Heat stress poses a threat to plants in arid and semiarid regions, leading to soil salinization and plant mortality. Researchers are exploring remedies to alleviate these effects, including using gibberellic acid (GA3) to regulate plant enzymes and antioxidants. Additionally, sodium nitroprusside (SNP) is gaining attention, but its combined effect with GA3 requires further research. To address this gap, we investigated the effects of GA3 and SNP on plants under heat stress conditions. For that, wheat plants were cultivated under 40 °C for 6 h per day (15 days). Sodium nitroprusside (donor of NO and SNP) and gibberellic acid (GA3), respectively, with 100 µM and 5 µg/ml concentrations, were applied as foliar sprays at 10 days after sowing (DAS). Results showed that SNP + GA3 treatment had the highest plant height (4.48% increase), plant fresh weight (29.7%), plant dry weight (87%), photosynthetic rate (39.76%) and stomatal conductance (38.10%), and Rubisco (54.2%) compared to the control. Our findings indicate a significant increase in NO, H₂O₂, TBARS, SOD, POD, APX, proline, GR, and GB that greatly scavenged reactive oxygen species (ROS) for decreasing the adverse effect of stress. Such findings confirmed the efficacy of the combined treatment of SNP + GA3 under high-temperature stress compared to the solitary application of GA3, SNP, and control. In conclusion, using SNP + GA3 is a better strategy for mitigating heat stress in wheat than individual applications. Further research is recommended to validate the effectiveness of SNP + GA3 in other cereal crops. Graphical Abstract

Phenolic acids are important allelochemicals that contribute to obstacles in continuous cropping systems, significantly impacting soil nutrients, enzyme activities, and the composition of microbial communities. This study explored the effects of treatment time and the concentration of various phenolic acids (salicylic acid and p-hydroxybenzoic acid) on soil nutrients, enzyme activity, and soil microorganisms through cultivation experiments. The results indicated that high-concentration phenolic acid treatment negatively affected the availability of soil nutrients by acidifying the soil, as reflected in the low soil pH, compared to the untreated control. Moreover, the soil extracellular enzymes exhibited varying degrees of improvement when phenolic acids were added. Multi-element analysis revealed that treatment duration, concentration, and the type of phenolic acid significantly affected soil nutrient levels and enzyme activity. Additionally, structural equation modeling indicated a significant correlation between the concentration of phenolic acids and the diversity of microorganisms. Phenolic acids influence the soil ecological environment by altering the relative abundance of functional microorganisms (p_Patescibacteria and p_Mortierellomycota) in the soil. Thus, comprehensive regulation and control of continuous cropping obstacles can be achieved by adjusting the micro-ecological environment of the soil, which, in turn, affects phenolic acid substances present in the soil, thereby alleviating continuous cropping obstacles.

GATA transcription factors represent a conserved family of regulatory proteins that modulate plant growth and stress adaptation. While GATA families have been well characterized in model plants and Solanaceae crops, their evolutionary and functional features remain poorly defined in eggplant (Solanum melongena L.). Here, we systematically characterized the SmGATA gene family using the latest eggplant V4.1 reference genome and multi-stress transcriptome data. A total of 29 SmGATA genes were identified, with segmental duplication predominantly driving family expansion under strong purifying selection. Cross-species synteny analysis revealed high conservation of GATA homologs within Solanaceae species. Phylogenetic clustering divided SmGATA genes into four subfamilies, whose members exhibited conserved gene structures and motif compositions. Numerous cis-acting elements associated with plant growth, phytohormone signaling, and stress responses were enriched in SmGATA promoters. Tissue-specific expression analysis demonstrated the extensive involvement of SmGATA genes in eggplant organ development. Combined transcriptome screening and qRT-PCR validation identified multiple stress-responsive SmGATA members. Notably, SmGATA5 showed differential expression under high- and low-temperature conditions, and SmGATA17 exhibited the broadest spectrum of responses to abiotic and biotic stresses. This study elucidates the evolutionary conservation and functional diversity of the eggplant GATA family, providing valuable candidate genes for future functional research and stress-tolerant molecular breeding in eggplant.

Stropharia rugosoannulata is an edible, litter-decomposing mushroom that can convert lignocellulosic residues into high-value food, yet field evidence linking cultivation environment, spent-substrate recycling, subsequent vegetable performance, and soil microbial responses remains limited. We first compared mushroom production in open-field, orchard, and plastic-greenhouse environments and then evaluated an orchard-based S. rugosoannulata–vegetable rotation using pak choi, cucumber, cowpea, and wax gourd. Mushroom yield did not differ significantly among environments, whereas orchard cultivation produced larger, more uniformly developed fruiting bodies with higher soluble protein and soluble sugar contents. Relative to non-rotated controls, rotation increased edible yield by 40.19% in pak choi, 32.75% in cucumber, 43.63% in cowpea, and 39.23% in wax gourd. The rotation treatment also increased soluble protein and soluble sugar contents and generally enhanced superoxide dismutase (SOD), peroxidase (POD), and catalase (CAT) activities in the four vegetables. Incorporating spent mushroom substrate increased soil organic matter, total nitrogen, available phosphorus, and available potassium, with the greatest organic-matter response in orchard soil. Amplicon analysis further showed treatment separation in principal-coordinate space and shifts in dominant bacterial phyla, including Chloroflexi, Acidobacteriota, Proteobacteria, and Actinobacteriota. These results indicate that orchard cultivation can improve the market-related quality of S. rugosoannulata and that coupling mushroom production with vegetable rotation can recycle residual substrate while improving horticultural productivity and soil fertility. Multi-season trials with complete environmental monitoring and publicly archived sequencing data are required to test the durability and generality of these benefits.