The synergistic use of chemical pesticides and biological agents poses the fundamental challenge of balancing control efficacy with ecological safety. In recent years, nanotechnology has emerged as a promising strategy for improving pesticide performance while reducing pesticide residues and alleviating environmental contamination. Herein, we developed an efficient nano-pesticide based on star polycation (SPc) loaded with clothianidin, which was co-applied with a widely used parasitic wasp (Aphidius colemani) to achieve synergistic pest management. SPc at the working concentration displayed no significant impact on the eclosion or survival of parasitic wasps, whereas the oral feeding of SPc at an extremely high concentration significantly up-regulated several genes related to ribosomal protein and energy metabolism, leading to metabolic imbalance and subsequent mortality of the parasitic wasps. The SPc could load clothianidin via hydrogen bonding and Van der Waals forces, and this spontaneous complexation achieved a reduction in particle size from 6554.87 to 467.84 nm. Importantly, the clothianidin/SPc complex exhibited a 16–28% increase in insecticidal activity against green peach aphids (Myzus persicae), while showing minimal adverse impacts on the eclosion and parasitism of parasitic wasps. Finally, co-application of the clothianidin/SPc complex with parasitic wasps achieved up to 80% mortality in green peach aphids, with the promising advantages of rapid pest suppression and sustainable control. This study proposes a synergetic pest management strategy based on nano-pesticides and natural enemies, which is beneficial for maintaining long-term agricultural ecological balance.

Soybean (Glycine max [L.] Merr.) is a crucial source of high-quality protein and oil, indispensable for human consumption and animal feed.  The increasing global demand for soybeans has rendered the enhancement of its productivity and quality a paramount goal.  Sugar Will Eventually Be Exported Transporter (SWEET) proteins are crucial for seed size and quality.  This study examined the role of GmSWEET20 to elucidate its expression pattern, function, regulatory mechanisms, and haplotypes.  Our results demonstrated that GmSWEET20 is situated in the plasma membrane and is predominantly expressed in leaves and developing seeds.  Overexpression of GmSWEET20 increased the seed number per plant, total yield, and crude protein content.  This contrasts with GmSWEET10a/10b, which simultaneously increased seed size and oil content.  These findings highlight the functional diversity of the GmSWEETs family in regulating yield and quality.  This research offers novel concepts and theoretical support for high-yield soybean breeding methodologies.

The development of novel stimuli-responsive pesticide delivery systems is a highly effective strategy for improving pesticide utilization efficiency while minimizing environmental risks. A pH-, glutathione-, and chitinase-responsive pesticide delivery system was designed by conjugating chitosan oligosaccharide (COS) with biodegradable disulfide bond-bridged mesoporous silica nanoparticles (MONs) loaded with pyraclostrobin (PYR@MONs-COS). The loading capacity of PYR in the nanoparticles was approximately 13.6%. The covalent attachment of COS to the modified MONs could effectively protect the active ingredient from photodegradation and prevent premature release of PYR. During the infection process, physiological and biochemical changes at the infection site, including reduced pH values, increased glutathione levels, and enhanced chitinase activity, facilitated the rapid degradation of disulfide bonds and COS in PYR@MONs-COS, resulting in the rapid release of PYR. Furthermore, PYR@MONs-COS significantly enhanced the foliar penetration of PYR, improved the adhesion of pesticide droplets, and stimulated callose deposition in rice leaves, thus strengthening the immunity of rice plants. In antifungal activity assays, PYR@MONs-COS exhibited superior efficacy and longer effective duration against Magnaporthe oryzae compared to PYR microcapsules in both in vitro and in vivo experiments. The phytotoxicity assessment indicated that PYR@MONs-COS was safe for rice plants. More importantly, PYR@MONs-COS demonstrated a 7.3-fold reduction in acute toxicity to zebrafish compared to PYR technical. Therefore, the triple-stimuli pesticide delivery system has great potential for rice disease management and provides a promising pathway for the development of sustainable agriculture.

Fungi play crucial roles in nutrient acquisition, plant growth promotion, and the enhancement of resistance to both abiotic and biotic stresses. However, studies on the fungal communities associated with peas (Pisum sativum L.) remain limited. In this study, we systematically investigated the ecological effects of host niches (soil, root, stem, leaf, and pod) and genotypes on the diversity and composition of fungal communities in peas using a multi-level approach that encompassed pattern recognition (β-diversity decomposition), mechanism validation (neutral community model testing), and dynamic tracking methods (migration pathway source-tracking). The results revealed that the dominant fungal phyla across niches and genotypes were Ascomycota, Basidiomycota, and Mortierellomycota, and the community structures of the soil-plant continuum were primarily determined by the pea niches rather than genotypes. β-diversity decomposition was largely attributed to species replacement rather than richness differences, indicating strong niche specificity and microbial replacement across microhabitats. Neutral model analysis revealed that stochastic processes influenced genotype-associated communities, while deterministic processes played a dominant role in niche-based community assembly. Source-tracking analysis identified niche-to-niche fungal migration, with Erysiphe, Fusarium, Cephaliophora, Ascobolus, Alternaria, and Aspergillus as the key genera. Migration rates from exogenous to endogenous niches were low (1.3–61.5%), whereas those within exogenous (64.4–83.7%) or endogenous (73.9–96.4%) compartments were much higher, suggesting that the pea epidermis acts as a selective barrier that filters and enriches microbial communities prior to internal colonization. This study provides comprehensive insights into the mechanisms of host filtering, enrichment and microbial sourcing, which increases our understanding of the assembly rules of the pea-associated fungal microbiome.

Protein content (PC) in maize kernels is a key determinant of their nutritional quality, however, its genetic basis remains largely unexplored.  In this study, we conducted a genome-wide association study (GWAS) using 264 maize inbred lines and 1.25 million single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), applying six GWAS models: BLINK, FarmCPU, MLM, MLMM, SUPER, and 3VmrMLM. Kernel PC exhibited substantial variation, ranging from 9.26 to 20.94%, with a broad-sense heritability of 0.56.  A total of 473 significant quantitative trait nucleotides (QTNs) were detected, each explaining 0.08 to 7.10% of the phenotypic variance.  Among them, 115 QTNs were consistently detected across different models, environments and analytical methods.  Notably, 3VmrMLM model identified 59 most significant QTNs, with 38 were QEIs, and the MLM model identified the fewest significant QTNs (8).  We further identified 35 candidate genes located within or adjacent to the significant QTNs.  Among these, four genes - Zm00001d033805, Zm00001d037565, Zm00001d052164 and Zm00001d031535 - were strongly associated with PC.  These genes are implicated in critical biological pathways, including nitrogen metabolism, photosynthesis, and the tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle.  Notably, Zm00001d037565, encoding a gibberellin 2-oxidase, plays a role in seed development and is likely involved in regulating protein accumulation in kernels.  Haplotype analysis revealed that the HapA of Zm00001d037565 is significantly associated with higher PC.  Selective sweep analysis indicated that this gene underwent selection during maize domestication from teosinte (Zea mays ssp. mexicana and Zea mays ssp. parviglumis), its adaptation from tropical/subtropical to temperate regions, and throughout modern breeding programs.  Overall, this study advances our understanding of the genetic architecture of maize kernel PC and provides valuable candidate genes and haplotypes for marker-assisted selection, offering new targets for developing high-protein maize varieties.

