Understanding the impact of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) upon the nitrogen (N) uptake of tomato (Lycopersicum esculentum L.) plants is crucial for effectively utilizing these beneficial microorganisms in industrial hydroponic tomato production. Yet it remains unknown whether, besides fungal delivery, the AMF also affects N uptake via altered plant root growth or whether, together with changed N transporters expression of hosts, this impact is isolate-specific. We investigated tomato root architecture and the expression of LeAMT1.1, LeAMT1.2, and LeNRT2.3 genes in roots inoculated with five isolates of Funneliformis mosseae, these collected from different geographical locations, under greenhouse conditions with nutritional solution in coconut coir production. Our results revealed that isolate-specific AMF inoculation strongly increased the root biomass, total root length, surface area, and volume. Linear relationships were found between the total root length and N accumulation in plants. Furthermore, expression levels of LeAMT1.1, LeAMT1.2, and LeNRT2.3 were significantly up-regulated by inoculation with F. mosseae with isolate-specific. These results implied N uptake greater than predicted by root growth, and N transporters up-regulated by AMF symbiosis in an isolate-specific manner. Thus, an overlap in root biomass, architecture and expression of N transporters increase N acquisition in tomato plants in the symbiosis.

Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) form mutualistic symbiotic relationships with many land plants and play a key role in nitrogen (N) acquisition. NO₃⁻-N and NH₄⁺-N are the main sources of soil mineral N, but how extraradical mycelial transfer affects the different N forms and levels available to tomato plants is not clear. In the present study, we set up hyphal compartments (HCs) to study the efficiency of N transfer from the extramycelium to tomato plants treated with different N forms and levels of fertilization. Labeled ¹⁵NO₃⁻-N or ¹⁵NH₄⁺-N was placed in hyphal compartments under high and low N application levels. ¹⁵N accumulation in shoots and the expression of LeNRT2.3, LeAMT1.1, and LeAMT1.2 in the roots of tomato were measured. According to our results, both ¹⁵NO₃⁻-N and ¹⁵NH₄⁺-N were transported via extraradical mycelia to the shoots of plants. ¹⁵N accumulation in shoots was similar, regardless of the N form, while a higher ¹⁵N concentration was found in shoots with low N application. Compared with the control, inoculation with AMF significantly increased the expression of LeAMT1.1 under high N and LeNRT2.3 under low N. The expression of LeAMT1.1 under high N was significantly increased when NO₃^—N was added, while the expression of LeNRT2.3 was significantly increased when NH₄⁺-N was added under low N. Taken together, our results suggest that the N transfer by extraradical mycelia is crucial for the acquisition of both NO₃⁻-N and NH₄⁺-N by the tomato plant; however, partial N accumulation in plant tissue is more important with N deficiency compared with a higher N supply. The expression of N transporters was influenced by both the form and level of N supply.

The symbiosis and beneficial effects of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AM fungi) on plants have been widely reported; however, the effects might be unascertained in tomato industry production with coconut coir due to the nutrition solution supply, or alternatively with isolate-specific. Five isolates of AM fungi were collected from soils of differing geographical origins, identified as Funneliformis mosseae and evidenced closing evolutionary distances with the covering of the small subunit (SSU) rDNA regions and Pi transporter gene (PT1) sequences. The effects of these isolates on the colonization rates, plant growth, yield, and nutrition uptake were analyzed in tomato nutrition solution production with growing seasons of spring–summer and autumn–winter. Our result indicated that with isolate-specific effects, irrespective of geographical or the SSU rDNA and PT1 sequences evolution distance, two isolates (A2 and NYN1) had the most yield benefits for plants of both growing seasons, one (E2) had weaker effects and the remaining two (A2 and T6) had varied seasonal-specific effects. Inoculation with effective isolates induced significant increases of 29.0–38.0% (isolate X5, T6) and 34.6–36.5% (isolate NYN1, T6) in the plant tissues respective nitrogen and phosphorus content; the plant biomass increased by 18.4–25.4% (isolate T6, NYN1), and yields increased by 8.8–12.0% (isolate NYN1, A2) compared with uninoculated plants. The maximum root biomass increased by 28.3% (isolate T6) and 55.1% (isolate E2) in the autumn–winter and spring–summer growing seasons, respectively. This strong effect on root biomass was even more significant in an industry culture with a small volume of substrate per plant. Our results reveal the potential benefits of using selected effective isolates as a renewable resource that can overcome the suppressing effects of sufficient nutrient availability on colonization rates, while increasing the yields of industrially produced tomatoes in nutrition solution with coconut coir.

