It was aimed to screen drought-resistant pepper varieties and clarify the correlation between drought resistance at the seedling stage and key morphological and biochemical indicators. Eight pepper inbred lines were selected for the study. The experiment adopted a pot-based natural drought treatment method, and the drought resistance of the lines was ranked using the membership function value analysis method. The order of drought resistance was as follows:4-1>163-2 UP>112 D>10-2 UP>134 UP>34>158 D>115 D. Through correlation analysis between drought resistance at the seedling stage and key morphological and biochemical indicators, it was found that the order of correlation between morphological indicators and seedling drought resistance was aboveground-to-underground area ratio>aboveground area>root system area>leaf area>main root length, aboveground to-underground area ratio showed a significant negative correlation with drought resistance at the seedling stage, with a correlation coefficient of -0.625. The order of correlation between biochemical indicators and seedling drought resistance was peroxidase (POD)>proline (PRO)> malondialdehyde (MDA)>superoxide dismutase (SOD), peroxidase and proline exhibit significant correlations with drought resistance at the seedling stage, with correlation coefficients of 0.675 and -0.638, respectively. The results would lay a foundation for gradually improving the establishment of a drought resistance screening system for peppers and further enable the large-scale screening of resistant pepper varieties using phenomics, and provide new insights for breeding drought-resistant pepper varieties and hold significant importance for promoting the sustainable development of the pepper industry.

The favorable climatic resources in Yunnan Province have nurtured the rich and diverse plant resources, providing various sources of forage for the development of local herbivorous animal husbandry. Yet, the vast majority of the plant resources has not been well excavated and utilized, which not only severely restricts the development of herbivorous animal husbandry, but also leads to high consumption of feed grains. Consequently, exploring protein-rich plants with high feeding value is of great significance for the green and healthy development of herbivorous animal husbandry in Yunnan Province. This study measured 16 nutritional indicators, including crude protein, crude fiber, neutral detergent fiber, calcium and phosphorus of 25 common protein forages collected from the subtropical areas of Yunnan Province. The nutritional values of the plants were comprehensively evaluated using grey correlation analysis. The crude protein content of the tested plants varied from 11.03% to 21.73%, among which the crude protein content of 6 plants, including Trifolium repens L. cv. Haifa, Lablab purpureus, Medicago sativa, Sophora davidii, Amorpha fruticosa and Robinia pseudoacacia was above 20%, suggesting good protein for rotein feed. The crude protein content of the remaining 19 plants, such as Broussonetia papyrifera and Leucaena leucocephala, ranged from 11.03% to 18.69%, meeting the basic requirements for the protein feed. According to the comprehensive evaluation, there were 15 plants with excellent nutritional value, among which the top 4 were L. purpureus, T. repens L. cv. Haifa, B. papyrifera and Stylosanthes guianensis, which have significant development and utilization value. Among the 10 plants evaluated as moderate, the crude protein content of S. davidii and R. pseudoacacia exceeded 20%, while the trace element content of Fe, Cu, Zn, and Se in Cajanus scarabaeoides, C. cajan, R. pseudoacacia, S. davidii, Haymondia wallichii and Lespedeza cuneata demonstrated significantly higher levels than that of corn. In the future development and application, the nutritional characteristics of protein-rich forages should be fully utilized, and it should be used in combination with the other feeds to meet the balanced nutritional needs of livestock, achieve cost saving and efficiency improvement by reducing soybean meal reduction and promoting healthy breeding of herbivorous livestock.

After intercropping pepper with areca nut, the growth of pepper is restored and the intercropping barrier is alleviated. This is related to the increase in soil microbial diversity by the root exudates of areca nut. However, the specific components that play a role and the effects are still unclear. Three specific components of areca nut root exudates identified were added them to the deionized water for cultivation as the control and the differences in soil microbial carbon source utilization ability among different treatment groups were analyzed using the Biolog microplate method. This was done to clarify the effects of the specific component on the functional diversity and community structure of the rhizosphere soil microorganisms of intercropped pepper and to analyze the correlation between the treatment groups and related indicators using the PCA method. The average absorbance values (AWCD) of the three specific components treatments reached the maximum and were stable significantly higher than those of the deionized water control. The Shannon index and Shannon evenness of the treatments containing flavonoids and phenolic acids were significantly higher than those of the deionized water control, while the Shannon index of the organic acid treatment was only significantly different. The Simpson dominance index of the deionized water control was significantly higher than that of other treatments, while the yellowing acid treatment was significantly lower than that of other treatments. The number of carbon sources changed in the Biolog culture plates caused by the addition of organic acids, phenolic acids, flavonoids and deionized water was 17, 18, 15 and 12 respectively, and the carbon sources decomposed by the three specific component treatments were mainly carbohydrates. With the addition of specific components, the soil microbial community structure also changed significantly. The changes in the yellowing acid treatment were the most obvious, followed by organic acids and phenolic acids, and the soil nutrient indicators also changed with the addition. In summary, the addition of the three specific components of areca nut root exudates significantly enhanced the carbon utilization activity of soil microorganisms in the rhizosphere of intercropped pepper and increased the functional diversity of the soil community. The three treatment groups mainly increased the utilization of carbon sources by microorganisms to enhance diversity and maintained the stability of the community structure, thereby improving the nutrient status of the pepper rhizosphere and alleviating the harm of pepper intercropping barrier.

