China has extensive saline-alkali land resources, and the comprehensive utilization of these lands is of strategic significance for safeguarding national cultivated land and food security. This paper systematically reviews the research achievements on saline-alkali-tolerant rapeseed conducted by Huazhong Agricultural University in collaboration with several institutes over the past two decades, such as the establishment of saline-alkali-tolerance identification system at the germination and seedling-stages, the screening of elite salt-alkali-tolerant germplasms and the release of the first batch of salt-alkali-tolerant varieties including Huayouza 62, Huayouza 158 and Siyou 2; the elucidation of multiple physiological mechanisms underlying salt-alkali tolerance from the perspectives of salt avoidance, osmotic adjustment, Na⁺ absorption and accumulation, rhizosphere acidification. Multi-site field and positioned experiments confirmed that salt-tolerant rapeseed roots can secrete organic acids to reduce alkalinity, with a high desalination rate; the crop can also be plowed under as green manure, rapidly increasing the organic matter content of cultivated land, improving soil structure, and thereby achieving the improvement of saline-alkali soil. Adapted planting models for different saline-alkali ecological zones were summarized and established, such as amelioration of moderate-to-severe saline-alkali wasteland, cotton-rapeseed rotation, and rice-rapeseed rotation in coastal saline-alkali land of southern China, integrating multiple functions of oil, forage, vegetable, and ornamental beekeeping. Finally, countermeasures and suggestions for saline-alkali land improvement are proposed to provide reference for biological remediation and industrialization of salt-alkali-tolerant rapeseed in China.

Soil salinization and alkalization severely limit rapeseed production. Developing saline-alkali-tolerant rapeseed is important for expanding cultivation and improving agricultural use of saline-alkali lands. In Brassica napus, allopolyploidization has driven gene family expansion and homoeolog divergence, providing a genetic basis for saline–alkali stress responses. Rapeseed maintains ion homeostasis through selective ion uptake by roots, long-distance Na⁺ transport, and Na⁺ retention and redistribution in organs such as petioles. Root traits, exudate metabolism, and root–microbe interactions also contribute to saline–alkali adaptation. Saline–alkali tolerance in B. napus is controlled by multiple genes and is strongly influenced by environment and developmental stage. Current studies mainly focus on germination and seedling stages, whereas tolerance mechanisms at maturity remain poorly understood. Differential responses to salinity and alkalinity, as well as the functions of key QTLs and candidate genes, also require further investigation. Future studies should strengthen precise phenotyping across developmental stages and environments, with yield and yield stability as core targets. Integrating multi-omics and genomic selection will help identify stable loci and favorable haplotypes, facilitate gene pyramiding and field validation, and support molecular design breeding for saline-alkali-tolerant rapeseed.

Plants continuously face challenges from pathogen infection and environmental stresses including drought, salinity, extreme temperatures, and heavy metals throughout their life cycle, which severely constrain crop yield and quality. Cell wall, as the interface between plant cells and the external environment, not only provides structural support but also serves as a dynamic platform for stress signal perception and transduction. Wall-associated kinases (WAK) are a unique family of receptor-like kinases localized at cell wall–plasma membrane interface. Their extracellular domains interact with pectin and its degradation products, enabling them to monitor dynamic changes in cell wall integrity and participate in regulating plant growth, development, pathogen defense, and abiotic stress adaptation. This review summarizes the structural features, evolutionary patterns, and molecular regulatory mechanisms of WAK/WAKL gene family, with emphasis on their functions in abiotic stress responses including drought, salinity, and extreme temperatures, as well as the associated signaling networks involving ROS, Ca²⁺, and MAPK cascades. Representative functions of WAK in pathogen defense are also outlined. Finally, we discuss the potential applications and major challenges of WAK/WAKL genes in genetic improvement of stress resilience in oilseed rape (Brassica napus), aiming to provide a reference for understanding WAK-mediated stress perception mechanisms and crop stress-resistance breeding.

