With the continuous development of urban garden construction, landscape architecture professional education needs to constantly explore new teaching methods to improve students’ comprehensive ability, particularly the practical ability in the application of knowledge in various ground conditions. Here we studied the course of “Turf and Ground Cover” to compared its teaching content, teaching methods, course assessment and evaluation as well as process assessment materials before and after reform. The study showed that the reform of course assessment, by increasing practical and process-based evaluations, had effectively boosted students’ learning interest and practical operation skills. This study provides a demonstrable experience for the reform of other courses in the future.

Pathogen infection is a serious threat to plant growth and development, causing severe crop yield reduction. The plant immune system, which is mainly composed of PTI (pattern-triggered immunity) and ETI (effector-triggered immunity), plays an essential role in resistance against pathogen infection. A large amount of research focused on resolving the key immune receptors/co-receptors, the components and regulation mechanisms of the PTI and ETI signaling pathways, and the biosynthesis and signaling pathways of the plant immune hormones salicylic acid and jasmonic acid. The major events during plant immune responses include pathogen recognition, the outburst of reactive oxygen species, Ca²⁺ influx, MAPK cascade signaling, and the induced expression of downstream defense genes. Recent studies have revealed that the expression of plant immune-related genes is not only regulated at the transcriptional level. The stability, translation efficiency, and translation products of their mRNAs are affected by a variety of post-transcriptional regulatory mechanisms, including alternative splicing, m⁶A modification, small RNAs, uORFs, and R-motifs. Here, we summarized the present understanding of the plant immune system and mainly introduced the latest studies of the post-transcriptional regulation of plant immunity. This review also covered some findings that showed how pathogen interferes with the host post-transcriptional regulatory machinery. Some post-transcriptional regulatory elements have been successfully applied in crops. This application provides new molecular tools for improving diseases resistance and contribution to food security, as well as useful components for molecular breeding.

In recent years, we have witnessed transformative breakthroughs in plant disease resistance research, particularly in deciphering the intricate interplay between hosts and pathogens. Cutting-edge discoveries span pathogen recognition mechanisms, immune signaling cascades, and multi-layered interactions integrating plants, pathogens, vectors, and environmental variables. Notably, pioneering studies from domestic research institutions have driven progress across pathogen-sensing systems, secondary metabolite-mediated defense, immune module engineering in crops, and artificial intelligence (AI)-powered solutions for pathogen-resistant peptide design. The rapid development of CRISPR/ Cas9-based gene editing and AI technologies has further empowered researchers to engineer disease-resistant crop varieties with unprecedented precision. Such progress holds profound implications for ensuring national food security and advancing strategic priorities in disease-resistant crop breeding, marking a transformative era in agricultural biotechnology and sustainable agriculture.

Systemic acquired resistance (SAR) is a crucial defense mechanism in plants, which can significantly enhance the plant’s resistance to pathogenic microorganisms. SAR has systemic, persistent, and broad-spectrum characteristics, whose transcriptional regulation plays a central role in the process. Here, the research progress on transcriptional regulation of SAR from the synthesis of salicylic acid (SA), Pip/NHP, transcriptional regulation of NPR1, NPR3/NPR4 receptors and Pip/NHP mobile signals, as well as TGA, WRKY transcription factor family regulation was reviewed, providing a reference for a deeper understanding of plant immune regulatory networks, and systematic exploration of the mechanisms by which plants balanced growth and defense in complex environments.

Salicylic acid (SA) is a natural phenolic compound in plants that plays a crucial regulatory role in plant immune responses. Plants primarily synthesize SA through two pathways: the isochorismate synthase (ICS) pathway and the phenylalanine ammonia-lyase (PAL) pathway. The synthesized SA is perceived by receptors such as nonexpressor of pathogenesis-related genes 1 (NPR1), which subsequently activate immune responses. In Brassicaceae species like Arabidopsis thaliana, SA is mainly synthesized via the ICS pathway, whereas monocots and non-Brassicaceae dicots predominantly rely on the PAL pathway. For a long time, understanding of SA biosynthesis via the PAL pathway has been incomplete, hindering research on SA-mediated immunity in crops and significantly limiting progress in crop disease-resistant breeding. Recently, three research groups from China independently elucidated the PAL-mediated SA biosynthesis pathway in crops. Building on these breakthroughs, this review summarizes recent advances in the study of SA-mediated plant immune responses. We primarily focus on the biosynthetic pathways of SA within plants, the mechanisms by which SA is perceived and activates immune responses, and discuss current challenges and future directions in SA-mediated immunity research. We hope this review provides new insights and perspectives for both theoretical studies and practical applications in crop disease-resistant breeding.