Camellia oleifera, a vital woody oil crop in China, has been increasingly threatened by declining soil fertility and frequent disease outbreaks due to improper cultivation practices. Among these, anthracnose is one of the primary diseases limiting yield. To explore environmentally friendly and sustainable control strategies, this study employed biochar as a carrier to deliver Bacillus velezensis SK1-5-2, aiming to evaluate its plant growth-promoting potential and its efficacy in suppressing anthracnose. Pot experiments demonstrated that biochar-loaded SK1-5-2-GFP significantly enhanced C. oleifera growth, improved soil physicochemical properties, and increased disease resistance, indicating a strong synergistic effect. Compared to CK, the biochar-loaded bacterial treatment (BB) significantly improved plant height, leaf area, basal stem diameter, chlorophyll content, and fresh weight. Notably, stem diameter in the BB group increased more substantially than that in the group treated with bacterial suspension alone (BV). Colonization assays revealed that strain SK1-5-2-GFP stably adhered within the porous structure of biochar and efficiently colonized the intercellular spaces in the rhizosphere of C. oleifera, with its viability and functionality unaffected by GFP labeling. Soil properties, total nitrogen, available phosphorus, and organic matter contents in the BB group increased by 55.2%,334.0%, and 181.0%, respectively, compared to CK. Additionally, available potassium in the biochar-only group (BC) increased by 63.1%. Regarding soil enzyme activities, the BB group exhibited significant increases in catalase (28.0%), sucrase (44.4%), urease (57.9%), and acid phosphatase (338.6%) activities compared to CK. Rhizosphere microbial community analysis showed that BB treatment significantly elevated the relative abundance of beneficial microbes, with Bacillus and Priestia emerging as dominant genera. Among fungal communities, the abundance of Talaromyces increased, whereas the pathogenic Fusarium genus obviously declined. The anthracnose incidence in the BB group dropped to 55.6%, markedly lower than that in the BV (60.1%) and BC (77.8%) groups. In conclusion, biochar-loaded B. velezensis enhanced plant growth and disease resistance in C. oleifera by optimizing the rhizosphere microenvironment, modulating microbial community composition, and suppressing phytopathogens. This study would provide a novel microbial regulation strategy for the sustainable cultivation of C. oleifera, offering valuable insights for future applications of agricultural microorganisms and soil improvement technologies.

Organic fertilizer can effectively improve soil fertility and microbial diversity, as well as metabolic activity, in facility cultivation. It can also alleviate problems such as water-heat imbalance, soil secondary salinization, acid-base imbalance, reduced microbial diversity, and insufficient nutrient supply in facility greenhouses. Currently, however, research on organic fertilizers mostly focuses on open fields and field crops, and most studies use animal manure as the organic fertilizer. This study selected Hainan coir organic fertilizer and bio-enzyme-active bacterial fertilizer as bottom fertilizers. High-throughput sequencing technology was used to study how different bottom fertilizers and their dosages affect soil nutrient and microbial changes in facility greenhouses. The goal was to identify effective fertilization methods for improving soil. The results showed that: (1) The application of 14 286 kg/hm² of coir organic fertilizer effectively improved soil pH, organic matter, total nitrogen, effective phosphorus, and quick-acting potassium. The bio-enzyme-activated bacterial fertilizer improved the soil's total nitrogen, effective phosphorus, and quick-acting potassium levels, but the effect was weaker than that of the coir organic fertilizer. The CK indicators were generally lower than the pre-planting levels. (2) The number of soil bacterial OTUs generally decreased after planting. However, organic fertilizer treatments, especially bioenzyme treatments, could partially restore or enhance microbial diversity. Coconut coir organic fertilizer was more conducive to the proliferation of beneficial bacterial flora, such as Rhizobiales and Paecilomyces spp. WSH L07. Bioenzyme-activated bacterial fertilizers had an effect on Sphingomonadales, Rhodospirillales, and Aspergillus terreus.

