To address the dual challenges of water scarcity and rising demand for premium rice, this study investigated the synergistic effects of mild alternate wetting and drying (Mild AWD) irrigation combined with wheat straw biochar application on rice yield and grain quality. A two-year field experiment (2023–2024) was conducted with the hybrid rice cultivar Yongyou 2640, with two irrigation regimes: continuous flooding (CF) and Mild AWD (re-irrigation at a soil water potential of –10 to –15 kPa at 15–20 cm depth), with or without a one-time biochar application (10 t ha⁻¹). The results showed that co-application of Mild AWD and biochar significantly increased grain yield by 18.7% in 2023 and 13.4% in 2024 compared to CF alone. It also comprehensively improved grain quality: milling quality (head rice rate increased by 23.1–24.6%), appearance quality (chalkiness reduced by 36.4–38.2%), cooking and eating quality (higher peak viscosity and lower gelatinization temperature and enthalpy), and nutritional quality (increased glutelin and decreased prolamin content and starch digestion). These improvements were attributed to enhanced root activity alongside leaf photosynthetic rate, which promotes the accumulation of photoassimilates in vegetative organs and their translocation to grains. Moreover, elevated activities of key starch synthases further enhanced starch biosynthesis and accumulation, which underpinned the improved yield and superior quality. We also identified that a minimum soil water potential of –10 to –15 kPa at a depth of 15–20 cm represents the optimal threshold for Mild AWD in rice production. This research provides a cultivation approach for synergistically producing high-yield, high-quality rice, which shows promising potential for scalable implementation.

Neonatal calves exhibit heightened susceptibility to infections caused by various gut microbiota, primarily due to their immature gastrointestinal barrier functions and underdeveloped immune systems during the pre-weaning period. Calf diarrhea poses a significant risk to the health of juvenile ruminants and can result in substantial financial losses within the livestock sector. Therefore, diarrhea is a significant disease that requires improved management practices and preventive measures in cattle rearing. Antibiotics are commonly administered to combat diarrhea and promote calf growth. However, their misuse has led to increased bacterial resistance and higher levels of antibiotic residues in meat. Consequently, finding advanced and alternative ways to treat newborn calf diarrhea for enhanced livestock production and public health is a significant challenge. Probiotic administration can offer significant advantages such as improving the internal microenvironment of the gut and enhancing the host’s immune response, thereby reducing the likelihood of gastrointestinal diseases. Additionally, probiotic supplements have been formulated as alternatives to antibiotic treatment to upgrade animal health and productivity, and are essential for maintaining the balance of the gut microbiota. The treatment of calves with probiotic supplementation has emerged as a significant area of research. This review highlights the research progress on the pathogenesis of neonatal calf diarrhea and the mechanism of action of probiotics to provide new insights into the prevention and treatment of diarrhea in calves.

While straw mulching has the potential to reduce fertilizer-nitrogen (N) losses in intensively managed cropland, how soil organic carbon (SOC) regulates this fate of fertilizer-N at soil aggregate or profile scales remains unresolved. Here, micro-plots were nested within a four-year field experiment to assess fertilizer-N fates and their linkages with SOC fractions and stabilization processes via ¹⁵N-tracing and ¹³C natural abundance analyses. Three treatments were included: (i) conventional N application (FN), (ii) reduced N application (RN), and (iii) reduced N with straw mulching (RS). While RN reduced crop yields compared to FN, RS achieved comparable yields and 7.71% higher N recovery efficiency (P<0.05). The δ¹³C fractionation between aggregates and bulk soil was significantly positively correlated with the fertilizer-N content in the >2 mm and <0.053 mm fractions, indicating that N retention was coupled with SOC stabilization processes. Compared with RN, RS resulted in a 2−3.4 times greater SOC conversion probability into the <0.053 mm fraction and a 1.4 times higher aggregate-associated fertilizer-N content. SOC fractions differentially regulated the profile distribution of fertilizer-N, with nonlabile organic carbon (C) correlated positively, while dissolved organic C correlated negatively but increased plant N recovery. Compared with RN, RS increased the SOC stock by 24%, reduced NO₃⁻-N accumulation by 37%, and immobilized 36% more N into the microbial biomass (P<0.05). Our findings demonstrate that straw mulching increases N recovery by mediating SOC fractionation, stabilization, and microbial N immobilization. These results provide new insights into SOC–N interactions that could aid in the development of optimal soil C and N management strategies.

