Oudemansiella raphanipes (OR) is a commercial mushroom which possesses high nutritional value and excellent and unique flavors. In this study, various agricultural wastes were utilized as substitute materials in the low‐cost and high‐yield production of mycelia biomass and polysaccharides by liquid fermentation. The sawdust, wheat bran, apple pomace, sugarcane, and corn particles were employed to cultivate OR, using the potato dextrose broth as control. Additionally, a preliminary characterization and in vitro antioxidant activities of partial purified OR polysaccharides were investigated. The substrate of sugarcane was suitable for mycelia growth of OR, with high yield of mycelia biomass and polysaccharides content. In vitro antioxidant activity assays demonstrated that OR polysaccharides could effectively scavenge 2,2′‐azino‐bis(3‐ethylbenzothiazoline‐6‐sulfonic acid) and 1,1‐diphenyl‐2‐picrylhydrazyl radicals. OR polysaccharides had configuration as revealed by Fourier transform infrared, and was mainly composed of fucose (Fuc), rhamnose (Rha), arabinose (Ara), galactose (Gal), glucose (Glc), xylose (Xyl), mannose (Man), ribose (Rib), and galacturonic acid (Gal‐UA), with mass percentages of 3.29%, 0.64%, 1.09%, 16.03%, 72.69%, 0.56%, 3.18%, 0.93%, and 1.59%, respectively. This study may offer support for decreasing the cost of OR polysaccharides production and dealing with these agricultural wastes.

Kenaf (Hibiscus cannabinus L.) is an environmentally friendly, multipurpose fiber crop suitable for osmotic stress tolerance studies. However, the mechanisms of tolerance remain largely unknown. Here, we identified a stress-responsive HcWRKY50 gene from kenaf (Hibiscus cannabinus L.) and studied its function and tolerance under drought stress. HcWRKY50 is a nuclear-localized protein. The overexpression of HcWRKY50 in Arabidopsis showed higher drought tolerance, exhibiting increased root length and lateral root number, and reduced stomatal density compared with the control lines. The seed germination and seedling growth of HcWRKY50 transgenic plants showed less sensitivity to ABA but they became more sensitive to ABA in their stomatal aperture. Furthermore, qRT-PCR analysis revealed that HcWRKY50 regulated ABA signaling by promoting the expression of several key ABA-responsive and stress-responsive genes such as RD29B and COR47 in transgenic lines. Taken together, this study demonstrated that the kenaf transcription factor HcWRKY50 regulates seed germination and seedling growth and improves drought stress tolerance via an ABA signaling pathway.

Anthracnose of the tea plant (Camellia sinensis), caused by Colletotrichum spp., poses a significant threat to both the yield and quality of tea production. To address this challenge, researchers have looked to the application of endophytic bacteria as a natural alternative to the use chemical pesticides, offering potential for enhancing disease resistance and abiotic stress tolerance in tea plants. This study focused on identifying effective microbial agents to combat tea anthracnose caused by Colletotrichum fructicola. A total of 38 Bacillus-like strains were isolated from the tea rhizosphere, with 8 isolates showing substantial inhibitory effects against the mycelial growth of C. fructicola, achieving an average inhibition rate of 60.68%. Among these, strain T3 was particularly effective, with a 69.86% inhibition rate. Through morphological, physiological, and biochemical characterization, along with 16S rRNA gene phylogenetics analysis, these strains were identified as B. inaquosorum (T1 and T2), B. tequilensis (T3, T5, T7, T8, and T19), and B. spizizenii (T6). Biological and molecular assays confirmed that these strains could induce the expression of genes associated with antimicrobial compounds like iturin, fengycin, subtilosin, and alkaline protease, which effectively reduced the disease index of tea anthracnose and enhanced tea plant growth. In conclusion, this study demonstrates that B. inaquosorum, B. tequilensis, and B. spizizenii strains are promising biocontrol agents for managing tea anthracnose.

Tea is an important cash crop worldwide, and its nutritional value has led to its high economic benefits. Tea anthracnose is a common disease of tea plants that seriously affects food safety and yield and has a far-reaching impact on the sustainable development of the tea industry. In this study, phenotypic analysis and pathogenicity analysis were performed on knockout and complement strains of HTF2—the transcriptional regulator of tea anthracnose homeobox—and the pathogenic mechanism of these strains was explored via RNA-seq. The MoHox1 gene sequence of the rice blast fungus was indexed, and the anthracnose genome was searched for CfHTF2. Evolutionary analysis recently reported the affinity of HTF2 for C. fructicola and C. higginsianum. The loss of CfHTF2 slowed the vegetative growth and spore-producing capacity of C. fructicola and weakened its resistance and pathogenesis to adverse conditions. The transcriptome sequencing of wild-type N425 and CfHTF2 deletion mutants was performed, and a total of 3144 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were obtained, 1594 of which were upregulated and 1550 of which were downregulated. GO and KEGG enrichment analyses of DEGs mainly focused on signaling pathways such as the biosynthesis of secondary metabolites. In conclusion, this study lays a foundation for further study of the pathogenic mechanism of tea anthracnose and provides a molecular basis for the analysis of the pathogenic molecular mechanism of CfHTF2.

Lignocellulose is the most abundant renewable biomass on Earth, and its efficient bioconversion is critical for achieving carbon neutrality, substituting fossil resources, and advancing sustainable biomanufacturing. However, furfural, a dominant inhibitor generated during lignocellulosic pretreatment, severely compromises microbial metabolism and fermentation performance. To date, no systematic review has comprehensively integrated the mechanisms of furfural-induced microbial toxicity with corresponding stress tolerance strategies. This review elaborates on three core themes: the multi-pathway toxic effects of furfural, intrinsic microbial tolerance mechanisms, and advanced strategies for constructing a high-tolerance microbial chassis. Despite considerable progress, several research gaps persist, including poorly understood synergistic or antagonistic interactions between furfural and other hydrolysate inhibitors, insufficient integration of adaptive laboratory evolution, rational design, and random mutagenesis in anti-inhibitor research, and limited understanding of trade-offs between furfural tolerance and industrial fermentation robustness. Future efforts should address these gaps through combinatorial stress simulation, multi-omics profiling, and the “evolve–elucidate–engineer” paradigm, thereby enabling the scalable and stable application of lignocellulosic biomanufacturing.

A new species of clearwing moth, Synanthedon suhua sp. nov., is described from Taiwan in this article. Adults and genitalia of both sexes are illustrated, DNA barcodes provided, and potential damage to Quercus longinux (Fagaceae) discussed.