With no lysine kinases (WNKs) play important roles in plant growth and development. However, its role in salt and osmotic stress tolerance is unclear. Here, we report that AtWNK8 is mainly expressed in primary root, hypocotyl, stamen and pistil and is induced by NaCl and sorbitol treatment. Compared to the wild-type, the T-DNA knock-out wnk8 mutant was more tolerant to severe salinity and osmotic stresses, as indicated by 27% and 198% more fresh weight in the NaCl and sorbitol treatment, respectively. The wnk8 mutant also accumulated 1.43-fold more proline than the wild-type in the sorbitol treatment. Under NaCl and sorbitol stresses, catalase (CAT) activity in wnk8 mutant was 1.92- and 3.7-times of that in Col-0, respectively. Similarly, under salt and osmotic stress conditions, peroxidase (POD) activities in wnk8 mutant were 1.81- and 1.58-times of that in Col-0, respectively. Taken together, we revealed that maintaining higher CAT and POD activities might be one of the reasons that the disruption of AtWNK8 enhances the tolerance to salt stress, and accumulating more proline and higher activities of CAT and POD might result in the higher tolerance of WNK8 to osmotic stress.

Waste straw biomass is an abundant renewable bioresource raw material on Earth. Its stubborn wooden cellulose structure limits straw lignocellulose bioconversion into value-added products (e.g., biofuel, chemicals, and agricultural products). Compared to physicochemical and other preprocessing techniques, the steam explosion method, as a kind of hydrothermal method, was considered as a practical, eco-friendly, and cost-effective method to overcome the above-mentioned barriers during straw lignocellulose bioconversion. Steam explosion pretreatment of straw lignocellulose can effectively improve the conversion efficiency of producing biofuels and value-added chemicals and is expected to replace fossil fuels and partially replace traditional chemical fertilizers. Although the principles of steam explosion destruction of lignocellulosic structures for bioconversion to liquid fuels and producing solid biofuel were well known, applications of steam explosion in productions of value-added chemicals, organic fertilizers, biogas, etc. were less identified. Therefore, this review provides insights into advanced methods of utilizing steam explosion for straw biomass conversion as well as their corresponding processes and mechanisms. Finally, the current limitations and prospects of straw biomass conversion with steam explosion technology were elucidated.

Cytokinins (CKs) are a class of phytohormones identified in the early 1960s and are mainly responsible for stimulating cell division. Following the discovery, research to help understand the pluralistic roles of CKs in plant growth and stress biology increased. With their fascinating ability, CKs serve as an important element in regulating the defense–growth trade-off. Herein, we demonstrate how the CK fine-tuning the organogenesis of different parts of horticultural plants is discussed. CK’s role in tailoring reproductive biology (flowering, sex differentiation, fruit set, and fruit attributes) has been presented. An extensive explanation of the CK-mediated response of horticultural crops to abiotic (temperature, drought, and salinity) and biotic stresses (fungal, bacterial, and nematodes) is provided. Finally, we posit the unexplored roles of CKs and highlight the research gaps worth addressing.

Morel is a popular edible mushroom with considerable medicinal and economic value which has garnered global popularity. However, the increasing heavy metal (HM) pollution in the soil presents a significant challenge to morels cultivation. Given the susceptibility of morels to HM accumulation, the quality and output of morels are at risk, posing a serious food safety concern that hinders the development of the morel industry. Nonetheless, research on the mechanism of HM enrichment and mitigation strategies in morel remains scarce. The morel, being cultivated in soil, shows a positive correlation between HM content in its fruiting body and the HM content in the soil. Therefore, soil remediation emerges as the most practical and effective approach to tackle HM pollution. Compared to physical and chemical remediation, bioremediation is a low-cost and eco-friendly approach that poses minimal threats to soil composition and structure. HMs easily enriched during morels cultivation were examined, including Cd, Cu, Hg, and Pb, and we assessed soil passivation technology, microbial remediation, strain screening and cultivation, and agronomic measures as potential approaches for HM pollution prevention. The current review underscores the importance of establishing a comprehensive system for preventing HM pollution in morels.