Despite the essential role of micronutrients in plant metabolic processes and the carbon cycle, the mechanisms by which micronutrients regulate plant community traits remain poorly understood. Here, we used a long-term experiment to explore the potential mechanisms of plant community micronutrients and traits along a precipitation gradient. Our results showed that plants shifted toward lateral growth and asexual reproduction over time. From 1985 to 2022, the plant community Fe content increased by 18.8% in the north but declined by 25.2% in the south. Furthermore, plant community growth and reproduction were sensitive to both micronutrient contents and uptake efficiencies in the north. While plant community Mn and Zn contents enhanced growth longitudinally, Zn and Fe uptake efficiencies hindered sexual reproduction. Furthermore, soil moisture and GDP per capita were the key drivers of micronutrient variation in the north and south, respectively. Precipitation fluctuations primarily regulated community traits across all sites. In the arid site, micronutrient-driven shifts in reproduction stabilized the soil carbon stock by balancing biomass allocation. These findings can help us to better understand the coupling of plant micronutrients, traits, and soil carbon stocks, thereby providing the basis for a scientific grassland conservation strategy under global change scenarios.

Microplastic accumulation after film mulching affects nutrients cycling in the soil-crop system.  Bulk soil (BS) and rhizosphere soil (RS) have two different community compositions which lead to their different microbial nutrient acquisition abilities. Microplastics influence the rhizosphere effect. However, the mechanism by which microplastic accumulation affects the net photosynthetic rate (NPR) through rhizospheric microbial communities remains unknown. This study aimed to identify the mechanisms underlying the effects of polyethylene (PE) and polyvinyl chloride (PVC) microplastics at 0, 1, and 5% (w/w) on the NPR in the wheat-soil ecosystem using a pot experiment. Superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity was reduced by 15.35–36.7%, and that of peroxidase (POD) was increased by 32.47–61.93%, causing reductions in NPR (17.94–23.81%) in the PE5% and PVC (1 and 5%) (w/w) treatments compared with the control. The Chao1, Shannon, and Simpson indices of the bacterial and fungal diversities were lower in BS than in RS at PE1% and PVC5% (w/w), respectively. The bacterial and fungal network complexities were reduced and increased, respectively, owing to alterations in the bacterial and fungal community compositions and structures for wheat growth. The Mantel test showed that the bacterial and fungal diversity indices in BS had positive correlations with Olsen-P and phosphatase; however, those in RS were positively correlated with NO₃^- and β-1,4-glucosidase. The structural equation model indicated that wheat enzymatic and soil hydrolytic activities negatively affected NPR. Wheat has a profound antioxidant defense strategy for PE and PVC microplastic stress, which produces a synergistic effect of POD by protecting organelles and reducing tissue damage to preserve the NPR.

Estimating wheat yield is crucial for the quality of life and food security of a nation, particularly when crops face lodging stress, which severely hinders photosynthesis and maturation, resulting in yield loss.  Rapid and accurate yield estimation is essential for disaster assessment and subsequent agricultural management.  This study utilizes spectral, structural, and temperature data to comprehensively analyze the differential performance of multi-source data under two scenarios, selecting parameters that effectively represent yield differences under stress conditions.  It also explores how the introduction of a specific parameter (the lodging index) affects the prediction accuracy of six wheat yield estimation models: eXtreme Gradient Boosting (XGBoost), Ridge Regression (RR), Random Forest Regression (RFR), K-Nearest Neighbors (KNN), Support Vector Regression (SVR), and Stacking Ensemble Learning (SEL).  Compared with traditional models, the SEL model had the highest average prediction accuracy at 3 days after lodging (R⊃2;=0.64), 12 days after lodging (R⊃2;=0.70), and with combined multi-temporal features (R⊃2;=0.73).  With the introduction of the lodging index, the prediction accuracy of all models improved to different degrees, and the SEL model showing an average R⊃2; increase of 8.19, 5.09, and 6.17%, respectively.  Combined with the transfer learning methods such as transfer component analysis (TCA), joint distribution adaptation (JDA), and balanced distribution adaptation (BDA), the model maintained stable accuracy even with only 4% of the target dataset supplemented, achieving a high transfer prediction performance (R⊃2;=0.81).  By optimizing the dataset under lodging stress scenarios and integrating ensemble learning and transfer learning techniques, the accuracy, stability, and transferability of wheat yield estimation models under lodging stress were effectively improved, providing a reference for wheat disaster assessment and the formulation of remedial measures.

As the global leader in rice production, China’s paddy fields contribute substantially to greenhouse gas emissions through methane (CH₄) and nitrous oxide (N₂O) releases. Aromatic rice cultivation practices have been optimized to enhance the aroma, so the relationship between its cultivation and greenhouse gas emissions from paddy fields is unclear. To investigate how aroma-enhancing cultivation practices drive microbial community dynamics in aromatic rice paddies and their implications for greenhouse gas emissions, a two-year experiment in five ecological locations (Xingning, Nanxiong, Conghua, Luoding, and Zengcheng) compared two farming practices: partial organic substitution for inorganic fertilizers combined with water-saving irrigation (IOF+W) and traditional cultivation (CK). The CH₄ and N₂O emissions, soil microbial composition and function, global warming potential (GWP), nitrogen use efficiency, yield, and the content of 2-acetyl-1-pyrroline (2-AP) were measured and analyzed. The main purpose was to investigate the impact of IOF+W on CH₄ and N₂O emissions and their relationship with soil microorganisms. The results showed that IOF+W significantly reduced CH₄ emission fluxes and totals (36.95%) and GWP (31.29%), while significantly increasing N₂O emission fluxes and totals (14.82%). The soil microbial community structure was reshaped by the IOF+W treatment, which suppressed methanogens but enhanced the abundances of nitrifying and denitrifying bacteria. Key enzymatic activities involved in CH₄ production, such as methyl-coenzyme M reductase, formylmethanofuran dehydrogenase, and methyltransferase, decreased. In contrast, the activity of the key CH₄-oxidizing enzyme methanol dehydrogenase increased. This shift led to an overall attenuation of the CH₄ production metabolism while enhancing the CH₄ oxidation metabolism. In addition, the activities of pivotal enzymes involved in denitrification and nitrification were improved, thus enhancing nitrogen nitrification and denitrification metabolism. Moreover, the IOF+W treatment significantly increased nitrogen use efficiency (47.83%), yield (14.77%), and 2-AP content (13.78%). Therefore, the IOF+W treatment demonstrated good efficacy as a sustainable strategy for achieving productive, green, resource-efficient, and premium-quality aromatic rice cultivation in South China.

