Taraxacum grypodon Dahlst. is an important medicinal and edible perennial herb. To study the effects of light intensity on the growth and secondary metabolites of T. grypodon can lay a foundation for revealing the formation mechanism of its secondary metabolites, and provide crucial reference for its subsequent comprehensive development and utilization, and also provide guidance for establishing high-quality and high-yield dandelion artificial cultivation system. In this study, four shading gradients (the light transmittance was 100%, 80%, 50%, 30%, respectively) were set up in the greenhouse to cultivate T. grypodon. At the time of harvesting, the growth related indicators were measured, and the sugar, flavonoids, total phenols, and lignin components in the aboveground leaves and underground roots were analyzed. 100% light transmittance was conducive to the growth and photosynthetic efficiency of T. grypodon. Under this light condition, leaf length, root length, aboveground and underground biomass were the highest (P<0.05), and the SPAD value of leaves was the largest. The total sugar and polysaccharide contents of leaves and roots were the highest when the light transmittance was 100%, and the total sugar content in roots was significantly higher than that in leaves (P<0.05), and the polysaccharide content in roots was significantly higher than that in leaves. The content of reducing sugar in leaves and roots both was the highest when the light transmittance was 50%. The content of reducing sugar in leaves and roots both had significant difference under different shading treatment. The flavonoids content in the leaves was significantly higher than that in the roots (P<0.05), and reached to the highest content in 100% light transmittance. The total phenolic content in leaves was significantly higher than that in roots (P<0.05), and reached to the highest at 100% light transmittance, but decreased significantly after shading. The lignin content in roots was significantly higher than that in leaves (P<0.05), and both reduced under shading. In conclusion, the flavonoids and phenols of T. grypodon are mainly accumulated in leaves, while total sugars and polysaccharides were mainly accumulated in roots. Sufficient light is more conducive to the accumulation of the metabolites and plant growth. Proper shading is beneficial to the accumulation of reducing sugar, reduces the content of total phenol and lignin, and increases the taste quality of T. grypodon. In production, both medicinal and edible quanlity should be taken into account, so the cultivation conditions of T. grypodon are suitable for no shaded or slightly shaded habitats.

The study was aimed to breed new varieties of fresh-eating sweet potato with high yield and high quality to meet the market demand of fresh-eating varieties. A new fresh-eating variety Guishu No. 15 was successfully bred with Yuzishu No. 7 as the mother and Guiziweishu No. 1 as the father. The variety is spindle-shaped with purple skin and white heart. Guishu No. 15 is centralized and neat, with an average number of 5.10 storage roots per plant. The proportion of commodity sweet potato is high, with a medium and large storage roots rate of 94.20%. The cooked has excellent quality, with β-carotene 27.70 µg/100 g, anthocyanin 67.40 mg/100 g, soluble sugar 5.39%, reducing sugar 1.90 g/100 g, and protein 0.94 g/100 g. The average fresh storage roots yield, dry storage roots yield, and starch yield in the two-year regional trial was 30 303.00 kg/hm² 8187.90 kg/hm² and 5195.99 kg/hm², respectively, significantly increased by 11.95%, 23.10% and 27.81% compared to CK. Guishu No. 15 has good high and stable yield, excellent cooked food quality, and moderate resistance to Fusarium wilt, bactrium wilt, stem nematode, and root rot disease, which is suitable for planting in Guangxi and its similar ecological areas.

Fici Hirtae Radix, a Chinese herbal medicine, is prepared from the dry roots of Ficus hirta Vahl. This study aimed to provide theoretical and empirical support for the genetic diversity analysis, genetic map construction, and assisted breeding of F. hirta Vahl. by developing SSR molecular markers. Four typical leaves of F. hirta Vahl. were selected as the samples, and site feature analysis and molecular marker development were performed after transcriptome sequencing. A total of 16 851 SSR loci were identified from 34 375 transcriptome unigene sequences, distributed across 12 094 unigene sequences, resulting in a distribution frequency of 35.18%. The average frequency was one SSR locus every 2638 bp, with a density of 3.68 kb. Five distinct nucleotide motifs were observed, with the motif repeating six times being the most prevalent, constituting 20.92% of all SSRs, and typically less than 29 bp in length. Di-nucleotide repeats were predominant, followed by tri-and tetra-nucleotide repeats. (AG/CT)n was the most abundant repeat motif, representing 26.05% of all SSRs, while (AT/AT)n was the second most common, accounting for 18.69%. 100 EST-SSR primers were randomly selected to amplify target product using genomic DNA from four different leaf types of F. hirta Vahl. 89 primers exhibited polymorphism across the germplasms. Nine primer pairs, distinguished by the high definition and clarity, were selected to perform DNA amplification and construct DNA fingerprints for 31 specimens sourced from different regions. The average percentage of polymorphic bands observed across these primers was 72.04%. The substantial degree of polymorphism facilitated the unambiguous identification of each of the 31 germplasm samples, and robust DNA fingerprint profiles were successfully established for each specimen. This study demonstrated that SSR loci within the transcriptome of F. hirta Vahl. were rich in information and highly utilizable, offering valuable data support for future research endeavors.

