Plant Protection Science

ISSN 1212-2580 (Print)
ISSN 1805-9341 (On-line)

An international open access peer-reviewed journal published by the Czech Academy of Agricultural Sciences and financed by the Ministry of Agriculture of the Czech Republic. Founded in 1921 (by 1997 under the title Ochrana rostlin).

The journal is administered by an international Editorial Board
Editor-in-Chief: prof. Ing. Aleš Lebeda, DrSc.
Co-editor: prof. Ing. Radovan Pokorný, Ph.D.
Executive Editor: Ing. Eva Karská
Technical Editor: Ing. Bc. Ilona Adamírová
The journal is published quarterly

Journal leaflet

Aims & Scope

original papers, short communications, critical reviews, personal news, and book reviews covering all areas of diseases and pests of plants, weeds and plant protection. Articles are published in English.

Current issue

The role of seed transmission in the spread of cereal viruses: Global challenges and prevalent threats in UkraineReview

Halyna Snihur, Tetiana Shevchenko, Oleksiy Shevchenko, Anhelina Kyrychenko

Plant Protect. Sci., 2025, 61(3):201-221 | DOI: 10.17221/51/2025-PPS

The transmission of plant viruses through seed plays a fundamental role in virus spread, persistence, and survival, particularly in economically important crops. Besides its considerable ecological significance, seed transmission influences plant and virus evolution. Virus contamination of the seed also has critical epidemiological implications, especially when combined with subsequent or additional insect vector spread. Plants grown from contaminated seeds serve as primary viral inoculum sources, facilitating the introduction of viruses into new regions and triggering disease outbreaks with substantial economic losses for growers. Changes in environmental...

Mitigation of salinity stress effects on Vicia faba L. growth and productivity using proline and salicylic acid foliar applicationOriginal Paper

Hossam El-Beltagi, Mohamed El-Nady, Ahmed Mahmoud Ismail, Metwaly Mahfouz Salem Metwaly

Plant Protect. Sci., 2025, 61(3):222-241 | DOI: 10.17221/127/2024-PPS

High soil salinity causes a negative impact on plant growth and lowers crop yields. Thus, pot experiments were conducted to investigate the impact of foliar application of salicylic acid (SA) and proline (Pro), separately and combined, on enhancing salinity tolerance in broad beans. Salinity stress (4.69 ds/m and 6.25 ds/m) significantly reduced plant growth (plant height, leaf area, number of leaf/plant, plant dry weight), chlorophyll pigment content (chlorophyll a, b or total), relative water content, K/Na ratio, seed yield per plant, and N, P, K, and crude protein content in broad bean seeds. Foliar application of Pro and SA, either individually...

Influence of 'Candidatus Phytoplasma prunorum' on primary and secondary metabolites of apricotsOriginal Paper

Gabriela Trempetić, Eliška Zezulová, Tomáš Nečas, Petr Šnurkovič, Tomáš Kiss

Plant Protect. Sci., 2025, 61(3):242-254 | DOI: 10.17221/128/2024-PPS

'Candidatus Phytoplasma prunorum' ('Ca. P. prunorum') is a causative agent of European stone fruit yellows (ESFY), an economically important decline disease of some stone fruit species (Prunus spp.). The present research focused on the influence of 'Ca. P. prunorum' on primary and secondary metabolites in four apricot genotypes consisting of older trees (genotypes Nora, LEM 159, group 1) and younger trees (genotypes H 74 and H 177, group 2). The content of sugars (glucose, sucrose, fructose and sorbitol), total phenolic content (TPC), total flavonoid content (TFC), antioxidant capacity (AC), total soluble proteins (TSPC), mineral...

