Sorghum ( Sorghum bicolor L.) is a vital global crop often cultivated in waterlogging-prone regions. However, its productivity is severely limited by waterlogging stress, which inhibits growth and significantly reduces yields. To address this, we investigated the physiological and molecular mechanisms of waterlogging tolerance by comparing a tolerant variety ‘S208’ with a sensitive one ‘S015’. After 12 days of waterlogging, ‘S208’ exhibited markedly less reduction in plant height, stem thickness, and leaf area. It also developed more and longer adventitious roots and, after 6 days, formed a significantly higher proportion of aerenchyma Physiological assays revealed that the activities of key anaerobic respiratory enzymes, including pyruvate decarboxylase (PDC), lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), and alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH), were consistently higher in ‘S208’. Transcriptomic analysis 24 hours post-waterlogging identified differentially expressed genes (DEGs) enriched in energy metabolism, hormone regulation, and cell wall modification. Weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA) further highlighted the predominant regulatory roles of AP2/ERF, BHLH and WRKY transcription factor families. Our finding demonstrate that the superior waterlogging tolerance of ‘S208’ is atrributed to integrated morphological, phsiological, and transcriptional adaptations, providing valuable insights for breeding resilient sorghum varieties.

Drought stress during sorghum emergence significantly affects seedling establishment, adversely affecting both emergence and population growth. This study investigates drought tolerance mechanisms during sorghum germination by analyzing physiological changes and transcriptomic data from two lines: W069 (drought tolerant) and W040 (drought sensitive). Under drought conditions, a phenotypic analysis revealed that W069 exhibited longer shoots and roots than W040. Additionally, physiological data indicated higher osmotic substance and lower malondialdehyde levels in W069. Using Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genome analyses, we identified three key pathways (starch and sucrose metabolism, phenylpropanoid biosynthesis, and phytohormone signaling) as pivotal in the drought response during seed germination in sorghum plants. Expression profiling revealed that most drought tolerance-related genes in the three key pathways were expressed at higher levels in the drought-tolerant cultivar W069, possibly explaining its greater stress tolerance. These findings enhance our understanding of drought-responsive gene networks in sorghum seed germination, offering potential target genes and strategies for enhancing drought tolerance in this crop.

Oculatellaceae is a family of cyanobacteria with orange spots in the apical cells and has a wide distribution in various living environments. The species of this family are widely distributed but relatively few in number. In order to enrich our knowledge of the species diversity of cyanobacteria in China, and further achieve the monophyletic development of modern cyanobacteria classification systems, we studied two algal strains, designated as SXACC0114 and SXACC0117, isolated from China and subjected to taxonomic studies using a multiphase approach. The colony of the strain SXACC0114 is bright blue-green in color and does not form a biofilm. The trichomes are yellow-green to bright blue-green. For the strain SXACC0117, no false branching is observed. It has wider filaments and more distinct sheaths, and lacks swollen cells. Based on 16S rRNA gene phylogenetic analysis, the results showed that these two algal strains clustered in Albertania and Tildeniella evolutionary branches, respectively, with high bootstrap support. In addition, the secondary structures, which are constructed based on the internal transcription spacer (ITS) of 16S-23S rRNA, exhibit differences, and the algal strain has unique D1-D1ʹ, Box-B, and V3 helix structures. These results support the establishment of two new species, described as Albertania yunnanense sp. nov. and Tildeniella yunnanense sp. nov. The discovery of these new species provides a scientific basis for the development and utilization of algae.