The present work aims to provide references for differentiated nutrient management of litchi cultivars, and enhance the cultivation promotion of the new quality cultivars via clarifying the differences in nutrient content, nutrient transfer capacity and nutrient accumulation in different parts of litchi fruits among the main and the new quality cultivars in South China. A total of 73 litchi fruit samples belonging to 25 main and new quality litchi cultivars were collected from 29 litchi orchards in South China. The contents of 12 nutrients in pericarp, flesh and kernel of litchi fruits were determined to compare the discrepancies in nutrient transfer and accumulation among cultivars. Further, the types of nutrient accumulation in litchi fruit were categorized through cluster analysis. The results show that, most cultivars of litchi had the highest K content in the pericarp and the flesh, whereas the highest N content were observed in the kernel. The average transfer factors of P, S, Fe, Cu and Zn from pericarp to kernel ranged from 1.09 to 1.58, with strong transfer ability. N, K, Mg, B and Mo had medium transfer ability, with the average transfer factors within 0.53-0.99. The average transfer factor of Ca and Mn was only 0.35 and 0.481 respectively, with relative low transfer capability. With regard to the transfer capability from pericarp to flesh, N, K, Mg, S, Fe, Zn, B and Mo were figured by average transfer factors of 0.49-0.87, and Cu and P by high average transfer factors (5.91 and 1.32). However, Ca and Mn were characterized by extremely low average transfer factors of 0.069 and 0.112, respectively. Among the 25 cultivars, the content of Ca, Mg and Mn in Xiantaoli peel was higher than that of all the other cultivars, which was 6.13 g/kg, 3.34 g/kg and 233.52 mg/kg, respectively. Moreover, the ability of the three elements transferring from peel to kernel or flesh was lower than that of all the other cultivars, leading to excess accumulation in the peel. The requirement of N and K in 25 litchi cultivars was categorized into seven types: low N and high K, medium N and low K, medium N and medium K, medium N and high K, high N and low K, high N and medium K, high N and high K. The accumulation of Ca, Mg, B and Mo was divided into three groups including the low-, medium- and high-types, respectively. Ca and Mn were difficult to transfer in litchi fruit, being an obstacle to the development of litchi fruit. Conclusively, the nutrient accumulation of litchi fruit is cultivar dependent, therefore, elaborate nutrient strategy for litchi can be made to meet the nutrient demand for fruit development. The fertilization strategy for the new quality varieties of litchi can be referred to the traditional cultivars belonging to the same nutrient requirement type.

The residue of nitrogen fertilizer in soil is an important destination after nitrogen fertilizer application. Under tropical acidic soil conditions, it is hypothesized that the lack of carbon may further limit soil retention of nitrogen fertilizer in rubber plantation. A field micro-experiment utilizing ¹⁵N isotope tracer technology was conducted to investigate the soil nitrogen residual characteristics in rubber plantations with different nitrogen application levels (0 kg/hm², N₀; 100 kg/hm², N₁₀₀; 200 kg/hm², N₂₀₀; 400 kg/hm², N₄₀₀) under the addition of exogenous carbon (100 kg/hm²). The results showed that the soil residual rate of nitrogen fertilizer was 8.8%-17.6% in the first year and 6.6%-16.5% two years later after adding carbon. Notably, the residual rate of nitrogen fertilizer showing a downward trend was observed with the increasing of nitrogen application; compared with the treatment without nitrogen fertilizer, the lower nitrogen application level (100 kg/hm²) under carbon addition had a significant effect on enhancing both soil total nitrogen and organic carbon content. The 2-year field trial revealed that the residual rate under different nitrogen application with carbon addition was higher than that without such addition. Variance analysis showed that exogenous carbon addition had a significant positive effect on the residual rate of nitrogen fertilizer; and carbon addition could effectively enhance the soil retention of nitrogen fertilizer. In conclusion, the deficiency of soil carbon emerged as a critical factor contributing to the low nitrogen residue rates in rubber plantations; therefore, it is imperative to combine chemical fertilizers with organic fertilizers during the fertilization process in rubber plantations, while the nitrogen application rate remains moderate.

