Insect life processes and reproductive behaviors are significantly affected by extremely high temperatures. This study focused on Tuta absoluta, which poses a severe threat to tomato cultivars. The effects of intense heat stress on the growth, development, oviposition, and longevity of T. absoluta were investigated. This investigation encompassed various developmental stages, including eggs, pupae, and adults. This study revealed that egg hatching and pupa emergence rates were significantly reduced at a temperature of 44 °C maintained for 6 h. The longevity of adults that emerged after the egg and pupal stages were exposed to 44 °C for 6 h was significantly reduced compared to the control. Notably, there was no significant variation in adult fecundity after egg-stage exposure to high temperatures. However, all treatments exhibited significantly reduced fecundity compared to the control after exposure to high temperatures during the pupal stage. Adult survival rates after exposure to 40 °C and 44 °C for 3 h were 74.29% and 22.40%, respectively, dramatically less than that of the control, which was 100%. However, no significant differences were noted in terms of longevity and egg production. These results offer a better understanding of the complex interactions between extreme temperatures and the life history traits of T. absoluta, thereby offering valuable insights for implementing management strategies to alleviate its impact on tomato crops in response to climate change.

A total of 99 endophytic fungal isolates were obtained from the roots of Glycyrrhiza inflata, which was a traditional medicinal plant mainly distributed in Xinjiang, China. Twenty-two distinct isolates were selected for further taxonomical identification by morphological traits and internal transcribed spacer (ITS) rRNA gene sequence analysis. Eleven genera were identified, among which Aspergillus, Alternaria and Fusarium were dominant. The crude extracts of 22 distinct identified fungi were successively evaluated for their antifungal activities on three rice fungal pathogens using the method of hyphal radial growth rate. Among them, the crude extract of Alternaria an-gustiovoidea Glinf007 showed the significantly mycelial growth inhibitory activity. The results demonstrated that G. inflata contained a diversity of culturable endophytic fungi, which could produce natural antimicrobial compounds that might be of great value to the agriculture and pharmaceutical industries.

Orobanche aegyptiaca is a holoparasitic weed that extracts water, nutrients, and growth regulators from host plants, leading to significant yield and quality losses. Biocontrol microbial metabolites have been shown to enhance plant resistance against parasitic plants, yet the underlying microbial mechanisms remain poorly understood. In this study, we investigated the role of Alternaria alternata JTF001 (J1) microbial metabolites in recruiting beneficial microbes to the tomato rhizosphere and promoting the establishment of a disease-suppressive microbiome. Pot experiments revealed that J1 metabolite application significantly reduced O. aegyptiaca parasitism. High-throughput sequencing of full-length 16S rRNA genes and ITS regions, along with in vitro culture assays, demonstrated an increase in the abundance of plant-beneficial bacteria, particularly Pseudomonas spp. The three candidate beneficial strains (zOTU_388, zOTU_533, and zOTU_2335) showed an increase of 5.7-fold, 5.4-fold, and 4.7-fold, respectively. These results indicate that J1 metabolites induce the recruitment of a disease-suppressive microbiome in tomato seedlings, effectively inhibiting O. aegyptiaca parasitism. Our findings suggest that microbial metabolites represent a promising strategy for managing parasitic plant infestations through microbial community modulation, offering significant implications for sustainable agricultural practices.

Ultraviolet radiation serves as a significant abiotic stressor for numerous organisms, particularly impacting insects in various ways. Tuta absoluta, a highly destructive pest infesting of the Solanaceae species, was investigated to elucidate its growth, development, and enzymatic defense mechanisms of insects in response to UV exposure. This study investigates the effects of three types of UV radiation on the lifespan, egg laying behavior, and antioxidant enzyme activities of T. absoluta. Our study revealed a significant reduction in the lifespan of T. absoluta upon exposure to both UV-A and UV-B radiation, whereas extended exposure to UV-C radiation for 120 min and 180 min resulted in a decline in its egg laying capacity. Exposure to all three types of radiation (UV-A, UV-B, and UV-C) led to an irreversible decrease in catalase (CAT) enzyme activity. Upon exposure to UV-A, there was a gradual increase in peroxidase (POD) enzyme activity; however, at 120 min post-exposure, a subsequent decrease was observed. A notable elevation in superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity was observed following exposures of both 60 min and 120 min durations under the rays of UV-A. These findings provide valuable insights into understanding the effects of UV exposure on T. absoluta as well as its potential application as a control measure, warranting further investigation.

