

Sugar beet root damage at harvest promotes sucrose losses of circa 0.1 – 0.4 % day–1 in storage. However, root response to environmental stresses at harvest and their consequential rates of damage are not known. We investigated the effects of temperature and water stress at harvest on root resilience to damage and tissue strength. Water (irrigated to field capacity and non-irrigated) and temperature (cold and mild) treatments were imposed on physiologically mature sugar beet plants for seven weeks prior to and for three days after harvesting, respectively. Water status at harvest significantly affected relative water content (RWC) (p < 0.001), root weight (p < 0.001) and root width (p < 0.001). RWC was positively correlated to surface damage (R2 = 0.43, p = 0.02), root tip damage (R2 = 0.42, p = 0.03), tissue compression (R2 = 0.41, p = 0.05) and tissue puncture (R2 = 0.46, p = 0.01). Tissue damage was not affected by root tissue temperature of 4 °C compared to 12 °C. We conclude that sugar beet damage at harvest is not influenced by root temperatures over the range commonly observed in the UK and temperate production areas. However, higher water status at harvest, such as would be observed in a wet season, increases root tip and surface damage. These findings will help to inform optimum harvesting conditions to minimize sugar loss from the sugar beet crop.

A meta-analysis was conducted to evaluate the effects of whey protein supplementation on growth performance, nutrient digestibility, blood parameters and carcase quality in broiler chickens. The dataset was compiled from studies published between 1964 and 2025, following the PICO framework, which included the following components: population = broiler chickens; intervention = various whey products (types of whey, inclusion methods and different inclusion levels); comparison = control versus treatment; and outcome = growth performance, nutrient digestibility, carcase traits, humoral immunity, antioxidant properties, intestinal morphology and microbiota composition. Overall, the inclusion of whey protein in broiler diets significantly improved average daily gain, feed intake, breast percentage and villus height (g’ > 0.500; P < 0.001). In conclusion, this meta-analysis highlights the strong potential of whey protein as an alternative protein source in poultry nutrition.

This study evaluated the effects of combining Bacillus species with hydrolysed and inactive Torula yeast on rumen fermentation of tropical forages in vitro. Exp. 1 assessed different combinations of direct-fed microbials (DFM) and hydrolysed/inactive yeast on the ruminal fermentation of Urochloa brizantha hay in a randomised block design (3×3 factorial scheme). Treatments included: 1) Negative control, no DFM inclusion (NC); 2) B. subtilis and B. licheniformis (SL); 3) B. subtilis, B. licheniformis, B. amyloliquefaciens and B. coagulans (SLAC); 4) Hydrolysed Torula yeast (HY); 5) dry inactive Torula yeast (IY); 6) B. subtilis, B. licheniformis and dry inactive Torula yeast (SL+IY); 7) B. subtilis, B. licheniformis and hydrolysed Torula yeast (SL+HY); 8) B. subtilis, B. licheniformis, B. amyloliquefaciens, B. coagulans and dry inactive Torula yeast (SLAC+IY) and 9) B. subtilis, B. licheniformis, B. amyloliquefaciens, B. coagulans and hydrolysed Torula yeast (SLAC+HY). Bacillus and yeast interaction affected the total short-chain fatty acids (SCFA) and SCFA profile. In treatments without Bacillus, IY resulted in higher isovalerate compared to treatments without yeast (NC). The no yeast treatment also had lower isovalerate concentration than other treatments (HY, IY). Exp. 2 and Exp. 3 evaluated NC, SL, SLAC, SL+HY and SLAC+IY plus SLAC+HY in low- and medium-quality forage. For low-quality forage, SLAC+IY + SLAC+HY had the highest NH3-N concentration, while SL+HY yielded the highest total SCFA. In medium-quality forage, SL+HY showed the highest total SCFA. The combination of Bacillus species and HY may enhance total SCFA and NH3-N in the rumen, improving nutrient utilisation in grazing beef cattle.