Drought stress severely restricts the growth, development, yield formation, and quality stability of rapeseed. Transcription factors play a crucial role in drought resistance by recognizing cis-acting elements in target gene promoters and regulating downstream gene expression—either activating or repressing them. They are widely involved in processes such as abscisic acid (ABA) signaling, stomatal movement, reactive oxygen species homeostasis, osmotic adjustment, and epidermal barrier formation, making them key entry points for elucidating the genetic basis of rapeseed drought tolerance and identifying breeding targets. This review focuses on rapeseed, summarizing plant morphological, physiological, and molecular responses to drought stress, and clarifying the cross-regulatory framework between ABA-dependent and ABA-independent signaling pathways. It then systematically reviews the application of techniques—including QTL mapping, genome-wide association studies (GWAS), whole-genome family identification, multi-omics integration, and proteomics—in discovering candidate transcription factors for drought resistance, comparing the strength of evidence from genetic associations, omics-based associations, and functional validation according to their evidential hierarchy. Based on this foundation, the review summarizes recent advances in functional research on transcription factor families such as MYB, WRKY, bZIP, NAC, AP2/ERF, bHLH, and zinc finger proteins, with particular emphasis on their convergent functions and regulatory diversification in ABA signaling, stomatal regulation, cuticle and cell wall formation, and metabolic homeostasis. Current studies have provided endogenous genetic evidence for several rapeseed genes, including BnaC9.MYB46, BnaMYB52, BnMYB96, BnWRKY255, BnaABI5, BnaABF2, BnaNAC038, BnaNAC069, BnaA6.TINY, BnMYC2, and BnaTZF1. However, most candidate genes remain at the level of expression correlation, lacking direct target identification, functional characterization of homologous copies, and field yield validation. Given the complexity of subgenomic redundancy and functional divergence among homologous copies in the allopolyploid rapeseed A/C subgenomes, this review advocates prioritizing endogenous functional validation and comprehensive analysis of multiple paralogs, systematically constructing inter-family regulatory networks, intensifying research on post-translational modification mechanisms, and evaluating the synergistic effects of drought resistance, yield, and quality under controlled drought conditions and across multiple years and locations. These efforts will provide theoretical support for improving drought tolerance, stable yield, and high-quality traits in rapeseed through genetic enhancement.

Soil salinization is a major abiotic stress restricting rapeseed production. As the primary organ sensing salt stress, root architecture is closely associated with salt tolerance. To dissect the genetic mechanism underlying salt tolerance in roots of Brassica napus, a natural population consisting of 202 B. napus accessions was used as material. 4 root salt-tolerance traits, including relative root length, relative root surface area, relative root volume and relative root tip number, were measured under salt stress. Combined with resequencing data, a mixed linear model was adopted to perform genome-wide association study. The results revealed abundant phenotypic variation in the 4 root traits, with extremely significant positive correlations observed among them. A total of 120 significantly associated single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were detected, which were integrated into 70 candidate association intervals. 6 candidate genes responsible for root salt tolerance were ultimately selected by integrating transcriptomic data and gene functional annotation. Comprehensive evaluation of root salt tolerance was performed using principal component analysis and membership function, and 6 germplasm resources with strong salt tolerance were screened out. This study provides novel loci and candidate genes for dissecting the molecular genetic mechanism of root salt tolerance in B. napus.

Rapeseed is an excellent field crop for remediation and sustainable utilization of saline-alkali land. Systematic study on rapeseed alkali stress response and alkali-tolerant germplasm innovation are still limited. To dissect genetic basis of alkali tolerance, and to identify rapeseed elite alkali-tolerant resources, a recombinant inbred line (RIL) population of Brassica napus was subjected to gradient alkali stress with 35, 37.5, and 40 mmol·L^-1 Na₂CO₃-NaHCO₃ (2:1) mixed solutions. The relative germination rate (RGR) was measured at germination stage on the 3rd and 6th day after treatments, in order to classify the phenotype of their alkali tolerance. QTL mapping for alkali tolerance was further performed based on a high-density SNP genetic map. The results showed that a total of 49 consistent QTLs associated with alkali tolerance were identified across 6 environments, with individual QTL explaining 4.57%-22.8% of the phenotypic variation. Among them, 6 major-effect QTLs were stably detected across multiple environments (PVE ≥ 20% in a single-environment analysis, or PVE ≥ 10% in multi-environment analysis). These QTLs were mapped to chromosome A03 (2 QTLs) and chromosome A09 (4 QTLs), respectively. By combining parental resequencing data of the RIL population and functional annotation of homologous genes in Arabidopsis, 8 candidate genes conferring alkali tolerance during seed germination were screened within the confidence intervals of these major-effect QTLs. Furthermore, the RGR under cumulative stress of 37.5 mmol·L^-1 Na₂CO₃-NaHCO₃ for 6 days was confirmed as a suitable evaluation index for alkali tolerance at rapeseed germination, and 6 elite alkali-tolerant germplasm were finally screened.

Carbonic anhydrase (CA) is a key enzyme that catalyzes the reversible reaction of carbon dioxide and water to produce bicarbonate and hydrogen ions, participating in various biological processes such as inorganic carbon transport and pH homeostasis in organisms. In this study, members of the alpha carbonic anhydrase (ACA) gene family were identified from the Brassica napus genome. A total of 25 BnACA genes were identified, which were classified into four subfamilies based on phylogenetic relationships and distributed across 16 chromosomes/chromosome fragments. Promoter sequence analysis revealed that the BnACAs promoters contain abundant cis-acting elements associated with hormone responses and abiotic stresses. Expression profiling under different abiotic stresses showed that the expression of BnaC08.ACA1 is affected by ABA, drought, salt, and heat stresses. To further investigate the function of BnaC08.ACA1, this gene was cloned and heterologously overexpressed in Arabidopsis thaliana. Drought resistance assays demonstrated that overexpression of BnaC08.ACA1 reduced drought resistance of Arabidopsis seedlings, indicating that BnaC08.ACA1 might act as a negative regulator in drought response.