This study investigated the population stability and productivity of ratoon sugarcane through inter-varietal replanting, aiming to provide agronomic insights for prolonging ratoon cycles and enhancing population stability and productivity through improved cultivation management. Using the second ratoon crop of sugarcane variety Guitang 42(GT) scheduled for replanting after mechanical harvest, replanting was done with the variety Guifu 98-296 (GF) seedcanes (termed inter-varietal replanting) in the place where the cropping row was broken because of missing sugarcane stubbles, with the same untreated ratoon crop as the control (CK). Emergence rate, ratoon sprouting rate, plant height, stalk formation rate, and cane yield in the first-year replanted GT ratoon sugarcane (R₁), R₁+newly planted GF (GF₀) (set the same CK as CK₁), second replanted ratoon (R₂), and R₂+first ratoon GF (GF₁) (set the same CK as CK₂) were evaluated. Economic benefits were analyzed across treatments. The results indicated that in the first year after replanting, the GF₀ exhibited a emergence rate of 88.61%, which was significantly higher than that of R₁ and CK₁. GF demonstrated markedly greater plant height increment compared to CK₁ and R₁ but no significant difference existed between CK₁ and R₁ between May and December. At the maturity stage, neither the stalk formation rate nor the cane yield differences showed statistically significant between CK₁ and R₁. However, the millable stalks in the sugarcane population (R₁+GF₀) significantly increased to 62 265 per hectare, resulting in extremely significantly higher cane yield with 24.60 tons per hectare or 35.34% increase over CK₁. In the second year, the sprouting rate of GF₁ reached 260.48%, which was extremely significantly higher than that in R₂ and CK₂. Its plant height difference between May and December was also extremely significantly greater than that of CK₂ and R₂, and there was no significant difference in that between CK₂ and R₂. At the maturity period, the stalk formation rate and cane yield in CK₂ and R₂ were both significantly lower than those in the previous ratoon crop, but the cane yield in the treatment R₂+GF₁ was extremely significantly higher than that in CK₂ by 4.62% with an increase rate of 161.75%. This indicated that the increased cane yield in variety mixed ratoon crop populations mainly came from GF. Economic benefit analysis showed that in the first year after replanting, sugarcane farmers and sugar factories increased their income by 8164.88 Yuan/hm² and 17 655.00 Yuan/hm², respectively. After replanting treatment, the difference in increased revenue between the first and second years for sugarcane farmers and sugar factories was approximately 2.98 times. Replanting the elite sugarcane variety GF to the ratoon cane of the main cultivated variety GT under mechanical harvesting conditions could effectively address the severe problem of missing plants and broken rows caused by mechanical compaction. This approach significantly increased the millable stalks in the sugarcane population, prolonged the ratoon duration by two more years, and showed a noticeable increase in cane yield and income. Therefore, the replanting technology system of GF is worth promoting in China’s sugarcane-growing areas.

Cassava (Manihot esculenta Crantz) has excellent characteristics such as barren resistance, drought resistance and strong stress resistance. Its roots are rich in carbohydrates, which can provide food rations for 1 billion people around the world, and plays an important role in consumption. The glycemic index (GI) is an indicator of how fast blood sugar rises after eating food containing carbohydrates for a certain period of time. Edible cassava with low glycemic index can improve blood sugar level, control body weight, and promote the edible and diversified development of cassava. Resource evaluation can provide a basis for the improvement of cassava varieties with low glycemic index. With three domestic popular edible cassava varieties for the test materials (SC9, SC12, SC6068), the determination of the important agronomic traits and cooking before and after the total starch, fast digest starch, slow digestion starch, resistant starch, amylose, amylopectin, crude protein, crude fiber and other quality traits and in vitro sugar rise index were evaluated. The average weight of single potato was 3.31-4.13 kg, the starch rate of fresh potato was 25.07%-27.53%, and the dry rate was 37.07%-38.91%. GI of SC9, SC12 and SC6068 was 42.6, 43.5 and 43.4, respectively, which was low glycemic index, 69.4, 66.9 and 64.0, respectively, all belonging to medium glycemic index food. In addition, the nutrient components changed significantly before and after cooking, in which the rapidly digested starch content and crude fiber content increased, the resistant starch content and soluble sugar content decreased significantly. Correlation analysis of each index found that the correlation between the glycemic index and the rapidly digested starch content and crude fiber content, the correlation coefficient was 0.95, with the resistant starch content and soluble sugar content, the correlation coefficient was -0.99 and -0.88 respectively, and the glycemic index and gelatinization characteristics. The differences of cassava varieties, processing methods, starch content and fiber content have a great influence on the glycemic index. Before cooking, SC9 has the lowest glycemic index, the highest taste evaluation, and good stability in processing, so it has the most potential for development among the three varieties.