Global climate change has intensified the challenges of low-temperature, low-light, and high-humidity microclimates in North China’s greenhouses during winter, exposing the limitations of traditional controlled-environment agriculture (CEA) facilities. This study monitored air temperature, relative humidity, and light intensity in three greenhouse types—an externally insulated plastic greenhouse, soft-shell solar greenhouse, and brick-walled solar greenhouse—across three overwintering periods (pre-, mid-, post-) using high-precision sensors (monitoring period is from 1 October 2024 to 31 March 2025). A Comprehensive Evaluation Index (CEI) based on the entropy method was developed, integrating seven indicators (daily average temperature, temperature range, hours below 5 °C, average humidity, hours above 80% humidity, average light intensity, and light utilization efficiency) to systematically evaluate greenhouse microclimate regulation performance. Results showed that the brick-walled solar greenhouse exhibited superior thermal insulation, with nearly zero hours below 5 °C during mid-overwintering, while the soft-shell solar greenhouse achieved the highest light utilization efficiency (75.1–79.6%). The externally insulated plastic greenhouse exhibited the highest relative humidity (>80% for 13–19 h/day) but a poor thermal insulation performance. The CEI ranked the brick-walled solar greenhouse (0.86) and the soft-shell solar greenhouse (0.84) significantly higher than the externally insulated plastic greenhouse (0.39), with the relative humidity significantly negatively correlated with light indicators (P < 0.05), and the temperature and light indicators strongly correlated with the CEI (P < 0.01). Structural design and material innovation are critical for climate adaptation. Brick-walled and soft-shell solar greenhouses balance thermal and light performance, while the externally insulated plastic greenhouse faces structural limitations. The findings provide a scientific basis for greenhouse optimization and regional layout planning.

As an international metropolis, Beijing still plays a key role in the development of national agricultural production technology despite its small regional scale. Climate change has a great impact on agricultural production. Previous studies often focus on a single short-term meteorological factor and lack a more systematic analysis of climate resources in Beijing. Based on the daily temperature, precipitation, relative humidity, wind speed and sunshine hours of 17 meteorological stations in Beijing in the past 42 years, this study analyzed the spatial and temporal distribution characteristics of agro-climatic resources and predicted the future climate change trend under different climate scenarios. The climate resource tendency rate is calculated on a time scale of every ten years (10a). The results showed that (1) the light resources are decreasing at a rate of 44.9~156.3 MJ m⁻² 10 a⁻¹, and the downward trends in light resources in the northeastern plain areas as well as in June and July are more significant; (2) the thermal resources are increasing at a rate of 34.2~176.4 °C·d 10 a⁻¹, and the upward trends in thermal resources in the southeastern plain areas and in March are more remarkable; (3) the water resources represented by the soil humidity index are changing at a rate of −1.6~6.1% 10 a⁻¹. The situation is complex, and the fluctuations of water resources in the central and western regions as well as in July, August and September are more significant; and (4) compared with the low-emission “dual carbon” scenario, the decrease in water volume and the overall increase in temperature in the high-carbon scenario are larger, and this trend is particularly obvious in the long run. This study provides a basis for Beijing’s agricultural layout and response to climate change, and its methods and results are also valuable for other regions to promote green, high-quality and sustainable agricultural development.

In North China, the overwintering production of the tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) encounters difficulties posed by extreme weather conditions and the high costs of traditional greenhouses. Soft-shell solar greenhouses present a viable alternative because of their low cost and excellent heat-retaining properties. This study establishes a technical framework for high-yield and high-quality winter tomato production in soft-shell greenhouses through analyzing dynamic light, temperature, and humidity parameters, cultivar responses, and optimized production–marketing models. Field experiments monitored microclimate data in soft-shell solar greenhouses during different growth stages of six cherry tomato and three large tomato varieties, combined with yield, quality, and economic return analysis. The results showed that (1) soft-shell greenhouses increased average daily temperatures by 10–15 °C, reduced low-temperature stress duration by 25%, achieved 82% light saturation compliance, and decreased humidity fluctuations by 23%; (2) the yield per cluster of cherry tomatoes increased first and then decreased for early maturing varieties, and decreased for middle and late maturing varieties, while the yield of large tomatoes decreased first and then increased; (3) light intensity was positively correlated with Brix accumulation, and humidity was negatively correlated with yield; (4) cherry tomato yields were more temperature-sensitive, whereas large-fruited tomatoes were more influenced by light intensity; (5) a “variety optimization + scenario-based sales” model integrating multi-cultivar layouts and gift-box marketing strategies improved economic returns. This research provides an integrated environmental regulation and market adaptation solution for North China’s protected agriculture, offering a reference value for greenhouse agriculture development in global cold regions.