Abscisic acid (ABA)-, stress-, and ripening-induced (ASR) proteins are reported to be involved in drought stress responses. However, the function of maize ASR genes in enhancing drought tolerance is not known. Here, nine maize ASR members were cloned, and the molecular features of these genes were analyzed. Phenotype results of overexpression of maize ZmASR3 gene in Arabidopsis showed lower malondialdehyde (MDA) levels and higher relative water content (RWC) and proline content than the wild type under drought conditions, demonstrating that ZmASR3 can improve drought tolerance. Further experiments showed that ZmASR3-overexpressing transgenic lines displayed increased stomatal closure and reduced reactive oxygen species (ROS) accumulation by increasing the enzyme activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT) under drought conditions. Moreover, overexpression of ZmASR3 in Arabidopsis increased ABA content and reduced sensitivity to exogenous ABA in both the germination and post-germination stages. In addition, the ROS-related, stress-responsive, and ABA-dependent pathway genes were activated in transgenic lines under drought stress. Taken together, these results suggest that ZmASR3 acts as a positive regulator of drought tolerance in plants.

The phytohormone auxin mediates a stunning array of plant development through the functions of AUXIN RESPONSE FACTORs (ARFs), which belong to transcription factors and are present as a protein family comprising 10–43 members so far identified in different plant species. Plant development is also subject to regulation by TRANSPARENT TESTA GLABRA (TTG) proteins, such as NtTTG2 that we recently characterized in tobacco Nicotiana tabacum. To find the functional linkage between TTG and auxin in the regulation of plant development, we performed de novo assembly of the tobacco transcriptome to identify candidates of NtTTG2-regulated ARF genes. The role of NtTTG2 in tobacco growth and development was studied by analyzing the biological effects of gene silencing and overexpression. The NtTTG2 gene silencing causes repressive effects on vegetative growth, floral anthocyanin synthesis, flower colorization, and seed production. By contrast, the plant growth and development processes are promoted by NtTTG2 overexpression. The growth/developmental function of NtTTG2 associates with differential expression of putative ARF genes identified by de novo assembly of the tobacco transcriptome. The transcriptome contains a total of 54,906 unigenes, including 30,124 unigenes (54.86%) with annotated functions and at least 8,024 unigenes (14.61%) assigned to plant growth and development. The transcriptome also contains 455 unigenes (0.83%) related to auxin responses, including 40 putative ARF genes. Based on quantitative analyses, the expression of the putative genes is either promoted or inhibited by NtTTG2. The biological effects of the NtTTG2 gene silencing and overexpression suggest that NtTTG2 is an essential regulator of growth and development in tobacco. The effects of the altered NtTTG2 expression on expression levels of putative ARF genes identified in the transcriptome suggest that NtTTG2 functions in relation to ARF transcription factors.

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.

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.

Biological control serves as a crucial strategy for crop disease management. The biocontrol potential and plant growth-promoting effects of the strain YTBTa14 were investigated. Genetic sequencing confirmed YTBTa14 as Pseudomonas chlororaphis, which exhibited broad-spectrum antifungal activity against multiple pathogens affecting grapevine, apple, cherry, and wheat. YTBTa14 significantly enhanced the growth of wheat and grapevine, specifically increasing wheat seed germination rates and improving root and coleoptile development. In grapevine plant, significant increases in root length, stem length, and fresh weight were observed. The strain demonstrated robust adaptability and stable antagonism under varying sodium chloride (NaCl) concentrations, pH levels, and temperatures. YTBTa14 modulated plant hormone levels, elevating the content of indole-3-acetic acid (IAA), gibberellins (GA), and cytokinins (CTK). Furthermore, it effectively stimulated the production of key plant defense enzymes, including superoxide dismutase (SOD), peroxidase (POD), and catalase (CAT). Pretreatment of grape leaves with YTBTa14 triggered plant cell defense response and upregulated the expression of defense-related genes PR1 (pathogenesis-related protein 1) and PAL1 (phenylalanine ammonia-lyase 1), thereby mitigating the severity of downy mildew disease and inducing systemic resistance. These findings demonstrate that YTBTa14 is a highly promising candidate for development as a multifunctional agricultural biocontrol agent.

The purpose of this study is to discover and excavate more key factors and signaling pathways that regulate the formation intensity of biofilms and to fully reveal the possible models affecting biofilm formation. By using gene homologous recombination and bioinformatics technology, a MutL protein-directed deletion mutant strain was successfully constructed. The growth status of the mutant strain was observed, and it was confirmed that, except for the change in cell morphology, there were no significant differences in growth and reproduction between the mutant strain and the wild-type strain. By using the induced biofilm formation technique, the significant decrease in biofilm formation in the MutL mutant strain was successfully verified. The plate confrontation test confirmed that the inhibitory ability of the mutant strain against rice blast fungus was not significantly different from that of the WT strain. The colonization ability of the mutant strain on rice stems was tested, and it was confirmed that the colonization ability of the mutant strain was significantly lower than that of the WT strain. In terms of the prevention and control effect of rice blast disease, the mutant strain showed a significant decrease. By using transcriptomic big data, the gene and pathway expression differences between the mutant strain and the WT strain during biofilm formation were analyzed. The analysis revealed no significant correlation with the previously reported spo0A and tapA-sipW-tasA pathways. The key factor capB of the polyglutamic acid signaling pathway, which affects the formation of the biological model, was found to have a significant decrease in expression. A mechanical hypothesis was proposed: MutL may participate in regulating the formation intensity of Bacillus biofilms by regulating the formation of glutamic acid to polyglutamic acid.