Pineapple fruit is rich in water, not suitable for storage, and has a relatively short shelf life, which seriously restricts the sales of fresh pineapple fruit. Low temperature storage is one of the effective measures to delay the quality deterioration of pineapple fruits after harvesting. To investigate the changes in antioxidant activity and quality of pineapples fruits at different shelf periods after low temperature storage, principal component analysis (PCA) and correlation analysis methods were used to comprehensively evaluate twelve antioxidant activity and quality parameters of pineapple fruits storage at 10 ℃ and shelf life at 25 ℃. The results indicated that the trend of phenylalanine ammonia lyase (PAL) activity and total phenolics (TP) content of fruits changes during the shelf life after low-temperature storage was consistent, with a significant decrease in titratable acidity (TA) and vitamin C (AsA) content, but no significant change in hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂) and total soluble solids (TSS) content. Correlation analysis showed that the shelf life AsA content was significantly positively correlation with TAOC. PCA showed that the content of H₂O₂, malondialdehyde (MDA), and the activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD) and polyphenol oxidase (PPO) exhibited the determined antioxidant activity of pineapple fruits, while TP and TA content acted as important parameters for evaluating pineapple fruits during shelf life. The comprehensive evaluation score of pineapple fruits storage at low temperature for fifteen days showed the highest, and the comprehensive evaluation score of pineapple fruits with one day shelf life showed relatively high. Therefore, storing pineapples at low temperatures for 15-20 days followed by a shelf life of 1 day can effectively maintain their antioxidant activity and quality.

The objective of this study is to elucidate the floral characteristics and flowering dynamics of Bougainvillea spp., investigate the variations in pollen viability, stigma acceptability, and cross-compatibility among different varieties, and provide theoretical and technical guidance for the crossbreeding in Bougainvillea spp.. Nine varieties of Bougainvillea were chosen to examine the floral traits and flowering patterns, also to assess pollen viability and stigma acceptability. Suitable parents were selected for cross-pollination, and the germination of pollen tubes along with the seed-setting rate of hybridization were observed. The pollen viability of the six male varieties, measured by the ex vivo germination method was high. Among which, three varieties exhibited high pollen viability and could be used as the male parents. The results from the stigma detection of three varieties by benzidine-hydrogen peroxide method showed that the stigma had the strongest deliverability in the V. period, it was concluded that the low seed-setting rate was due to the substantial amount of callose produced in the stigma and the columella following pollination, which distorted and deformed the pollen tube, resulting in only a limited number of pollen tubes reaching the ovule to complete fertilization. Additionally, significant differences were observed in the seed-setting rates among various hybrid combinations. Incompatibility was noted across various cross combinations, predominantly attributed to pre-fertilization disorders.

A controlled experiment was conducted using Wisteria sinensis seedlings inoculated with Funneliformis mosseae to investigate the effects and physiological mechanisms of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) on the Pb stress tolerance of W. sinensis seedlings. Pb contamination gradients were established (400, 800, 1200 mg/kg) to measure the growth parameters (growth, biomass, tolerance index) and physiological indicators (chlorophyll content, malondialdehyde content, proline content and related antioxidant enzyme activities). AM fungi inoculation significantly enhanced both aerial and root growth of W. sinensis seedlings while improving the Pb stress tolerance. The translocation factor and shoot bio-concentration factor were lower than those of the control, whereas the root bio-concentration factor exceeded the level of the control groups. This demonstrated that AM fungi effectively reduced Pb accumulation in the aerial parts while significantly enhancing Pb sequestration capacity in the roots. Physiological analysis indicated that AM fungi-treated seedlings exhibited higher chlorophyll content and elevated the activities of antioxidant enzymes (SOD, POD, APX), along with significantly lower MDA accumulation compared to the non-inoculated controls. Principal component analysis combined with cluster heat-map visualization further demonstrated that AM fungi primarily enhanced the Pb tolerance of W. sinensis through three mechanisms: activation of antioxidant enzyme systems, regulation of growth-related processes, and modulation of chlorophyll biosynthesis pathways. The results provide theoretical and practical basis for mycorrhizal plant remediation of heavy metal pollution.