Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) are the basis symbionts in terrestrial ecosystems, profoundly influencing plant development, nutrient acquisition, and resilience to biotic and abiotic stresses. This review synthesizes current systematic understandings of AMF-mediated augmentation of plant growth and disease resistance, with a particular emphasis on their role in sustainable crop production. AMF improves host plant performance through enhanced phosphorus, nitrogen, and water uptake via extensive extraradical hyphal networks. Moreover, AMF colonization modulates phytohormonal signaling pathways, including salicylic acid, jasmonic acid, abscisic acid, and nitric oxide, priming SR and upregulating defense-related gene expression. Increased biosynthesis of secondary metabolites, reinforcement of cell walls, and activation of antioxidant enzyme systems often accompany these responses. AMF also engage in synergistic interactions with rhizosphere microbiota such as Trichoderma, Pseudomonas, and Bacillus, enhancing their collective biocontrol efficacy against a broad spectrum of soil-borne pathogens, including fungi, bacteria, and nematodes. Through modulation of root exudates, glomalin-mediated soil aggregation, and microbiome restructuring, AMF contributes to the establishment of disease-suppressive soils. Genomic and transcriptomic studies have elucidated key components of the common symbiosis-signaling pathway, supporting AMF-host specificity and functional outcomes. AMF is a promising biotechnological tool for integrated pest, disease, and nutrient management. Advancing their application in field settings requires targeted research on strain-host-environment interactions, formulation technologies, and long-term ecosystem impacts, aligning AMF-based strategies with the goals of resilient and sustainable agriculture.

Introduction: Cadmium (Cd) is a highly toxic trace element that occurs in large quantities in agricultural soils. The cultivation of industrial crops with high phytoremediation potential, such as kenaf, could effectively reduce soil Cd contamination, but the mechanisms of toxicity, tolerance, and detoxification remain unclear.Methods: In this study, the effects of different Cd concentrations (0, 100, 250, and 400 µM) on growth, biomass, Cd uptake, physiological parameters, metabolites and gene expression response of kenaf were investigated in a hydroponic experiment.Results and discussion: The results showed that Cd stress significantly altered the ability of kenaf to accumulate and transport Cd; increased the activity of hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂), superoxide anion (O₂⁻), and malondialdehyde (MDA); reduced the activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT); and decreased the content of photosynthetic pigments, resulting in significant changes in growth and biomass production. Exposure to Cd was found to have a detrimental effect on the ascorbate–glutathione (AsA–GSH) cycle in the roots, whereas it resulted in an elevation in AsA levels and a reduction in GSH levels in the leaves. The increased content of cell wall polysaccharides under Cd stress could contribute to Cd retention in roots and limited Cd transport to above-ground plant tissues. Metabolomic analyses revealed that alanine, aspartate, and glutamate metabolism, oxidative phosphorylation, ABC transporter, and carbon metabolism were the major metabolic pathways associated with Cd stress tolerance. Cd stress increased gene expression of IRT1 and MTP1 in roots, which resulted in kenaf roots accumulating high Cd concentrations. This study extends our knowledge of the factors regulating the response of kenaf to Cd stress. This work provided a physiological and metabolomic perspective on the mechanism controlling the response of kenaf to Cd stress.

