It has been reported that applying silicon (Si) to agricultural soils can reduce N₂O emissions. But, we do not fully understand how this might work in forest ecosystems, especially in Phyllostachys edulis plantations. This study set out to determine how exogenous Si impacts soil nitrification and denitrification. Also, it aimed to assess their separate contributions to N₂O emissions. A pot incubation experiment that lasted 28 days was carried out under controlled conditions. The soil used was collected from a bamboo plantation that is intensively managed. The treatments included adding silicon. Also, 3,4-dimethylpyrazole phosphate (DMPP) and acetylene (C₂H₂) were applied to specifically hold back nitrification and denitrification. We measured the rates of soil N₂O emissions, the cumulative fluxes, and the concentrations of NH₄⁺-N, NO₃⁻-N, and NO₂⁻-N. A positive correlation that was significant (p < 0.05) was found between N₂O emissions and the levels of soil NO₃⁻-N. Adding Si continued to reduce both the emission rate and the cumulative flux in all of the treatment groups. Also worth mentioning is that the relative contribution of denitrification to N₂O emissions dropped from 38.2% to 11.4%. Meanwhile, nitrification’s contribution went up from 61.8% to 88.6%. These findings show that adding Si mainly suppresses denitrification. And, by doing so, it lessens N₂O emissions in bamboo plantations. This study underlines the potential of Si amendments. They could be used as an effective management strategy to reduce greenhouse-gas emissions in forest soils. It also provides a scientific basis for making Phyllostachys edulis ecosystems more sustainable.

Long-term intensive management practices in Moso bamboo (Phyllostachys edulis) forests, primarily characterized by repeated fertilizer application, tillage, and biomass harvesting, can alter soil nutrient cycling and ecosystem stability. This study aimed to assess how such fertilizer-based management affects soil N₂O emission potential and silicon (Si) availability. We collected soil samples (0–20 cm) from bamboo stands subjected to 0–39 years of intensive management and from adjacent natural broad-leaved forests as a reference. The Soil pH, nitrogen forms, nitrification and denitrification potential, and Si concentrations were measured. The results showed significant nitrogen accumulation and progressive soil acidification with increasing management duration. The nitrification and denitrification potentials were 5.7 and 6.0 times higher in the 39-year-old stand compared to unmanaged bamboo. Meanwhile, the available Si decreased by 20.1%, despite stable total Si levels. The available Si showed strong positive correlations with nitrogen forms and transformation rates. These findings highlight the long-term impact of fertilizer-driven bamboo management on soil biogeochemistry and emphasize the need to consider Si dynamics in sustainable nutrient strategies.

Intensive nitrogen (N) fertilization in Phyllostachys edulis (Carrière) J.Houz. forests increases productivity but also accelerates nitrous oxide (N₂O) emissions, posing a challenge to balancing forest yield with environmental sustainability. Silicon (Si), a beneficial element for bamboo, has emerged as a potential regulator of soil nitrogen (N) cycling, but its role in controlling N₂O emissions in forest ecosystems is not fully understood. In this study, we conducted a factorial pot experiment using P. edulis forest soil, with data collected over two years, but only the second-year results were analyzed, with controlled N (0, 80, and 160 mg kg⁻¹) and Si (0, 25, and 50 mg kg⁻¹) additions. The experiment lasted two years, but only the second-year data were used for analysis. We investigated how Si affected soil inorganic N dynamics, enzyme activities, plant growth, and cumulative N₂O emissions. Si addition significantly reduced N-induced N₂O emissions by up to 53%, with the strongest mitigation observed under moderate N input (p < 0.05, two-way ANOVA). This effect was associated with lower activities of AMO, NaR, and NiR, together with reduced availability of oxidized N substrates, indicating that Si mitigated N₂O emissions mainly by constraining upstream N transformation processes rather than by directly suppressing N₂O fluxes. Si addition also tended to promote plant biomass accumulation. These findings suggest that integrating Si fertilization into bamboo forest management may help improve nutrient use efficiency while mitigating greenhouse gas emissions.

