Halophytes possess the capacity to uptake high levels of salt through physiological processes and their root architecture. Here, we investigated whether halophyte/non-halophyte intercropping in saline soil benefits plant growth and contains root-dialogue between interspecific species. Field and pot experiments were conducted to determine the plant biomasses and salt and nutrient distributions in three suaeda (Suaeda salsa)/maize (Zea mays L.) intercropping systems, set up by non-barrier, nylon-barrier, and plastic-barrier between plant roots. The suaeda/maize intercropping obviously transferred more Na⁺ to the suaeda root zone and decreased salt and Na⁺ contents. However, the biomass of the non-barrier-treated maize was significantly lower than that of the nylon and plastic barrier-treated maize. There was lower available N content in the soil of the non-barrier treated groups compared with the plastic barrier-treated groups. In addition, the pH was lower, and the available nutrient content was higher in the nylon barrier, which suggested that rhizospheric processes might occur between the two species. Therefore, we concluded that the suaeda/maize intercropping would be beneficial to the salt removal, but it caused an adverse effect for maize growth due to interspecific competition, and also revealed potential rhizospheric effects through the role of roots. This study provides an effective way for the improvement of saline land.

Nitrogen accelerates salt accumulation in the root zone of an euhalophyte, which might be beneficial for inhibiting the salt damage and interspecific competition for nutrients of non-halophytes in intercropping. However, the variations in the effect of euhalophyte/non-halophyte intercropping with nitrogen supply are poorly understood. Here, we selected the euhalophyte Suaeda salsa (suaeda) and non-halophyte Zea mays L. (maize) as the research objects, setting up three cropping patterns in order to explore the influence of nitrogen application on the intercropping effect in the suaeda/maize intercropping. The results showed that the biomass of maize in the intercropping was significantly lower than that in the monoculture, while for suaeda, it was higher in the intercropping than that in the monoculture. The biomass of maize under NO₃⁻-N treatment performed significantly higher than that under no nitrogen treatment. Moreover, under suitable NO₃⁻-N treatment, more salt ions (Na⁺, K⁺) gathered around the roots of suaeda, which weakened the salt damage on maize growth. In the intercropping, the effect of NO₃⁻-N on the maize growth was enhanced when compared with the non-significant effect of NH₄⁺-N, but a positive effect of NH₄⁺-N on suaeda growth was found. Therefore, the disadvantage of maize growth in the intercropping suaeda/maize might be caused by interspecific competition to a certain extent, providing an effective means for the improvement of saline–alkali land by phytoremediation.

Nitrogen (N) application might exert a great impact on root (biomass, length) distribution, which possibly contributes to ion and nutrient uptakes. Here, we address the effects of N application on these characteristics to detect how N improves its salt tolerance. Suaeda salsa was subjected to four salt levels (0.5, 1.0, 1.5, and 2.0%) and three N treatments (${\mathrm{NO}}_3^{-}$-N: 0, 0.25, and 0.50 g·kg⁻¹) in soil column experiments. The N applications performed a “dose effect” that significantly enhanced the growth of Suaeda at low salt levels, while negative effects were displayed at high salt levels. Moderate N markedly benefited from ${\mathrm{Na}}^{+}$ and ${\mathrm{Cl}}^{-}$ uptake, which was approximately 111 mg and 146 mg per plant at a salt level of 1.0%. Exposure to a certain N application significantly enhanced topsoil root length at salt levels of 0.5% and 1.0%, and it was higher by 0.766 m and 1.256 m under N50 treatment than that under N0 treatment, whereas the higher salt levels accelerate subsoil root growth regardless of N treatment. Therefore, its interactive effects on root development and ion uptake were present, which would provide further theoretical basis for improving saline soil amelioration by N application. Regression analysis always showed that topsoil root length generated more positive and significant influences on ion uptake and vegetative growth than total root length. The results suggested that N application is beneficial to salt tolerance by altering root allocation so as to raise its elongation and gather more ions for halophyte in the topsoil.

