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Magnesium (Mg 2+ ) is pivotal for the vitality, yield, and quality of horticultural crops. Central to plant physiology, Mg 2+ powers photosynthesis as an integral component of chlorophyll, bolstering growth and biomass accumulation. Beyond basic growth, it critically affects crop quality factors, from chlorophyll synthesis to taste, texture, and shelf life. However, Mg2 + deficiency can cripple yields and impede plant development. Magnesium Transporters (MGTs) orchestrate Mg 2+ dynamics, with notable variations observed in horticultural species such as Cucumis sativus, Citrullus lanatus , and Citrus sinensis . Furthermore, Mg 2+ is key in fortifying plants against environmental stressors and diseases by reinforcing cell walls and spurring the synthesis of defense substances. A burgeoning area of research is the application of magnesium oxide nanoparticles (MgO-NPs), which, owing to their nanoscale size and high reactivity, optimize nutrient uptake, and enhance plant growth and stress resilience. Concurrently, modern breeding techniques provide insights into Mg 2+ dynamics to develop crops with improved Mg 2+ efficiency and resilience to deficiency. Effective Mg 2+ management through soil tests, balanced fertilization, and pH adjustments holds promise for maximizing crop health, productivity, and sustainability. This review unravels the nuanced intricacies of Mg 2+ in plant physiology and genetics, and its interplay with external factors, serving as a cornerstone for those keen on harnessing its potential for horticultural excellence.

This work aimed to investigate the effect of pyrolysis temperature on the yield and properties of biochars synthesized from herbaceous and woody plants. Four typical materials, including two herbaceous plants (rice straw, corn straw) and two woody plants (camellia oleifera shells, garden waste), were used in the experiments under five operating temperatures (from 300 °C to 700 °C, with an interval of 100 °C). The results showed biochar derived from herbaceous plants had a significantly higher pH (from 7.68 to 11.29 for RS), electrical conductivity (EC, from 6.5 Ms cm−1 to 13.2 mS cm−1 for RS), cation exchange conductivity (CEC, from 27.81 cmol kg−1 to 21.69 cmol kg−1 for RS), and ash content (from 21.79% to 32.71% for RS) than the biochar from woody plants, but the volatile matter (VM, from 42.23% to 11.77% for OT) and specific surface area (BET, from 2.88 m2 g−1 to 301.67 m2 g−1 for OT) in the woody plant-derived biochar were higher. Except for CEC and VM, all the previously referred physicochemical characteristics in the as-prepared biochars increased with the increasing pyrolysis temperature, the H/C and O/C values of herbaceous and woody plant-derived biochar were lower than 0.9 and 0.3, respectively, confirming their potential as the material for carbon sequestration. The results revealed that biochar made from herbaceous plants was more suitable for acidic soil amendments. In contrast, woody plant-derived biochar were recommended to remove heavy metals in environmental remediation and water treatment.

Camellia oleifera , a vital woody oil crop in China, suffers substantial yield losses due to frequent physiological fruit abscission during cultivation. Ethylene signaling, mediated by Ethylene-Insensitive3/Ethylene-Insensitive 3-like (EIN3/EIL) transcription factors encoded by a multigene family, plays a pivotal role in plant organ abscission. However, the EIN3/EIL family remains understudied in C. oleifera . Here, genome-wide analysis identified four CoEIL genes encoding proteins with conserved EIN3 domains. Phylogenetic classification grouped these proteins into Group A and Group B, revealing evolutionary proximity between C. oleifera and tea ( Camellia sinensis ). Cis -acting regulatory element analysis implicated CoEIL genes in hormone responsiveness and stress adaptation. Quantitative real-time PCR analysis was performed to investigate the expression patterns of these CoEIL genes in the fruit abscission zone following ethephon and brassinolide treatments. This study elucidates the genetic architecture and functional divergence of CoEIL genes, laying the foundation for exploring molecular mechanisms of abscission in C. oleifera .

