We used ‘Shannong No.1’ experimental material to simulate higher salt concentration in ginger and analyzed the physiological responses of different parts of ginger seedlings under salt stress. The results showed that salt stress led to a significant decrease in fresh and dry weight of ginger, lipid membrane peroxidation, increased sodium ion content and enhanced activity of antioxidant enzymes. Compared with the control, the overall plant dry weight of ginger under salt stress decreased by about 60%, and the MDA content in roots, stems, leaves, and rhizomes increased by 372.27%, 184.88%, 291.5%, and 171.13%, respectively, and the APX content increased by 188.85%, 165.56%, 195.38%, and 40.08%, respectively. After analysis of the physiological indicators, it was found that the roots and leaves of ginger were the most significantly changed parts. We analyzed the transcriptional differences between ginger roots and leaves by RNA-seq and found that they jointly initiated MAPK signaling pathways in response to salt stress. By combining physiological and molecular indicators, we elucidated the response of different tissues and parts of ginger to salt stress during the seedling stage.

As a product and reproductive organ of ginger (Zingiber officinale Roscoe), the degree of rhizome bulking is a key factor in determining the yield and economic value of ginger. There are few studies on the regulatory mechanism of rhizome bulking in ginger. This study aims to identify the key hormone that regulates ginger rhizome bulking and to screen for critical hormone-associated genes. As research subjects, two ginger accessions—large (L) with a thickened rhizome and small (S) with a slender rhizome—were derived from the same parent plant. The ploidy differences between the two determine variations in gene dosage as well as differential expression patterns. The levels of eight hormones in the rhizome of L and S during different growth stages were analyzed. Differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified by combining third-generation transcriptome sequencing technology (PacBio SMART) with quantitative real time PCR (qRT-PCR). Through screening methods such as Orthogonal Partial Least Squares Discriminant Analysis (OPLS-DA), auxin, cytokinin, and salicylic acid were identified as the key differential hormones across various growth periods. Among these, changes in IAA level showed a positive correlation with rhizome bulking. Among them, change in IAA levels was positively correlated with the degree of rhizome bulking. Transcriptome analysis combined with qRT-PCR revealed that the auxin response factor genes ZoARF7 and ZoARF23 are likely to act as positive regulators of rhizome bulking. This study provides a theoretical foundation for elucidating the molecular mechanisms underlying hormone-mediated rhizome bulking in ginger.

This study evaluated the growth, physiological, chlorophyll fluorescence (JIP-test), and postharvest responses of a shoot-dominant (‘C-P’) and a root-dominant (‘J-L’) garlic material to graded salinity (0, 50, and 200 mM NaCl) in a hydroponic system, with or without seed-clove priming using LEAFENERGY^®, a commercial biostimulant mainly composed of naturally derived rare fatty acids. Results showed 50 mM NaCl significantly inhibited shoot growth, while 200 mM nearly arrested growth and induced clove decay. Under moderate salinity, biostimulant priming exhibited cultivar-dependent mitigation. In ‘C-P’, biostimulant priming increased clove soluble sugar content by 1.140 g 100 g⁻¹ FW under 50 mM NaCl and increased dry-weight-based clove water content after cold storage. In ‘J-L’, biostimulant priming increased SPAD values under 50 mM NaCl and reduced the salt-induced increase in clove yellowness index to a level not significantly different from the non-saline control. In conclusion, garlic’s response to salinity is fundamentally dictated by intrinsic resource allocation strategies. Rather than merely promoting growth, biostimulant priming optimizes photosynthetic energy fluxes and reshapes metabolism. This tailored approach effectively preserves the visual marketability of susceptible cultivars while enhancing osmoprotectant accumulation and hydration in vigorous morphotypes, providing a sustainable strategy to safeguard industrial raw materials in salinized controlled cultivation systems.

