Abscisic acid (ABA), a pivotal phytohormone regulating plant growth and stress adaptation, orchestrates abiotic stress responses through the ABA-responsive element-binding factors ABF/AREB/ABI5. Nevertheless, the functional characterization of ABF/AREB/ABI5 homologs in Z. jujuba cv. Dongzao remains unexplored. In this study, we identified seven ZjABF genes distributed across five chromosomes. Domain analyses revealed high structural conservation, particularly within the basic leucine zipper (bZIP) DNA-binding domain. Subcellular localization confirmed nuclear targeting of all seven ZjABF proteins. Phylogenetic classification resolved these factors into three clades (A–C). Cis-regulatory element profiling implicated the involvement of the ZjABFs in hormone signaling, abiotic stress transduction, and photoregulatory pathways. Synteny analyses identified three segmental duplication events within the gene family. Tissue-specific expression patterns indicated critical roles for ZjABF2 and ZjABF3 in fruit maturation, and most of the ABF/AREB/ABI5 genes were highly expressed in the root. Under drought stress, four ZjABF genes exhibited differential expression, with ZjABF2 demonstrating pronounced sensitivity. These findings establish a molecular framework for understanding ZjABF-mediated abiotic stress responses in non-model woody perennials.

In this study, we aimed to isolate indigenous plant-growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) with high indole-3-acetic acid (IAA)-producing capacity from alfalfa rhizospheres in arid regions of Northwest China and systematically evaluate their bioacceleration effects on alfalfa growth. Fifteen bacterial strains were isolated from rhizosphere soils collected in Ningxia and Inner Mongolia. Among them, four high-IAA-producing strains were selected and identified as Brevundimonas sp. B3, Pantoea sp. P10, and Microbacterium sp. M1 and M7 based on 16S rDNA sequencing. Pot experiments showed strain-specific growth-promoting effects: P10 significantly increased plant biomass (increasing fresh weight by 10.04% and dry weight by 11.76%, with p < 0.05), while M7 notably enhanced plant height (by 16.48%, with p < 0.05) and branching. Physiological and cytological analyses revealed that the tested strains improved chlorophyll content (30–45% above the control), reduced malondialdehyde (MDA) levels (20–40% below the control), and differentially regulated root-tip cell elongation. Principal component analysis further supported the comprehensive promotive effects of these strains, with P10 exhibiting the highest overall performance (PC1–PC4 cumulative variance: 83.1%). Within the limitations of controlled pot experiments, these findings highlight the potential of native PGPR strains, particularly P10 and M7, as promising candidates for developing region-specific microbial inoculants with which to enhance alfalfa productivity in arid and semi-arid environments.

Lycium barbarum L. is a characteristic agricultural crop in Ningxia. Powdery mildew is a serious fungal disease affecting Lycium barbarum. Resistance analysis of Lycium barbarum varieties is rarely reported, and comparative information on field resistance and associated anatomical and physiological responses remains limited. This study evaluated powdery mildew resistance in 26 Lycium barbarum germplasm accessions under natural field conditions over two years, compared leaf anatomical traits in eight representative accessions, and characterized early physiological responses in the genotype Ningqi-1 after inoculation. Based on the two-year mean disease index (DI), the 26 accessions were assigned to four descriptive resistance categories. Four sigmoidal equations were fitted to the observed disease-progress data; these equations were used only as descriptive curves and were not treated as independently validated predictive models. Across the eight representative accessions, the 2021 DI was negatively correlated with the number of palisade tissue layers, palisade tissue thickness, and leaf compactness, but positively correlated with spongy tissue thickness (two-tailed Pearson correlation, n = 8). In Ningqi-1, inoculation induced time-dependent changes in antioxidant-enzyme activities, malondialdehyde content, defense-related enzyme activities, lignin content, soluble protein content, and soluble sugar content during the first 48 h. The increase in malondialdehyde content suggested enhanced membrane lipid peroxidation during infection, which may reflect oxidative stress associated with powdery mildew infection. Overall, this study characterized field disease responses, candidate anatomical traits associated with DI, and early physiological responses in Ningqi-1. These findings provide preliminary information for future resistance screening, but validation in larger germplasm populations and under controlled inoculation conditions is still required.

