Soil aridification and desertification are particularly prominent in China’s karst areas, severely limiting crop yields and vegetation restoration. Therefore, it is very important to identify naturally drought-tolerant plant species.Sophora davidii(Franch.) Skeels is resistant to drought and soil infertility, is deeply rooted and is an excellent plant material for soil and water conservation. We studied the transcriptomic and metabolomic changes inS. davidiiin response to drought stress (CK, control; LD, mild drought stress; MD, moderate drought stress; and SD, severe drought stress).Sophora davidiigrew normally under LD and MD stress but was inhibited under SD stress; the malondialdehyde (MDA), hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂), soluble sugar, proline, chlorophyll a, chlorophyll b and carotenoid contents and ascorbate peroxidase (APX) activity significantly increased, while the superoxide dismutase (SOD), peroxidase (POD) and catalase (CAT) activities and soluble protein content significantly decreased. In the LD/CK, MD/CK and SD/CK comparison groups, there were 318, 734 and 1779 DEGs, respectively, and 100, 168 and 281 differentially accumulated metabolites, respectively. Combined analysis of the transcriptomic and metabolomic data revealed the metabolic regulation ofS. davidiiin response to drought stress. First, key candidate genes such asPRR7,PRR5,GI,ELF3,PsbQ,PsaK,INV,AMY,E2.4.1.13,E3.2.1.2,NCED,PP2C,PYL,ABF,WRKY33,P5CS,PRODH,AOC3,HPD,GPX,GST,CATandSOD1may govern the drought resistance ofS. davidii. Second, three metabolites (oxidised glutathione, abscisic acid and phenylalanine) were found to be related to drought tolerance. Third, several key candidate genes and metabolites involved in 10 metabolic pathways were identified, indicating that these metabolic pathways play an important role in the response to drought inS. davidiiand possibly other plant species.

Introducing cover crops into maize rotation systems is widely practiced to increase crop productivity and achieve sustainable agricultural development, yet the potential for crop rotational diversity to contribute to environmental benefits in soils remains uncertain. Here, we investigated the effects of different crop rotation patterns on the physicochemical properties, enzyme activities, microbial biomass and microbial communities in soils from field experiments. Crop rotation patterns included (i) pure maize monoculture (CC), (ii) maize–garlic (CG), (iii) maize–rape (CR) and (iv) maize–annual ryegrass for one year (Cir1), two years (Cir2) and three years (Cir3). Our results showed that soil physicochemical properties varied in all rotation patterns, with higher total and available phosphorus concentrations in CG and CR and lower soil organic carbon and total nitrogen concentrations in the maize–ryegrass rotations compared to CC. Specifically, soil fertility was ranked as CG > Cir2 > CR > Cir3 > CC > Cir1. CG decreased enzyme activities but enhanced microbial biomass. Cir2 decreased carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) acquiring enzyme activities and soil microbial C and N concentrations, but increased phosphorus (P) acquiring enzyme activities and microbial biomass P concentrations compared to CC. Soil bacterial and fungal diversity (Shannon index) were lower in CG and Cir2 compared to CC, while the richness (Chao1 index) was lower in CG, CR, Cir1 and Cir2. Most maize rotations notably augmented the relative abundance of soil bacteria, including Chloroflexi, Gemmatimonadetes and Rokubacteria, while not necessarily decreasing the abundance of soil fungi like Basidiomycota, Mortierellomycota and Anthophyta. Redundancy analysis indicated that nitrate-N, ammonium-N and microbial biomass N concentrations had a large impact on soil bacterial communities, whereas nitrate-N and ammonium-N, available P, soil organic C and microbial biomass C concentrations had a greater effect on soil fungal communities. In conclusion, maize rotations with garlic, rape and ryegrass distinctly modify soil properties and microbial compositions. Thus, we advocate for garlic and annual ryegrass as maize cover crops and recommend a two-year rotation for perennial ryegrass in Southwest China.