ITS molecular identification and mycelial antagonism experiments on 11 strains collected in the early stage, then screened and studied the biological characteristics of suitable strains for cultivation in tropical regions based on germplasm evaluation to promote the rapid development of Phallus rubrovolvatus industry in tropical regions. The strains collected were all P. rubrovolvatus, of which two strains were synonyms, resulting in a total of 10 different P. rubrovolvatus strains. In mycelial evaluation experience, the mycelia of strains 147, 160, H29 and L70 showed good growth and high degradability on brown sugar medium and rubber sawdust medium, and the mycelia were able to recover growth after stress at 10 ℃ and 35 ℃, making them suitable for off-season cultivation in tropical regions. In rubber forests, four strains were able to produce mushrooms, and H29 produced mushrooms neatly, good shape, storage resistance and high yield (750 kg/667 m²), making it suitable for on-site growing indusium. L70 strain produced more mushroom-eggs, short growth period and high yield (800 kg/667 m²), making it suitable for concentrated growing indusium of mushroom-eggs after harvesting. In the single factor experiment, the nutritional requirements of H29 and L70 mycelia were basically the same, the most suitable carbon sources were trehalose and starch, the most suitable nitrogen source was malt extract, the most suitable temperature was 25-28 ℃, and the most suitable pH was 4-5. In the orthogonal experiment, both strains showed the best growth in formula 4 (soluble starch, malt extract, 25 ℃, pH=4), demonstrating the results of the single factor experiment. Especially, in formula 6, the mycelia of both strains were whiter and denser, making it suitable for the preservation of P. rubrovolvatus. SPSS analysis showed that the influence degree of various factors on mycelial growth was as follows: nitrogen source>pH>carbon source>temperature (H29), nitrogen source>pH>temperature>carbon source (L70), with nitrogen source and pH having a greater impact. The study could provide reference for breeding, large-scale cultivation of P. rubrovolvatus, and the development of mushroom industry in tropical regions.

Cowpea Fusarium wilt caused by Fusarium oxysporum f.sp. tracheiphilum occurs in almost all cowpea growing areas, and the yield loss can be as high as 70% in major domestic producing areas such as Hainan. Currently, chemical control measures are the primary management strategy in China. The use of microbial biocontrol agents can reduce the application of agrochemicals and mitigate the risks of pesticide residues, and has been widely adopted for the management of soil-borne diseases. However, there is limited research on the use of multi-functional microbial consortia for the biocontrol of Fusarium wilt in cowpea. In this study, we screened highly efficient phosphate-solubilizing bacteria (PSB) using the molybdenum-antimony colorimetric method, and evaluated the synergistic effects of the selected PSB strain and the antagonistic Bacillus velezensis strain on cowpea growth and Fusarium wilt control. From 10 phosphate-solubilizing bacterial isolates, we identified B. cereus LMSY3PSB-2-2 (abbreviated as P) as a highly efficient PSB strain. The optimal ratio of the PSB strain P to the biocontrol strain B. velezensis X5 was determined to be 2∶1. Compared to the individual application of the PSB strain P or the biocontrol strain X5, the composite inoculum at this ratio significantly enhanced cowpea seed germination, plant growth, and root vigor. Under pot experiments, the composite inoculum achieved a 96% disease control effect against Fusarium wilt and increased the available soil phosphorus content by 19%. The results would provide a theoretical guide for utilizing the PSB strain P and the antagonistic strain X5 in a microbial consortium to promote cowpea growth and control Fusarium wilt, laying a foundation for the development of multi-functional composite microbial products to support sustainable agriculture.

