Siderophores secreted by microorganisms can promote ecological efficiency and could be used to regulate the unbalanced microbial community structure. The influence of the siderophore activity of Trichoderma yunnanense strain 2-14F2 and Beauveria pseudobassiana strain (2-8F2) on the physiological/biochemical functions and community structure of soil microbes affected by tobacco bacterial wilt (TBW) was studied. DNS Colorimetry and Biolog-eco plates were used to quantify the impacts of strain siderophores on soil enzyme activities and microbial metabolism. Based on Illumina MiSeq high-throughput sequencing, the soil 16S rDNA and ITS sequences were amplified to dissect the response characteristics of alpha/beta diversity and the structure/composition of a soil microbial community toward siderophores. The KEGG database was used to perform the PICRUSt functional prediction of the microbial community. We found that siderophores of 2-14F2 and 2-8F2, at certain concentrations, significantly increased the activities of sucrase (S-SC) and urease (S-UE) in the TBW soil and enhanced the average well color development (AWCD, carbon source utilization capacity) of the microbial community. The metabolic capacity of the diseased soil to amino acids, carbohydrates, polymers, aromatics, and carboxylic acids also increased significantly. The response of the bacterial community to siderophore active metabolites was more significant in alpha diversity, while the beta diversity of the fungal community responded more positively to siderophores. The relative abundance of Actinobacteria, Chloroflexi, and Acidobacteria increased and was accompanied by reductions in Proteobacteria and Firmicutes. LEfSe analysis showed that Pseudonocardiaceae, Gemmatimonas, Castellaniella, Chloridiumand and Acrophialophora altered the most under different concentrations of siderophore active metabolites. The PICRUSt functional prediction results showed that siderophore increased the abundance of the redox-related enzymes of the microbial community in TBW soil. The BugBase phenotypic prediction results showed that the siderophore activity could decrease the abundance of pathogenic bacteria. The study concludes that siderophore activity could decrease the abundance of pathogenic bacteria and regulate the composition of the microbial community in TBW soil. The activities of sucrase (S-SC) and urease (S-UE) in TBW soil were significantly increased. Overall, the siderophore regulation of community structures is a sustainable management strategy for soil ecosystems.

In recent years, the pathogen that causes leaf blast on Amomum tsao-ko repeatedly infected the plants in a large area of Luchun County, Honghe Prefecture, Yunnan Province, China. The disease is caused by the pathogen Pyricularia variabilis. The effects of light, temperature, pH, carbon, and nitrogen sources on the growth of the pathogen were determined, and its sensitivity to six fungicides was determined using the mycelial growth rate method. The optimal conditions for mycelial growth were as follows: temperature: 20–25°C; carbon source: maltose, nitrogen source beef extract, media corn flour, and potato dextrose agar. The mycelia could grow under four types of light conditions: 24 h light, 24 h dark, 12 h light/12 h dark, and 16 h light/8 h dark. In addition, Propiconazole was the most effective inhibitor, with an EC₅₀ value of 0.030 μg/mL, and prochloraz was the second most effective, with an EC₅₀ value of 0.076 μg/mL. It is suggested that the two fungicides should be alternated when used in production. Carbendazim and chlorothalonil were ineffective in inhibiting the fungus, with EC₅₀ values of 6.137 and 3.765 μg/mL, respectively.

To investigate the effects of different Armillaria mellea (A. mellea) sources on Gastrodia elata (GE) yield, quality, and soil microecology, five A. mellea of difference sources (M1–M5) were co-cultivated with Zhaotong GE at two sites. M5 co-cultivation produced the highest yields (fresh weight) at both Xiaocaoba, Yiliang (XCB) and Wanchang, Zhenxiong (ZXWC), reaching 3239 g/m² and 2550 g/m². For quality, M1 resulted in the highest total gastrodin and parishin content at XCB, while M3 was superior at ZXWC. Post-cultivation, soil pH increased across all treatments. Soil nutrients increased with M1 and M2 at XCB, and with M4 at ZXWC. In GE rhizosphere soil samples, Proteobacteria, Acidobacteria, and Actinobacteria were dominant bacterial phyla, with Proteobacteria abundance decreasing. The dominant fungal phyla were Ascomycota, Basidiomycota, and Mucoromycota; Basidiomycota abundance increased in all soils, while Ascomycota increased only with M1 and M2. M3-treated soils had the highest Gram-negative bacteria abundance, and M1-treated soils were enriched with saprotrophic fungi. This study has several limitations. The conclusions were drawn indirectly with the host (GE) as the focus, and the A. mellea were not identified to clarify potential genetic differences. Future research should integrate fungal omics analyses for a more in-depth investigation.