Background: Bambusaoldhamii is an important economic bamboo species. However, flowering occurred after its introduction and cultivation, resulting in damage to the economy of bamboo forests. Currently, the molecular mechanism of flowering induced by introduction stress is still unclear. This study systematically explored the key genes and regulatory pathways of flowering in Bambusaoldhamii under introduction stress through field experiments combined with transcriptome sequencing and weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA), with the aim of providing a basis for flower-resistant cultivation and molecular breeding of bamboo. Results: The study conducted transcriptome sequencing on flowering and non-flowering Bambusaoldhamii bamboo introduced from Youxi, Fujian Province for 2 years, constructed a reference transcriptome containing 213,747 Unigenes, and screened out 36,800–42,980 significantly differentially expressed genes (FDR < 0.05). The results indicated that the photosensitive gene CRY and the temperature response gene COR413-PM were significantly upregulated in the flowering group; the expression level of the heavy metal detoxification gene MT3 increased by 27.77 times, combined with the upregulation of the symbiotic signaling gene NIN. WGCNA analysis showed that the expression level of the flower meristem determination gene AP1/CAL/FUL in the flowering group was 90.38 times that of the control group. Moreover, its expression is regulated by the cascade synergy of CRY-HRE/RAP2-12-COR413-PM signals. Conclusions: This study clarifies for the first time that the stress of introducing Bambusaoldhamii species activates the triad pathways of photo-temperature signal perception (CRY/COR413-PM), heavy metal detoxification (MT3), and symbiotic regulation (NIN), collaboratively driving the AP1/CAL/FUL gene expression network and ultimately triggering the flowering process.

Background: Light is an important environmental signal that regulates the growth and metabolism of fungi. This study aims to reveal the molecular regulatory mechanism of different light durations on the growth activity of Poria cocos. Methods: By setting up three groups of light treatment: 0 days (sample 1), 15 days (sample 2), and 30 days (sample 3), and combining transcriptome sequencing (RNA-seq) with qRT-PCR for verification, the effects of light on the gene expression of Poria cocos (Poria cocos (Schw.) Wolf) were systematically analyzed. Results: A total of 4332 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified in this study. Among them, the blue light-responsive genes, BLI-3 and BLI-4, were significantly upregulated at the DT15 stage, reaching 576.08 times and 31.30 times, respectively, while they were sharply downregulated at the DT30 stage. The KEGG enrichment analysis revealed that the DEGs were mainly involved in secondary metabolite synthesis, carbon metabolism, amino acid synthesis, redox reactions, and the MAPK signaling pathway. At the DT15 stage, genes related to growth metabolism, such as CYP, SNF1, and COX, were highly expressed, indicating active metabolism at this stage. However, in the DT0 and DT30 stages, ROS-related genes such as NADPH-dependent oxidoreductases were upregulated, leading to oxidative stress damage and inhibiting growth. Additionally, the high expression of BLI-3 and BLI-4 significantly activated ergosterol synthesis genes, enhancing cell membrane stability. The WGCNA co-expression network analysis revealed a high degree of correlation between BLI-4 and MAPKKK and CYP genes and proposed a potential “BLI-4-MAPKKK-CYP” regulatory axis, providing insights into the molecular pathway by which light regulates the metabolism and homeostasis of Poria cocos. Conclusions: This study has for the first time systematically revealed the molecular mechanism by which light duration regulates the growth activity of Poria cocos. It has clarified the core role of the BLI gene family in light signal perception and metabolic regulation. It has also elucidated the molecular pathways by which light regulates the synthesis of ergosterol, energy metabolism, and oxidative stress response in Poria cocos. This provides innovative theoretical support for optimizing the light regulation strategies in Poria cocos cultivation and also offers important references for the study of environmental response mechanisms in other medicinal fungi.

Soil-covering and light-exclusion are vital silvicultural practices in bamboo-stand management for improving bamboo-shoot palatability, yet their underlying molecular regulatory mechanisms remain largely unclear. This study aimed to decipher how soil covering modulates flavor and texture in Dendrocalamus latiflorus shoots. Shoots under covered-soil (CSE) and uncovered-soil (USE) conditions were subjected to physicochemical determination of soluble sugar, cellulose, soluble protein and total amino acids, combined with transcriptome sequencing; eight key genes were further validated by RT-qPCR. CSE shoots exhibited significantly elevated soluble sugar and cellulose contents, significantly reduced soluble protein levels, and comparable total amino acid concentrations. In total, 5233 differentially expressed genes were detected. Transcriptomic profiling revealed down-regulation of key synthase genes for tannin and oxalate biosynthesis, implying reduced accumulation of these astringent compounds, alongside repressed lignin and hemicellulose modification pathways and activated cellulose-related soluble-sugar metabolism. Our results suggest that soil-covering and light-exclusion coordinately reprogram multiple metabolic pathways to enhance shoot quality, offering candidate genes and theoretical references for the cultivation of high-quality shoots in managed bamboo forests and flavor-oriented molecular breeding.