N-acetyl-L-cysteine (NAC), a sulfhydryl-containing small molecule, effectively scavenges excess reactive oxygen species (ROS) that accumulate in plants under abiotic stress. However, its regulatory role in salt stress responses in rapeseed remains unclear. In this study, salt stress was imposed using 150 mmol/L NaCl, and a gradient of NAC concentrations (0, 50, 100, 150, and 200 μmol/L) was applied in pretreatment screening, leading to the identification of 100 μmol/L as the optimal exogenous concentration. The effects of exogenous NAC on growth phenotypes, physiological traits, and stress-responsive gene expression were systematically evaluated. The results demonstrated that exogenous application of 100 μmol/L NAC significantly alleviated the inhibition of seedling growth under salt stress. NAC treatment reduced the accumulation of salt-induced soluble sugars and proline in shoots and effectively maintained Na⁺/K⁺ homeostasis. Moreover, it decreased malondialdehyde content in both shoots and roots, thereby mitigating membrane lipid peroxidation. NAC also modulated the activities of peroxidase, superoxide dismutase, and catalase in a tissue-specific manner, thereby reinforcing ROS scavenging capacity. qRT-PCR analysis revealed that salt stress significantly upregulated stress-responsive genes such as BnRD29A and BnCAT2 in shoots and/or roots, whereas exogenous NAC treatment significantly attenuated these changes. Collectively, these findings indicate that exogenous NAC alleviates salt-induced damage in rapeseed through multiple coordinated mechanisms, including modulation of osmolyte accumulation, maintenance of ion homeostasis, enhancement of antioxidant defense, and regulation of stress-responsive gene expression.

This study aimed to elucidate the effects of exogenous gibberellic acid (GA₃) seed priming on alleviating salt stress-induced inhibition of rapeseed seed germination and its physiological mechanisms. Two rapeseed cultivars with contrasting salt tolerance, Huayouza 62 and Zheyou 50, were used as materials. Seed germination assays combined with physiological measurements were conducted to investigate the effects of GA₃ on germination characteristics, seedling growth, reactive oxygen species (ROS) metabolism, membrane stability, and osmotic adjustment under salt stress. The results showed that 150 mmol·L^-1 NaCl stress significantly inhibited seed germination and seedling growth in both cultivars, with Zheyou 50 exhibiting greater sensitivity to salt stress than Huayouza 62. Exogenous GA₃ seed soaking significantly alleviated the salt inhibition on germination. Further analyses showed that GA₃ enhanced the activities of antioxidant enzymes, including superoxide dismutase, peroxidase, and catalase, thereby reducing ROS accumulation and membrane lipid peroxidation. Meanwhile, GA₃ promoted the accumulation of proline, soluble sugars, and soluble proteins, thereby enhancing the osmotic adjustment capacity of rapeseed seedlings. Overall, exogenous GA₃ alleviated the adverse effects of salt stress on rapeseed seed germination and seedling establishment by improving redox homeostasis and osmotic balance, thereby contributing to the maintenance of cellular homeostasis under salt stress.

To elucidate molecular mechanism underlying flowering time regulation in peanut (Arachis hypogaea L.), and to screen candidate genes associated with early flowering for breeding on early-flowering peanut, this study took an F₂ segregating population with contrasting early and late flowering phenotypes in peanut as material, and constructed extreme trait bulks. Authors adopted Bulked Segregant Analysis sequencing (BSA-seq) to map the loci associated with early-flowering trait. Results showed that a total of 20 intervals significantly associated with early flowering were identified in 4 genomic regions, including 23.50-98.50 Mb on chromosome A06, 62.00-63.00 Mb on chromosome A07, 14.00-14.10 Mb on chromosome B05, and 13.05-13.25 Mb on chromosome B08. 10 potential flowering-related candidate genes were preliminarily screened via Gene Ontology (GO) functional annotation, Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway enrichment analysis and multiple database alignment. Further validation combined with transcriptomic expression data ultimately identified 2 candidate genes: Arahy.M2THPA and Arahy.UD4HAV.

To advance the breeding of ideal peanut plant architecture, a semi-dwarf mutant dwarf1 and its wild-type (WT) were treated with gradient concentrations of exogenous gibberellin (GA₃), auxin (IAA), and brassinosteroid (BR). The main stem height, node number, internode length, and endogenous hormone contents were systematically measured to elucidate physiological mechanism underlying the semi-dwarf phenotype of dwarf1. Results showed that dwarf1 was highly sensitive to exogenous GA₃. The main stem height, node number, and internode length increased significantly with increasing GA₃ concentration, and treatment with 10 mg·L⁻¹ GA₃ restored these parameters to WT level. Its endogenous GA₃ content was extremely significantly lower than that in WT. Exogenous IAA treatment had no significant effect on main stem elongation in either dwarf1 or WT, but the endogenous IAA content in dwarf1 was significantly reduced, suggesting possible abnormalities in IAA biosynthesis or signal transduction. Furthermore, there was no significant difference in endogenous BR content between dwarf1 and WT, yet low-concentration exogenous BR treatment still had a clear promoting effect on main stem elongation in dwarf1. Based on these results, it is speculated that the semi-dwarf phenotype of peanut mutant dwarf1 primarily results from a blockage in gibberellin biosynthesis pathway, possibly in coordination with auxin pathway to regulate main stem growth, while brassinosteroid pathway might not be the major contributing factor.