Sex determination in dioecious plants has been broadly and progressively studied with the blooming of genome sequencing and editing techniques. This provides us with a great opportunity to explore the evolution and genetic mechanisms underlining the sex-determining system in dioecious plants. In this study, comprehensively reviewing advances in sex-chromosomes, sex-determining genes, and floral MADS-box genes in dioecious plants, we proposed a convergent model that governs plant dioecy across divergent species using a cascade regulation pathway connecting sex-determining genes and MADS-box genes e.g., B-class genes. We believe that this convergent mechanism of sex determination in dioecious plants will shed light on our understanding of gene regulation and evolution of plant dioecy. Perspectives concerning the evolutionary pathway of plant dioecy are also suggested.

Eucommia ulmoides is a dioecious plant species that has been widely utilized as an important traditional Chinese medicine. To investigate sexual dimorphism and its underling molecular basis in E. ulmoides , we conducted an integrated analysis of transcriptomic and metabolomic data, alongside functional gene studies, for the first time. The results revealed that 8,811 (43.72%) of genes expressed in flowers were sex-biased genes, significantly more than the 116 (0.078%) identified in leaves. Among these, two male-biased and four female-biased genes consistently expressed in both flowers and leaves were identified, including two B-class floral organ identity genes, i.e. AP3 -like EuMADS39 and PI -like EuMADS28 . Additionally, 123 differentially abundant metabolites were detected between male and female flowers. Functional analyses demonstrated that protein EuMADS39 and EuMADS28 are both localized in the nucleus and capable of forming a protein complex. Transgenic Arabidopsis plants co-expressing EuMADS39 and EuMADS28 exhibited an increased number of stamens (7) compared to wild-type plants (6), confirming their roles as B-class genes in the development of unisexual flowers in E. ulmoides . In summary, this study uncovered the sexual dimorphisms in gene expression and metabolite profiles of E. ulmoides , and validated the role of B-class genes in sexual dimorphism of E. ulmoides . Clinical trial number Not applicable.

Genetic engineering in plants serves as a crucial method for enhancing crop quality, yield, and climate resilience through the manipulation of genetic circuits. A novel genetic transformation approach utilizing nanocarriers as a sound plant genetic engineering technique enables the delivery of DNAs or RNAs into the plant cells. Significant advances have recently been made on the nanotechnology-based delivery of nucleic acids in plants. In this review, several nanoparticle-mediated DNA and RNA delivery systems are discussed respectively, involving latest progresses and drawbacks of these approaches used in plant genetic engineering. We also underscores the current challenges that must be addressed in the implementation of nanoparticles-based strategies for plant gene delivery. Furthermore and more importantly, plant-derived exosome-like nanoparticles that facilitate nucleic acids transfer between organisms was initially proposed as a novel and promising nanodelivery platform for the CRISPR/Cas9 genome editing toolkit in plants. We believe that this review will be beneficial for an effective exploration of nucleic acid nanodelivery to aid the plant genetic engineering in modern agriculture.

Cotton yield estimation is crucial in the agricultural process, where the accuracy of boll detection during the flocculation period significantly influences yield estimations in cotton fields. Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) are frequently employed for plant detection and counting due to their cost-effectiveness and adaptability. Addressing the challenges of small target cotton bolls and low resolution of UAVs, this paper introduces a method based on the YOLO v8 framework for transfer learning, named YOLO small-scale pyramid depth-aware detection (SSPD). The method combines space-to-depth and non-strided convolution (SPD-Conv) and a small target detector head, and also integrates a simple, parameter-free attentional mechanism (SimAM) that significantly improves target boll detection accuracy. The YOLO SSPD achieved a boll detection accuracy of 0.874 on UAV-scale imagery. It also recorded a coefficient of determination (R ) of 0.86, with a root mean square error (RMSE) of 12.38 and a relative root mean square error (RRMSE) of 11.19% for boll counts. The findings indicate that YOLO SSPD can significantly improve the accuracy of cotton boll detection on UAV imagery, thereby supporting the cotton production process. This method offers a robust solution for high-precision cotton monitoring, enhancing the reliability of cotton yield estimates.