Although bagging-produced flat peaches are increasingly favored by consumers, this process suppresses anthocyanin production and fruit coloring in most peach cultivars. Several peach cultivars, including 'Zhongyoupan 9,' which has experienced rapid cultivation expansion, exhibit a light-independent anthocyanin biosynthesis pattern and can accumulate anthocyanins under artificial darkness. However, the molecular mechanisms remain unclear. We studied two types of flat peaches, namely, 'Zhongpan 17', with light-dependent anthocyanin biosynthesis pattern, and 'Zhongyoupan 9', with light-independent anthocyanin biosynthesis pattern. The anthocyanin content in the pericarp of 'Zhongyoupan 9' was significantly higher than that of 'Zhongpan 17.' Metabolomics revealed that the significant increase in anthocyanins (specifically cyanidin-3-O-glucoside) was the direct cause of the coloration of ‘Zhongyoupan 9’ under artificial darkness. Transcriptomic analyses revealed that PpHY5 (long hypocotyl 5) was upregulated in 'Zhongyoupan 9' and downregulated in 'Zhongpan17' and its expression profile was positively associated with color changes in both varieties. The function of PpHY5 in positively modulating anthocyanin biosynthesis was demonstrated by the decrease in anthocyanin concentration in peach fruit transfected with a PpHY5 virus-induced gene-silencing construct. These results indicate that the PpHY5 gene may modulate red color change in ‘Zhongyoupan 9’ under artificial darkness.

新兴的基因编辑技术CRISPR/Cas9推动了功能基因组学研究和作物遗传改良进程。然而，在转化及后续突变体鉴定过程中，转基因植株的筛选工作通常效率较低且费时费力。本研究开发了一种高效的可视化标记系统——可视化大豆编辑系统（VSES：Visual Soybean Editing System）。该系统通过将Cas9表达载体与一个由组成型启动子驱动的DsRed2标记表达盒相整合，从而能够直观地筛选转基因大豆植株。VSES系统具有三个显著优势：1）增强DsRed2表达使携带Cas9的种子在自然光下即可通过种皮颜色实现裸眼可视；2）在苗期即可通过茎叶颜色快速区分转基因植株；3）将荧光标记表达盒与基因编辑载体整合，经测序验证不影响CRISPR/Cas9系统的基因编辑效率。该系统解决了传统筛选方法效率低和耗时长的技术瓶颈，为大豆基因编辑研究提供了便捷的技术支撑。

Optimal flowering time is crucial for maximizing maize (Zea mays ssp. mays) yield.  Here, we performed a genome-wide association analysis (GWAS) on days to anthesis (DTA) and days to silk (DTS) in a maize natural variation population across three environments over two years.  A major quantitative trait locus, S9_120534257, was consistently identified in two phenotypic datasets for DTA and DTS, with the candidate gene ZmFRKH1 encoding a K-homologous (KH) domain RNA-binding protein.  Knockout of ZmFRKH1 gene significantly delayed maize flowering. Further analysis revealed that ZmFRKH1 protein binds to the mRNAs of multiple flowering regulators, influencing their stability.  Allelic variation analysis identified a single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) in the ZmFRKH1 promoter, which significantly impacts the promoter activity and has significant effect on flowering time.  Analysis of domestication signatures showed this SNP was selectively fixed during the teosinte-to-maize domestication process, with the early-flowering haplotype contributing to the adaptation of maize from tropical to temperate regions.  These findings provide a novel gene resource for optimizing maize flowering time through molecular breeding.

Phenotypic plasticity is a crucial adaptive strategy that allows organisms to respond to environmental changes. Many aphids have evolved mutualistic relationships with ants, whereby aphids provide honeydew in exchange for protection from natural enemies. Such ant-aphid mutualisms are often facultative and aphid colonies must often cope without ants. We show here that attendance by red imported fire ants, Solenopsis invicta, alters the within-plant distribution of cotton aphids (Aphis gossypii), resulting in fewer aphids on leaves and more on the stem, petioles, and sprouts (SPS) of cotton seedlings compared to colonies without ant attendance. The nitrogen contents in stems and sprouts were higher than in leaves, which may be a reason for the significantly higher population growth in ant-tended colonies. In contrast, exposure to the signals of a predatory ladybug, Coccinella septempunctata, resulted in a remarkably smaller aphid colony size, with lower proportions of aphids distributed on SPS, but a higher proportion on the leaves, compared to those in the predator-free colonies. In addition, ladybug predation risk is considerably higher on SPS than on leaves, and aphids showed rapid positional shifts from stems to leaves upon direct exposure to a ladybug, highlighting their ability to respond swiftly to predator presence. Our findings reveal adaptive plasticity in aphid distribution patterns which enable aphid colonies to optimize their fitness by responding to the presence of mutualistic ants or predatory threats with flexibility.

Hybrid rice generally showed higher grain yield than inbred rice, but its overall performance is largely affected by lodging and lower grain quality.  Limited attention has been given to exploring genotypic variation and varietal traits for achieving high yield, superior quality, and strong lodging resistance simultaneously in both inbred and hybrid rice.  To address this gap, field experiments with five representative rice varieties from each rice type were conducted in central China in 2020 and 2021.  The results showed that the average yield of hybrid rice in 2020 and 2021 was 8.01 and 8.63 t ha^-1, representing a significant increase of 10.3 and 13.4% compared to inbred rice, respectively.  Importantly, hybrid rice showed comparable grain quality and lodging resistance to inbred rice.  Substantial genotypic variation was observed among the varieties for yield, grain quality, and lodging-related traits.  Efengsimiao (inbred) and Jinliangyou 534 (hybrid) showed the most balanced and superior agronomic performance within each variety type.  Key traits associated with the integration of high yield, superior quality, and strong lodging resistance included high spikelets per unit area, low grain length-width ratio, and short basal internode.  These findings highlighted the potential for selecting and breeding rice varieties that optimized multiple desirable traits, offering a promising strategy to meet growing food demands in both quantity and quality.

RNA-binding proteins (RBPs) predominantly regulate gene expression at both the transcription and post-transcriptional levels through multiple mechanisms such as alternative RNA splicing and alternative polyadenylation. Increasing evidence indicates that RBPs are crucial regulators of myogenesis, providing a foundation for understanding the development and growth of skeletal muscle. However, the role of RBPs in regulating meat production traits in livestock remains underexplored, despite its potential benefits to the meat industry. In this review, we summarize the fundamental characteristics of RBPs, along with their functions and regulatory mechanisms in skeletal myogenesis. We also highlight the potential of RBPs on meat production traits, focusing on lean meat yield and myofiber composition in livestock. Our aim is to deepen the understanding of how RBPs govern skeletal muscle development, contributing to the improvement of meat production traits in livestock.

Piperazine is a nitrogen-containing heterocyclic compound that is commonly used as an intermediate linking group in the structural derivation of compounds. Heterocyclic drugs containing piperazine have many commercial uses in medicine and are also used in pesticides. For example, the piperazine ring is a key structural element of the systemic fungicide Triforine. Piperazine is an attractive option because of its low acute toxicity to mammals, and it has become one of the hotspots of heterocyclic pesticide research in recent years. The pesticidal activity and mechanism of piperazine derivatives have been studied extensively. Herein, a comprehensive review of the research on the pesticidal bioactivity and mechanism of action of piperazine derivatives from 1971 to 2025 is presented. The agriculturally relevant antifungal, insecticidal, anti-plant virus, herbicidal, acaricidal, and antibacterial activities are discussed and the molecular mechanism of action of related piperazine derivatives is summarized. In addition, we also propose the future derivation direction of piperazine structures and look forward to the development of the anti-plant virus and anti-bacterial action mechanisms.