Improving seed quality remains a major objective in soybean breeding, yet the effective use of diverse germplasm resources is constrained by insufficient phenotypic characterization. In this article, 112 soybean germplasm accessions were evaluated for 26 quality-related traits across 3 environments to define their variation patterns, trait associations, and elite quality donors. Across environments, the 26 traits showed substantial phenotypic variation, with coefficients of variation ranging from 3.21% to 18.25%. Seed oil content ranged from 17.00% to 26.33%, whereas seed protein content varied from 28.10% to 46.67%. Oil content was significantly negatively correlated with all protein-related traits, highlighting the persistent trade-off between these major seed quality attributes. Integrative evaluation based on multivariate analysis identified Suinong 76 as the top-performing accession for overall quality. Cluster analysis resolved the 112 accessions into 5 groups, including a high-protein group containing Suinong 76, Nongqingdou 13, and Dongnong 56, and a high-oil group containing Changmidou 30 and 19-201. Together, these results establish a phenotypic framework for soybean quality germplasm evaluation, identify Suinong 76 as an elite donor with superior overall performance, and define high-protein and high-oil germplasm groups for soybean quality improvement.

To establish a targeted and efficient fertilization technology system and improve rapeseed yield in winter fallow fields under triple cropping system, field experiments were conducted at 3 triple-cropping sites (Guilin, Guangxi; Hengyang, Hunan; and Ji'an, Jiangxi) to quantify dry matter and nutrient (N, P, K, Mg and B) accumulation dynamics of the early-maturing rapeseed cultivar Zhongyouzao 1, and to provide fertilization guidance for expanding rapeseed cultivation within rice-rice-rapeseed cropping system. Across sites, the growth duration of Zhongyouzao 1 ranged from 171 d to 182 d and seed yield ranged from 2125 to 2317 kg·hm^-2. Whole-plant dry matter accumulation followed an S-shaped curve pattern: plants entered the stem elongation stage at approximately 60 d after sowing, and thereafter experienced a rapid dry matter accumulation phase lasting approximately 20 d. This rapid phase contributed 31.3%-40.7% of total dry matter. Total dry matter reached its maximum at the pod filling stage. Accumulation patterns of N, K, Mg, and B were consistent with dry matter dynamics. N and K exhibited similar accumulation patterns, peaking at the end of early pod filling stage. Their rapid accumulation phase extended from the late seedling stage to the mid stem elongation stage (about 22 d), contributing 24.0%~32.0% and 16.9%~28.0% of total uptake, respectively. P accumulation increased continuously throughout the entire growth period, with its rapid accumulation phase occurring from the late stem elongation stage to the early flowering stage (approximately 25 d), contributing 15.2%-25.8% of total P. Mg and B accumulated rapidly during stem elongation (approximately 26 d and 23 d, respectively), contributing 24.0%-29.3% and 32.2%-34.7% of their total accumulation, respectively. At physiological maturity, nutrient partitioning among organs displayed distinct characteristics: N, P, and B were preferentially concentrated in seeds; K was primarily retained in stems, while Mg showed relatively equitable distribution between stems and seeds. For a target yield level of 2250 kg·hm^-², production of 100 kg seed required 10.62 kg N, 2.59 kg P₂O₅, 16.53 kg K₂O, 1.19 kg Mg, and 0.024 kg B, corresponding to a nutrient ratio of 1: 0.24: 1.56: 0.11: 0.0023. Overall, Zhongyouzao 1 attained high and stable yields at all 3 sites without a pronounced winter stagnation period. Nutrient requirements (N, P, K, B) per 100 kg of seeds were higher than typical winter rapeseed varieties. Given the more severe nutrient deficiencies in the regional soil, enhancing nutrient input is essential, with fertilizer allocation strategically during early growth stages.

