Foxtail millet (Setaria italica L.) is an important cereal for managing future water scarcity and ensuring food security, due to its strong drought and salt stress resistance owing to its developed root system. However, the molecular responses of foxtail millet leaves to salt stress are largely unknown. In this study, seeds of 104 foxtail millet accessions were subjected to 0.17 mol·L⁻¹ NaCl stress during germination, and various germination-related parameters were analyzed to derive 5 salt-sensitive accessions and 13 salt-tolerant accessions. Hong Gu 2000 and Pu Huang Yu were the most salt-tolerant and salt-sensitive accessions, respectively. To determine the mechanism of the salt stress response, transcriptomic differences between the control and salt-treated groups were investigated. We obtained 2019 and 736 differentially expressed genes under salt stress in the salt-sensitive and salt-tolerant accessions, respectively. The transcription factor families bHLH, WRKY, AP2/ERF, and MYB-MYC were found to play critical roles in foxtail millet’s response to salt stress. Additionally, the down-regulation of ribosomal protein-related genes causes stunted growth in the salt-sensitive accessions. The salt-tolerant accession alleviates salt stress by increasing energy production. Our findings provide novel insights into the molecular mechanism of foxtail millet’s response to salt stress.

Water cadmium (Cd) pollution has widely aroused concerns due to high Cd toxicity in water bodies and its serious health risks to humans. Adsorption has been identified as an effective and widely utilized technology for water purification with heavy metal pollution. To develop a newly identified adsorbent of modified zeolite that can easily and effectively purify Cd-polluted water, NaOH modification (JZ), high-temperature modification (HZ), humic acid modification (FZ), Na₂S modification (SZ), and ultrasonic modification (CZ) zeolites were developed, and their appearances and adsorption and desorption characteristics were investigated. The results showed that the adsorption capacity of Cd by JZ and SZ were improved by 68.87% and 32.06%, respectively, relative to that by natural zeolite (NZ); however, HZ, FZ, and CZ decreased the adsorption capacity. JZ had a higher adsorption capacity than SZ and could remove 99.90% Cd at an initial concentration of 100 mg/L. The dominant adsorption mechanism of Cd by JZ was the chemisorption of the monolayer. The preferred temperature and pH that enhanced Cd adsorption by JZ were 25–35 °C and 4–8, respectively. With an equilibrium adsorption capacity of 9.37–9.74 mg/g at an initial concentration of 280 mg/L, JZ reached its maximum saturated adsorption capacity; compared with SZ and NZ, the adsorption capacity increase was 27.83–68.81%. The R² fitted by JZ’s Langmuir model and quasi-second-order dynamics model were both above 0.93. In summary, JZ was recognized as a novel absorbent for Cd-polluted water purification.

The northern Songnen Plain in China is one of the most important areas for grain production in China, which has been increasingly affected by wind erosion in recent years. This study analyzed the dynamic spatiotemporal distribution of wind erosion in the northern Songnen Plain from 2010 to 2018 using the Revised Wind Erosion Equation model. The ecological service function of the study area was evaluated by constructing a spatial visualization map of windbreak and sand-fixation service flow. Wind erosion worsened from 2010 to 2018. The gravity center of different categories of wind erosion intensity moved to the northeast, indicating a risk of spreading from south to north. The amount of wind erosion in 2018 increased by 50.78% compared with 2010. The increase of wind force and temperature and the decrease of precipitation may have contributed to these trends. Long-term wind erosion led to soil coarsening, decreased soil organic matter, soil organic carbon, and total nitrogen contents, and increased soil CaCO₃ and pH, which may be one reason for slight soil salinization observed in some regions. Therefore, windbreak and sand-fixation management and eco-environmental protection are urgently required. This study is the first detailed assessment of wind erosion in the northern Songnen Plain on a regional scale and the first to propose measures for ecological restoration and desertification control.