Clean tillage frequently causes the loss of soil nutrients and weakens microbial ecosystem service functions. In order to improve orchard soil nutrient cycling, enhance enzyme activities and microbial community structure in a “Jiro” sweet persimmon orchard, sod culture management was carried out to clarify the relationship among soil nutrient, microbial communities, and fruit yield and quality in persimmon orchard. The results showed that sod culture management increased the content of organic matter, total organic carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium in the soil, thus improving soil fertility. Compared with clean tillage orchards, sod culture methods significantly increased soil enzyme activities and microbial biomass carbon (MBC) content. The abundance-based coverage estimator (ACE) and the simplest richness estimators (Chao l) indices of the bacterial community and all diversity and richness indices of the fungal community significantly increased in the sod culture orchard, which indicated that sod culture could increase the richness and diversity of the soil microbial community. The dominant bacterial phyla were Proteobacteria (32.21~41.13%) and Acidobacteria (18.76~23.86%), and the dominant fungal phyla were Mortierellomycota (31.11~83.40%) and Ascomycota (3.45~60.14%). Sod culture drove the composition of the microbial community to increase the beneficial microbiome. Correlation analyses and partial least squares path modeling (PLS-PM) comparative analyses showed that the soil chemical properties (mainly including soil organic matter content, total organic carbon content, total potassium content, and total nitrogen content), soil enzyme activities and soil microorganisms were strongly correlated with fruit yield and quality. Meanwhile, soil nutrient, soil enzyme, and soil microbes had also influenced each other. Our results showed that long-term ryegrass planting could improve soil fertility, enzyme activities, and microbial community compositions. Such changes might lead to a cascading effect on the fruit yield and quality of “Jiro” sweet persimmons.

Ca²⁺-sensors, calcineurin B-like proteins (CBLs), and calcineurin B-like protein-interacting protein kinases (CIPKs) form a CBL–CIPK complex to regulate signal transduction. This study aimed to reveal the characteristics of the CBL–CIPK gene family in oil persimmon (Diospyros oleifera). Ten DoCBL and 23 DoCIPK genes were identified, and gene duplication among them was mainly attributed to segmental duplication. According to phylogenetic and structural analysis, DoCBLs were clustered into four groups with distinct motifs, namely myristoylation and palmytoylation sites in their N-terminus, and DoCIPKs containing a NAF/FISL domain were clustered into intron-rich and intron-less groups. The expression patterns of DoCBLs and DoCIPKs were tissue- and time-specific in different tissues and at different stages of fruit development. Most CBL–CIPK genes were upregulated under NaCl, drought, and Ca(NO₃)₂ stress using qRT-PCR analysis. DoCBL5 and DoCIPK05 were both located in the plasma membrane of cells using green fusion proteins (GFP) in tobacco leaves. DoCBL5 and DoCIPK05 might interact with AKT1, PP2C, and SNF to regulate the Ca²⁺ signals, K⁺, and ABA homeostasis in cells. In conclusion, these results suggested that the CBL–CIPK family genes might play important roles in oil persimmon growth and stress responses.

Lithocarpus litseifolius leaves are rich in pharmaco-nutritional compounds such as phlorizin and trilobatin, and their spring foliage exhibits vibrant colors. However, the relationship between leaf color and the levels of these compounds remains unexplored. This study investigated the growth patterns of naturally variegated Lithocarpus litseifolius and measured the pharmaco-nutritional component content using UV-Vis and HPLC, along with the correlation between these components and leaf color. The results showed that spring foliage followed an S-shaped growth curve, while total flavonoid content of the pharmaco-nutritional components exhibited a multi-peak accumulation pattern, initially increasing before declining. Trilobatin levels peaked on April 3 and April 8, whereas phlorizin reached its highest level on May 31. The flavonoid composition of different-colored leaves varied consistently during leaf development, with reddish-brown (RBL) and orange (OL) leaves containing the highest levels. Correlation analysis revealed a significant positive relationship between redness (a*) and flavonoid content—higher anthocyanin levels corresponded to greater flavonoid accumulation. Thus, the optimal period for tea preparation is early April, while late May, at full leaf maturity, is ideal for pharmaceutical harvest. The reddish-brown (RBL) and orange (OL) leaves, having the highest flavonoid content, are best suited for breeding. Therefore, the strong correlation between leaf color and flavonoid composition suggests that color can serve as a morphological indicator for assessing flavonoid accumulation.

Diospyros kaki Thunb. ‘Taishuu’ is novel fruit cultivar known for its excellent mouthfeel properties and high economic value. This study aimed to identify the ecological adaptability and potential suitable cultivating regions of this persimmon in China. In addition, key ecological factors influencing fruit mouthfeel were also investigated. Differences between key metabolites and mouthfeel properties of 35 persimmon samples from 13 provinces were compared. Subsequently, ecological factors were evaluated to explore interactions among dominant ecological factors, habitat suitability, and fruit quality. An adaptive segmentation map was ultimately created to highlight variations in mouthfeel properties of the persimmon. The findings were summarized as follows: The core ecological suitability zones encompass most warm, temperate and typically subtropical regions of China, spanning 116,200 square kilometers. Habitat suitability influences fruit size but does not affect mouthfeel properties. Key factors affecting mouthfeel properties of D. kaki ‘Taishuu’ include precipitation during the growing period, high temperature during the fruit ripening stage, and low temperatures during dormancy. Persimmons from coastal areas and Yunnan province were characterized by a lusciously sweeter and richer taste, a satisfying crisp texture, and an overall distinctly superior mouthfeel. In contrast, samples from central cultivation areas exhibited higher density, greater firmness, reduced crispness, and inferior flavor quality Based on zoning results, extensive regions show significant potential for high-quality production, making them highly promising for D. kaki ‘Taishuu’ cultivation. For marginally suitable habitats, appropriate cultivation measures should be implemented to mitigate limiting factors such as temperature and soil moisture.