Plant pathogenic fungi release cell wall degrading enzymes (CWDEs), which are significant weapons for breaking down plant cell walls, although only a few reports focus on their pathogenesis. The current study demonstrates that MoFco1, a conserved α-L-fucosidase in several pathogenic fungi, degrades the hemicellulose component XXFG and contributes to the pathogenicity of Magnaporthe oryzae. In addition, MoFco1 enzyme activity is essential for its pathogenic function, as the enzyme activity mutation induced pathogenesis defects identical to the ΔMofco1 mutant. We further performed a structure-based virtual screening targeting MoFco1 and discovered 0989, which binds to MoFco1 and effectively inhibits M. oryzae pathogenesis. In brief, our study revealed the pathogenic mechanism of α-L-fucosidase and explored the application of structure-based virtual screening in plant protection.

Soil organic matter (SOM) monitoring using remote sensing is critical for effective land resource management and environmental protection. Mapping SOM in areas where saline and black soils are intertwined, with complex soil types and significant environmental variability, remains a challenging task. This study integrated prior knowledge and classified Jilin Province, China, into saline-alkali and black soil areas. All available Sentinel-2 images from 2019 to 2023 during the bare soil period (April to July) were collected, and the images were categorized into three time windows: Day of Year (DOY) 90-120, DOY 120-150, and DOY 150-180. The potentials of these time windows, spectral indices (salinity index and vegetation moisture index), environmental variables (topography and climate), and local regression models for SOM mapping in the saline-black soil transition areas were then systematically evaluated. The results revealed four key findings: (1) the optimal time window for SOM mapping in both the saline-alkali area and black soil area was DOY 90-120; (2) including the salinity index improved SOM mapping accuracy in the saline-alkali area but reduced it in the black soil area, whereas the vegetation moisture index enhanced accuracy in both areas; (3) incorporating environmental variables improved the SOM mapping accuracy in all areas, with topographic variables being more influential in the black soil area and climatic variables being more significant in the saline-alkali area; and (4) local regression models based on the saline-alkali area and black soil area outperformed the global regression model in terms of SOM mapping accuracy, although they exhibited higher uncertainty. This study demonstrates that the integration of prior knowledge and multi-temporal remote sensing images significantly enhance SOM mapping accuracy in areas where saline and black soils intersect, thus providing a scientific foundation for the precise management and protection of areas with different soil types.

Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis (MAP) causes paratuberculosis (pTB) in ruminants and may be linked to Crohn's disease in humans. Despite extensive MAP genomic data from various animals worldwide, there is a significant lack of such data and understanding of MAP pathogenicity in China. This study used whole-genome sequencing (WGS) and pathogenicity analysis in mice to examine virulence differences among six MAP field strains (designated NM10, LN219, HLJ37, HLJ160, XJ41, and XJ121) isolated from cattle and sheep in various regions of China affected by pTB. The WGS and pan-genome analysis revealed close genomic relatedness among the six MAP strains. However, strains LN219 and NM10 exhibited two and three hypervirulence factors, respectively, while the other four isolated strains each contained only one hypervirulence factor within their specific genomes. Moreover, AlphaFold predictions indicated that the nine amino acid deletions identified in the anti-anti-σ factor of strains LN219 and NM10 led to the lowest binding affinity in the anti-anti-σ factor_anti-σ factor complexes, relative to the other four Chinese strains and the K-10 strain. In addition, bacterial phenotype analyses and in vivo animal experiments have shown that the pathogenicity and virulence of the LN219 and NM10 strains were significantly elevated compared to the other four isolated strains. These factors may partially account for the differences in virulence observed among MAP strains circulating in China. Furthermore, identifying the genes in this bacterium that are associated with critical disease phenotypes can enable targeted functional experiments on these genes, thereby improving control strategies for pTB.

Dendrobium officinale is an orchid herb known for its ability to withstand long periods of drought. The high drought tolerance exhibited by D. officinale can be attributed to its structural and compositional characteristics, including thick leaves and stems rich in polysaccharides and other colloidal substances. However, in spite of these adaptations, the molecular mechanisms contributing to increased drought tolerance remain largely unknown. In this study, we restricted water from D. officinale for one to six months, and performed physiological and RNA sequencing analyses to determine how it responds to long-term dehydration and which genes may protect it against drought. After six months of dehydration D. officinale was still viable as evidenced by its rapid growth after just two days of rehydration. Transcriptome analysis on D. officinale plants subjected to one-month dehydration revealed changes in the expression of genes involved in various processes with the most prominent being stress responses, photosynthesis, phytohormone signaling, carbon metabolism, and fructose/mannose pathways. Among those genes, PEROXIDASE 4 (POD4) and NAC37 were highly upregulated and were selected to examine further their roles in protecting plants against drought. Transgenic tomato plants overexpressing D. officinale’s POD4 and NAC37 genes proved to be more tolerant to drought than control plants, as they were more vigorous, bore more fruits, maintained higher respiration rates and chlorophyll levels, and experienced less oxidative damage. Overall, our work highlights the potential of exploiting underutilized species for selecting genes that confer drought tolerance to crops and identifies POD4 and NAC37 as promising genes for improving drought tolerance via breeding.

Ensuring an adequate and nutritious food supply for the global population is a significant challenge in agricultural production practice.  Water and fertilizer are the main limiting factors in improving crop yield and quality.  However, organic fertilizer substitution with partial chemical nitrogen combined with irrigation reduction can increase maize yield and quality, through improvements in photo-physiological traits and nitrogen transportation, remains unclear.  A split plot field experiment of maize was established in an arid area of northwestern China from 2021 to 2023.  Two irrigation levels formed the main plot, local conventional irrigation (I2, 4,050 m³ ha⁻¹) and reduced by 20% (I1, 3,240 m³ ha⁻¹).  Five equivalent nitrogen substitution ratios of chemical nitrogen with organic fertilizers formed split plot, including sole chemical nitrogen fertilizer (F1), organic fertilizer substituting at 25% (F2), 50% (F3), 75% (F4), and 100% (F5) of chemical nitrogen fertilizer.  Discussing the effect of maize yield, quality, photo-physiological traits, and nitrogen transportation with combining organic and chemical nitrogen fertilizers under reduced irrigation.  The results showed that reduced irrigation decreased maize yield and quality.  However, organic fertilizer substitution at 25% of chemical nitrogen increased maize yield and quality, with this effect greater than other equivalent nitrogen substitution ratios of chemical fertilizer with organic fertilizer.  Reduced by 20% irrigation combined with organic fertilizer substitution at 25% of chemical nitrogen (I1F2) increased maize grain yield and biomass by 13.0 and 8.9% compared to local conventional irrigation and sole chemical nitrogen fertilizer (I2F1).  Meanwhile, I1F2 improved grain protein by 10.0%, enhanced amino acid and vitamin B contents by 60.4 and 30.6%, and raised straw crude fat and crude protein contents by 23.1 and 5.6% compared to I2F1 in maize, respectively.  The reason for improving maize yield and quality with I1F2 was attributed to (1) improving leaf area index and leaf area duration at the R2−R4 stage by 6.2 and 4.1%, increasing net photosynthetic rate by 43.8%, and enhancing the activities of pyruvate phosphate dikinase, phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase, and Rubisco activities by 9.8, 9.7, and 10.5%, respectively; (2) promoting nitrogen uptake and nitrogen accumulation after the R1 stage by 5.6 and 5.4% while maintaining nitrogen transportation quantity before the R1 stage.  Therefore, reduced irrigation by 20% combined with organic fertilizer substitution at 25% of chemical nitrogen can improve maize yield and quality via improving photo-physiological traits and nitrogen transportation in arid irrigation areas.