This study aims to investigate the effect of 2,4-epibrassinolide (eBL) on photosynthesis under low-nitrogen stress in rapeseed seedlings, and to provide insights for optimizing rapeseed nitrogen fertilizer management for enhancement of photosynthetic productivity by plant growth regulators. Rapeseed cultivar Zhongshuang 11 was selected as material under hydroponic culture with 2 nitrogen levels as 0.3 mmol/L and 6 mmol/L NO₃ ^-. Meanwhile, plants were treated with 0.05 nmol/L eBL upon NO₃ ^- treatment. After 7 days of treatments, changes in photosynthetic parameters, chlorophyll content, enzymes activities of photosynthesis, leaf anatomical structure, and chloroplast ultrastructure were analyzed. Results showed that low nitrogen (LN, 0.3 mmol/L) significantly reduced rapeseed seedlings growth, while eBL treatment could slow the senescence of older leaves and accelerate new leaves’ growth, thereby alleviating this inhibition. Under LN condition, photosynthetic pigments were significantly reduced in leaves, accompanied by leaf damage on anatomical structure and chloroplast ultrastructure. Decline was found in leaf photosynthetic parameters, and a notable reduction in enzymes activities of ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase (Rubisco) and phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase (PEPC). The application of eBL resulted in tighter cell arrangement and increased cellular contents in palisade tissue, improving the integrity of chloroplast structure under LN. The contents of chlorophyll a, chlorophyll b, and total chlorophyll were increased by 19.3%, 26.0%, and 21.0%, respectively. In addition, eBL enhanced net photosynthetic rate, transpiration rate, stomatal conductance, and intercellular CO₂ concentration under LN. Meanwhile, after eBL treatment, Rubisco and PEPC activities increased by 27.1% and 23.0% under LN condition, respectively. The results indicate that exogenous eBL improves photosynthetic level of rapeseed seedlings under LN condition by maintaining the integrity of chloroplast ultrastructure, enhancing photosynthetic pigments and the enzymes activities, thereby optimizing light capture and carbon assimilation capacity.

To determine the optimal nitrogen application rate for achieving high sesame yield under full rapeseed straw return in rapeseed-sesame rotation system of red soil upland, a field experiment was conducted from 2020 to 2023 in typical red soil upland in Jiangxi Province. Six nitrogen treatments under full rapeseed straw return were established, including conventional nitrogen application (N0, 105 kg N/ha), 10% reduction (N1, 94.5 kg N/ha), 20% reduction (N2, 84.0 kg N/ha), 30% reduction (N3, 73.5 kg N/ha), 40% reduction (N4, 63.0 kg N/ha), and no nitrogen (N5). A treatment with straw removal but conventional nitrogen application (105 kg N/ha) served as control (CK). The effects of these treatments were analyzed on soil physicochemical properties, dry matter accumulation and partitioning, nitrogen use efficiency, agronomic traits and sesame yield. Results indicated that the improvement effect of straw return on soil physicochemical properties was regulated by N application rate and enhanced with the extension of return period. Compared with CK, N2 exhibited optimal improvement effect in the second year of straw return, in which soil bulk density decreased by 9.77%, while the contents of soil organic matter, available phosphorus and available potassium increased by 17.93%, 13.62% and 36.21%, respectively, while the available nitrogen content remained stable comparable to CK, and the C/N ratio was optimized to 11.34. In terms of crop response, N2 treatment achieved the highest sesame yield, with a two-year yield increase of 12.12% and 10.01% compared with CK. Meanwhile, nitrogen harvest index, nitrogen contribution rate, nitrogen partial factor productivity, and nitrogen agronomic efficiency showed no significant difference from N0. Moreover, nitrogen accumulation and dry matter weight in both vegetative organs and grains remained stable. However, when nitrogen reduction exceeded 30% (N4, N5), the nitrogen recovery efficiency and nitrogen agronomic efficiency decreased significantly by 41.74% and 45.53% (compared to N0), respectively, leading to a significant reduction in dry matter accumulation and sesame yield. Based on parabolic model, the optimal nitrogen application rate for achieving the maximum sesame yield under straw return was determined to be 90.93-92.34 kg N/ha. It is evident that a 20% nitrogen reduction (84.0 kg N/ha) could synergistically enhance both high yield and nitrogen efficiency. Accordingly, the recommended nitrogen application rate for sesame under full rapeseed straw return in red soil upland is 84.0 to 92.34 kg N/ha.

Peanut (Arachis hypogaea L.) is characterized by aerial flowering and subterranean fruiting. The first pair of lateral branches contributes to over 60% of the total pod number, and their development directly determines yield formation. In peanut, the cotyledons remain partially or completely buried in soil during seedling emergence, which imposes spatial constraints on normal development of the first pair of lateral branches. Traditional stem-base soil-cleaning techniques, such as the “digging and exposing the stem base” technique, could effectively promote lateral branch development and increase yield, but are labor-intensive and inefficient, making them unsuitable for modern simplified and large-scale cultivation. This paper systematically reviews the biological characteristics of peanut hypocotyl elongation and the research progress on its key regulatory factors (light and phytohormones), summarizes the development process and technical characteristics of agronomic practices including traditional soil-cleaning and soil-covering to elevate cotyledonary node. Furthermore, from the perspectives of developing germplasm with epigeous cotyledon emergence, varietal breeding, hormonal regulation, and delaying light exposure of apical bud, this paper proposes design strategies and implementation pathways for a cleaning-free cultivation technology in peanut, expecting to provide theoretical basis and technical support for the simplified, high-yielding and efficient cultivation of peanut.

