(1) Background: The escalating issue of soil degradation caused by excessive chemical fertilizer application poses significant threats to the sustainable development of Chinese flowering cabbage (Brassica campestris L. ssp. chinensis (L.) var. utilis Tsen et Lee) production. This research aimed to identify the impacts of reduced chemical fertilizer application integrated with organic amendments on cabbage yield and rhizosphere soil microenvironment characteristics. (2) Methods: A biennial field experiment was conducted during the 2022–2023 growing seasons at Lijun Town, Yinchuan City, Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region. Five treatments were tested: (i) Control (CK, no fertilizer); (ii) Conventional chemical fertilization (CF1, chemical fertilizer only); (iii) Reduced chemical fertilization (CF2, 30% less chemical fertilizer); (iv) CF2 + Well-decomposed chicken manure (FCM, 30% less chemical fertilizer + rotted chicken manure); and (v) CF2 + Vermicompost (FEM, 30% less chemical fertilizer + vermicompost). (3) Results: In 2023, the FCM treatment reduced electrical conductivity (EC) by 24.80% and pH by 2.16%, while the FEM treatment decreased EC by 31.13% and pH by 3.84% compared to controls. The FEM treatment significantly enhanced total nitrogen content by 12.71% and 8.85% relative to CF1 and FCM treatments, respectively. Compared to CF1, FEM increased soil organic matter content by 10.49% in 2022 and 11.24% in 2023. Organic fertilizer amendments elevated available nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium levels while enhancing sucrase activity: FCM and FEM treatments increased sucrase activity by 23.62% and 32.00%, respectively, in 2022. Organic fertilization improved bacterial diversity and richness, optimized microbial community structure, and increased the relative abundance of Bacillus. It also upregulated microbial metabolic pathways related to carbohydrate and amino acid metabolism. Soil nutrients and bacterial community structure showed positive correlations with yield, whereas soil enzyme activities exhibited negative correlations. Key factors influencing yield were identified as Proteobacteria, Chloroflexi, available potassium, organic matter, available nitrogen, Actinobacteria, Firmicutes, total nitrogen, pH, and sucrase activity. (4) Conclusions: Integrated analysis of yield and soil microenvironmental parameters demonstrates that the fertilization regimen combining 30% chemical fertilizer reduction with vermicompost amendment (FEM) constitutes a more efficient fertilization strategy for Chinese flowering cabbage, making it suitable for regional promotion in the Ningxia area.

Traditional low-density polyethylene (LDPE) film causes environmental pollution; there is a pressing need to make new bio-based polymers for alternative products, to meet agricultural production needs and for sustainable ecological development. In this study, urea-formaldehyde resin (UF) was modified with polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) and 1–2.5% bio-based sulfonate (BBS). The influence of BBS inducing on the functional groups, microstructure, and thermal behavior was evaluated by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). A biodegradable film was prepared with modified UF resin as adhesive and pulp lignocellulose as raw material. The biodegradable mulch film samples were tested for biodegradability, water retention, and cooling soil temperature characters using LDPE and no mulching (NM) as a control. The results showed that with the increase of BBS content, the viscosity and reactivity of modified PUF resin increased, and the free formaldehyde content decreased. A 2%BBS modified PUF resin (2.0BBS/PUF) accelerated the curing process of the PUF resin, formed a flexible macromolecular network structure, and enhanced the toughness of the resin. The biodegradable mulch prepared with PUF, BBS, and 2.0BBS/PUF as adhesives had good water retention. BBS modification increased the degradation rate of mulch by 17.53% compared to the PUF. Three biodegradable films compared with LDPE and NM significantly reduced the soil temperature under summer cucumber cultivation, and the 2.0BBS/PUF coating had the lowest diurnal temperature difference, which provided a suitable soil environment for crop growth.

Aquaponics is a resource-efficient agricultural system, yet its overall productivity is frequently constrained by micro- and macronutrient deficiencies, particularly iron (Fe) and potassium (K). Currently, the efficacy of combined dietary Fe and K supplementation in optimizing nutrient management in these systems remains unclear. Therefore, a 60-day feeding trial was conducted to evaluate the effects of four dietary Fe and K levels—CK (basal diet without added Fe or K), T1 (Fe 0.1 g/kg + K 2.5 g/kg), T2 (Fe 0.2 g/kg + K 5.0 g/kg), and T3 (Fe 0.3 g/kg + K 7.5 g/kg)—on the growth and quality of lettuce (Lactuca sativa) and the physiological responses of crucian carp (Carassius auratus). The results demonstrated that the T2 treatment was suitable for enhancing system productivity. Compared with the CK group, the lettuce plant height, biomass, and net photosynthetic rate in the T2 group exhibited marked increases of 25.3%, 16.0%, and 26.4%, respectively. Furthermore, the vitamin C content increased by 52.2%, while the nitrate content notably declined by 32.2%. Plant nutrient analysis revealed that the combined Fe and K supplementation markedly promoted the foliar uptake of P, Mn, and Zn (peaking in the T2 group), whereas Cu and S contents increased linearly with the supplementation dose, reaching its maximum in the T3 group. Regarding fish health, the weight gain rate (WGR) of crucian carp in the T2 group peaked at 41.0%, and the feed conversion ratio (FCR) improved to 1.76. Additionally, the dietary supplementation maintained the stability of water quality parameters of the recirculating system. These findings indicate that a combined dietary inclusion of 0.2 g/kg Fe and 5.0 g/kg K can simultaneously enhance the yield and quality of both plants and fish. This approach provides a novel optimization strategy for mitigating acute water quality shocks, while also highlighting the inherent boundaries of competitive ion antagonism in aquaponic nutrient management.

Under global climate change, cabbage (Brassica oleracea var. capitata), a major vegetable crop, is increasingly exposed to intermittent and fluctuating drought stress. A multi-level investigation of its adaptive strategies under water-deficit conditions is therefore essential for a comprehensive understanding of drought tolerance and for accelerating genetic breeding programs. In this study, the drought-resistant cultivar ‘ZG-628’ and the drought-sensitive cultivar ‘ZG-21’ were selected based on seed germination indices. Integrated physiological measurements, transcriptomic profiling, and metabolomic analyses were conducted to systematically compare their responses to drought stress. The results showed that the drought-resistant genotype ‘ZG-628’ maintained better water status, exhibited higher antioxidant enzyme activities, and accumulated greater levels of osmotic regulators under drought conditions. In addition, ‘ZG-628’ preserved higher chlorophyll content and photosynthetic efficiency than the sensitive genotype. At the molecular level, ‘ZG-628’ primarily responded to drought through key components of the abscisic acid (ABA) signaling pathway, including PYL, PP2C, and SnRK2. Metabolomic analysis further revealed preferential accumulation of flavonoids and ABA-related metabolites ‘ZG-628’, accompanied by specific activation of the “flavonoid and flavonol biosynthesis” pathway. Integrated multi-omics analysis indicated that plant hormone signal transduction was the most significantly enriched pathway among drought-responsive differentially expressed genes. Overall, this study systematically elucidates the coordinated multi-omics mechanisms underlying drought resistance in cabbage and provides both a theoretical basis and potential molecular targets for breeding drought-tolerant cabbage varieties.