The decrease in global solar radiation and population light competition due to continuously increasing planting density pose a considerable risk to maize yields.  It is imperative to understand why certain hybrids, which are well-adapted to low-light conditions, can still realize high yields despite these conditions. In this study, we investigated the effects of different light levels (CK, nature light; S, 30% of nature light) and planting densities (D1, 7.5×10⁴ plants ha^-1; D2, 12×10⁴ plants ha^-1) on the yield and radiation utilization of 14 maize hybrids, on field experiments conducted at Qitai Farm, Xinjiang in 2020 and 2021.  The results showed that when classifying all hybrids based on their average yields under both CK and S treatments, the hybrids were mainly distributed in type I (high yields under both CK and S treatments) and type III (low yields under both CK and S treatments).  The yield of type I hybrids was 20.8% higher than that of type III hybrids.  As solar radiation decreased, the yields of type I and type III hybrids decreased by 23.0 and 29.4%, respectively.  The low light tolerance index of type I hybrids was 37.4% higher than that of type III hybrids.  The higher yield of type I hybrids can be attributed to their higher pre-silking dry weight, post-silking dry weight, leaf area duration, photosynthetic rate, and radiation use efficiency, which exceeded those of type III hybrids by 8.3, 9.1, 15.3, 12.7, and 18.2%, respectively.  Therefore, our findings emphasized that maintaining high photosynthetic performance under low light conditions, improving radiation use efficiency, and increasing post-silking biomass accumulation can effectively mitigate the yield penalties caused by decreased solar radiation.

Porcine Contagious Pleuropneumonia (PCP) is an important bacterial infectious disease caused by Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae (A. pleuropneumoniae), which has caused serious economic losses to the pig industry. Early rapid diagnosis and pathogen surveillance are essential for the prevention of this disease. In this study, recombinase-aided amplification (RAA) assays with real-time fluorescence and lateral flow dipsticks (LFD) for the rapid detection of A. pleuropneumoniae were established, optimized, and evaluated based on the conserved region of the apxIVA gene. The results of the exo-probe-based RAA assay were not only determined by real-time fluorescence readout (real-time RAA) but also by a portable blue light instrument for visualization (visual RAA). The results of the nfo-probe-based RAA assay were determined by LFDs (RAA-LFD). These assays could detect all serotypes of A. pleuropneumoniae and had no cross-reaction with other common clinical pathogenic bacteria. The analytical sensitivity of the real-time RAA and RAA-LFD assays was 17.9 copies µL^-1 with a 95% confidence interval, and the analytical sensitivity of the visual RAA assay was 203.5 copies µL^-1 with a 95% confidence interval. The coincidence rate of real-time RAA assay with the qPCR assay was 97.6%, and the coincidence rate of visual RAA and RAA-LFD assays with the qPCR assay was 100% in detecting clinical samples. The RAA assays have high specificity, high sensitivity, and good diagnostic performance, which can be used as reliable diagnostic tools for the rapid detection of A. pleuropneumoniae, especially in on-site diagnostics.

Abscisic acid (ABA) plays a crucial role in regulating seed dormancy and germination, and its disruption is the primary cause of preharvest sprouting (PHS) in crops.  In this study, we generated a maize viviparous mutant, vpm, via EMS mutagenesis.  Bulked segregant analysis identified ZmCNX2 with a stop-gained mutation (c.816T>A|p.Y272*), which was confirmed as the causative gene.  Allelic validation for ZmCNX2 was performed in maize using two mutants, vpm and cnx2-1, which demonstrated that they were alleles of the ZmCNX2 locus, and its ectopic expression in Arabidopsis and wheat resulted in delayed seed germination. ZmCNX2 encodes a GTP 3’,8-cyclase catalyzing the first step in the biosynthesis of molybdenum cofactor (MoCo), which accompanies the aldehyde oxidase (AO3) to catalyze the last step in ABA biosynthesis.  In the vpm mutant, AO3 was downregulated, and there was a significant reduction in ABA-related metabolites.  Further experiments revealed that ZmCNX2 interacts with ZmRPT3 and ZmO18. The interaction between ZmCNX2 and ZmRPT3 may be involved in the regulation of ABA signaling, while the interaction between ZmCNX2 and ZmO18 may affect energy metabolism.  Therefore, ZmCNX2 coordinates ABA synthesis, signal transduction, and energy metabolism, collectively contributing to the regulation of pre-harvest sprouting.

Potassium (K) improves the grain yield and stress resistance of crops; however, its effect on rice under shading stress is unclear.  In this study, a two-factor split-plot experiment was conducted in Sichuan, China, to evaluate the influence of K management methods on the morphological and physiological characteristics of leaves and grain yield under shading stress.  The results showed that leaf morphological and physiological traits had a greater relationship with grain yield under shading stress than under full sunlight.  Compared to full sunlight control, shading stress significantly increased the leaf area index (LAI) by improving the green leaf number and leaf area of rice.  Shading stress also significantly increased the chlorophyll, K⁺, and Na⁺ contents, but decreased the specific leaf weight, ratios of grain-to-leaf area and chlorophyll a/b, net photosynthetic rate (P_n), and sucrose and starch contents.  This resulted in a 16.21–29.71% reduction in grain yield by reducing the seed setting rate and 1,000-grain weight.  Compared to the no potassium application control (K_0-0), the green leaf number and leaf area of rice were significantly increased by K fertilizer, resulting in 15.61–29.88% and 13.46–22.20% increases in the total LAI under full sunlight control and shading stress, respectively.  K fertilizer significantly improved the chlorophyll b, K⁺, and K⁺/Na⁺ contents, but decreased the chlorophyll a/b ratio under shading stress, thereby enhancing P_n and increasing the sucrose and starch contents of flag leaves.  Therefore, K fertilizer significantly increased the grain yield by 5.57–17.35% under shading stress.  Compared to 90 kg ha^-1 of K₂O single use as basal fertilizer (K_90-0), 90 kg ha^-1 of K₂O single use as panicle fertilizer at panicle initiation stage (K_0-90) significantly increased the P_n and starch content of flag leaves under shading stress.  Furthermore, there was no significant difference between the grain yields of K_0-90 and 180 kg ha^-1 of K₂O equal-spilt applicated as basal and panicle fertilizers (K_90-90) in 2021 (except under shading stress) and 2022.  Overall, K fertilizer, particularly panicle K, improved the LAI and photosynthetic performance of rice, resulting in an improved rice grain yield under shading stress.

