Most studies on microplastics (MPs) focused on gut, liver, and brain, and MPs toxicity was size-dependent, but less has been reported on gill. Here, zebrafish were exposed to three sizes of MPs (45-53 μm, 90-106 μm, and 250-300 μm). Next, comparative transcriptome analysis and determination of physiological indices were performed in zebrafish gills to elucidate the size-associated toxicity of MPs to fish gills. Compared with the control, 60, 344, and 802 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified after exposure to 45-53 μm, 90-106 μm, and 250-300 μm MPs for 5 days, respectively. More DEGs in treatment with bigger MPs suggested that bigger MPs might induce more changes in zebrafish gills than smaller ones. These DEGs were significantly enriched in the FoxO signaling, cellular senescence, circadian rhythm and p53 signaling pathways. Besides, 90-106 μm and 250-300 μm MPs treatments inhibited the cell cycle and prevented the apoptosis. The GSH content significantly increased after MPs exposure, suggesting the induction of oxidative stress. AChE and Na⁺/K⁺-ATPase activities were significantly lowered in all MPs treatments than in the control, suggesting the inhibition of neurotransmission and ion regulation. These changes might negatively influence the normal functioning of gills, such as osmoregulation, ion regulation, and respiration.

Vegetable waste causes resource waste and environmental pollution, giving rise to the spread of harmful organisms and causing disease in normal vegetable cultivation. Random distribution of vegetable waste can increase the risk of non-point agricultural pollution and explore the feasibility of its resource utilization. This study was designed to evaluate the effects of different doses of exogenous microbial agents on soil microbial communities after in situ composting of cucumber straw on plots with biodegradable mulch films. The cucumber straw and chicken manure were used as the base materials, and the next generation sequencing was used to analyze changes in the microbiome following composting. The results demonstrate that the addition of exogenous microbial agents had prolonged the high-temperature duration, reduced the total organic carbon (TOC) content, and accelerated the decline in the C/N ratio, ensuring compost maturity and effectively shortening the composting time. The predominant bacterial phyla of the four treatment groups were Proteobacteria and Firmicutes; while among fungal phyla, these treatments decreased the relative abundance of Ascomycota. The treatment of 300 t/ha microbial agents significantly increased the richness and diversity of both the bacterial and fungal communities. Redundancy analysis suggested that soil total nitrogen (TN) content had a significant effect on the bacterial community, while TN content, pH, and temperature influenced the fungal community in these samples. Collectively, the treatment of 300 t/ha exogenous microbial agents improved the quality of composting and promoted microbiome diversity.

Effective treatment of sewage requires accurate measurement of important water quality parameters, such as chemical oxygen demand (COD), pH value, total nitrogen (TN), total phosphorus (TP), and ammonia nitrogen (NH₃-N).

Published syntheses showed that straw return generally benefits crop production and soil quality. However, direct evidence is still needed to determine whether these benefits are consistent and how they vary among regions and cropping systems. The analysis included 379 treatment-comparator records from 24 monitoring sites in a national field experimental network covering six major agricultural regions of China. Specifically, 2800 outcome-specific effect sizes, each expressed as the ratio of the straw return treatment to its paired straw removal comparator, were compiled for crop yield and nine soil indicators. Compared with straw removal, straw return was associated with 3.6% higher crop yield (95% CI, 0.9% to 6.5%); pooled estimates were also higher for soil organic matter (11.5%), total nitrogen (5.7%), available phosphorus (9.0%), available potassium (14.7%), volumetric soil water content (6.1%), water-stable aggregates (17.8%), and plough-layer thickness (16.4%). Heterogeneity among agricultural regions was detected for crop yield, available phosphorus, available potassium, water-stable aggregates, and plough-layer thickness; because agricultural region is strongly confounded with cropping system in this network, these differences are region-associated rather than attributable to geography itself, and several regional strata were represented by only two or three monitoring sites. Among cropping systems, heterogeneity was detected for available potassium, water-stable aggregates, and plough-layer thickness, but not for crop yield. The shorter-duration category had a larger available phosphorus response, whereas the longer-duration category had larger aggregate and plough-layer responses but did not show an additional mean yield benefit. The observed profiles suggest that P-K balance and soil structure monitoring merit priority in rice paddies in southern China. Similarly, residue placement in Northeast China, soil test-based K management in North China, and coordinated water and nutrient management in Northwest and Southwest China are indicated as monitoring priorities rather than as validated prescriptions. Overall, straw return was associated with higher crop yield and with higher values of multiple soil properties, although the response profiles differed among regions. These patterns indicate a need for locally validated, region-specific strategies if the national benefits of straw return for both crop yield and soil quality are to be realized.