DNA methylation is one of the earliest and most extensively studied epigenetic regulatory mechanisms. The ROS1 (Repressor of Silencing 1) gene was first discovered in Arabidopsis thaliana, and it is a DNA demethylase that can remove 5-methylcytosine from DNA, thereby affecting DNA methylation levels and gene expression. Objectives: The objective of this study was to investigate the role of ROS1 in the development and maturation of Ziziphus jujuba cv. “Dongzao” fruit. Methods: We cloned the ROS1 gene and conducted bioinformatics and expression characteristics analyses on it. Results: Three ROS1 genes, named ZjROS1-1~3, was identified, and each member protein was localized in the nucleus, cytoskeleton, chloroplast, and vacuole. The promoter contained cis-elements such as light response, plant hormone signal transduction, and stress response cis-elements, and it interacted with many proteins such as CMT, MET, and ZDP. The results of the real-time fluorescence quantitative PCR show that ZjROS1 has specific expression patterns in different tissues of Z. jujuba cv. Dongzao, and the expression of ZjROS1-2 in flowers and fruits is high. At the same time, CRISPR/Cas9 technology was used to construct a gene-editing vector for ZjROS1, which provided a basis for the subsequent genetic transformation. Conclusions: In this study, the biological function of ZjROS1 was clarified and a gene-editing vector was constructed, which provided a theoretical basis for the regulation mechanism of demethylase ZjROS1 in the fruit ripening and development of Z. jujuba cv. Dongzao.

Powdery mildew severely constrains the production of Lycium barbarum L., yet the molecular mechanisms underlying its response to infection remain poorly understood. Here, ‘Ningqi-1’ plants were inoculated with the powdery mildew pathogen and sampled at 0, 12, 24, and 48 hpi for integrated transcriptomic, proteomic, and metabolomic analyses. Quantitative PCR and CRISPR/Cas9-mediated gene editing were further used to evaluate the candidate susceptibility gene LbMLO6. Infection induced extensive molecular reprogramming, yielding 1299 differentially expressed genes with sustained changes, 75 DAPs shared across all three time points, and 127 shared differentially accumulated metabolites. These molecules were mainly enriched in plant–pathogen interaction, plant hormone signal transduction, MAPK signaling, phenylpropanoid biosynthesis, and α-linolenic acid metabolism pathways, suggesting coordinated roles for Ca²⁺ signaling, reactive oxygen species, defense-related proteins, and secondary metabolism in the host response. Integrated multi-omics analysis identified LbMLO6 as a candidate gene associated with powdery mildew susceptibility, its expression was markedly induced from 24 hpi onward. CRISPR/Cas9-edited LbMLO6 lines showed reduced fungal development compared with the control, particularly during the early stages of infection. These findings provide preliminary evidence that LbMLO6 may be associated with powdery mildew susceptibility in L. barbarum.

This study evaluated the fruit quality of 12 apple cultivars grafted onto the cold-resistant dwarfing interstock SH40 in the arid region of Lingwu, Ningxia, to identify well-adapted varieties for local production. A total of 21 indicators were measured, encompassing three major aspects: external quality (e.g., fruit size, shape index, peel color), internal flavor (e.g., soluble solids, soluble sugars, titratable acids, vitamin C content), and textural attributes (e.g., hardness, crispness, chewiness), and data were analyzed using principal component analysis and membership function methodology. The cultivars exhibited distinct quality profiles under identical management: ‘Red General’ performed well in fruit size, weight, and sugar–acid balance; ‘Yanfu 6’ showed the highest firmness and crispness; ‘Shengli’ had the greatest soluble solids content; and ‘Granny Smith’ was richest in vitamin C. Four principal components were extracted, explaining 80.06% of the total variance and simplifying the quality evaluation system. Based on the comprehensive membership function scores, ‘Red General’, ‘White Winter Pearmain’, and ‘Huashuo’ ranked highest in overall fruit quality. In conclusion, these three cultivars perform excellently on SH40 and are recommended for promotion, whereas ‘Red Delicious’ is not recommended due to poor performance. These findings offer a practical reference for selecting apple cultivars paired with SH40 in similar arid regions.