Sugarcane (Saccharum spp. hybrids) is a worldwide acclaimed important agricultural crop used primarily for sugar production and biofuel. Sugarcane’s genetic complexity, aneuploidy, and extreme heterozygosity make it a challenging crop in developing improved varieties. The molecular breeding programs promise to develop nutritionally improved varieties for both direct consumption and commercial application. Therefore, to address these challenges, the development of simple sequence repeats (SSRs) has been proven to be a powerful molecular tool in sugarcane. This study involved the collection of 285216 expressed sequence tags (ESTs) from sugarcane, resulting in 23666 unigenes, including 4547 contigs. Our analysis identified 4120 unigenes containing a total of 4960 SSRs, with the most abundant repeat types being monomeric (44.33%), dimeric (13.10%), and trimeric (39.68%). We further chose 173 primers to analyze the banding pattern in 10 sugarcane accessions by PAGE analysis. Additionally, functional annotation analysis showed that 71.07%, 53.6%, and 10.3% unigenes were annotated by Uniport, GO, and KEGG, respectively. GO annotations and KEGG pathways were distributed across three functional categories: molecular (46.46%), cellular (33.94%), and biological pathways (19.6%). The cluster analysis indicated the formation of four distinct clusters among selected sugarcane accessions, with maximum genetic distance observed among the varieties. We believe that these EST-SSR markers will serve as valuable references for future genetic characterization, species identification, and breeding efforts in sugarcane.

Introduction: Botryosphaeria dothidea ( B . dothidea ) is a catastrophic fungal pathogen that threatens fruit production worldwide. Secreted peptidases like serine carboxypeptidases ( SCPs ) are well known to be involved in fungal virulence, but their role in B. dothidea is unknown. Methodology: Here, we identified and functionally characterized Bd-SCP10 , a homolog of SCPs found in B. dothidea , which is a member of the S10 family, using a split marker strategy for gene knockout and complementation. Results: Mutants exhibited substantial phenotypic changes, including reduced radial growth and compromised biomass production, as well as altered pathogenicity and stress tolerance in response to multiple stress conditions. In contrast, complementation restored these traits, suggesting a functional role of Bd-SCP10 . Particularly, Bd-SCP10 contributes to maintaining growth, cell wall integrity and adaptation to host-induced stresses, highlighting its involvement in fungal survival and pathogenicity. Discussion: This study provides the first functional evidence that secreted peptidases in B. dothidea are a key factor in vegetative growth, pathogenicity, and stress tolerance. The identification and functional characterization of Bd-SCP10 led us to believe that it is a promising molecular target for eco-friendly strategies to manage diseases caused by B. dothidea and related pathogens.

Background/Objectives: Dehydrins (DHNs) are late embryogenesis abundant proteins that play protective roles under water-deficit conditions; however, their organization and function remain unexplored in sesame (Sesamum indicum), an important oilseed crop frequently cultivated in arid and semi-arid regions. This study aimed to identify and characterize the DHN gene family in sesame and evaluate the expression of its members under drought stress. Methods: Genome-wide identification was performed using the Dehydrin domain HMM profile, followed by phylogenetic analysis, conserved motif and gene structure characterization, synteny analysis, promoter cis-element profiling, and secondary/tertiary structure prediction. Transcriptional responses were profiled by qPCR in two sesame cultivars (drought-sensitive and drought-tolerant) under PEG-induced osmotic stress at germination and seedling stages. Results: Four DHN genes were identified, spanning three phylogenetic subfamilies (I–III) and three DHN subclasses: SK_n (SiDHN1/2), Y_nK_n (SiDHN3), and Y_nSK_n (SiDHN4). SiDHN1 and SiDHN2 likely arose from a segmental duplication, and a single conserved syntenic pair was found between SiDHN4 and olive (Olea europaea). Secondary structure predictions uncovered contrasting structural propensities: SiDHN1/2 are predicted to be α-helix-rich, partially ordered proteins (41–44% predicted α-helix), whereas SiDHN3/4 are predicted to be predominantly intrinsically disordered (~75–80% random coil). SiDHN3 was consistently upregulated across all conditions (1.84–9.12-fold), while SiDHN4 exhibited strong genotype-specific induction of 9.39-fold exclusively in the drought-tolerant cultivar during germination. Conclusions: The sesame DHN family achieves functional breadth through structural diversification—an ordered–disordered continuum mirrored by divergent expression programming—rather than through numerical expansion. SiDHN3 and SiDHN4 are identified as primary candidates for drought tolerance improvement in sesame.