Premature senescence of crop foliage presents a formidable challenge to agricultural productivity.  Biogas slurry (BS), an organic effluent, enhances the antioxidant defense system during leaf senescence process.  However, the molecular mechanisms governing the effect of BS on maize leaf senescence remain largely unexplored.  Here, we set up BS topdressing and chemical fertilizer (CF) topdressing treatments, and explored the role of BS in changing the senescence process of maize leaf through physiological and transcriptomic analyses.  Our findings indicated that the BS treatment enhanced the energy supply to aging maize leaves by upreglating the expression of the photosynthetic system, promoting chlorophyll synthesis, enhancing the biological carbon fixation process, and optimizing starch and sucrose metabolism and glycolytic pathways.  Furthermore, BS activated the mitogen-activated protein kinase signaling cascade and elevated peroxisomes expressions.  Concurrently, it suppressed the expression of negative regulatory factors in stress-induced senescence-related plant hormones during maize maturation.  Additionally, the BS treatment decreased the degradation rates of transcription factors from the WRKY, MYB, ERF, and bHLH families during maize leaf senescence.  Consequently, the BS treatment reduced the average senescence rate (27.28%) and maximum senescence rate (13.94%) of leaves, and significantly increase the relative green leaf area at the full maturity stage (94.92%).  Moreover, the superoxide anion content represented as a pivotal mediator in the response to leaf senescence.  Thus, this study showed that BS alleviates the leaf senescence process by regulating the physiological and metabolic processes of maize, thus providing novel strategies for combating crop premature senescence. 

Lodging restricts the further increase of wheat yield. In dense planting environments, there is a contradiction between the weakening of light signals at the base of the population and the need for strengthened stem quality.  However, there is currently insufficient quantitative and qualitative information on how light quality affects the content and structure of stem cell wall components.  This study used Shannong 16 (SN16) and Shannong 23 (SN23) as experimental materials and set up red light (R) and far-red light (FR) treatments, with natural light (CK) as the control, to explore the effect of light quality on stem cell wall components.  The results showed that light quality treatments induced significant phenotypic and cell wall component and structural changes in plants.  Specifically, R treatment significantly increased the cellulose crystallinity and lignin precursors in the stem and promoted the increase of cellulose and lignin levels.  In particular, changes in lignin composition (increased S and G subunits, decreased H subunits) and increased dimers and trimers composed of G and S were more substantial than the changes.  This phenomenon indicates that the R treatment enhanced stem mechanical strength by increasing cellulose crystallinity and lignin cross-linking structure in the cell wall.  In summary, as a cultivation measure aimed at reducing lodging in the field by improving the light quality at the base of plants, this strategy has the potential to enhance stem lodging resistance and increase yield in future dense wheat plantings.

In the central spikelet, floret primordia proximal to rachis typically develop into fertile florets, while those distal ones tend to abort.  However, the mechanism driving these divergent outcomes remain unclear.  To elucidate this mechanism, a two-year field experiment was conducted, analyzing the differences between fertile (floret 1) and abortive florets (floret 5) at phenotypic, physiological, cellular, and transcriptional levels.  Our results showed that floret 1 (F1) developed earlier than floret 5 (F5), evidenced as distinct floret and anther cell morphology.  This developmental difference was associated with distinct metabolic strategies: F1 prioritizes starch biosynthesis by enhancing photosynthetic efficiency and reducing thermal dissipation, while F5 diverts carbon to trehalose metabolism under resource constraints.  Transcriptomic profiling revealed 17,711 differentially expressed genes, predominantly enriched in carbohydrate metabolism.  Key starch-related genes (WAXY, SS, GBE1) were upregulated in F1, while trehalose synthesis genes (TPS.5, TPS.6, TPP.7) dominated in F5, reflecting a metabolic trade-off between growth and survival. Hormonal profiling revealed elevated indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) levels in F1, driven by upregulated genes encoding enzymes of TDC and YUCCA, whereas abscisic acid (ABA) level increased in F5, mediated by NCED.  Specially, tissue-specific regulation in fertile floret was clarified: lemma tissues enriched in photosynthesis genes supplied localized carbon, anthers relied on sucrose cleavage genes to sustain pollen development, and ovary activated lipid biosynthesis genes for embryogenesis.  Collectively, we propose a model where IAA-starch synergy in proximal florets establishes a competitive metabolic sink, whereas ABA-T6P interplay in distal florets enforces developmental arrest, thereby optimizing resource allocation and reproductive success.  The proposed regulatory framework provides novel views for improving floret fertility through carbohydrate partitioning and hormone signal.

Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) is one of the most important food crops globally, and its flour can be processed into a wide variety of foods.  The high-molecular-weight glutenin subunits (HMW-GSs) play a crucial role in determining the flour-processing quality.  In this study, we used the CRISPR/Cas9 system to generate eight types of wheat mutants with the silencing of one to four HMW-GS-encoding genes simultaneously.  These mutations were identified in the T₁ generation by PCR-restriction enzyme (PCR-RE) analysis and sequencing.  In the T₂ generation, mutants were confirmed to express one to four HMW-GSs by sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) and ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography (UPLC).  Phenotypic analysis showed that the mutants were comparable to the wild-type (WT) in terms of major agronomic and grain traits.  However, glutenin macropolymers (GMP) content in the mutants was significantly lower than in the WT.  Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) revealed a flaky GMP structure in the mutant grain endosperms, indicating that the absence of HMW-GSs did not affect GMP formation. SDS-sedimentation volume (SDS-SV) and bread-baking tests revealed that the contribution of HMW-GSs to processing quality was ranked as 1Dx5>1Dy12>1Ax1 in the genetic background of CB037.  Interestingly, although bread-baking quality deteriorated, the cookie-making and noodle quality of the mutants improved.  The cookie made from the dDx mutant had the thinnest, largest diameter, and the highest spread factor.  Mutants with reduced HMW-GS content may provide a new strategy for wheat breeding tailored for cookie and noodle production.

The number of pods per plant (PP) is strongly correlated with seed yield, and identifying genes that regulate PP could enhance the yield of mung bean (Vigna radiata (L.) Wilczek), providing valuable insights for molecular breeding.  In this study, VrKNAT6 was identified through genome-wide association and multiomics analyses.  Chr3-14344673 (P=3.02E-10~8.80E-07) was found to be significantly associated with PP using EMMAX, CMLM, GEMMA, GLM, and 3VmrMLM.  Among the 12 genes located within a 100 kb region near Chr3-14344673 on chromosome 3, EVM0027029 (VrKNAT6) is homologous to known PP development-related genes in Oryza sativa and Arabidopsis thaliana.  Overexpression of VrKNAT6^H1 significantly increased rosette numbers, branch numbers, PP, and the 1,000-seed weight in transgenic Arabidopsis lines.  Furthermore, when overexpressed in mung bean hairy roots and Arabidopsis, VrKNAT6^H1 was found to participate in jasmonic acid (JA) synthesis through physical interaction with VrATH1.  This interaction partly explains the differences in branch numbers between VrKNAT6^H1-overexpressing Arabidopsis lines and the control.  Additionally, the expression of JA synthetase-related genes was significantly elevated in the positive VrKNAT6^H1 lines.  Based on the multiomics analysis results, we propose a molecular regulatory mechanism for VrKNAT6^H1, suggesting that it is a JA synthesis-related gene that could be utilized in mung bean high-yield molecular breeding.