Thanatephorus cucumeris anastomosis subgroup 3-TB (AG-3-TB) is the primary pathogen causing tobacco target spot disease, which has resulted in substantial economic losses in tobacco production worldwide. Traditionally, soilborne sclerotia have been considered to be the main primary infection source, whereas the role of airborne basidiospores has long been underestimated; particularly, they serve as the inoculum of primary and secondary infection developing on the hymenia of infected alternate host plants. This study investigated the influence of different host plants on T. cucumeris AG-3 sporulation. The results showed that in the natural environment, T. cucumeris AG-3-TB could develop hymenia on Solanaceae (tobacco, tomato, eggplant, pepper, and potato), Gramineae (rice), Cruciferae (cabbage), weeds (shamrock, dandelion, and Tartary buckwheat), and the soil surface surrounding tomato stems, and the fungal hymenium formation capacity differed among plant host species. Furthermore, this sporulation phenomenon was widely prevalent across the AG-3-TB subgroup, and urea as a nitrogen fertilizer and 18% albendazole-moroxydine hydrochloride wettable powder as a virucide significantly promoted AG-3-TB strain sporulation on tomato hosts. Our findings indicate that host plant species, strain differences, urea, and fungistatic stress significantly influence the fungal sporulation, revealing the pivotal role of spore production in the disease development.

To investigate the effects of intercropping Morchella (morel mushrooms) between apple tree rows on fruit quality and orchard soil properties, a field experiment was conducted using a cultivation system combining plastic film mulching with small arched tunnels. Morchella was planted in the interrows of five-year-old apple trees, and after harvest, the spent mushroom substrate was returned to the soil via rotary tillage. Plots without Morchella cultivation served as the control. The experiment assessed the yield and quality of both apples and morels, as well as the overall impact on tree performance. In addition, soil physicochemical properties and enzyme activities were analyzed across the 0-40 cm soil profile at different depth intervals. The results demonstrated that: (1) Inter-cropping Morchella in apple interrows proved to be agronomically feasible, yielding a fresh mushroom production of 1333.737 g/m². Moreover, this cultivation system significantly enhanced the nutritional quality of the harvested morels, as evidenced by marked increases in crude fiber, total sugars, reducing sugars, and free amino acid contents. (2) In the 0-20 cm soil layer, the Morchella cultivated plots exhibited significantly higher natural water content compared to the control. The measured values for soil pH, alkali-hydrolyzable nitrogen, organic carbon, catalase activity, and sucrase activity were 5.46, 6.733 mg/kg, 38.303 g/kg, 411.859 μ mol/h/g, and 9.885 mg/d/g, respectively, all significantly greater than those in the control (p < 0.05). In the 20-40 cm layer, however, soil available potassium and organic carbon contents were 418.370 mg/kg and 28.453 g/kg, respectively, both significantly lower than the control (p < 0.05). Across both treatments, the values of soil pH, alkali -hydrolyzable nitrogen, organic carbon, available phosphorus, available potassium, and the activities of urease, amylase, catalase, and sucrase generally decreased with increasing soil depth. Notably, in the non-cultivated control plots, the contents of alkali-hydrolyzable nitrogen and organic carbon increased with depth. (3) Morchella intercropping significantly improved apple fruit quality, as reflected by marked increases in individual fresh weight, fruit shape index, reducing sugars, total sugars, and soluble solids content. (4) The treatment also substantially enhanced the photosynthetic performance of apple trees, with significant increases in transpiration rate, intercellular CO₂ concentration, and stomatal conductance. Collectively, our findings demonstrate that intercropping Morchella between apple tree rows confers substantial agronomic advantages. This practice not only elevates the productivity and quality of both the mushroom crop and the apples, but also ameliorates key soil physicochemical characteristics and boosts foliar photosynthesis. The cumulative positive effects highlight its considerable promise as a viable and scalable agroecological strategy.

In recent years, Phyllanthus emblica root rot disease has occurred in Yunnan and caused significant economic losses to local plantation farmers, the pathogen was identified as Diaporthe eres through morphological and molecular method. The indoor toxicity testing and biological characteristic research on Diaporthe eres were carried out. Additionally, the transcriptional regulatory mechanism under different pH stress conditions was studied. The results showed that Prochloraz had the strongest inhibitory effect on Diaporthe eres mycelial growth, with an EC₅₀ value of 0.059 mg·L-1. Diaporthe eres grows best in an environment of 26°C, 12: 12 alternating light, and pH 6. Go enrichment analysis revealed that the differentially expressed genes were mainly related to the biosynthesis of ribonucleoprotein complexes, ncRNA metabolic processes, ribosome and so on. KEGG analysis shows that in acidic environments, Diaporthe eres responds to external stress by precisely regulating amino acid metabolism and ribosome function, while in alkaline environments, it helps cells respond to and perceive external stress by forming multi-level adaptive networks and inhibiting activities such as protein synthesis transcription. This study provides relevant references for the prevention and control of this disease.