A biparental Vicia faba mapping population was screened under glasshouse conditions for resistance to a mixture of Fusarium avenaceum and Fusarium oxysporum, revealing several families with moderate to high resistance. Using the Vfaba_v2 Axiom SNP array, a high-density linkage map of 6,755 SNPs was constructed, enabling the identification of a major QTL on linkage group 4 associated with partial resistance to foot and root rot.

The study examined interspecific and intraspecific drought responses of Populus fremontii, P. angustifolia, and their hybrids using leaf-level visible‑shortwave infrared spectroscopy and canopy-level UAV thermal imaging. Spectral shifts revealed that hybrids showed the strongest drought reaction, while local adaptation influenced the magnitude and direction of spectral changes, demonstrating convergence under stress. These findings highlight remote sensing as a powerful tool to detect ecological and evolutionary drought responses across scales.

The study investigated unexpected leaf spot symptoms in Psa3‑resistant kiwifruit (Actinidia) germplasm, finding that Psa3 was detectable by qPCR and metabarcoding despite poor culturing. Metabarcoding revealed distinct bacterial community shifts in lesions versus healthy tissue, and whole‑genome sequencing identified diverse Pseudomonas spp. that, while not individually more pathogenic, could enhance Psa3 growth, suggesting pathogenic consortia on resistant hosts.