Sulforaphane (SFN) is a naturally occurring isothiocyanate found in cruciferous vegetables known for its anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects in the body. However, whether its dietary addition impacts porcine liver health remains unclear, and if it does, the mechanisms are unknown. In this study, supplementing the diet of growing pigs with 1 g kg^–1 SFN was found to improve growth performance and hepatocellular proliferation. Further analyses revealed that SFN reduced hepatic and serum malondialdehyde levels, while increasing glutathione peroxidase (GSH-PX) activity in the liver. Transcriptomic and proteomic studies demonstrated that SFN down-regulated multiple pathways, including oxidative phosphorylation, inflammatory responses, IL-6-JAK-STAT3 signaling, and TNFα signaling via NFκB. Meanwhile, it upregulated NRF2/GPX4/HO-1 expression and reduced IL-6 and TNFα expression. Mechanistic studies identified potential NR1D1 and NRF2 binding elements in the promoters of the GPX4 and HO-1 genes in the liver. Furthermore, metabolomic profiling revealed a decline in serum β-hydroxybutyrate levels after the administration of SFN, while further analysis confirmed that SFN enhanced a type of epigenetic modification in the liver, lysine β-hydroxybutyrylation (Kbhb). These results highlight the protective roles of SFN against liver inflammation and oxidative damage, and a novel mechanism involving NRF2 and NR1D1 synergy is proposed, although the promotion of hepatic Kbhb by SFN still requires further exploration.

Nitrogen (N) leaching is a major pathway of N loss in subtropical crop production systems, contributing to groundwater pollution and thus posing serious threats to human health. However, the characteristics of annual N leaching in subtropical open-field vegetable systems and the effectiveness of integrative N fertilization management practices in reducing N leaching remain poorly understood. In this study, two plot-based field experiments were conducted with open-field Chinese cabbage–pepper rotation system in subtropical Southwest China to quantify annual N leaching and evaluate the effectiveness of integrated N fertilization management practices. Experiment 1 compared five N fertilizer application rates using conventional urea, while Experiment 2 compared different N sources including conventional urea, organic fertilizer, nitrification inhibitor-based fertilizer, and controlled-release urea which were all applied at the optimized N rate. Results showed that the annual N leaching under farmers’ N practice (FNP) was 251 kg N ha⁻¹, with contributions of 55, 31, and 14% from the pepper season, Chinese cabbage season, and fallow period, respectively. Total N leaching increased exponentially with N rate. The seasonal N leaching factor was 32% for pepper and 17% for Chinese cabbage in the FNP treatment, respectively. Compared to FNP, optimizing N rate based on crop requirement and soil supply significantly reduced N leaching by 68% and gray water footprint by 66−75%, while improving N use efficiency (NUE) from 35 to 54%. In Experiment 2, mixing organic and inorganic fertilizers, applying nitrification inhibitor, and using controlled-release urea further reduced annual N leaching by 27, 54, and 25%, respectively, compared to conventional urea. These practices also improved crop yields by 2−11% and NUE by 10−13%, and lowered gray water footprint by 28−58%. In summary, integrative N stewardship practices, particularly use of nitrification inhibitors under optimized N rates, effectively reduced N leaching while achieving high NUE and vegetable yields, providing a promising strategy for sustainable subtropical vegetable production

Ovulation is paramount for female animal fertility, necessitating a thorough understanding of its process and molecular underpinnings. This study aimed to delineate the temporal dynamics of ovulation in the goat ovary. Utilizing single-cell sequencing, we analyzed follicular fluid samples obtained at 0, 6, 12, 18, and 24 h post-hCG administration, identifying 4 cell types and 6 myeloid cell subtypes. We elucidated gene expression and functional changes in granulosa cells (GCs) over the time course of ovulation. Notably, our study detected and confirmed immune cell infiltration at 6 h post-luteinizing hormone (LH) peak. Additionally, cell–cell communication analysis revealed strong predicted interactions between GCs and macrophages, involving signaling programs associated with immune-cell recruitment, extracellular-matrix remodeling, and oocyte maturation. Collectively, our investigation has established a comprehensive single-cell transcriptome atlas of the ovulatory goat follicular microenvironment for advancing exploration into ovulation mechanisms and developing therapies for ovulatory disorders.