Soil salinization severely limits the stable production of garlic (Allium sativum L.) and compromises the postharvest storability of seed cloves as industrial planting materials. This study evaluated the morpho-physiological, photosynthetic (JIP-test), and postharvest responses of a shoot-dominant ('C-P') and a root-dominant ('J-L') garlic cultivar to graded salinity (0, 50, 200 mM NaCl) in a hydroponic system, with or without seed-clove priming using a novel commercial biostimulant. Results showed 50 mM NaCl significantly inhibited shoot growth, while 200 mM nearly arrested growth and induced clove decay. Under moderate salinity, LE priming exhibited cultivar-dependent mitigation. In 'C-P', it promoted root branching, enhanced soluble sugar accumulation, and improved postharvest tissue hydration. In 'J-L', biostimulant elevated leaf SPAD values, fully reversed stress-induced clove yellowing, and significantly suppressed postharvest fungal decay during cold storage. In conclusion, garlic's response to salinity is fundamentally dictated by intrinsic resource allocation strategies. Rather than merely promoting growth, biostimulant priming optimizes photosynthetic energy fluxes and reshapes metabolism. This tailored approach effectively preserves the visual marketability of susceptible cultivars while enhancing Osmo protectant accumulation and hydration in vigorous morphotypes, providing a sustainable strategy to safeguard industrial raw materials in salinized controlled cultivation systems.

Microplastics in agricultural soils may affect edible crops through root-zone and rhizosphere processes, making it necessary to evaluate polymer-specific crop responses and potential mitigation strategies. Here, garlic (Allium sativum L.) was exposed to polyvinyl chloride (PVC), polyethylene (PE), and polystyrene (PS) microplastics at 1000 mg kg⁻¹, with sodium silicate (Na₂SiO₃) applied at 0, 500, 1000, and 3000 mg kg⁻¹. Growth traits, root architecture, bulb quality, root surface morphology, transcriptomes, metabolomes, and rhizosphere metagenomes were analyzed. PVC, PE, and PS reduced bulb fresh weight by 8.9%, 18.8%, and 22.1%, respectively, compared with CK, indicating a common yield penalty but different polymer effects. Root responses were also polymer-dependent: PS increased total root length to 1484.84 cm, whereas PE and PS reduced root activity to 3.59 and 3.14 μg g⁻¹ FW h⁻¹, respectively. Na₂SiO₃ modified these responses in a dose- and polymer-dependent manner. PE1000 showed the highest total root length (1604.85 cm), while PE1000 and PS1000 increased root activity to 15.07 and 17.58 μg g⁻¹ FW h⁻¹, respectively. Transcriptomic analysis identified 6975, 3059, and 5587 expression-changed genes in PVC, PE, and PS compared with CK, while metabolomics detected 423, 861, and 852 differential metabolites, respectively. Integrated omics highlighted phenylpropanoid biosynthesis, glutathione metabolism, lipid metabolism, carbohydrate metabolism, and amino acid metabolism as major response pathways. Metagenomics showed broadly similar dominant phyla but treatment-related genus-level shifts. Overall, garlic responses to microplastic exposure were polymer-specific, and Na₂SiO₃ acted as a conditional modulator rather than a universal alleviation strategy.

Acute salt shock can perturb photosynthetic function before severe visual injury becomes pronounced, creating a short interval in which early photochemical responses can be resolved. This study compared preventive and concurrent foliar application of LEAFENERGY^® (LE), a proprietary commercial biostimulant whose active components are described by the manufacturer as naturally derived rare fatty acids produced from plant oils, in Welsh onion (Allium fistulosum L.) seedlings subjected to a single-step 200 mmol L⁻¹ NaCl shock. Four treatments were established with 10 independent plant/vessel biological replicates per treatment: normal nutrient solution (CK), 200 mmol L⁻¹ NaCl (SALT), 1% (v/v) LE applied 24 h before NaCl (T1), and 1% (v/v) LE applied concurrently with NaCl (T2). Fast chlorophyll fluorescence was repeatedly measured on the same plants at −1, 2, 4, 8, 23, 28, and 47 h. Repeated measurements were analyzed using generalized estimating equations (GEEs), with pre-specified contrasts adjusted by the Holm procedure. Significant treatment × time interactions were detected for Fv/Fm, PIABS, and the principal JIP-test parameters. At 4 h, PIABS declined to approximately 0.58-fold of baseline in SALT but remained at 0.95- and 0.91-fold in T1 and T2, respectively. Both LE treatments significantly moderated salt-shock-induced increases in VJ and M0 and decreases in ψ0 and φE0; T1 also significantly reduced ABS/RC and DI0/RC. No robust T1–T2 difference remained after multiplicity correction. At 47 h, neither LE treatment significantly restored leaf relative water content relative to SALT. Thus, under this single-run controlled acute-shock experiment, preventive and concurrent LE application transiently attenuated several components of the early PSII disturbance, particularly at 4 h. These findings do not demonstrate sustained salinity acclimation or long-term salt tolerance; longer-term, dose–response, timing, and production-scale studies are required before agronomic recommendations can be made.