Soil salinization has become a major environmental factor severely threatening global food security. The application of porous minerals could significantly ameliorate soil fertility and promote plant productivity under salt stress conditions. However, the effects of porous minerals on improving the salt resistance of grain crops in coastal saline soils is not fully studied. In this work, the shoot growth and grain yield of wheat plants grown in coastal saline fields, respectively amended with the four naturally available porous minerals, diatomite, montmorillonite, bentonite and zeolite, were assessed. The application of porous minerals, especially zeolite, significantly improved the biomass and grain yield of wheat plants under saline conditions, as demonstrated by the augmented plant fresh mass (14.8~61.2%) and increased seed size (3.8~58.8%) and number (1.4~57.5%). Soil property analyses exhibited that porous-mineral amendment decreased soil sodium content and sodium absorption ratio, and increased soil nutrients in both the rhizosphere and nonrhizosphere of wheat plants. Further quantitative-PCR and 16S high-throughput sequencing analysis revealed that porous-mineral application also remarkably increased the abundance of bacterial 16S rRNA (0.8~102.4%) and fungal 18S rRNA (89.2~209.6%), and altered the composition of the soil microbial community in the rhizosphere of wheat. Our findings suggest that zeolite could be used as an ideal salt soil amendment, and the changes in soil properties and microorganisms caused by the application of porous minerals like zeolite improved the salt resistance of wheat plants in coastal saline land, leading to increased shoot growth and seed production.

Soil salinization poses a major constraint to global agriculture. Apocynum venetum, a salt-tolerant halophyte, provides an effective model for investigating salt-adaptive strategies; however, the temporal dynamics of its tolerance-associated genes and metabolites remain unclear. In this study, integrated transcriptomics, metabolomics (UHPLC-MS), physiological assays, and weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA) were conducted to characterize early (7-day) and late (18-day) responses to 200 mM NaCl stress. NaCl stress significantly reduced chlorophyll content while increasing Na⁺ accumulation, MDA levels, antioxidant enzyme activities (SOD and CAT), and total flavonoid content. Early responses (NaCl7) were marked by accumulation of ferulic acid, rhamnetin, and 3,4-dihydrocoumarin, with activation of plant hormone (ABA, auxin, zeatin) and MAPK signaling pathways. Late responses (NaCl18) exhibited increased accumulation of scopoletin, formononetin, and caffeyl-alcohol, with enrichment of phenylpropanoid biosynthesis, glutathione metabolism, and photosynthesis-related pathways. WGCNA identified early-response hub genes, including AOC, MAPKKK17/18, CYP98A, and CCoAOMT, coordinating stress signaling and antioxidant metabolism. Late stress responses involved genes like CPK, GST, CYCD3, and ARF, modulating calcium signaling and ROS detoxification. Genes shared across phases included CYP90C1, HD-ZIP, HSP20, and PP2C, regulating protein stabilization and stress signaling. These findings reveal a two-phase salt tolerance strategy in A. venetum, integrating early signaling and late metabolic adaptation.

In China, the enormous gap between domestic soybean supply and increasing consumption necessitates large-scale soybean imports. The use of cultivated soybean (Glycine max) leaves as feed for the edible insect Clanis bilineata tsingtauica further reduces crop yields, posing a threat to national soybean production security. To address this issue, this study evaluated wild soybean (Glycine soja) as a potential alternative feed source. Comparative analyses examined the nutritional and anti-nutritional properties of G. max (cv. Qihuang34) and laboratory-preserved G. soja germplasm, together with their effects on larval growth performance, nutritional composition, and associated microbiota. G. soja leaves exhibited significantly higher crude fat (5.61% vs. 2.17%), ash (11.07% vs. 9.62%), neutral detergent fiber (23.75% vs. 21.00%), calcium (4.05 g/kg vs. 3.41 g/kg), and phosphorus (2.52 g/kg vs. 2.38 g/kg) than G. max, alongside lower trypsin inhibitor levels (P< 0.01) despite higher phytic acid content (P< 0.05). Fifth-instar larvae reared on G. soja leaves achieved a 12.9% increase in body weight (6.846 g vs. 6.066 g), higher crude protein (672.14 g/kg vs. 555.02 g/kg), total soluble sugar (21.27 mg/g vs. 8.96 mg/g), and soluble protein (26.35 mg/g vs. 24.71 mg/g), but lower crude fat (187.44 g/kg vs. 205.82 g/kg, P< 0.05). 16S rRNA sequencing revealed distinct phyllosphere microbial communities, with G. soja enriched in diverse taxa (e.g., Bacteroidota, Proteobacteria) and G. max dominated by Firmicutes. Corresponding differences were observed in larval gut microbiota, with positive correlation analyses suggesting potential microbe transfer from G. soja leaves to larval guts. Overall, G. soja represents a promising alternative feed for C. bilineata, reducing competition with soybean grain production and supporting sustainable insect farming.

In China, the substantial gap between domestic soybean supply and growing consumption necessitates large-scale soybean imports. The use of cultivated soybean (Glycine max) leaves as feed for the edible insect Clanis bilineata tsingtauica reduces crop yield, posing a threat to national soybean production security. To address this issue, this study evaluated wild soybean (Glycine soja) as a potential alternative feed source. Comparative analyses examined the nutritional and anti-nutritional properties of G. max (cv. Qihuang34) and a laboratory-preserved G. soja germplasm, together with their effects on larval growth performance, nutritional composition, and associated microbiota. G. soja leaves exhibited significantly higher crude fat (5.61% vs. 2.17%), ash (11.07% vs. 9.62%), neutral detergent fiber (23.75% vs. 21.00%), calcium (4.05 g/kg vs. 3.41 g/kg), and phosphorus (2.52 g/kg vs. 2.38 g/kg) than G. max leaves, along with lower trypsin inhibitor levels (p < 0.01) despite higher phytic acid content (p < 0.05). Fifth-instar larvae reared on G. soja leaves showed a 12.9% greater body weight (6.846 g vs. 6.066 g), higher crude protein (672.14 g/kg vs. 555.02 g/kg), total soluble sugar (21.27 mg/g vs. 8.96 mg/g), and soluble protein (26.35 mg/g vs. 24.71 mg/g), but lower crude fat (187.44 g/kg vs. 205.82 g/kg, p < 0.05). 16S rRNA sequencing revealed distinct phyllosphere microbial communities, with G. soja enriched in diverse taxa (e.g., Bacteroidota, Proteobacteria) and G. max dominated by Firmicutes. Corresponding differences were observed in larval gut microbiota, and positive correlations suggested potential microbial transfer from G. soja leaves to larval guts. Overall, G. soja represents a promising alternative feed source for C. bilineata, reducing competition with soybean grain production and supporting sustainable insect farming.