Uneven crop stands arise from natural variations in emergence time, which are influenced by different irrigation measures applied post-sowing.  In the pursuit of high-yielding maize populations, the emergence rate and uniformity of maize stands are critical factors.  This study investigates the effects of different irrigation methods and drip irrigation at various days after sowing on the emergence uniformity and yield of summer maize.  The experiment consisted of six treatments: drip irrigation on the 0th, 3rd, 6th, 9th, and 12th days after sowing (DAS0, DAS3, DAS6, DAS9, and DAS12), and sprinkling irrigation on the 0th day after sowing (SI0).  Agronomic traits, ear characteristics, harvest yield, and indices of population uniformity were evaluated at critical growth stages. Results indicated that timely drip irrigation (DAS0-3) significantly increased the emergence rate and number of harvestable ears by 9.57% (8621.61 plants ha^-1) and 10.54% (8017.05 ears ha^-1) compared to the SI treatment.  Treatment with DAS0-3 resulted in a significant increase of 13.50% in ear length and 24.85% in kernel weight per ear compared to the SI treatment.  Maize populations subjected to delayed drip irrigation (DAS6-12) demonstrated a progressive decline in quality throughout the growth period.  At the silk stage, the uniformity of plant height and ear height decreased by 47.19 and 44.85%, respectively, compared to the DAS0-3 treatment.  Furthermore, at harvest, the uniformity of dry matter accumulation and leaf area index (LAI) was reduced by 28.24 and 41.83%, respectively, relative to the DAS0-3 treatment.  Correlation analysis reveals that the uniformity of kernel weight per ear is most significantly associated with yield, as indicated by a correlation coefficient of 0.90^**.  The yield in the DAS0-3 treatment was significantly higher than that in the SI treatment by 23.71%.  The yields of the DAS6-12 treatments were notably lower than those of the DAS0-3 treatment, ranging from 13.18 to 23.97% lower, and were comparable to the yields observed in the SI treatment.  The suboptimal implementation of drip irrigation technology has prevented it from realizing its potential for increasing crop yields.  Each day’s delay in initiating drip irrigation after the third day post-sowing reduces yield by an average of 0.32 Mg ha^-1.  Timely drip irrigation following maize seeding significantly enhances emergence rate and population uniformity, increases the number of harvestable ears and kernel weight per ear, ultimately leading to higher final yields.  Drip irrigation for seedling emergence within three days after sowing can better bring out the yield-increasing potential of drip irrigation.

Heat stress (HS) can induce the disruption of small intestinal integrity in broilers. Here we examined the efficacies and possible mechanisms of zinc proteinate with moderate chelation strength (Zn-Prot M) compared to ZnSO₄.7H₂O (ZnSO₄) in alleviating HS-induced disruption of small intestinal integrity in broilers. The experiment included 7 treatments. Twenty two-d-old birds were randomly allotted into 1 of 5 treatments under high temperature (HT, 9:00-17:00: 34±1°C, 8 h d^-1; 17:00–9:00: 28±1°C) with 1 control (HT-CON) plus 2 [dietary Zn sources, Zn-Prot M and ZnSO₄] × 2 [added Zn levels, 30 and 60 mg kg^-1] factorial arrangement, and 1 of 2 treatments under normal temperature (NT) with the control (NT-CON) and pair-feeding matched to HT-CON (NT-PF). The results showed that HS dramatically reduced (P<0.05) small intestinal villus height (VH), VH/crypt depth (CD) and villus surface area (VSA), the amount of proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) positive cells, mRNA or protein expression levels of phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K), serine threonine kinase (AKT), extracellular regulated protein kinase (ERK), protein kinase C (PKC), G protein-coupled receptor 39 (GPR39), phosphorylated PI3K (p-PI3K)/PI3K, p-AKT/AKT, p-ERK/ERK and phospholipase C (PLC) β1/2, and PLC activity. HS also remarkably increased (P<0.05) small intestinal CD and mRNA or protein levels of P38 mitogen activated protein kinase (P38 MAPK), C-jun N-terminal kinase (JNK)1/2 and p-JNK/JNK in the jejunum of heat stressed (HS) broilers. However, dietary supplementation with Zn, especially organic Zn as Zn-Prot M at 60 mg kg^-1, significantly increased (P<0.05) small intestinal VH, VH/CD and VSA, as well as the amount of PCNA positive cells, PLC activity, mRNA expression levels of PI3K, AKT, GPR39 and PLC β1, protein expression levels of p-PI3K/PI3K, p-AKT/AKT, p-ERK/ERK, GPR39 and PLC β1, and decreased (P<0.05) small intestinal CD, JNK2 mRNA expression level and p-JNK/JNK protein expression level in the jejunum of HS broilers. These results suggest that dietary supplemental Zn, especially 60 mg Zn kg^-1 as Zn-Prot M, can effectively alleviate HS-induced small intestinal injury possibly by promoting cellular proliferation via the GPR39/PLC β1-mediated PI3K/AKT or MAPK pathways in the jejunum of HS broilers.

Traditional two-dimensional analyses of maize (Zea mays. L) plant architecture plasticity and canopy light transmission under varying planting densities have limitations in capturing spatial heterogeneity.  This study utilized structure-from-motion technology with a multi-view three-dimensional (3D) phenotyping platform to investigate architectural plasticity across different maize varieties and planting densities.  Seven novel 3D architectural parameters were developed, and 3D canopy models were constructed for light distribution simulation.  At V9 stage, medium planting density (67,500 plants ha⁻⊃1;, MD) increased plant side width and convex hull volume by 7.2 and 11.4%, respectively, compared to low planting density (37,500 plants ha⁻⊃1;, LD).  High planting density (97,500 plants ha⁻⊃1;, HD) increased by 4.2 and 17.8% compared with MD.  Similar changes were maintained at V13 stage.  At silking stage, number of voxel volume plant (NVP) and projected area (PJA) decreased by 6.2 and 11.9% (LD to MD), and 4.9 and 3.6% (MD to HD).  Under different densities, MC812 and JNK728 showed 17.2-20.0% and 6.2-7.6% decrease in PJA, and 20.0-26.5% and 15.4-21.1% decrease in NVP compared to ZD958.  A bottom light transmittance estimation model combining point cloud parameters with support vector regression achieved reliable prediction (R⊃2;=0.76, RMSE=2.89%).  The 3D canopy model effectively simulated population light distribution (R⊃2;=0.83, RMSE=8.53%).  NVP and PJA were identified as critical parameters affecting bottom canopy light transmittance, suggesting their potential as 3D selection indices for maize density tolerance breeding.  These findings provide insights into stage-specific architectural plasticity and light interception, supporting molecular design breeding of density-tolerant maize.

