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Host plants can strongly influence the population performance of insects. Here, we investigated the development, survival, and oviposition of Scirtothrips dorsalis Hood on 6 host plants—Camellia sinensis (L.) Kuntze (Ericales: Theaceae), Rosa chinensis Jacq. (Rosales: Rosaceae), Capsicum annuum L. (Solanales: Solanaceae), Eustoma grandiflorum (Hook.) G.Don (Gentianales: Gentianaceae), Glycine max (L.) Merr. (Fabales: Fabaceae), and Cucumis sativus L. (Cucurbitales: Cucurbitaceae), and constructed life tables for S. dorsalis on each plant. Significant differences in S. dorsalis development on the host species were observed. The mean developmental period from egg to adult was 11.45 ± 0.12 days, 11.24 ± 0.13 days, 12.08 ± 0.15 days, 12.28 ± 0.12 days, 12.67 ± 0.10 days, and 13.03 ± 0.11 days on C. sinensis, R. chinensis, C. annuum, E. grandiflorum, G. max, and C. sativus, respectively. Significant differences in survival of S. dorsalis were observed, namely, C. sinensis ≈ R. chinensis > E. grandiflorum ≈ C. annuum > G. max > C. sativus. The highest and lowest fecundities of S. dorsalis were recorded on R. chinensis (60.44 ± 1.53) and C. sativus (28.64 ± 1.02), respectively. Both of the net reproductive rate (R0) and intrinsic rate of increase (rm) of S. dorsalis were the highest on R. chinensis, with the values of 27.63 ± 0.58 and 0.142 ± 0.002, respectively; while the lowest on C. sativus, with the values of 8.81 ± 0.12 and 0.092 ± 0.003, respectively. Thus, R. chinensis was found to be the most suitable host, but C. sativus was the least suitable, for population development of S. dorsalis. Our results provide important information for the key control of S. dorsalis among different host plants. Graphical Abstract

Eustoma grandiflorum, commonly known as prairie gentian or Texas bluebells, is among the most popular agriculturally propagated species of cut flowers. Due to its widespread appeal, there is increasing interest in understanding the molecular genetic factors underlying floral development and resistance to abiotic stresses. We analyzed 18 potential reference genes in different organs, at different floral developmental stages and under drought- and salt-stress treatments, for use in RT-qPCR analysis. A total of four analytical tool packages, including geNorm, NormFinder, BestKeeper, and RefFinder were employed to determine the most appropriate reference genes under each treatment condition. The results demonstrate that different reference genes should be used for normalization under different experimental treatments. EgPP and EgPP2A2 were the most stable internal control genes across different organ types, EgPP and Eg18S were the most stable under salt-stress, EgPP and EgACT1 were the most stable across different floral development stages, and EgEF1A and EgTUA were the most stable reference genes under drought-stress. Additional gene expression analyses of EgMIXTA1, EgTOE1, and EgP5CS1 further confirmed the applicability of these reference genes. The results represent a significant contribution to future studies of reference gene selection for the normalization of gene expression in Eustoma grandiflorum.

Anthocyanins are flavonoid pigments synthesized in the cytoplasm and stored inside vacuoles. Many plant species accumulate densely packed, 3- to 10-μm diameter anthocyanin deposits called anthocyanin vacuolar inclusions (AVIs). Despite their conspicuousness and importance in organ coloration, the origin and nature of AVIs have remained controversial for decades. We analyzed AVI formation in cotyledons of different Arabidopsis thaliana genotypes grown under anthocyanin inductive conditions and in purple petals of lisianthus (Eustoma grandiorum). We found that cytoplasmic anthocyanin aggregates in close contact with the vacuolar surface are directly engulfed by the vacuolar membrane in a process reminiscent of microautophagy. The engulfed anthocyanin aggregates are surrounded by a single membrane derived from the tonoplast and eventually become free in the vacuolar lumen like an autophagic body. Neither endosomal/prevacuolar trafficking nor the autophagy ATG5 protein is involved in the formation of AVIs. In Arabidopsis, formation of AVIs is promoted by both an increase in cyanidin 3-O-glucoside derivatives and by depletion of the glutathione S-transferase TT19. We hypothesize that this novel microautophagy mechanism also mediates the transport of other flavonoid aggregates into the vacuole.

