Solanum nigrum fruits have been conventionally used in beverages due to their nutritional substances such as minerals, vitamins, amino acids, proteins, sugars, polyphenols, and anthocyanins. The characterization of components and regulatory mechanism of anthocyanins in S. nigrum fruits have rarely been reported. In this study, we determined that the peel and flesh of S. nigrum fruits shared similar HPLC profiles but different contents and total antioxidant activities for anthocyanins. After an efficient purification method, mainly including extraction with pH 1.0 distilled water and then desorption with pH 1.0 95% ethanol after a DM-130 resin adsorption step to obtain more pure anthocyanin extracts, the purity of anthocyanins extracted from S. nigrum fruits reached 56.1%. Moreover, eight anthocyanins from S. nigrum fruit were identified with HPLC-MS/MS for the first time. A typical R2R3-MYB transcription factor gene, SnMYB, was also cloned for the first time by rapid amplification of cDNA ends (RACE)-PCR from S. nigrum. Moreover, the contents of anthocyanins were shown to correlate well (r = 0.93) with the expression levels of SnMYB gene during the fruit’s developmental stages. Most significantly, SnMYB gene successfully produced high anthocyanin content (1.03 mg/g) when SnMYB gene was transiently expressed in tobacco leaves. Taken together, S. nigrum fruits are a promising resource for anthocyanin extraction, and SnMYB gene is an activator that positively regulates anthocyanin biosynthesis in S. nigrum.

Leaf spot, a major apple disease, manifests in diverse symptoms. In this study, the pathogen was isolated from diseased ‘Yanfu 3’ apple leaves in Yantai, Shandong Province, and identified as Neopestalotiopsis clavispora through morphological observation, molecular identification, and multi-gene (ITS, TEF1α, and TUB2) phylogenetic analysis. Three isolates (YTNK01, YTNK02, and YTNK03) were selected for pathogenicity tests to verify Koch’s postulates. To our knowledge, this is the first report of N. clavispora being responsible for apple leaf spots in China, and the disease has been named ‘apple Neopestalotiopsis leaf spot’. Additionally, N. clavispora was found to infect crabapple, sweet cherry, grape, peach, and pear under laboratory conditions, indicating that these fruit trees may be potential hosts for N. clavispora in the field. The in vitro toxicity of ten fungicides to the pathogen was assessed using the mycelial growth rate method. All ten fungicides were effective in inhibiting the growth of N. clavispora. Among them, those based on pylocyanonitrile, propiconazole, pyraclostrobin, tebuconazole, diphenoxazole, and osthole showed higher toxicity to N. clavispora, with EC₅₀ values of 0.11, 0.41, 0.47, 1.32, 1.85, and 3.82 µg/mL, respectively. These fungicides could be used as alternatives to prevent this disease in production. Overall, these findings provide valuable insights into the characteristics of N. clavispora causing apple leaf spot and are crucial for developing effective management strategies.

Tomato is an economically crucial vegetable/fruit crop globally. Tomato is rich in nutrition and plays an essential role in a healthy human diet. Phenylpropanoid, a critical compound in tomatoes, reduces common degenerative and chronic diseases risk caused by oxidative stress. As an MYB transcription factor, ATMYB12 can increase phenylpropanoid content by activating phenylpropanoid synthesis related genes, such as PAL, C4H, 4CL, CHS. However, the heterologous expression of AtMYB12 in tomatoes can be altered through transgenic technologies, such as unstable expression vectors and promoters with different efficiency. In the current study, the efficiency of other fruit-specific promoters, namely E8S, 2A12, E4, and PG, were compared and screened, and we determined that the expression efficiency of AtMYB12 was driven by the E8S promoter was the highest. As a result, the expression of phenylpropanoid synthesis related genes was regulated by AtMYB12, and the phenylpropanoid accumulation in transgenic tomato fruits increased 16 times. Additionally, the total antioxidant capacity of fruits was measured through Trolox equivalent antioxidant capacity (TEAC) assay, which was increased by 2.4 times in E8S transgenic lines. TEAC was positively correlated with phenylpropanoid content. Since phenylpropanoid plays a crucial role in the human diet, expressing AtMYB12 with stable and effective fruit-specific promoter E8S could improve tomato’s phenylpropanoid and nutrition content and quality. Our results can provide genetic resources for the subsequent improvement of tomato varieties and quality, which is significant for human health.

