Diquat (DQ), a contact herbicide extensively utilized in both agricultural and nonagricultural domains, exhibits a high correlation with neuronal disorders. Nevertheless, the toxicity and underlying mechanisms associated with exposure to environmental concentrations of DQ remain ambiguous. Here, we report dose-dependent cellular neurotoxicity of DQ in Caenorhabditis elegans. First, DQ significantly compromised the development and brood size of worms, shortened the lifespan, and caused epidermal abnormalities. An unbiased transcriptomic analysis disclosed several pathways related to cell death and peroxisome homeostasis underlying this organismal-level toxicity. Moreover, exposure of DQ to C. elegans led to a notable increase of embryonic cell death. Concurrently, DQ exposure specifically caused the loss of dopamine neurons but not two other types of neurons in adulthood, which is in accordance with DQ-induced muscle-related defects such as pharyngeal pumping, body bends, and head thrashes. Mechanistically, DQ exposure induces the generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and enhances glutathione-related ROS scavenging pathway. Protein levels and activities of mitochondrial electron transport chain complexes were specifically impaired in the DQ-treated worms. Collectively, this study suggests an ROS-mediated cell death pathway involving the neuronal and behavioral toxicity of DQ, which offers a novel mitochondria-related perspective to elucidate the general toxicity caused by a widely distributed herbicide, DQ, at near-environment concentrations.

The influence of β-cyclodextrin-epichlorohydrin (β-CD-EP) polymers on the improvement of the solubility and antifungal activity of carbendazim has been investigated. Meanwhile, the potential of the chitosan and β-CD-EP composite film used as a plant healthcare material for carbendazim-controlled release to protect rape against Sclerotinia sclerotiorum (Lib.) de Bary has been evaluated. β-CD-EP-1 and 2 (β-CD content, 750 mg/g and 440 mg/g, respectively) were found to significantly improve the solubility of the guest molecule carbendazim (17.9 and 18.5 times, respectively) and the 1:1 stoichiometry of the host-guest was confirmed by the Job’s plot. A slight synergism was observed for the β-CD-EP/carbendazim complex against S. sclerotiorum (Lib.) de Bary, indicating an enhancement to the bioavailability of carbendazim. The in vitro release studies revealed that β-CD-EP polymers could efficiently modulate carbendazim release behaviors, such as the release retard and rate. The in vivo efficacy experiments demonstrated that the β-CD-EP/carbendazim and chitosan composite film could significantly prolong the effective duration of carbendazim at a concentration of 100 μg/mL compared with spraying carbendazim at 500 μg/mL. Thereby, a highly useful and strategic concept in plant disease control by a plant healthcare material—the chitosan and polymeric β-CD-EP composite film—is provided, which could also serve as a concept for related plant diseases.

Nowadays, due to the excessive dependence on chemical fertilizers and pesticides in agricultural production, many problems, such as soil hardening and soil-borne diseases, have become increasingly prominent, which seriously restrict the sustainable development of agriculture. The application of microbial fertilizer prepared by biocontrol microorganisms can not only improve soil structure and increase fertility but also have the function of controlling diseases. Streptomyces aureoverticillatus HN6 has obvious disease prevention and growth promotive effect, which can improve the rhizosphere fertility of plants and even regulate the rhizosphere microbial community of plants. Based on the comparison of frame composting and natural composting, we used the response surface method to optimize the preparation conditions of Streptomyces HN6 bacterial fertilizer. The results showed that natural composting not only produced higher composting temperatures and maintained long high temperature periods in accordance with local conditions, but was also more suitable for composting in the field according to local conditions. Therefore, the substrate’s conductivity changed more, the ash accumulation increased, and the substrate decomposed more thoroughly. Thus, this composting method is highly recommended. Additionally, Streptomyces HN6 microbial fertilizer EC20 can reduce cowpea fusarium wilt and promote cowpea growth. The number of plant leaves, plant height and fresh weight, increased significantly in the microbial fertilizer EC20. Moreover, Streptomyces HN6 fertilizer EC20 could significantly induce soil invertase, urease and catalase activities. Our study highlights the potential use of Streptomyces HN6 as a biofertilizer to improve plant productivity and biological control of plant pathogenic fungi.

Take-all, caused by Gaeumannomyces tritici, is one of the most important wheat root diseases worldwide, as it results in serious yield losses. In this study, G. tritici was transformed to express the hygromycin B phosphotransferase using a combined protoplast and polyethylene glycol (PEG)-mediated transformation technique. Based on a series of single-factor experimental results, three major factors—temperature, enzyme lysis time, and concentration of the lysing enzyme—were selected as the independent variables, which were optimized using the response surface methodology. A higher protoplast yield of 9.83 × 10⁷ protoplasts/mL was observed, and the protoplast vitality was also high, reaching 96.27% after optimization. Protoplasts were isolated under the optimal conditions, with the highest transformation frequency (46–54 transformants/μg DNA). Polymerase chain reaction and Southern blotting detection indicated that the genes of hygromycin phosphotransferase were successfully inserted into the genome of G. tritici. An optimised PEG-mediated protoplast transformation system for G. tritici was established. The techniques and procedures described will lay the foundation for establishing a good mutation library of G. tritici and could be used to transform other fungi.

Different teas from everywhere are very useful and have been extensively studied. We studied the antioxidant activity of herbal teas and green teas from Hainan, Mallotus oblongifolius Muell. Arg. (MO), Ilex kudingcha C.J. Tseng (KD), Camellia sinensis var. assamica (J. W. Mast.) Kitam. Hainan Dayezhong (DY), and Camellia sinensis (L.) O. Ktze. (produced from Hainan Baisha (BS)). The total phenol content and total flavonoid content from water extracts, resin extracts and fractions of herbal teas and green teas were compared. Later, eight fractions of herbal teas and green teas were subjected to UPLC-PDA-ESI-(−)-HRMS. We determined 1-diphenyl -2-picryl-hydrazyl radical and hydroxyl free radical scavenging activity by electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy. We subjected Saccharomyces cerevisiae to hydrogen peroxide, stress and evaluated antioxidant activity of herbal teas and green teas in cellulo. The experiment identified more than 14 potential antioxidant compounds from herbal teas and green teas. The herbal teas and green teas had a clearance rate higher than ferulic acid at the same concentrations. MO best reduced intracellular oxidation levels and increased catalase, glutathione reductase activities, glutathione reduced and glutathione oxidized content. KD had the highest cell survival rate and reduced cell lipid peroxidation. DY best improved superoxide dismutase activity and BS was the most active in the halo test. Therefore, we concluded that MO had stronger antioxidant activity than other herbal teas and green teas from Hainan, especially, which reduce S. cerevisiae oxidative stress under H₂O₂ stress.