The study investigated the effects of replacing maize with enzyme-supplemented Dried Date Fruit Pulp (DDFP) in the diets of broiler chickens. 576-day-old commercial broiler chicks (Arbor Acre Plus) were randomly selected and distributed into 8 treatment groups of 72 birds each. Each treatment was divided into six replicates of 12 birds on a weight-equalisation basis. The treatments consisted of 4 levels of DDFP (0, 100, 200 and 300 g/kg) and 2 levels of enzyme supplementation (with or without). The data obtained were subjected to an Analysis of Variance in a 4 × 2 factorial arrangement. Birds fed 300 g/kg DDFP recorded the least weight gain (971 g) and final weight (1013 g) across the treatments at the starter phase, while there were no significant (P > 0.05) differences in the final weight, weight gain, feed intake and feed conversion ratio of birds fed with DDFP and maize-based diets at the finisher phase. DDFP inclusion reduced the experimental birds’ feeding cost (NGN/kg) and cost/kg weight gain (NGN/kg WG). Enzyme supplementation increased serum protein and glucose concentrations. Reduced (P < 0.05) EE and CF digestibility coefficients were seen in birds fed 30% DDFP at the finisher phase. Carcass indices, ileal digesta viscosity and caecal total bacteria were not negatively influenced. It was concluded that DDFP could replace up to 200 g/kg maize in broiler chicken diets at the starter phase and up to 300 g/kg at the finisher phase without any deleterious effects on health and performance.

In this study, the effects of wheat-based diets processed in a hammer mill with different sieve diameters (4000 (fine), 5000 (medium) and 6000 (coarse) µm) and enzyme addition (0 and 300 g/ton) on the performance, slaughtering characteristics, tibia properties, jejunum morphology and pancreatic enzyme secretion in broilers (1–42 days) were tested in a 3×2 factorial design. A total of 480 one-day-old chickens were randomly distributed into 6 treatment groups of 5 replicates, each containing 16 birds. The performance of broilers was not affected by particle size. Dietary enzyme supplementation improved body weight on the 1–10th day period but did not affect other performance parameters. Thigh and abdominal fat increased with fine particle size, breast weight increased with medium particle size and gizzard weight increased with coarse particle size. Enzyme addition decreased the carcass and gizzard weights. Tibia breaking strength decreased with fine particle size. Tibia wall thickness and ash increased with enzyme addition. Pancreatic enzyme secretions increased in the coarse group and with enzyme supplementation. Jejunum histomorphology worsened with coarse particle size, while enzyme inclusion improved histomorphology. The interactions affected feed consumption (25–42nd day), feed conversion ratio (11–24th day), breast weight, tibia breaking strength and ash, pancreas weight, lipase activity and villus parameters. These findings demonstrated that coarse grinding of wheat-based diets improved bone development and pancreatic enzyme activity without affecting performance while worsening jejunum morphology. Enzyme addition positively affected bone and digestive system development.

Maternal ability (milk and environment) in beef cattle is one of the most important traits influencing weaning weight of the calf, but amount and composition of milk produced by the dam is difficult to measure. The assessment of polymorphisms of candidate genes related to milk composition could indirectly enlighten this perspective. In the present study, the frequency of αs1-casein 1175AG and g26181A>G; κ-casein 13068 (CSN3 AB1) and 13104 (CSN3 AB2) loci, β-lactoglobulin variants 3984GA and 5263CT, Diacyl glycerol transferase K232A, and Stearoyl CoA desaturase A702G and A762G polymorphisms were estimated in Gray and Red Brahman, Nellore, Guzerat, Gir, Indubrazil, and Sardo Negro registered sires from Mexico. Most of the documented favourable alleles were found in low frequency in most of the evaluated breeds, except for β-lactoglobulin, in which the presence of favourable alleles might represent an opportunity for marker-assisted introgression. The relevance of the findings for each variation and implications from the outcomes are discussed.