The bacterial communities in rhizosphere soil interact with the roots of plants. This interaction is beneficial for both the bacteria and the plants, which makes it very important to identify the structure of these bacterial communities for plant growth and development. However, the composition characteristics of bacterial communities in rhizosphere soil of 2-year and 5-year Haloxylon ammodendron have not been clearly defined. The purpose of this study was to identify the diverse composition of 2-year and 5-year Haloxylon ammodendron in Turpan, Xinjiang. Thus, rhizosphere soil bacteria were analyzed by isolating, purifying, and identifying the species through high-throughput sequencing technology. The bacterial strains in the rhizosphere soil of Haloxylon ammodendron were isolated with the dilution coating method, resulting in 37 isolated strains. The selective media were used to screen the growth-promoting characteristics of the rhizosphere soil isolates of Haloxylon ammodendron. The results of high-throughput amplification sequencing showed that the rhizosphere bacteria in the 2-year rhizosphere soil belonged to 45 phyla, 109 classes, 288 orders, 451 families, 826 genera, and 404 species, and those in the 5-year rhizosphere soil belonged to 56 phyla, 148 classes, 369 orders, 601 families, 1062 genera, and 671 species. Among them, Firmicutes, Proteobacteria, Actinobacteriota, Bacteroidota, Crenarchaeota, and so on are the dominant bacteria. There were 12206 and 14,053 OTUs in the 2-year-old and 5-year-old rhizosphere soil bacteria, respectively, and 3329 OTUs in the 2-year- and 5-year-old rhizosphere soil, accounting for 16.98% of the total number of OTUs. The results showed that three strains, sg16, sg21, and ss4, had the highest inorganic phosphorus solubility index (1.58). The isolated strain did not have the ability to dissolve organophosphorus and potassium, while the screened strain sg16 had the ability to fix nitrogen. Two strains with a good iron-bearing capacity, Sg9F and Sg1, were screened, among which Sg9F had the highest D/d value and Sg9F had the strongest iron-bearing capacity. The results showed that 37 strains of rhizosphere soil bacteria belonged to six genera. They are Bacillus, Corynebacterium, Phyllobacterium, Lysinibacillus, Sinorhizobium meliloti, and Streptomyces levis. Among them are sg21 (Bacillus sp.), sg1 (Bacillus sp.), sg9F (Streptomyces levis), sg16 (Phyllobacterium phragmitis), and ss4 (Sinorhizobium meliloti). This study provides a particular research basis for the influence of Haloxylon ammodendron rhizosphere bacteria on soil nutrient release and depicts a solution for improving the yield and quality of cistanche deserticola indirectly through isolating, screening, and identifying rhizosphere soil bacteria, including screening strains with growth-promoting functions and analyzing the population structure of rhizosphere bacteria in 2- and 5-year soil in combination with high-throughput sequencing technology.

Rhizosphere microorganisms effectively exploit nutrient resources within the rhizosphere, while growth-promoting bacteria in this environment play a vital role in regulating soil fertility and enhancing plant health. In this study, we utilized a comprehensive approach that included the isolation, purification, and identification of dominant microorganisms, alongside high-throughput sequencing technology. This methodology was employed to analyze the primary microbial groups and their diversity within the rhizosphere soil of Helichrysum arenarium (L.) Moench in Altay, Xinjiang, China. By isolating bacterial strains from the rhizosphere soil using a dilution coating method, we successfully obtained 43 distinct strains. Subsequently, selective media were employed to screen for growth-promoting characteristics among these isolated strains derived from the rhizosphere soil of H. arenarium (L.) Moench. The results, obtained through high-throughput amplification sequencing, revealed diverse bacterial communities belonging to 35 phyla, 93 orders, 215 families, 324 genera, and 231 species associated with H. arenarium (L.) Moench, as well as fungal communities comprising 14 phyla, 47 orders, 96 families, 204 genera, and 571 species present in the rhizosphere soil. Among these identified communities, Actinobacteriota emerged as the predominant bacterial phylum while Ascomycetes and Mortieromycetes were recognized as the principal fungal phyla found in the rhizospheric soil of H. arenarium (L.) Moench. Analysis of culturable bacteria’s promotion activity within this rhizospheric environment indicated that three strains—S16, S31, and S29—exhibited the highest solubility index for inorganic phosphorus; additionally, the screened strains S7 and S10 demonstrated nitrogen-fixing capabilities. Furthermore, ten strains exhibiting excellent iron-bearing capacities were identified; notably, strain S16 displayed the highest D/d value indicating, its superior iron-bearing capacity. The growth-promoting bacteria were identified as Kocuria rosea, Priestia megaterium, Bacillus mobilis, Bacillus bataviensis, three variants of Bacillus mycoides, Bacillus paramobilis, Bacillus sonorensis, and Alcaligenes faecalis. This study provides a foundational understanding of how microorganisms in the rhizosphere of H. arenarium (L.) Moench influence soil nutrient release and offers valuable insights into enhancing yield and quality cultivation by isolating, screening, and identifying growth-promoting bacteria from rhizosphere soil.