Salt stress seriously hinders the normal growth of plant seedling roots. Magnesium, as one of the essential medium elements for plant growth, can effectively alleviate the damage of salt stress to plant roots, but the key genes involved and their mechanism are still unclear. The purpose of this study was to explore the related molecular mechanism of exogenous magnesium regulating cation homeostasis in peanut seedlings under salt stress. Firstly, according to plant physiology experiments, it was found that exogenous magnesium treatment significantly improved the tolerance of peanut seedlings to salt stress. After that, the transcriptome data were integrated, and further gene expression analysis showed that the expression of genes such as CNGC1, NCLs, and NHX7 was regulated under exogenous magnesium treatment, which effectively reduced the accumulation of sodium ions in cells. At the same time, exogenous magnesium also regulates the expression of genes such as ACAs and POTs and maintains the homeostasis of calcium and potassium ions in cells. These results reveal the molecular mechanism of exogenous magnesium regulating the cation homeostasis of peanut seedlings under salt stress, which provides an important reference for further revealing the key genes of salt tolerance in plants.

This study aimed to investigate the effects of exogenous copper and ethylene on resveratrol biosynthesis in peanut buds. In this study, different concentrations of copper sulfate and ethephon were used to induce peanut bud roots. Resveratrol content was determined using high‐performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). The interaction effects of the two inducers were analyzed using regression and response surface methodology. Results showed that resveratrol biosynthesis increased with the increase in copper sulfate concentration. Resveratrol synthesis showed an increasing trend when the concentration of ethephon was from 5 to 7 mmol/L. The resveratrol content reached a maximum value of 7.7 μg/g when the concentration of ethephon was 7 mmol/L and then decreased with an increase in ethephon. Response surface analysis revealed that the combination of 0.1 mmol/L copper sulfate and 5 mmol/L ethephon was effective and resulted in the induction of resveratrol biosynthesis in peanut buds.

Four onion (Allium cepa L.) cultivars with different bulb colors (yellow Y14, red R12, red R10 and white W3) were characterized for phenotypic, metabolic, volatile, antioxidant, flavor and transcriptomic variations, to unravel key metabolites and molecular mechanisms responsible for quality differentiation. Y14 possessed the maximum bulb weight (535.34 g) and diameter (13.10 cm), along with the highest total phenolic content (3.10 mg·g⁻¹), showing superior yield and antioxidant properties. In R12, upregulated expression of carotenoid biosynthetic genes enhanced carotenoid accumulation, resulting in vivid bulb color. R10 had high total phenols (3.89 mg·g⁻¹) and the richest sweet-associated volatiles, featuring strong antioxidant activity and distinct sweetness. By contrast, W3 exhibited moderate flavor but inferior performance in yield, antioxidant capacity, pigment and volatile levels relative to the other three cultivars. Comprehensive assessment indicated that Y14 serves as an excellent processing material, R12 and R10 are ideal for fresh consumption and functional food development, and W3 is well-suited for raw salads. This study lays a theoretical foundation for onion quality improvement, targeted breeding and efficient utilization.

The effects of ambient storage (A), cold storage (C), and frozen storage (F) on the quality, metabolomic characteristics, and sulfur-related aroma of red onion ‘Kewei Red 10’ (R10) and yellow onion ‘Kewei Yellow 14’ (Y14) were investigated using integrated non-targeted and volatile metabolomics. Ambient storage accelerated shrinkage, firmness loss, and sensory deterioration in both cultivars, whereas low-temperature storage effectively delayed quality decline. R10 exhibited better tolerance to frozen storage, while Y14 performed better under cold storage. Metabolomic analysis revealed that amino acids and lipid-related metabolites were closely associated with onion senescence in both cultivars. In contrast, flavonoids were enriched in preservation-associated subclasses in R10, whereas organic acids and their derivatives were more strongly associated with delayed senescence in Y14. Volatile metabolomic analysis identified sulfur compounds and heterocyclic sulfur compounds as the major contributors to onion aroma. Sulfur-related volatiles showed distinct cultivar-dependent accumulation patterns, with many sulfur compounds accumulating prominently in ambient-stored R10-A, whereas cold-stored Y14-C maintained relatively higher levels of characteristic onion-like aroma compounds. These findings demonstrate distinct metabolic adaptation strategies between red and yellow onions during storage and suggest that cultivar-specific storage conditions are required to optimize both shelf life and flavor quality.