This study investigated the distribution of cadmium (Cd) and the protein level of metallothionein (MT) and examined the relationship of Cd accumulation and the MT concentration in different tissues of freshwater mussel Anodonta woodiana following Cd treatment. The mussels were exposed to Cd (4.21, 8.43, 16.86, 33.72 and 67.45 mg L-1) for 24, 48, 72 and 96 h, respectively. After Cd treatment, the gills, mantle, foot, visceral mass and digestive gland tissues were collected for analysis. We found that, in the controls, Cd distributed in all tissues in the concentration order of gills>mantle>foot>visceral mass>digestive gland. Upon Cd treatment, Cd concentration significantly increased in all tissues. The highest Cd accumulation was found in the digestive gland, which was 0.142 mg g-1 (P<0.05). MT levels in the gills and mantle of the mussels increased significantly (P<0.05), which were in positive correlation with Cd accumulation in the tissues (P<0.05). In conclusion, our results demonstrated a correlation between Cd accumulation and MT up-regulation in gills and mantle of the mussels after Cd treatment. It is suggested that the protein level of MT in gills and mantle of Anodonta woodiana is a good biomarker for Cd contamination.

The extruded cast in‐situ branch‐plate (DX) pile is important to control the quality of the pile by measuring its profile and strength. This experimental study sought to develop a technique for detecting the external profile and quality of DX pile using the cross‐hole sonic logging (CSL) test. A field test was carried out on a DX pile, in which inclinometer casings were installed in drilled holes along the entire length of the pile and a plane‐coordinate system was established on the top of the pile. The inclinometer measurement was performed at different depths, and the horizontal spacing between the casings was calculated to eliminate inclinometer deviations. The distances between the casings and the first arrival time (FAT) were used to calculate the ultrasonic velocity in the pile and soil. A new equation is derived to correct the shape of the branch and plate. Comparative analysis demonstrates that the corrected shape of DX pile is consistent with the design shape. This study also confirms the feasibility and practicability of detecting the shape of the branch and plate using CSL.

Background Oritavancin is a new generation of semi-synthetic glycopeptide antibiotics against Gram-positive bacteria, which served as the first and only antibiotic with a single-dose therapeutic regimen to treat ABSSSI. A naturally occurring glycopeptide A82846B is the direct precursor of oritavancin. However, its application has been hampered by low yields and homologous impurities. This study established a multi-step combinatorial strategy to rationally construct a high-quality and high-efficiency biosynthesis system for A82846B and systematically optimize its fermentation process to break through the bottleneck of microbial fermentation production. Results Firstly, based on the genome sequencing and analysis, we deleted putative competitive pathways and constructed a better A82846B-producing strain with a cleaner metabolic background, increasing A82846B production from 92 to 174 mg/L. Subsequently, the PhiC31 integrase system was introduced based on the CRISPR-Cas12a system. Then, the fermentation level of A82846B was improved to 226 mg/L by over-expressing the pathway-specific regulator StrR via the constructed PhiC31 system. Furthermore, overexpressing glycosyl-synthesis gene evaE enhanced the production to 332 mg/L due to the great conversion of the intermediate to target product. Finally, the scale-up production of A82846B reached 725 mg/L in a 15 L fermenter under fermentation optimization, which is the highest reported yield of A82846B without the generation of homologous impurities. Conclusion Under approaches including blocking competitive pathways, inserting site-specific recombination system, overexpressing regulator, overexpressing glycosyl-synthesis gene and optimizing fermentation process, a multi-step combinatorial strategy for the high-level production of A82846B was developed, constructing a high-producing strain AO-6. The combinatorial strategies employed here can be widely applied to improve the fermentation level of other microbial secondary metabolites, providing a reference for constructing an efficient microbial cell factory for high-value natural products.