Floods pose a significant risk for Bangladesh due to the country's geographical and climatic conditions. Traditional methods of predicting flood risk often fail to do justice to the complex dynamics of flood vulnerability in this region. This report provides a comprehensive overview of the use of advanced machine learning (ML) algorithms for flood risk prediction in Bangladesh. It addresses four primary areas of research: (a) factors influencing floods considered in ML-based studies, (b) performance metrics of ML models, and (c) research gaps and future challenges in ML-based flood risk prediction. This review identified 42 unique factors that influence flooding, with precipitation, distance from the river, elevation, orientation, land use and land cover, and soil type emerging as the most important. ML models showed high predictive performance with an accuracy of 82% to 95%, depending on the algorithm and dataset used. However, there are still problems with data quality and regional variability that affect the reliability of the models. To improve flood forecasting, integrating real-time data, combining ML with physical models and promoting stakeholder engagement are crucial. Future research should focus on improving data quality, combining ML and physical models, and integrating future climate projections to refine flood hazard mapping. By considering these aspects, this study contributes to improving flood risk assessment and sustainable flood management strategies in Bangladesh, which could reduce socio-economic losses and environmental damage -in high-risk areas by 20-30.

Root rot is a general term for soil-borne diseases that cause the necrosis and decay of underground plant parts. It has a wide host range and occurs in various types of plants, including crops, horticultural crops and medicinal plants. Due to the fact that medicinal plants generally have a long growth cycle and are primarily the root and rhizome herbs. This results in root rot causing more serious damage in medicinal plant cultivation than in other plants. Infected medicinal plants have shrivel or yellowed leaves, rotting rhizomes, and even death of the entire plant, resulting in a sharp decline in yield or even total crop failure, but also seriously reduce the commercial specifications and effective ingredient content of medicinal plants. The pathogens of root rot are complex and diverse, and Fusarium fungi have been reported as the most widespread pathogen. With the expansion of medicinal plant cultivation, root rot has occurred frequently in many medicinal plants such as Araliaceae, Fabaceae, Ranunculaceae, and Solanaceae and other medicinal plants. This article reviews recent research progress on root rot in medicinal plants, covering various aspects such as disease characteristics, occurrence, pathogen species, damage to medicinal plants, disease mechanisms, control measures, and genetic factors. The aim is to provide reference for better control of root rot of medicinal plants.

Cortaderia selloana (Schult. & Schult. f.) Asch. & Graebn. (Pampas grass) is a perennial grass native to temperate and subtropical regions of South America. The species was introduced to western Europe for ornamental purposes during the nineteenth century, where it has become naturalized in anthropogenic and natural habitats, especially in sandy, open, and disturbed areas. Female plants of C. selloana produce thousands of seeds that are dispersed over long distances by wind and germinate readily. Its invasive success is also attributed to its ability to adapt and tolerate a wide range of environmental conditions, such as high salinity levels, long droughts, and soil chemical pollution. Cortaderia selloana usually invades human-disturbed habitats where it encounters little competition with other plants and high resource availability. However, the species can invade natural habitats, especially those with high light availability, causing biodiversity loss and changes in ecosystem functioning (e.g. alteration of succession and nutrient dynamics). The species may cause negative socio-economic impacts by reducing productivity of tree plantations, causing respiratory allergies, and decreasing the recreational value of invaded areas. Control costs are high due to the extensive root system that C. selloana develops and the high resprouting ability following physical damage. Although herbicides are effective control measures, their use is not allowed or is undesirable in all situations where the plant occurs (e.g. near riverbanks, natural protected sites). No biological control agents have been released on C. selloana to date, but the planthopper Sacchasydne subandina and the gall midge Spanolepis selloanae are promising targets.

The Mediterranean fruit fly, Ceratitis capitata (Wiedemann), is a destructive pest that causes significant damage worldwide. Because of import limitations, this Diptera and Tephritidae insect impedes raw agricultural commodities. Commonly, insecticides are applied through cover sprays. Despite their effectiveness, some of these compounds are prohibited in importing jurisdictions owing to environmental and public health concerns. Biological control started with new natural enemies such as wasps, mites, parasitoids, pathogenic fungi, bacteria, and nematodes. Recently, research has focused on finding new options and efficient solutions, notably on the genetic and post-genetic signals of sterilization and sexing of wild types to obtain specific strains for area-wide Integrated Pest Management (IPM) programs. Attempts are also being made to deploy innovative technologies for monitoring and managing this pest. Ceratitis capitata's whole genome sequence was recently deciphered. Its editing is another supplement to improve female-to-male conversion and, thus, the performance of reared insects to promote the Sterile Insect Technique (SIT). This review looks at significant progress in physical and biological control, eco-friendly and quarantine solutions, and next-generation technologies for managing the medfly pest, with a particular emphasis on the Mediterranean region.

Root rot is a damaging disease caused by various pathogenic fungi including, Fusarium spp., Rhizoctonia spp., and especially oomycetes. This disease poses significant challenges to food crop production worldwide. Pythium and Phytophthora, most species of these genera, are fungus-like pathogens that can grow and expand in diverse agroecosystems, inflicting severe damage to the root systems of numerous food crops, including cereals, vegetables, and legumes. Multiple factors contribute to the proliferation of root rot, including temperature, soil moisture levels, and the existence of vulnerable host plants. Based on a wide range of scientific literature, this paper examines the impact of the disease on plant safety, emphasizing the substantial yield losses and economic harm faced by farmers worldwide. The paper provides also a comprehensive overview of the global prevalence, impact, and management strategies associated with root rot infections. A special highlight is directed at symptoms, infection process, and pathogenicity mechanisms employed by Pythium and Phytophthora species, with a particular case of olive root rot caused by these two pathogens. Additionally, detection strategies of pathogenic oomycetes are discussed as well, from conventional to recent tools that are employed now in the plant pathology field. Finally, various preventive and management strategies are provided in this work. These include cultural practices, chemical control measures, and biological control agents, from bacteria to antagonistic fungi with a special focus on the use of Trichoderma spp. strains, and host resistance breeding. The limitations and challenges associated with these strategies, such as the emergence of resistant strains and environmental concerns, are also addressed. In conclusion, this review helps to understand the biology, pathogenicity, and management options for these pathogens, which is crucial for developing sustainable solutions to mitigate the impact of root rot, ensuring food security, and raising sustainable agriculture in the face of this significant challenge.