The rhizosphere microbiome is crucial for plant growth and stress resilience in sustainable horticulture. Here, we report the complete genome assembly and functional characterisation of Rhizobium anhuiense Xianghu001, a nitrogen‐fixing symbiont isolated from pea ( Pisum sativum ) root nodules. A hybrid assembly strategy combining PacBio reads and Illumina reads yielded a 7.36 Mb high‐quality assembly comprising one chromosome, one megaplasmid and four accessory plasmids, encoding 6899 protein‐coding genes, of which 66.64% are located on the chromosome. Phylogenomics and synteny confirmed its placement within R. anhuiense . We detected a lineage‐specific plasmid fusion forming the megaplasmid, while three accessory plasmids appear to be strain‐specific and potentially acquired via horizontal gene transfer. Insertion sequence profiling suggests genome rearrangement shaping plasmid structure. To explore intraspecies diversity, we sequenced six additional local R. anhuiense isolates from pea. Despite their close geographic origin, genomic comparison revealed extensive divergence. Phenotypic assays demonstrated that Xianghu001 significantly promotes pea growth under nitrogen‐deficient conditions, increasing chlorophyll content and nitrogen accumulation. It synthesises high levels of IAA (~184 mg/L), tolerates mild salinity (≤ 0.15% NaCl) and grows optimally at alkaline pH (8.0–10.0). Our findings provide a comprehensive genomic and functional framework for R. anhuiense Xianghu001 and underscore its potential as a biofertiliser.

Soybean (Glycine max [L.]) is a crucial agricultural crop that provides essential edible oil and protein and serves as a major component of animal feed. Zhejiang Province, with its long history of soybean cultivation, harbors rich and diverse soybean landrace germplasm in China. However, the genetic diversity and agronomic traits of soybean germplasm from Zhejiang have not been comprehensively characterized. In this study, we performed whole-genome sequencing of 295 soybean accessions collected from Zhejiang Province and integrated them with 678 publicly available accessions from diverse geographic regions, generating a panel of 973 accessions for population genetic analyses, which resolved the soybean germplasm into five distinct subgroups. A total of 28 agronomic traits were evaluated across a 2-year field evaluation, and a genome-wide association study was conducted using the 295 Zhejiang accessions. We identified 81 significant association signals across 11 traits, highlighting the complex genetic architecture underlying soybean agronomic performance. Notably, a locus on chromosome 12 (Chr12: 11,377,431–11,380,821) showed a strong association with flowering time, with GmATPAF1 proposed as a candidate gene. In addition, a locus on chromosome 15 (Chr15: 48,884,892–48,897,351) was associated with plant height under salt stress, implicating GmLRR1 as a gene involved in stress response. Overall, these results provide new insights into the genetic diversity, population structure, and genetic basis of key agronomic traits in Zhejiang soybean landraces and establish a valuable genomic resource for future soybean breeding and genetic improvement.

Pea root rot is a major soil-borne disease that threatens global pea production. In this study, diseased pea root samples were collected from Zhejiang Province for pathogen isolation and identification. The mycelial growth rate method was used to evaluate the sensitivity of the pathogens to different fungicides, and transcriptome analysis was performed to investigate the response mechanisms underlying pea root responses to pathogen infection. A total of eight fungal pathogens were identified, including Fusarium solani, F. commune, F. oxysporum, F. proliferatum, F. tricinctum, F. andiyazi, Alternaria alternata, and Didymella pinodella. Among them, F. solani and F. commune were the dominant pathogens. Both pathogens showed high sensitivity to prochloraz, with EC₅₀ values of 0.051 and 0.030 mg·L⁻¹, respectively. Transcriptome sequencing revealed that peas respond to pathogen infection through pathways related to secondary metabolism and plant hormone signal transduction. Furthermore, 14 candidate genes potentially involved in resistance to pea root rot were screened.