Sophora davidiiis an important plant resource in the karst region of Southwest China, butS. davidiiplant-height mutants are rarely reported. Therefore, we performed phenotypic, anatomic structural, transcriptomic and metabolomic analyses to study the mechanisms responsible forS. davidiiplant-height mutants. Phenotypic and anatomical observations showed that compared to the wild type, the dwarf mutant displayed a significant decrease in plant height, while the tall mutant displayed a significant increase in plant height. The dwarf mutant cells were smaller and more densely arranged, while those of the wild type and the tall mutant were larger and loosely arranged. Transcriptomic analysis revealed that differentially expressed genes (DEGs) involved in cell wall biosynthesis, expansion, phytohormone biosynthesis, signal transduction pathways, flavonoid biosynthesis and phenylpropanoid biosynthesis were significantly enriched in theS. davidiiplant-height mutants. Metabolomic analysis revealed 57 significantly differential metabolites screened from both the dwarf and tall mutants. A total of 8 significantly different flavonoid compounds were annotated to LIPID MAPS, and three metabolites (chlorogenic acid, kaempferol and scopoletin) were involved in phenylpropanoid biosynthesis and flavonoid biosynthesis. These results shed light on the molecular mechanisms of plant height inS. davidiimutants and provide insight for further molecular breeding programs.

Global warming has far-reaching effects on plant growth and development. As a warm-season forage grass, Paspalum wettsteinii is highly adaptable to high temperatures. However, the response mechanism of P. wettsteinii under high-temperature stress is still unclear. Therefore, we investigated the physiological indicators, transcriptome and metabolome of P. wettsteinii under different heat stress treatments. Plant height, the activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD), peroxidase (POD), and catalase (CAT), and the contents of soluble sugar, proline, chlorophyll a, and chlorophyll b increased and then decreased, while the malondialdehyde (MDA) content decreased and then increased with increasing heat stress. Transcriptomic analysis revealed that genes related to energy and carbohydrate metabolism, heat shock proteins (HSPs), and transcription factors (TFs), secondary metabolite biosynthesis and the antioxidant system significantly changed to varying degrees. Metabolomic analysis showed that only free fatty acids were downregulated, while amino acids and their derivatives, organic acids, flavonoids, and sugars were both up- and downregulated under heat stress. These combined analyses revealed that growth was promoted at 25–40°C, while at 45°C, excess reactive oxygen species (ROS) damage reduced antioxidant and osmoregulatory effects and inactivated genes associated with the light and electron transport chains (ETCs), as well as damaged the PS II system and inhibited photosynthesis. A small number of genes and metabolites were upregulated to maintain the basic growth of P. wettsteinii. The physiological and biochemical changes in response to high-temperature stress were revealed, and the important metabolites and key genes involved in the response to high temperature were identified, providing an important reference for the physiological and molecular regulation of high-temperature stress in plants.

Acidic soils, defined as those with a pH of 5.5 or lower,1 encompass approximately 5.5% of China’s landmass, predominantly in its southern and southwestern regions.2 Acid rain, a significant contri...

The vertical diversity and distribution of arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi were investigated in the Mu Us Desert, northwest China. Soils were sampled to 50 cm in depth in the rhizospheres of Hedysarum laeve, Artemisia ordosica, and Psammochloa villosa and 44 AM fungal species belonging to 10 genera were isolated. Several of these species have peculiar morphological features, which are distinct from other habitats. AM fungal diversity and distribution differed significantly among the three host plants and the five soil layers. Spore density, species richness, and the Shannon-Wiener index of AM fungi were 0.55–4.3 spores g⁻¹ soil, 7–36 and 1.78–2.89, respectively. Spore density and species richness had a significant positive correlation with soil total phosphorus content (0.0377–0.1129 mg g⁻¹), and a negative correlation with soil pH (7.19–7.64). Nonmetric multidimensional scaling, PerMANOVA, and structural equation model analysis demonstrated that host plant species and soil depth significantly and directly influenced the structure of AM fungal communities. We concluded that diversity and distribution of AM fungi might be influenced by plant species, soil depth patterns, and soil nutrient availability in desert ecosystems. This research into AM fungal communities may lead to the development of AM fungi treatment for the mitigation of soil erosion and desertification using mycorrhizal plants, such as H. laeve, A. ordosica, and P. villosa.