First report and new molecular and morphological characterizations of root-knot nematode, Meloidogyne javanica, infecting ginger and long coriander in Vietnam.

Ginger (Zingiber officinale Roscoe) and long coriander (Eryngium foetidum L.) are commonly grown and used as important spices and medicinal plants in Vietnam. Our study recovered for the first time one of the most damaging tropical root-knot nematodes, Meloidogyne javanica, associated with these plants in the Western Highlands of Vietnam. In this study, M. javanica was characterized based on morphology and molecular characterization of D2-D3 fragment of 28S rRNA, ITS, and Nad5 mtDNA regions. The identification of this species was done based on a combination of morphology, multiplex-PCR with specific primer, network haplotype analysis, and PPNID program.

A Photorhabdus natural product inhibits insect juvenile hormone epoxide hydrolase.

Simple urea compounds ("phurealipids") have been identified from the entomopathogenic bacterium Photorhabdus luminescens, and their biosynthesis was elucidated. Very similar analogues of these compounds have been previously developed as inhibitors of juvenile hormone epoxide hydrolase (JHEH), a key enzyme in insect development and growth. Phurealipids also inhibit JHEH, and therefore phurealipids might contribute to bacterial virulence.