High-temperature stress is one of the major abiotic stresses that inhibit plant growth. To understand uniconazole effects on sunflower growth, experiments are conducted on seedlings’ physiological characteristics stressed by high-temperature stress. 2 levels as normal temperature and high-temperature are set, in combination with control and 4 uniconazole seed dressing concentrations (2.5, 5.0, 7.5, and 10.0 g/L), and 4 uniconazole foliar spraying concentrations (0.5, 0.75, 1.0, and 1.5 g/L). The phenotypic traits and stress-resistant physiological indices of sunflower seedlings were measured. The results showed that high-temperature stress significantly reduced plant height, stem diameter, leaf area, dry weight, root-shoot ratio, and SPAD value of the seedlings, except malondialdehyde content, indicating that high-temperature stress induce oxidative damage and then inhibite seedling growth. Uniconazole application significantly enhances the activities of superoxide dismutase, catalase and peroxidase, thereby improves reactive oxygen species scavenging capacity of seedlings. Nevertheless, excessive high concentration of uniconazole exerts a distinct inhibitory effect on seedlings. In conclusion, seed dressing at concentrations of 2.5-5.0 g/L or foliar spraying at concentrations of 0.50-0.75 g/L at the cotyledon flattening stage could effectively alleviate oxidative damage caused by high-temperature stress while maintaining a relatively high plant growth potential, thus promoting strong seedlings.

In order to clarify the effect of biochar on product and interspecific relationship of flax // pea intercropping system, a field split-plot experiment was conducted using 3 biochar application rates (C0, 0 t/hm²; C1, 10 t/hm²; C2, 20 t/hm²) and different planting patterns (as monoculture flax; monoculture pea, intercropping of flax // pea). The two crops’ dry matter accumulation, translocation, yield components were investigated, as well as grain yield and interspecific competitiveness under intercropping system of flax and pea. Results showed that biochar applications for two consecutive years could significantly increase dry matter, maximum growth rate and average growth rate of both crops, which increased with the biochar dosage. However, in the third year of continuous application, the effect of 20 t/hm² biochar was lower than that of 10 t/hm² biochar. In different intercropping systems, intercropping significantly promoted dry matter accumulation and transport of flax compared with monoculture, the pre-anthesis dry matter transport, transport rate, contribution rate and post-anthesis dry matter accumulation were significantly higher than monoculture by 61.03%, 42.87%, 29.88% and 13.85%, while for pea, pre-anthesis dry matter transport, transport rate and contribution rate were better in monoculture system. Compared with no biochar application, the effective capsule number and yield of flax increased significantly by 13.30% and 12.81% under C2 treatment in 2022; and pod number per plant, grain number per pod and yield of pea increased significantly by 30.44%, 17.00% and 20.46%, respectively. In 2023, C1 treatment was the best, and flax and pea yields increased by 13.52% and 18.42% respectively. Compared with monoculture, sesame under intercropping had an average significant increase of 18.26% in yield over two years. Peas had higher yields under monoculture. In 2022, there was an average significant increase of 9.47% across all levels of biochar. In 2023, there was a significant increase of 7.81% at the no-biochar level. In the flax // pea system, the relative competitiveness of flax was greater than 0, and the competition ratio was greater than 1, which was the dominant crop, while pea was the inferior crop. The land equivalent ratio under each biochar level was greater than 1, and the intercropping planting mode had obvious yield advantage. In summary, the application of biochar could significantly increase dry matter accumulation and transport of the flax // pea system, thereby increasing both grain yields of flax and pea, but long-term excessive biochar accumulation is not conducive to yield.

The purpose of this study was to identify the pathogens of peanut crown rot in Liaoning Province. The pathogens were isolated by tissue isolation method and verified by Koch 's rule. Then the colony, mycelium and spore morphology of the pathogen were observed. The results showed that the strain exhibited circular colony growth with neat edges, white fluffy mycelia featuring septa and branching, and black spherical conidia. Based on multigene phylogenetic analysis of ITS, CAL, and Tub2 partial sequences, the pathogen causing peanut crown rot in Liaoning Province was identified as “Aspergillus niger”. In addition, the Physiological properties of the pathogen were tested. The results showed that the optimum growth temperature of the pathogen was 35°C, the optimum growth pH was 5, the optimum growth carbon and nitrogen sources were lactose and tryptone, and the lethal temperature was 60°C.