Amplicon sequencing provides a suitable approach for microbiome profiling, supported by a variety of R-based and web-based tools. In this review, we systematically evaluated eight freely accessible web-based tools suitable for users without scripting experience, comparing their performance across modules including alpha and beta diversity, taxonomic composition, differential comparison, network and correlation analysis, functional profiling, machine learning, tree-plot and user experience. While all tools exhibit limited data filtering and normalization options, performance varied considerably across modules. Mian and MicrobiomeAnalyst 2.0 excelled in alpha diversity analysis and taxonomic composition analysis, METAGENassist outperformed others in beta diversity, and MicrobiomeAnalyst 2.0 achieved the highest score in differential comparison and functional analysis. Namco and Mian outperform in network analysis and correlation analysis, respectively. Machine-learning functions were comparable across animalcules, MicrobiomeAnalyst 2.0 and METAGENassist, with the best treeplot visualization in animalcules and MicrobiomeAnalyst 2.0. And, user experience was highest for animalcules and Mian. Overall, MicrobiomeAnalyst 2.0 achieving the highest overall performance, followed by Mian and Namco. Several limitations among evaluated tools include inconsistent accessibility, diverse input data formats, restricted feature sets, and incomplete retention of key information in exported figures. Future development should integrate preprocessing, interactive visualization and figure export, alongside advanced statistical methods, multi-omics integration and meta-analytical capabilities, to enhance flexibility, reproducibility and interpretability. This comprehensive assessment provides a practical reference for researchers in selecting the most suitable web-based tools for specific microbiome analysis tasks, highlighting the importance of both module-specific performance and overall tool capabilities.

WPR (WEB1/PMI2-related) genes play a crucial role in regulating chloroplast movement and leaf coloration in plants. Previous studies have shown that these genes are implicated in leaf yellowing, both in Arabidopsis thaliana and in Paulownia fortunei following infection with Paulownia witches’ broom. To investigate the functions of the ZjWPR genes in jujube, bioinformatics methods were employed to identify the ZjWPR gene family in jujube, analyze their protein physicochemical properties, gene structure, evolutionary relationships, and cis-acting elements in this study. The results revealed that the ZjWPR gene family in jujube comprised 10 members. Phylogenetic analysis showed that WPR genes were divided into two classes, with ZjWPR genes distributed across three subgroups within Class II. Conserved motif analysis indicated that motif 2, motif 3, motif 7, and motif 8 were the most highly conserved and most genes exhibited similar structures. Cis-element analysis in their promoter suggested that ZjWPR genes were regulated by multiple hormones and were associated with stress responses such as low temperature and drought. Moreover, all ZjWPR genes contained light-responsive elements. Expression analysis of the ZjWPR gene family under Jujube Witches’ Broom (JWB) stress showed that ZjWPR4 and ZjWPR5 were significantly up-regulated in JWB-susceptible jujube cultivars following phytoplasma infection, whereas no significant changes were detected in JWB-resistant cultivars. Additionally, the expression levels of ZjWPR2, ZjWPR3, and ZjWPR6 were also altered in response to infection, suggesting their potential involvement in the response to JWB stress and the associated leaf chlorosis process. Moreover, transient overexpression of ZjWPR4 and ZjWPR5 in sour jujube leaves led to significant reductions, in critical photosynthetic parameters, including Fv/Fm, Fq′/Fm′, and ETR compared with WT, thereby reinforcing their functional contribution to JWB-associated leaf yellowing. This study provides valuable insights for further functional characterization of the ZjWPR gene family in mediating JWB-induced leaf yellowing and related metabolic pathways.

Ascorbic acid (vitamin C) is a critical antioxidant influencing the nutritional quality of fruits. This study integrates metabolomic and transcriptomic analyses to investigate high-ascorbic-acid (HAA), medium-ascorbic-acid (MAA), and low-ascorbic-acid (LAA) jujube cultivars. Metabolomic profiling revealed significant enrichment of ascorbic acid and its precursors in HAA cultivars, whereas MAA and LAA cultivars showed lower levels. Transcriptomic analysis identified 107 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) across the three groups. Compared with LAA, 139 differentially accumulated metabolites (DAMs) were identified in HAA, with more down-accumulated (77) than up-accumulated (62); compared with MAA, 235 DAMs were found in HAA, with significantly more up-accumulated (180) than down-accumulated (55); 250 DAMs with different accumulation patterns between LAA and MAA included 199 up-accumulated and 51 down-accumulated; and 16 DAMs were common in all three comparison combinations. Potential key regulatory genes such as GDP-mannose-3′,5′-epimerase (GME) and L-galactose-1-phosphate phosphatase (GPP) were highlighted. Weighted Gene Co-expression Network Analysis (WGCNA) detected possible core genes participating in ascorbic acid biosynthesis pathways. This study provides novel insights into the genetic and metabolic basis of ascorbic acid accumulation, potentially providing valuable targets for molecular breeding.