The microbial community in the rhizosphere soil highly affects plant health and vice versa. However, the differences in soil microbial communities associated with different pathogenic statuses in the same field and their causes have not been comprehensively investigated. Here, we deciphered the dissimilarities in the rhizosphere soils of lisianthus (Eustoma grandiflorum) with different pathogenic statuses in a field under uniform management strategies at multiple scales. The rhizosphere soils of diseased plants harbored higher bacterial abundances and diversities compared to that of healthy plants. The relative abundances of three keystone operational taxonomic units (OTUs) and cumulative relative abundance of members in the central module (the largest module) of microbial network significantly decreased by 51.1%, 49.4%, 47.6%, and 42.0% in the rhizosphere soil of infected plants and by 64.3%, 58.8%, 63.4%, and 61.8% in that of dying plants, while the relative abundances of Flavobacteriales, Sphingobacteriales, and Xanthomonadales significantly increased to 4.89-, 1.88-, and 1.44-fold in the rhizosphere soil of infected plants and to 2.89-, 1.55-, and 1.66-fold in that of dying plants, respectively compared with that of healthy plants. Some human disease-related pathways and fluorescein diacetate hydrolysis were more prevalent in the rhizosphere soils of diseased plants. Stochastic processes contributed more than 50.6% and 86.4% to the assembly of different bacterial and fungal communities in these soils, and plants further shaped the bacterial communities, compared to fungal communities, probably by actively recruiting some potential suppressive agents in their rhizosphere when attacked by the pathogen. Overall, here, we firstly reported that the keystone taxa and members in the central module were enriched in the rhizosphere soil of healthy plants, which might be a potential indicator for the soil supporting plant health.

Abiotic stress, such as salt, high light intensity and extreme temperature, can result in enhanced production of reactive oxygen species (ROS). One of the major ROS-scavenging enzymes of plants is peroxiredoxin (Prx). Peroxiredoxin Q (PrxQ), a member of the Prx gene family, was recently cloned from plants. To investigate the protective role of PrxQ during abiotic stress, we increased the capacity for its biosynthesis in Eustoma grandiflorum Shinn by overexpression of the PrxQ gene (SsPrxQ) from Suaeda salsa. The SsPrxQ gene driven by CaMV 35S promoter was expressed via E. grandiflorum. The rPrxQ protein shows antioxidant activity and thioredoxin-dependent peroxidase activity in vitro. Additionally, overexpression of SsPrxQ in E. grandiflorum leads to an increase in salt and high light intensity tolerance. These results indicate that SsPrxQ might act as an oxidative stress defensive gene in plants and could be useful for engineering stress-resistant plants.

Eustoma grandiflorum (Lisianthus) is a popular cut flower with high economic value. Improving plant quality during production is crucial for enhancing marketability. This study investigated the effects of exogenous compounds including karrikin (KAR), salicylic acid (SA), and humic acid (HA) on plant growth, defense mechanisms, and biotic and abiotic stress responses in E. grandiflorum , due to their role in modulating plant antioxidative defense. Plants were treated with different concentrations of these compounds, individually and in combination, and various growth and physiological parameters were evaluated. The treatment, KAR 2 mg L −1  + SA 200 mg L −1  + HA 0 mg L −1 and KAR 1 mg L −1  + SA 100 mg L −1  + HA 100 mg L −1 were the most effective treatments on the growth of Lisianthus which promoted shoot and root dry weight, respectively up to 4.4-fold compared to the control. However, the treatment KAR 0 mg L −1  + SA 100 mg L −1  + HA 100 mg L −1 reduced growth by 82.22%. Chlorophyll b content increased by 89.97% under KAR 2 mg L −1  + SA 200 mg L −1  + HA 50 mg L −1 , while chlorophyll a content decreased by 63.80% under the same treatment. Anthocyanin content increased by 52.94% with KAR 0 mg L −1  + SA 200 mg L −1  + HA 100 mg L −1 , and total soluble protein content increased by 81.80% with KAR 1 mg L −1  + SA 200 mg L −1  + HA 50 mg L −1 . Enzyme activities, including catalase, peroxidase, superoxide dismutase, and phenylalanine ammonia-lyase, showed significant increases under treatments (up to 55.56% at KAR 1 mg L −1 ), while malondialdehyde content and electrolyte leakage were reduced by up to 74.78% and 63.78%, respectively. These findings highlight the potential of these exogenous compounds in enhancing the growth and stress tolerance of E. grandiflorum , offering valuable insights for improving the quality and marketability of this important cut flower.

Soil disinfestation is an important agricultural practice to conquer soil-borne diseases and thereby ensure crop productivity. Reductive soil disinfestation (RSD) had been developed as an environmentally friendly alternative to chemical soil disinfestation (CSD). However, the differences between CSD and RSD on soil-borne pathogen suppression and fungal community structure remain poorly understood. In this work, five treatments, i.e., untreated soil (CK), CSD with 0.5 t ha−1 dazomet (DZ), RSD with 10 t ha−1 ethanol (ET), 15 t ha−1 sugarcane bagasse (SB), and 15 t ha−1 bean dregs (BD), were performed to investigate their influences on disinfestation efficiency, fungal abundance, diversity, and community structure via quantitative PCR and high-throughput sequencing. RSD-related treatments, especially the BD treatment, effectively alleviated soil acidification and salinization. The fungal abundance and microbial activity considerably increased in the BD treatment and significantly declined in the DZ treatment as compared to the CK treatment. Moreover, both CSD and RSD-related treatments significantly inhibited the population of Fusarium oxysporum and the relative abundance of genus Fusarium. Fungal community structure was notably altered by CSD and RSD practices. Furthermore, both CSD and RSD harbored a distinct unique microbiome, with the DZ treatment dominated by the genus Mortierella and BD treatment predominated by the genera Zopfiella, Chaetomium, and Penicillium. Taken together, these results indicate that the BD treatment could considerably alleviate the soil deterioration, improve soil microbial activity, and reassemble a non-pathogen unique microbiome that have more disease-suppressive agents and thus might be a promising disinfestation practice to control soil-borne disease in monoculture system.