The plant innate immune system serves as the primary defense against pathogen invasion, with well-established frameworks for receptor recognition and signal transduction mechanisms. This review highlights recent key breakthroughs in plant immunity research from Chinese institutions: (1) The discovery of novel mechanisms driving virulence evolution through asymmetric chromosome distribution in fungi and chromosome fusion in oomycetes; (2) Elucidation of the kinase MtLICK1/2-mediated molecular switch that precisely regulates the symbiosis-immunity trade-off via phosphorylation of MtLYK3 in legumes; (3) Identification of a “sensor-executor” paradigm where tandem kinases and NLR immune receptors cooperatively activate immunity in cereal crops; (4) Innovative strategies including co-transfer of sensor-helper NLR pairs to overcome taxonomic restrictions; and (5) Develop technology of autoactive NLR chimeras activated by pathogen protease cleavage for broad-spectrum resistance. These advances collectively deepen our understanding of plant-pathogen-environment interactions across three dimensions—pathogen adaptive evolution, sophisticated host immune regulation, and receptor engineering applications. Crucially, fundamental mechanistic insights have been successfully translated into crop genetic improvement practices. The integrated findings provide a robust theoretical foundation and actionable technological framework for designing novel crop varieties with durable, broad-spectrum disea- se resistance to address mounting agricultural biosecurity threats.

The plant cell wall, which is composed of cellulose, hemicellulose, pectin and lignin, is a dynamically changing network structure, that not only plays the role of a key line of defense in the process of plant resistance to external pressure and adaptation to environmental changes, but also plays the role of an information hub in the process of signal transmission. When the cell wall is damaged, cells sense cell wall changes and initiate early immune responses, such as hormonal changes, alterations in wall composition and modifications, and the production of disease-resistant secondary metabolites. Although the importance of the cell wall in plant immunity is widely recognized, the specific molecular mechanisms by which cell wall damage triggers immune responses remain poorly understood. The application of in situ unlabeled imaging techniques in plant cells is gradually increasing and has become an important tool for studying cell wall structure and function. This paper describes the interaction mechanism between the plant cell wall and the immune response to provide a scientific basis for a deeper understanding of plant life activities and improve crop disease resistance, and describes in situ non-labeled imaging of the cell wall to provide more technological options for advancing the study of the cell wall in the immune response.

SUMOylation is a crucial post-translational modification in plants, playing a pivotal role in plant immune regulation by mediating substrate protein functions, the activation and transduction of immune signals, and hormonal signaling networks. This review systematically summarizes recent research advances in SUMOylation during plant-pathogen interactions, focusing on the enzymatic cascade mechanisms of the SUMOylation system, the involvement of SUMOylation in plant immune regulation, and the interference/activation of the SUMOylation system by pathogen effector proteins. We highlight the SUMOylation-mediated regulatory networks of plant immunity and provide a reference for developing novel disease resistance strategies in crops based on SUMO modification.

Rice (Oryza sativa) is one of the most vital food crops globally, and its yield plays a crucial role in ensuring food security. However, various diseases affecting rice pose significant threats to this security. Among these, rice blast, bacterial blight, and sheath blight are the three predominant diseases impacting global rice production. Consequently, there is an urgent need to breed and cultivate rice varieties with broad-spectrum disease resistance. In recent years, substantial advancements have been made in understanding the regulatory mechanisms underlying disease resistance in rice. This paper reviews these mechanisms from multiple perspectives, including the plant’s intrinsic immune responses and the functional dynamics of resistance genes. Furthermore, it highlights pressing issues that require immediate attention to facilitate broad-spectrum disease-resistant breeding efforts for rice.

Unraveling the mechanisms of plant disease resistance and immunity is crucial for breeding disease-resistant crops and safeguarding national food security. Photoreceptors, which are central for perceiving environmental signals, not only fine-tune plant growth and development, but also serve as key signaling hubs in plant-pathogen interactions. Studies have demonstrated that photoreceptor interact directly or indirectly with the COP1/SPA complex, HY5, PIFs, and other light-signaling components. By regulating the spatiotemporal expression of resistance-related defense genes and controlling the synthesis and response networks of defense-related hormones, photoreceptors precisely integrate light signals with pattern-triggered immunity (PTI) and effector-triggered immunity (ETI), thereby balancing plant growth and immunity. In recent years, research into the interaction between light signaling and plant immune systems has become a hot topic in the field of plant biology. Elucidating these underlying mechanisms offers new directions for breeding disease-resistant crops. This paper focuses on the molecular mechanisms of plant disease resistance regulated by photoreceptors, particularly the immune activation mechanisms mediated by photoreceptors and their spatiotemporal integration with immune-related hormone signals. Additionally, it delves into the potential application of optogenetic technology in studying this interaction. The aim is to provide new theoretical and technical avenues for future molecular breeding of disease-resistant crops, which will be based on photoreceptor modification and signal transduction pathways.