Fusarium root rot is a widespread soil-borne disease that significantly affects soybean yield and quality. To clarify the control effect of ZnO Nanoparticles (ZnO NPs) on soybean root rot caused by F. oxysporum and to evaluate the effects of various concentrations of ZnO NPs on soybean plant growth and physiological functions, 11 major cultivated soybean varieties in Heilongjiang Province were tested for resistance. Furthermore, susceptible varieties were leaf-sprayed with ZnO NPs at concentrations of 100, 200, and 500 mg/L in a greenhouse. The effectiveness of treatment was evaluated using enzyme activity detection, determination of elemental and flavonoid contents, and real-time quantitative fluorescence analysis of genes involved in flavonoid synthesis pathways. The results revealed variations in the resistance of 11 soybean varieties to four Fusarium species. Hefeng 50 was more vulnerable, with an average disease index of 46.5. Different concentrations of ZnO NPs on the leaves of Hefeng 50 can reduce the incidence of F. oxysporum root rot, increase the activities of superoxide dismutase (51.00-82.95%), peroxidase (106.11-223.87%), and catalase (74.36-157.73%) in plant leaves, and decrease the content of malondialdehyde (MDA) in roots and leaves. A concentration of 200 mg/L ZnO NPs reduced the disease index by 85% and significantly boosted plant height, root length, fresh weight, and zinc content in leaves. Additionally, the flavonoid content in leaves and roots was 1.5- and 2.0-fold that of the healthy control, respectively. Real-time fluorescence quantitative detection showed that ZnO NPs specifically and temporally regulated genes involved in flavonoid synthesis pathways, and the induced expression pattern differed significantly from that of the pathogen. The study showed that ZnO NPs enhanced soybean resistance to F. oxysporum and promoted plant growth by increasing antioxidant enzyme activity, reducing membrane peroxidation, regulating the expression of genes related to the flavonoid synthesis pathway, and promoting flavonoid accumulation.

To investigate whether the differences in xylem bridge formation among different physiological races of Orobanche cumana during sunflower parasitism determine their parasitic efficiency and developmental timing, this study used sunflower variety LD5009 as the host and selected races D, E, G (originating from sunflower), and the tomato-adapted race G as materials. By combining vibratome sectioning with dual fluorescence staining technology, we systematically compared the histological characteristics of different races at key parasitic stages, including haustorium formation, xylem bridge development, and tubercle formation. This revealed a correlation between structural complexity of xylem bridge and parasitic ability. Statistical results on parasitic tubercles following inoculation with different races showed that under the same parasitic conditions, the order of parasitic ability on sunflower roots was as follows: race G (originating from sunflower) exhibited the strongest parasitic ability, followed by the tomato adapted race G and race D, while race E was the weakest. Histological comparisons across different parasitic stages revealed differences in the process of establishing parasitic structures after infection by different races. The results indicated that at the attachment phase, germ tubes formed by different physiological races began attaching to sunflower roots, with no significant differences observed in host root structure post attachment. During the haustorium formation phase, race G (from sunflower) and the tomato adapted race G developed highly elaborate xylem bridge structures, whose proportion within the parasitic tissue was far greater than that of the corresponding structures formed by races D and E. When race G (from sunflower) and the tomato adapted race G had entered the tubercle phase, races D and E were still in the parasitic haustorium formation phase. All tested O. cumana races and the tomato adapted race G entered the stem emergence phase 23 d after seed germination and initial contact of the germ tube with sunflower roots. However, the tomato adapted race G exhibited the earliest stem emergence, followed by race G (from sunflower) and race D, while race E emerged latest. The above findings further revealed that the morphological changes of parasitic tissues during sunflower root infection were largely consistent among different O. cumana races, but the connection morphology of the vascular bridges formed in roots differed among races. Specifically, the xylem bridges of races D and E exhibited lower structural complexity in their connections to sunflower root xylem cells, narrower spatial extension, and limited tissue connectivity. In contrast, the xylem bridges of race G (from sunflower) and the tomato adapted race G were complete, exhibited broad spatial extension, and demonstrated more sufficient tissue connectivity. Their connection morphology was directly correlated with the subsequent formation and growth rate of Orobanche stem.

Rapeseed root canker (RRC) is a newly discovered disease in Longxi County, Gansu Province, China. It is closely associated with infection by ascomycetous fungus Leptosphaeria sclerotioides. However, the epidemiology and damage of the disease on rapeseed growth and development remained unknown. This study characterized the field symptoms and spatiotemporal dynamics of RRC and investigated its damage on growth and development of rapeseed as well as the influence of climatic factors on RRC such as temperature. Additionally, occurrence of L. sclerotioides on alfalfa and wheat was monitored. The results showed that in high-altitude areas (>2000 m) in Longxi, RRC caused a devastating loss on recovery growth of rapeseed from overwintering. In severely infected fields, the disease incidence reached 100% with disease indices at 75.9 to 97.6. Infected roots appeared black in color with sunken cankers, and abundant black sclerotia (e.g. precursors of L. sclerotioides pycnidia) were produced on roots surface. Plants with severely-rotted taproots lost ability to regrow in spring, while those with partially rotted taproots could resume growth and develop to maturity. However, the rot symptoms and L. sclerotioides were limited on the taproots without spreading to stems or pods. Seasonal monitoring revealed that RRC occurred only at overwintering period from February to April. Consistent low temperatures (monthly average air temperatures from 3.5°C to 13.0°C with monthly average soil temperature from 5.3°C to 15.2°C) during that period might be an important factor inducing occurrence of RRC. A total of 135 fungal isolates were obtained from diseased roots, and they were identified as L. sclerotioides based on morphology, as well as molecular detection with specific PCR primers and phylogeny based on ITS sequences. These findings indicated that RRC is an important disease for rapeseed seedling overwintering in high-altitude regions of Longxi County. Furthermore, L. sclerotioides was detected in alfalfa and winter wheat, which might be the first report of this pathogenic fungus on these two crops in China.

