Glutathione S-transferases (GSTs) are a critical superfamily of multifunctional enzymes in plants. As a ligand or binding protein, GSTs regulate plant growth and development and detoxification. Foxtail millet (Setaria italica (L.) P. Beauv) could respond to abiotic stresses through a highly complex multi-gene regulatory network in which the GST family is also involved. However, GST genes have been scarcely studied in foxtail millet. Genome-wide identification and expression characteristics analysis of the foxtail millet GST gene family were conducted by biological information technology. The results showed that 73 GST genes (SiGSTs) were identified in the foxtail millet genome and were divided into seven classes. The chromosome localization results showed uneven distribution of GSTs on the seven chromosomes. There were 30 tandem duplication gene pairs belonging to 11 clusters. Only one pair of SiGSTU1 and SiGSTU23 were identified as fragment duplication genes. A total of ten conserved motifs were identified in the GST family of foxtail millet. The gene structure of SiGSTs is relatively conservative, but the number and length of exons of each gene are still different. The cis-acting elements in the promoter region of 73 SiGST genes showed that 94.5% of SiGST genes possessed defense and stress-responsive elements. The expression profiles of 37 SiGST genes covering 21 tissues suggested that most SiGST genes were expressed in multiple organs and were highly expressed in roots and leaves. By qPCR analysis, we found that 21 SiGST genes were responsive to abiotic stresses and abscisic acid (ABA). Taken together, this study provides a theoretical basis for identifying foxtail millet GST family information and improving their responses to different stresses.

Field experiments were conducted to investigate the effects of K application on the nitrogen and potassium utilization efficiency and yield of foxtail millet (Setaria italica L.). The experiment was performed with a completely randomized design with two millet cultivars (Jingu 21 and Zhangza 10) and five K₂O rates (0, 60, 120, 180, and 240 kg/hm²) in 2020 and 2021. We found that K promoted K and N absorption; significantly increased dry matter (DM), N, and K accumulation in millet organs; caused dry matter accumulation to peak earlier; and increased the DM accumulation rate. In addition, K accumulation preceded that of DM or N. Relative to the crop cycle, most K (61.07%) accumulated at booting, whereas N accumulated mostly (33.86%) during grain filling. N absorption efficiency increased by 31.87%, and the apparent and agronomic utilization rate of K fertilizer remained high, increasing millet yield, which peaked at a K rate of 180 kg/hm² for both cultivars, by 29.91% and 31.51% in Jingu 21 and Zhangza 10, respectively, relative to untreated controls. Stepwise regression and path analysis showed that the leaf and spike K accumulation, stem N accumulation, and stem DM were the main factors affecting yield, with DM having the greatest direct effect, followed by leaf K accumulation. The K concentration (0.77–3.04%) in Zhangza 10 was higher than that in Jingu 21 (0.69–2.91%) in untreated plants. Under the same K application rate, N and K accumulation and the harvest index were higher for Zhangza 10 than those for Jingu 21, and the nutrient utilization ability was greater for Zhangza 10. The results demonstrated that rational K fertilizer application can increase K concentration and accumulation in leaves, promote N metabolism and accumulation, increase N and K utilization efficiency, and improve DM accumulation and millet yield.