Evidence and characterisation of Xanthomonas arboricola pv. juglandis causing bacterial blight of walnut in MontenegroOriginal Paper

Jelena Latinović, Nedeljko Latinović, Bogoljub Kandić, Aleksandra Jelušić, Tatjana Popović Milovanović

Plant Protect. Sci., 2025, 61(3):255-261 | DOI: 10.17221/196/2024-PPS

This study represents the first evidence of the bacterial blight caused by Xanthomonas arboricola pv. juglandis (Xaj) on walnut trees in Podgorica (Montenegro). Disease symptoms appeared on leaves in the form of dark, angular leaf spots surrounded by yellow-green haloes and lesions spread across the whole leaf. Isolated bacteria were preliminarily identified using PCR with pathovar-specific primer pair XajF/XajR and further characterised based on multi-locus sequence analysis with nine housekeeping genes (fusA, gapA, gltA, gyrB1, lepA, rpoD, dnaK, fyuA, and gyrB2)....

MaPep1 and MbPep1, as plant elicitor peptides in banana, confer resistance to banana blood disease caused by Ralstonia syzygii subsp. celebesensisOriginal Paper

Praphat Kawicha, Ladawan Rattanapolsan, Ratri Boonruangrod, Yube Yamaguchi, Kusavadee Sangdee, Aphidech Sangdee, Thanwanit Thanyasiriwat

Plant Protect. Sci., 2025, 61(3):262-277 | DOI: 10.17221/179/2024-PPS

Peptides play regulatory roles in various plant development and defence processes. They function as molecular messengers that detect threats and trigger defence responses. This study aimed to identify the genes encoding endogenous plant elicitor peptide precursors (PROPEPs) in bananas and their role in inducing resistance to Ralstonia syzygii subsp. celebesensis (Rsc). Two precursor genes, MaPROPEP1 and MbPROPEP1, were discovered and predicted to encode the precursor proteins of elicitor peptides, namely, MaPep1 and MbPep1. Both elicitor peptides contained 23 amino acids of the active elicitor peptide, which...

Comparison of the actual release dates of ascospores of the fungus Venturia inaequalis with those predicted by selected simulation models in an apple orchard in Central PolandOriginal Paper

Sylwester Masny, Piotr Sobiczewski

Plant Protect. Sci., 2025, 61(3):278-290 | DOI: 10.17221/103/2024-PPS

The research was conducted in 2014–2017 in a multi-cultivar apple orchard in the Experimental Orchard of the National Institute of Horticultural Research (IO-PIB) in Dąbrowice near Skierniewice. To determine the actual Venturia inaequalis ascospores release dates, the Burkard spore trap installed in a plot of the McIntosh cv. that was not protected against apple scab was used. Monitoring of ascospore releases was carried out annually, starting from the appearance of numerous colouring (maturing) ascospores in the pseudothecia (usually in the second decade of March) and ending at the second half of June, usually about two weeks after the...

Growth and resistance response of eleven eggplant cultivars to infection by the Javanese root-knot nematode – Meloidogyne javanica under greenhouse conditionsOriginal Paper

Mostafa Ahmed El-Qurashi, Fahad Al-Yahya, Ali Almasrahi, Adnan Shakeel

Plant Protect. Sci., 2025, 61(3):291-300 | DOI: 10.17221/185/2024-PPS

In Saudi Arabia, root-knot nematodes (RKNs) were found to cause considerable damage to eggplant. These parasites cause significant death of seedlings during nursery production, with infected plants showing the symptoms of chlorosis and wilting, along with the characteristic root galls. Therefore, this work was carried out to find a resistant cultivar of eggplant against RKNs in Saudi Arabia by screening 11 locally available cultivars for two successive seasons. Following Koch's postulates for pathogenicity, RKNs were isolated from infected eggplant, and females were identified morphologically by perineal patterns as Meloidogyne javanica, which...

Eastern Hemlock (Tsuga canadensis) as a new host of Pityokteines spinidens in the arboretum in EuropeShort Communication

Tomáš Fiala, Jaroslav Holuša

Plant Protect. Sci., 2025, 61(3):301-304 | DOI: 10.17221/203/2024-PPS

Bark beetle Pityokteines spinidens (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Scolytinae) is widespread across Europe. We identified this species as a pest of Tsuga canadensis in western Bohemia's Americká zahrada National Nature Monument Arboretum. This discovery suggests that P. spinidens could infest any conifer within the Abietoideae subfamily. Given its status as a known pest of various Abies species, its potential impact on related conifers warrants further attention.