The fruit of Aquilaria sinensis contains a class of tetracyclic triterpenoids known as cucurbitacins, which exhibit anti-inflammatory, hepatoprotective, and antitumor activities. Cytochrome P450s (CYP) are key enzymes in the biosynthesis pathway of cucurbitacins. The P450 genes for cucurbitacin synthesis in A. sinensis have not been extensively studied. In this study, a P450 gene (AsCYP131) was cloned based on A. sinensis transcriptome data. The complete open reading frame (ORF) of AsCYP131 gene was 1491 bp, encoding a protein of 496 amino acids with a molecular weight of 55.39 kDa. The theoretical isoelectric point (pI) of the protein was 7.65, with an average hydrophilicity coefficient of –0.053, and an instability index of 47.16, classifying it as an unstable protein. The protein contained 40 potential phosphorylation sites, and its secondary structure was predominantly composed of α-helix and random coil. The results of multiple sequence alignment and phylogenetic tree analysis showed that the protein encoded by the AsCYP131 gene clustered into a single unit with CsCYP, CmCYP, and ClCYP, which have been reported to be involved in the biosynthesis of cucurbitacins. The sequence of the functional structural domains at the C-terminal showed high consistency. At the same time, the expression levels of AsCYP131 in different tissues of A. sinensis detected by real-time fluorescence quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR). The results indicated differential expression levels of AsCYP131 across various tissues, including roots, stems, leaves, flowers, fruits, and seeds, with the highest relative expression observed in fruits. This study would serve as a valuable reference for the subsequent validation of the functional role of the AsCYP131 gene in cucurbitacin biosynthesis.

Melon is an important cash crop in Hainan, and its pollination is mainly hormone pollination, which is easy to cause fruit deformity and accompanied by different degrees of flavor and quality decline, affecting commodity rate and planting efficiency. Melon Jiyoumi 29 was used as the experimental material. Different artificial pollen combinations were used to pollinate to compare with hormone pollination. The growth status of plants and fruits, the internal quality of fruits and the activities of key enzymes for sucrose accumulation, and analyzed the effects of pollination on the growth of plants and fruits were studied. Different pollination methods had great effects on plant height, stem diameter and biomass, fruit weight and hardness, and the stem diameter and biomass and fruit weight treated with T₁ were significantly higher than those of the other treatments. The plant height and fruit hardness treated with CK were significantly higher than those of the other treatments. There were significant differences among different pollination methods on each index of melon fruit internal quality, and T₁ treatment had the best effect, and its soluble solids, soluble sugar, sucrose content, fructose content and glucose content were significantly higher than CK treatment. The activity of sucrose synthase (SS) treated with T₄ was relatively high during fruit growth and development. The sucrose phosphate synthase (SPS) in T₁ treatment maintained a high level during the fruit growth and development, and the acid invertase activity in T₁ and T₂ treatment reached the highest at the 40th day after pollination, which were 93.69 U/g and 88.54 U/g respectively. The treatment of T₁ (strong pollen vitality × high stigma receptivity) has the best effect on the growth and fruit quality of melon plants after artificial pollen pollination.

Sodium alginate (SA) edible composite film incorporated with different amounts of galangal essential oil (EO)/curcumin (Cur) was prepared by solvent casting method and applied to fresh-cut pineapple in this study. The results showed that 0.3% EO could improve the thickness and thermal stability of the composite film, and reduce the water vapor penetration rate. SA-0.3%EO and SA-0.3% EO-Cur film groups had significant fresh-keeping effect on fresh-cut pineapple, while the control group showed obvious browning after three days of storage at 4 ℃. The fresh-cut pineapple in SA-0.3% EO-Cur group maintained the best appearance, followed by SA-0.3%EO group. When the storage time was extended to eight days, the weight loss of fresh-cut pineapple in the SA-0.3%EO coating group was the lowest (2.12±0.08)%, the total number of colonies (lgCFU/g) was 3.48±0.00, the number of molds and yeast (lgCFU/g) was 3.89±0.19 were the lowest. However, the appearance color of the SA-0.3% EO-Cur coated group was the best, and the antibacterial effect was second only to that of the SA-0.3%EO coated group, which was obviously better than the control group. However, when the EO content increased to 0.5%, the appearance of fresh-cut pineapple also showed browning and other quality deterioration, indicating that the concentration of essential oil would affect its preservation effect and have a negative impact on the quality of fruit. In conclusion, this study would provide a new idea for the development of a new edible film system, and provide data support and theoretical support for extending the shelf life of fresh-cut pineapple.