Porcine deltacoronavirus (PDCoV) is a newly identified pathogen that can potentially undergo cross-species transmission to threaten the safety of swine and humans. The mechanism by which PDCoV nonstructural protein 14 (nsp14) inhibits the expression of IFN-β is unknown. In this study, we showed that PDCoV nsp14 degrades the MAVS, MyD88 and TRAF3 proteins in host cells by proteasomal and autophagy pathways. PDCoV nsp14 recruits the E3 ubiquitin ligase MARCH8 for catalyzing MAVS, MyD88 and TRAF3 protein ubiquitination. These proteins were recognized and transported to lysosomes by the cargo receptor NDP52 for degradation to inhibit the expression of IFN-β. Furthermore, MAVS, MyD88 and TRAF3 were also found to degrade PDCoV nsp14 by selective autophagy. These results reveal the dual function of selective autophagy in the PDCoV nsp14 and host proteins, which can promote the ubiquitination of viral particles and host antiviral proteins to degrade them both for regulating the relationship between virus infection and host innate immunity.

The explosive increase in the use of unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) sprayers has put forward new requirements for pesticide formulations, and there is an imperative necessity to develop targeted, precise, and efficient pesticide formulations based on the surface characteristics of targets to meet the demand for low-volume spraying by UAVs. Herein, a performance-matched oxaziclomefone nanosuspension (NS) was constructed based on the hydrophobic surface characteristics of barnyardgrass for UAV sprayers. The results showed that the solid surface free energy of the adaxial and abaxial surfaces of barnyardgrass at different growth stages ranged from 23.73 to 28.00 mJ m^–2 and was dominated by dispersive components. The average sizes of micro-nanostructures on the barnyardgrass surfaces ranged from 251.7 to 266.8 nm, and the oxaziclomefone nanoparticles in the NS could be suitably embedded into the micro-nanostructures of the barnyardgrass surface. The atomization test showed that the NS could significantly decrease the percentage of spray droplets with sizes for droplet drift. Due to the precise regulation of the formulation components, the NS exhibited superior wetting, spreading, and adhesion performance on the barnyardgrass surface. Moreover, the NS remarkably enhanced the uptake and translocation of oxaziclomefone in barnyardgrass. Field trials showed that, compared to the commercial formulation, the NS could significantly improve the control efficacy against barnyardgrass in direct-seeded rice fields while demonstrating acceptable safety for rice. Our research provides a novel, promising, and feasible strategy for the development of pesticide formulations based on target surface characteristics and for improving the physicochemical properties of dilutions, which is valuable for enhancing dosage delivery efficiency and improving control efficiency against pests for UAV sprayers.

Chemical fumigants such as dazomet (DZ) and dimethyl disulfide (DMDS) effectively suppress soil-borne pathogens but there is uncertainty regarding the restoration of soil ecological functions in continuous cropping obstacles after fumigation, such as microbe-mediated organic carbon cycling. However, the mechanism by which microbial remediation measures enhance carbon mineralization activity after soil fumigation remains unclear. In this study, we conducted microcosm experiments to investigate the impacts of Bacillus velezensis inoculation on exogenous organic carbon (EOC) mineralization and bacterial community composition and interactions following chemical fumigation. Relative to fumigation alone, B. velezensis addition increased cumulative EOC mineralization by 27% in DZ-treated soils and by 22% in DMDS-treated soils. This enhancement was associated with the enrichment of core taxa and keystone species, which collectively increased microbial activity. Structural equation modeling further confirmed that core taxa (OTU56, belonging to Bacillus) induced positive interactions with indigenous species, which drove the observed enhancement in EOC mineralization. We conclude that B. velezensis facilitates the rapid recovery of soil carbon mineralization after fumigation by selectively reshaping the bacterial community and strengthening bacterial cooperative networks. This work provides a mechanistic framework for microbially driven ecological restoration of fumigant-impacted continuous-cropping obstacle soils and informs the development of sustainable soil-management practices in chemically challenged agroecosystems.