Mushroom cultivation has gained increased attention in recent years. Currently, only four types of spawn, including sawdust spawn, grain spawn, liquid spawn, and stick spawn, are commonly available for mushroom cultivation. This limited spawn diversity has led to difficulty in selecting suitable inoculum materials in some cultivation. In this study, three small blocks of lignocellulosic agro-wastes and one block of a synthetic matrix were prepared as support for growing Pleurotus ostreatus in liquid medium. Mycelium-adsorbed blocks were then evaluated for their potential as block spawn for fructification. Our results indicated that the edible fungus was adsorbed and abundantly grew internally and externally on loofah sponge and synthetic polyurethane foam (PUF) supports and also has the ability to attach and grow on the surface of sugarcane bagasse and corncob supports. The mycelia of P. ostreatus adhered on corncob exhibited the highest metabolic activity, while those on the PUF showed the least activity. Mycelial extension rates of block spawns made of agro-waste materials were comparable to that of sawdust spawn, but the block spawn of PUF showed a significantly lower rate. No significant differences in cropping time and yield were observed among cultivations between experimental block spawns and sawdust spawns. Moreover, the corncob block spawn maintained its fruiting potential during an examined period of 6-month storage. The developed block spawn could be practically applied in mushroom cultivation.

It is well known that application of exogenous trehalose can enhance the heat resistance of plants. To investigate the underlying molecular mechanisms by which exogenous trehalose induces heat resistance in C. sinensis, a combination of physiological and transcriptome analyses was conducted. The findings revealed a significant increase in the activity of superoxide dismutase (SOD) and peroxidase (POD) upon treatment with 5.0 mM trehalose at different time points. Moreover, the contents of proline (PRO), endogenous trehalose, and soluble sugar exhibited a significant increase, while malondialdehyde (MDA) content decreased following treatment with 5.0 mM trehalose under 24 h high-temperature stress (38 °C/29 °C, 12 h/12 h). RNA-seq analysis demonstrated that the differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were significantly enriched in the MAPK pathway, plant hormone signal transduction, phenylpropanoid biosynthesis, flavone and flavonol biosynthesis, flavonoid biosynthesis, and the galactose metabolism pathway. The capability to scavenge free radicals was enhanced, and the expression of a heat shock factor gene (HSFB2B) and two heat shock protein genes (HSP18.1 and HSP26.5) were upregulated in the tea plant. Consequently, it was concluded that exogenous trehalose contributes to alleviating heat stress in C. sinensis. Furthermore, it regulates the expression of genes involved in diverse pathways crucial for C. sinensis under heat-stress conditions. These findings provide novel insights into the molecular mechanisms underlying the alleviation of heat stress in C. sinensis with trehalose.

Anthracnose, a prevalent fungal disease in tea plantations, cause substantial economic losses in tea production. Identifying resistance-associated genes in tea plants is crucial for developing anthracnose-resistant cultivars. This study used eight tea samples with differential anthracnose resistance for phenotypic evaluation, weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA) of RNA-seq data, WGCNA- QTL co-localization to identify resistance gene, and qRT-PCR validation of candidate genes. in vitro pathogen inoculation assay revealed that the lesion diameters of the eight samples ranged from 1.45 mm to 4.5 mm (ANOVA p = 4.4 ×10−10 ). Using the ‘Longjing 43’ reference genome, transcriptome assembly achieved 93.9% gene detection rate (31,509/33,557 genes). WGCNA categorized expressed genes into 30 modules with the purple module (containing 907 genes) showing positive trait correlation and the yellow-green module (containing 781 genes) exhibiting negative correlation. Integration of WGCNA and QTL mapping identified two high-confidence candidate genes within LG08 QTL intervals. Both genes exhibited significant upregulation (t-test p < 0.01) in tea plant leaves following Colletotrichum spore inoculation. These findings provide actionable genetic targets for marker-assisted breeding of anthracnose-resistant tea cultivars.

Wuyi Rock tea (WRT), originating from the northern region of Fujian province, has a good reputation for its distinctive Yan flavor and floral–fruity aroma. The aroma quality, an essential element of the Yan flavor, undergoes various changes during the manufacturing process of WRT. To enhance the understanding of the formation patterns of WRT aroma and its influence on the flavor quality of WRT, we utilized both manufactured WRT (Rougui tea) and primary tea as materials. Utilizing a sensory evaluation, detection of volatile compounds, and multivariate statistical analysis, we identified and characterized the distinctive volatile components present in WRT. The sensory evaluation and radar chart analysis revealed that the primary tea exhibited a strong and lasting aroma, along with a mellow taste and a prominent Yan flavor. Through gas chromatography time-of-flight mass spectrometry (GC-TOF MS), a total of 251 volatile compounds were identified. The odor activity value (OAV) was calculated to identify key aroma-active compounds in the primary tea. The results indicated that a total of 14 compounds had an OAV greater than 1.0, including (2-nitroethyl) benzene, indole, and geranylacetone. These compounds exhibited floral and fruity aroma attributes. They primarily formed and accumulated during the latter stages of WRT. Using a partial least squares discrimination analysis (PLS-DA) combined with a variable importance in projection (VIP) score greater than 1.0 as a criterion, a total of 89 compounds were identified. Furthermore, out of the selected compounds, 15 types, including geraniol, 1-nonanol, and 1-butyl-2-ethyl-cyclopropene, were found to exclusively exist during the enzymatic manufacturing stages, particularly during the intermediate and later phases of the turn-over process (the last-three-times turn-over treatments), exhibiting predominantly floral and sweet fragrances. In contrast, during the non-enzymatic stages, only four compounds, such as pentanoic acid and phenylmethyl ester, were detected, exhibiting a fruity aroma profile. These volatile compounds significantly influenced the quality attributes of the final tea product, resulting in strong and lasting characteristics, particularly marked by a pronounced floral and fruity aroma. This study revealed how the aroma quality in WRT is developed and pinpointed possible volatile compounds that react to post-harvest treatments, thereby offering valuable insights relating to the intelligent production strategies of WRT.

As an important germplasm resource of fish, the cryopreservation of testis and ovary is of great significance to protect endangered species and increase genetic diversity. However, current methods of slow cooling and vitrification in gonad preservation require a specialized cooling equipment or a higher concentration of cryoprotectants to maintain cell viability. The short barbeled velvetchin (Hapalogenys nitens) is an important marine economic fish, and the germplasm resources have been degraded during long-term artificial breeding. Therefore, this study isolated the gonads of mature Hapalogenys nitens and investigated the cryopreservation effect of testis and ovary with three cryoprotectant combinations under four freezing procedures. The results showed that the gonad tissues were cut to blocks of 0.5 cm³, which could effectively cryopreserve the testes or ovaries with the cryoprotectant combinations of 15% ethylene glycol, 10% dimethyl sulfoxide, 0.2 M trehalose or 15% propylene glycol, 0.2 M trehalose, and 15% fetal bovine serum, respectively. The testes with cryoprotectants were only kept 5 cm above liquid nitrogen for 10 min and then immersed in liquid nitrogen, while the ovaries soaked in cryoprotectants were directly stored in the refrigerator at -80°C. After 7 days, the gonads were thawed in a water bath at 10°C for 8 min and analyzed by morphology, and the cell viability was measured by trypan blue or cell viability assay kits, resulting in a high survival rate (>90%). The present study successfully established cryopreservation protocols of gonad tissues in Hapalogenys niten. This was a convenient, rapid, and efficient method for the gonad cryopreservation of Sparidae fishes and provided reference for the preservation of other fish germplasm resources.