Harvesting mechanization has become an urgent need in the development of Camellia oleifera industry. Mechanized harvesting for C. oleifera encounters multiple challenges, including synchronous growth of flower buds and fruits, and complex terrain of cultivation areas. To assess the suitability of mini harvesting equipments, this study compared the effects of handheld comb-type and vibrating harvesters with manual harvesting on tree damage, subsequent growth phenology, and oil quality of C. oleifera. Results indicated that the harvesting method significantly affected the abscission of leaves and floral buds. Mechanical harvesting increased average floral bud and leaf abscission rates by 21%–31% and 16%–21%, respectively, compared to manual harvesting. In contrast, manual harvesting reduced the abscission of flower buds, leaves, and branches per kilogram of fruit yield by 62%–78% relative to mechanical methods. Varietal differences were observed in sensitivity to leaf abscission during mechanical harvesting. Varieties from Changlin seires as CL53 and CL4 showed only slightly higher leaf abscission rates under mechanized harvesting compared to manual harvesting. CL18 exhibited significantly higher leaf abscission rates of 11.1% and 9.4% using comb-type and vibrating harvesting, respectively, than that of 6.5% with manual harvesting. Overall, the vibrating harvester outperformed the comb-type in terms of tree damage. Mechanical and manual harvesting showed relatively similar effects on oil content, fatty acid composition, and growth phenology in the following year. It recommended that mechanical harvesting should be integrated with manual methods and optimized tree structure management for better development.

To provide references for construction of sensory evaluation system, and also for quality control and improvement and standardized production of flaxseed flours, this study comparatively analyzed the sensory quality properties of 20 commercially available flaxseed flours, focusing on exploring the effects of raw material varieties and maturation processing on particle size, microstructure, aroma profile, taste and mouthfeel, as well as surface properties. Results showed that particle sizes of the samples mainly ranged from 0.20 to 0.45 mm. Only in the samples with large particle sizes without lumps were complete embryo cotyledon cell cavity structures observed, along with a small number of nearly spherical proteomes, but the lipid bodies had all collapsed. Most flaxseed flours displayed "roasted fragrance" and "oily flavor", as well as the taste attributes of "postnasal aroma", "crispiness", "sandy texture" and "stickiness". However, some samples showed strong "seaweed flavor", "raw green flavor", "rancid flavor" and "raw walnut peel flavor". Most flaxseed flours possessed well "luster", but displayed apparent differences in particle size and uniformity, and some samples showed lumps with poor "surface looseness". Principal component analysis and cluster analysis classified different commercially available flaxseed flours based on differences in taste, flavor, aroma and surface attributes. Among them, low-temperature baking produced flaxseed flours with off-flavors, such as "rancid flavor", while low-temperature baking formulated flaxseed flours with "raw green flavor", "raw walnut peel flavor" and stronger "stickiness". Microwave-roasting produced flaxseed flours with stable sensory quality without obvious off-flavors of "rancid flavor" or "raw green flavor". High-temperature baking makes flours have stronger "stickiness" and "uniformity" features. In conclusion, "roasted aroma" and "crispness" of flaxseed flours could be enhanced by screening flaxseed materials, adjusting key parameters of maturation process, while the unpleasant flavors and textures, such as "rancid flavor", "sandy texture" and "sticky texture" could be also reduced.

To provide a scientific basis for variety breeding of woody oil plants including Camellia oleifera, this study systematically analyzed and evaluated fatty acid composition and minor oil accompanying components (sterols, vitamin E, squalene, polyphenols) of major woody oil plants in China. Materials included Camellia oleifera and Carya illinoinensis, with a total of 116 samples involved. Results showed that fatty acid composition of these woody oil plant oils was characterized by high oleic acid content (70%-83.5%) and low saturated fatty acid content (average 10.9%). Among them, oleic acid content of Camellia oleifera seed oil reached 78.6%, which was significantly higher than that of herbaceous oil plant oils. Arachidic acid was not detected in Theaceae oil plants, which could be used as a characteristic index for adulteration identification. Seed oils of camellia species among tested woody oil plants were rich in β-amyrin and lupeol, with the contents in Camellia oleifera seed oil reaching 1376 mg/kg and 1156 mg/kg, respectively. Camellia brevistyla from Weining had the highest polyphenol content (66.69 mg/kg). Among Camellia oleifera varieties, Changlin 53 had the highest total sterol content, with particularly prominent content of 4,4-dimethyl sterols. The linolenic acid content of newly selected clone CYZ11 was significantly higher than those of other varieties.