Grassland resources are the foundation of the sheep industry, and the development of artificial pastures provides a solution for alleviating the livestock-carrying pressure on natural grasslands. Based on the impact of lipid metabolism on muscle fatty acid composition, studying the differences in rumen and liver lipid metabolism between grazing and indoor feeding lambs helps to analyze the causes of high-quality grazing lamb meat and to improve the productivity of artificial pasture-based grazing systems. A total of 22 weaned lambs with similar weight were assigned to two groups; fed pellets and hay in separate pens (AF) or grazed exclusively on artificial pasture (AG) for 90 days. The results showed a significantly higher value in serum glucose and triglyceride concentrations and a significantly lower value in serum lipase in the AF vs AG group (P < 0.05). The metabolome revealed that crucial differential metabolites (DFMs) participating in lipid metabolism, oleic acid and palmitic acid, were down-regulated in the rumen of the AG group. In the liver, oleic acid, α-linolenic acid, and stearic acid were down-regulated in the AG group, while linoleic acid was up-regulated. Meanwhile, rumen hydroxypropanoate and liver succinic acid, enriched in propionate metabolism processes, were down-regulated in grazing lambs. Subsequently, liver transcriptome sequencing revealed that grazing inhibited fatty acid oxidation and lipid synthesis by down-regulating ME1, FABP1, HADHA, PLIN2, and ACAA2. The significant correlation between CYP4A6 and propionate metabolites suggested a potential regulatory role of propionate metabolism in liver lipid metabolism. Moreover, oleic acid, palmitic acid and stearic acids in muscle, rumen and liver were also closely correlated, revealing an essential contribution of rumen and liver lipid metabolism to muscle fatty acid deposition. Through the multi-omics assessment of the rumen and liver, our research systematically revealed the lipid metabolism mechanisms in lambs under different feeding patterns, which were caused by comprehensive factors such as diet and environment. It has made contributions to the goals of high-quality grazing lamb production and efficient grassland productivity.

The lack of knowledge about how the genome is regulated during skeletal myogenesis in pigs hinders the identification of genetic variants for meat traits. Here, we systematically characterized the cis-regulatory elements (CREs, promoters, enhancers and others) by using Hi-C coupled chromatin cleavage and tagmentation (HiCuT, H3K27ac), Assay for transposase-accessible chromatin using sequencing (ATAC-seq) and RNA-seq to analyze primary myoblasts and in vitro well-differentiated myotubes, and generated an atlas of the promoter-enhancer interactions (PEIs) during myogenic differentiation. In total, 179,895 and 159,255 loops were identified in myoblasts and myotubes, respectively, which could be grouped into 3 categories of promoter-promoter interactions, promoter-enhancer interactions and promoter-others. Furthermore, 22,645 cis-eQTLs loci were pinpointed by integrating public genome-wide association studies (GWAS) and expression quantitative trait locus (eQTL) datasets. Notably, novel promoter-like enhancers were verified, and cis-eQTLs in promoter-like enhancers might influence gene expression over a long range. In addition, 39,069 structural variants (SVs) within the CREs were identified. A transcription factor (TF)-promoter/enhancer regulatory network for myogenesis was generated, revealing several novel TFs relevant to myogenic differentiation. This work generated a valuable resource for understanding genomic regulation in pig muscles and filtering potential variants to develop breeds with desirable traits.

Maintaining optimal crop nutritional levels is crucial for maximizing yield and enhancing stress resistance. In addition to the 17 essential nutrients, there are many plant-beneficial elements: silicon, aluminum, selenium, titanium, iodine, vanadium, cobalt, sodium, and rare earth elements. They are not essential for all plants, but some are crucial for specific plant species. However, the mechanisms of action of many beneficial elements are still unclear, and products containing beneficial elements have not been widely accepted and used by the public. This review systematically summarizes the current knowledge of plant-beneficial elements. Most importantly, we offer suggestions for future research on beneficial elements, which include integrating cross-disciplinary and innovative technologies, expanding the scope of application and elemental species, broadening the spatial and temporal scales of research, incorporating beneficial elements into the soil health evaluation system, and shifting from single to multi-element applications. In the future, research on beneficial elements should be closely centered around “mechanism + application” to meet the ever-increasing demands driven by population growth, improve human health, tackle environmental challenges, and promote rural economic development.

Megalurothrips usitatus causes significant economic losses in the regional cowpea industry in Hainan province, China. However, reports on M. usitatus-resistant varieties remain limited globally. To address this gap, this study assessed the resistance of 210 cowpea germplasm resources through field experiments over two consecutive years, and comprehensively investigated the resistance mechanism of a selected resistant variety against M. usitatus. Physiological measurements revealed that the resistant variety IZJU0044 had higher levels of total flavonoids and tannins, as well as lipoxygenase and β-1,3-glucanase activities, both before and after thrips feeding. Thrips feeding stimulated flavonoid biosynthesis in cowpea flowers, and the contents of both constitutive and inducible luteolin in the resistant variety IZJU0044 were higher than those in the susceptible variety IZJU0120. Laboratory toxicity tests confirmed the lethal effect of luteolin on thrips. Moreover, thrips feeding strongly induced luteolin synthesis-related genes (chalcone isomerases, CHIs) in IZJU0044, indicating that luteolin likely conferred higher resistance to M. usitatus. This study provides a theoretical basis for using thrips-resistant varieties in cowpea molecular breeding programs.

The fine-scale characterization of vegetation surface information serves as a fundamental basis for studying the spatial distribution of resources and the dynamic patterns of environmental responses. Accurately extracting the distributions of different crop species is of critical importance for improving agricultural production efficiency and ensuring food security. Traditional fine-scale vegetation extraction methods often face significant challenges due to the presence of spectrally similar features and the substantial influence of background interference, which limit their applicability across large areas. As a key phenological stage of angiosperms, flowering is characterized by distinctive flowering times, floral morphology, and canopy spectral signatures, so it is an effective pathway for fine-scale vegetation extraction using remote sensing. Using rapeseed as an example, this study developed a spectral index model for precise flowering vegetation extraction (FI-R) based on Landsat OLI imagery. The model integrates a yellowness index (Blue, Green) and a peak index (Red, Nir, Swir1) while leveraging the NDVI to mitigate background interference from spectrally similar objects. This approach successfully enables the rapid and accurate large-scale mapping of flowering vegetation under complex background conditions. The proposed method was tested in five rapeseed cultivation regions worldwide with diverse backgrounds. Validation datasets were generated using GF imagery and the U.S. CDL dataset. The FI-R model demonstrated superior capability in distinguishing flowering rapeseed from other vegetation, and achieved overall accuracies exceeding 94% in all study areas. Furthermore, FI-R is compatible with other multispectral sensors that have similar band configurations, so it is applicable to rapeseed extraction in broader contexts. The method also shows strong potential for the fine-scale extraction of other types of flowering angiosperm vegetation.