Tipburn (calcium (Ca) deficiency disorder) is a major problem in the production of lisianthus cultivars. However, few studies have investigated the influence of different Ca concentrations in nutrient solution on tipburn incidence and Ca acquisition and distribution. Thus, it remains unclear why some cultivars exhibit tipburn under high Ca concentrations. To address this, we used three lisianthus cultivars ‘Azuma-no-Kaori’ (AK), ‘Celeb Wine’ (CW), and ‘Voyage Yellow’ (VY) and compared tipburn incidence and Ca acquisition and distribution under different Ca concentrations in a nutrient solution (low (40 ppm), moderate (80 ppm), and high (120 ppm) Ca). Tipburn severity and incidence in AK and VY significantly decreased with increasing nutritional Ca concentrations; the Ca concentrations in each organ and Ca acquisition competence (RGRCa) increased at higher nutritional Ca concentrations. In contrast, tipburn incidence in CW was 100% for all treatments. In CW, Ca acquisition competence and Ca concentrations in most organs increased with increasing nutritional Ca concentrations, but the Ca concentrations in the tips of the upper leaves did not differ significantly between treatments. Thus, our results suggest that the cause of tipburn under sufficient Ca conditions is an inability of the plant to distribute Ca to the tips of its upper leaves.

Lisianthus is among the most popular cut flowers. Regarding the postharvest losses, these experiments were designed to compare the effects of a nanosilver (NS) based preservative to the standard preservative containing 8-hydroxyquinoline citrate (8-HQC) and sucrose (S). Additionally, the effect of 24 h conditioning in the NS solution on the postharvest longevity and the general condition of lisianthus (Eustoma grandiflorum ‘Mariachi Blue’) was tested. The vase life of flowers on conditioned and non-conditioned stems was extended by the preservatives, more so by NS + S than by 8-HQC + S (44–54% versus 13–23%). Conditioning had no detectable effect on longevity. Daily water uptake showed alternative peaks and drops, with a general tendency of the uptake rate to decrease over time. The highest uptake intensity and the highest transpiration rate were in stems in the NS + S solution while the lowest was in 8-HQC + S. Conditioning negatively affected the average fresh weight of the flowering stems in all holding solutions with stems in preservatives being heavier than those in water. Preservatives did not induce accumulation of the total soluble or reducing sugars in petals; such accumulation was promoted by conditioning, but only in the upper flowers. The free proline content increased in senescing lower flowers on non-conditioned stems; conditioning limited this increase in flowers in preservatives. In the upper flowers, free proline increased in both water controls while the preservatives and conditioning generally reduced the proline contents below the initial level. Conditioning lowered the hydrogen peroxide contents in senescing lower flowers, relative to the initial level and the non-conditioned stems. The catalase activity kept dropping during the vase life in both the lower and upper flowers, in conditioned and non-conditioned stems, with the exception of flowers from water where the activity remained the highest from all three treatments. It appears that the NS preservative with sucrose improves the overall condition of lisianthus flowers and extends their vase life.

Lisianthus (Eustoma grandiflorum) is a cut or ornamental flower that is popular all over the world. This ornamental crop, however, lacks an effective weed control method due to its susceptibility to herbicide. In this study, transgenic plants of a lisianthus cultivar were produced using Agrobacterium-mediated delivery of the plasmid pCAMBIA3300, which carried the bialaphos resistance (bar) gene under driven by the CaMV 35S promoter. The transgenic calli were derived from wounded edges of the leaves grown on a shoot regeneration medium containing 100 mg l-1 cefotaxime and 2 mg l-1 glufosinate ammonium for 4 weeks. The callus that was detached from the wounded edge of the leaf was transferred to the shoot regeneration medium with 100 mg l-1 cefotaxime and 5 mg l-1 glufosinate ammonium for 4 weeks for shoot regeneration. The bar gene integration and expression in the transgenic plants were confirmed by Southern and Northern blot analyses, respectively. Subsequently, the transgenic lines were assessed in vitro and under greenhouse conditions for their resistance to the commercial herbicide BastaARG, which contains glufosinate ammonium as the active component. Six transgenic lines showed high percentages (67--80%) of survival in vitro under the selection condition with glufosinate ammonium (up to 216 mg l-1). Under greenhouse conditions, the plants from these six lines remained healthy and exhibited a normal phenotype after spraying with glufosinate ammonium (up to 1,350 mg l-1). This is the first paper to provide a detailed survey of transgenic lisianthus expressing the bar gene and exhibiting herbicide-resistance under greenhouse conditions.