Solanum nigrum fruits have been conventionally available as a material of beverage due to its nutritional substances such as minerals, vitamins, amino acids, proteins, sugars, polyphenols and anthocyanins. Here has rarely reported on the characterizaton of the components and the regulatory mechanism of Anthocyanins in S. nigrum. In this study, we determined that the peel and flesh of S. nigrum fruits shared the similar HPLC profiles, but the different contents and total antioxidant activities for Anthocyanins. After an efficient purification method mainly including extraction with pH 1.0 distilled water and then desorption with pH 1.0 95% ethanol after a DM-130 resin adsorption step to obtain more pure anthocyanins extracts, the purity of anthocyanins extract from S. nigrum fruits reached to 56.1%. Moreover, eight anthocyanins from S. nigrum fruit were identified with HPLC-MS/MS for the first time. A typical R2R3-MYB transcription factor gene, SnMYB, was also cloned for the first time by RACE-PCR from S. nigrum. Moreover, the contents of anthocyanins was shown a good correlation (r = 0.93) with the expression levels of SnMYB during the fruits developmental stages. Most significantly, SnMYB successfully produced high anthocyanins contents (1.03 mg/g) when SnMYB was transiently expressed in tobacco leaves. Taken together, S. nigrum fruits are a promising resource for anthocyanins extraction and SnMYB is an activator that positively regulates anthocyanins biosynthesis in S. nigrum.

With the development of material science and increasing awareness of ecological environmental protection, liquid biodegradable mulch films (LBDMs) have garnered significant public interest. In this research, new LBDMs were developed using hydrophobically modified polymer materials, surfactants, and photosensitive catalysts. Characterization by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) revealed good material compatibility. LBDMs exhibited excellent wettability and degradability, effectively covering soil surfaces and enhancing soil moisture conservation, with a degradation rate of 76.09% after 80 days of burial. The field performance experiment was conducted over two consecutive years, 2021 and 2022, to assess differences in soil temperature and moisture, peanut agronomic traits, pod traits, and yield under four treatments: non-mulching (CK), LBDMs, clear polyethylene mulch films (CPEMs), and black polyethylene mulch films (BPEMs). LBDMs increased soil temperature by 0.56 °C and soil moisture by 19.25%, accelerated the seedling stage by 4-to-6 days, and improved the average emergence rate by 15.91%. Furthermore, LBDMs significantly promoted peanut growth, and it increased yield by 14.34% compared to CK. LBDMs performed comparably to the two types of PE films in maintaining soil conditions and different crop phenotype traits, including plant height, branch number, yield, and quality, and they even outperformed PE films in productivity per plant and 100-kernel weight. These findings suggest that LBDMs are a promising eco-friendly alternative to traditional PE films.

Apple mold heart disease, primarily caused by Trichothecium roseum, is the most severe disease affecting stored apples. Developing biocontrol resources as an alternative to chemical pesticides is crucial for the advancement of green agriculture. This study demonstrated that a pathogenic fungus isolated from sunflower leaves exhibited specific inhibitory effects against T. roseum. Through morphological observation, identification, and the construction of a phylogenetic tree analysis, the fungus was identified as Alternaria angustiovoidea. GW2A was found to inhibit the spread of diseases on apple twigs. Additionally, GW2A has significant preventive and therapeutic effects on apple mold heart disease. Furthermore, GW2A can induce apple trees to upregulate defense-related genes, thereby enhancing resistance. Transcriptome analysis revealed that GW2A inhibits T. roseum growth by suppressing the function of polysaccharide hydrolases, oxidoreductases, and intermediate steps in carbohydrate metabolism. In conclusion, our research has effectively isolated and characterized A. angustiovoidea, revealing its significant potential as a biocontrol agent against T. roseum and apple mold heart disease, particularly in areas where sunflowers and apple trees are not co-cultivated. Additionally, we demonstrated its ability to induce resistance in apple trees, offering a sustainable approach to disease management in apple cultivation.