The cytochrome P450 monooxygenases (CYP450) are the largest enzyme family in plant metabolism and widely involved in the biosynthesis of primary and secondary metabolites. Foxtail millet (Setaria italica (L.) P. Beauv) can respond to abiotic stress through a highly complex polygene regulatory network, in which the SiCYP450 family is also involved. Although the CYP450 superfamily has been systematically studied in a few species, the research on the CYP450 superfamily in foxtail millet has not been completed. In this study, three hundred and thirty-one SiCYP450 genes were identified in the foxtail millet genome by bioinformatics methods, which were divided into four groups, including forty-six subgroups. One hundred and sixteen genes were distributed in thirty-three tandem duplicated gene clusters. Chromosome mapping showed that SiCYP450 was distributed on seven chromosomes. In the SiCYP450 family of foxtail millet, 20 conserved motifs were identified. Cis-acting elements in the promoter region of SiCYP450 genes showed that hormone response elements were found in all SiCYP450 genes. Of the three hundred and thirty-one SiCYP450 genes, nine genes were colinear with the Arabidopsis thaliana genes. Two hundred SiCYP450 genes were colinear with the Setaria viridis genes, including two hundred and forty-five gene duplication events. The expression profiles of SiCYP450 genes in different organs and developmental stages showed that SiCYP450 was preferentially expressed in specific tissues, and many tissue-specific genes were identified, such as SiCYP75B6, SiCYP96A7, SiCYP71A55, SiCYP71A61, and SiCYP71A62 in the root, SiCYP78A1 and SiCYP94D9 in leaves, and SiCYP78A6 in the ear. The RT-PCR data showed that SiCYP450 could respond to abiotic stresses, ABA, and herbicides in foxtail millet. Among them, the expression levels of SiCYP709B4, SiCYP71A11, SiCYP71A14, SiCYP78A1, SiCYP94C3, and SiCYP94C4 were significantly increased under the treatment of mesotrione, florasulam, nicosulfuron, fluroxypyr, and sethoxydim, indicating that the same gene might respond to multiple herbicides. The results of this study will help reveal the biological functions of the SiCYP450 family in development regulation and stress response and provide a basis for molecular breeding of foxtail millet.

Carotenoids are important compounds of quality and coloration within sweet potato storage roots, but the mechanisms that govern the accumulation of these carotenoids remain poorly understood. In this study, metabolomic and transcriptomic analyses of carotenoids were performed using young storage roots (S2) and old storage roots (S4) from white-fleshed (variety S19) and yellow-fleshed (variety BS) sweet potato types. S19 storage roots exhibited significantly lower total carotenoid levels relative to BS storage roots, and different numbers of carotenoid types were detected in the BS-S2, BS-S4, S19-S2, and S19-S4 samples. β-cryptoxanthin was identified as a potential key driver of differences in root coloration between the S19 and BS types. Combined transcriptomic and metabolomic analyses revealed significant co-annotation of the carotenoid and abscisic acid (ABA) metabolic pathways, PSY (phytoene synthase), CHYB (β-carotene 3-hydroxylase), ZEP (zeaxanthin epoxidase), NCED3 (9-cis-epoxycarotenoid dioxygenase 3), ABA2 (xanthoxin dehydrogenase), and CYP707A (abscisic acid 8’-hydroxylase) genes were found to be closely associated with carotenoid and ABA content in these sweet potato storage roots. The expression patterns of the transcription factors OFP and FAR1 were associated with the ABA content in these two sweet potato types. Together, these results provide a valuable foundation for understanding the mechanisms governing carotenoid biosynthesis in storage roots, and offer a theoretical basis for sweet potato breeding and management.

As a strategic crop of dry farming in northern China, the photosynthetic characteristics and stress resistance of foxtail millet (Setaria italica L.) are crucial to yield formation. This study aimed to explore the physiological characteristics of various foxtail millet varieties and screen high-efficiency varieties adapted to semi-arid climates. In the agro-pastoral ecotone of northern Shanxi Province, the physiological and ecological parameters, etc. of six cultivars were measured. The results showed that different cultivars had bimodal diurnal photosynthetic curves with distinct peak values and midday depression degrees, reflecting varied responses to high midday temperature and light stress. Dabaigu and Jingu 21 performed superiorly, with mean daily net photosynthetic rates (Pn) of 22.99 and 20.72 µmol·m⁻²·s⁻¹, significantly higher than Jinmiao K1 (12.87 µmol·m⁻²·s⁻¹). Chlorophyll fluorescence analysis showed Dabaigu had higher potential activity (F_v/F₀) of 3.98 than Jinmiao K1 (2.40). Jingu 21 synergistically optimized plant height, stem diameter, and biomass accumulation. Dabaigu and Jingu 21 are elite cultivars for the agro-pastoral ecotone of northern Shanxi Province due to high photosynthetic efficiency, strong photoprotection, and morphological plasticity.