Cadmium (Cd) is a toxic trace metal that has polluted 20% of agricultural land in China where its concentration exceeds the standards for Chinese farmland. Plants are capable of accumulating Cd and other trace metals, but this capacity varies with species and cultivars within a species. Rice is a staple food consumed by half of the global population. In order to select safe late rice cultivars that are suitable late rice cultivars that can be cultivated in for growing in slightly contaminated soil, a two-year field experiment was conducted with 27 in the first year and 9 late rice cultivars in the second year. The results showed that plant Cd concentrations varied among the cultivars, with high magnitudes of variation occurred in straw and grains. Five genotypes including LR-12, LR-17, LR-24, LR-25 and LR-26 were identified as low accumulators for the first year while LR-15 and LR-17 were identified as promising cultivars based on Cd concentration in the polished rice grains (<0.02 mg kg⁻¹ DW). In addition, these cultivars had favorable traits, including mineral nutrition and grain yield. Therefore, these genotypes should be considered for cultivation in slightly or moderately Cd contaminated soils.

Selenium (Se) biofortification represents a critical strategy for addressing micronutrient deficiency while enhancing fruit nutritional quality. This study investigated foliar applications of Se and Si nanoparticles (NPs) for peach Se biofortification and quality enhancement. Se NPs (95.2 nm) were synthesized and characterized using SEM, EDS, and FTIR analyses. Six treatments were applied: control (Ck), SeNPs-5, SeNPs-10, SiNPs-10, Se5Si10, and Se10Si10. SeNPs-10 achieved maximum Se biofortification (0.47 mg kg⁻¹), representing 5.4-fold increases over controls, with 85% organic Se accumulation. Combined treatments demonstrated synergistic effects on multiple quality parameters. Se5Si10 led to the highest antioxidant enzyme activities (peroxidase: 2254 U g⁻¹, catalase: 61.7 U g⁻¹) and phenolic compound enhancement (chlorogenic acid: 267 mg kg⁻¹, total phenolics: 12.8 mg GAE g⁻¹). Flavonoid biosynthesis was optimized with Se10Si10 achieving maximum rutin accumulation (53.9 mg kg⁻¹) and ascorbic acid content (60.7 mg/100 g). Physical quality improvements included enhanced firmness (100.9 N cm⁻²) and sugar accumulation (14.1% soluble solids). Combined treatments reduced oxidative stress markers (MDA: 22.11 μmol g⁻¹) while enhancing protein metabolism. These findings demonstrate that Se-Si nanoparticle combinations showed optimal biofortification with synergistic quality enhancement, establishing effective strategies for nutritionally enriched peach production.

Peach fruit quality—including sweetness, firmness, and nutritional value—is strongly determined by mineral nutrition, yet limited soil availability of calcium (Ca) and magnesium (Mg) under production activities often constrains high-quality fruit formation in juicy peach production. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of foliar application of Ca and Mg on leaf nutrient status and fruit quality in peach (Prunus persica L. Batsch). Seven treatments were established, including 0.1% (T1), 0.2% (T2), and 0.3% (T3) CaCl₂ solutions, 0.1% (T4), 0.2% (T5), and 0.3% (T6) MgSO₄ solutions, and a water-sprayed control (CK). All treatments were applied during the fruit development stage, and RNA sequencing analysis was performed on the highest-concentration MgSO₄ treatment group. The results of this study showed that high-concentration treatments (0.3% CaCl₂, T3; 0.3% MgSO₄, T6) significantly increased leaf chlorophyll and Ca/Mg accumulation relative to CK. For Ca treatments, T3 significantly increased sucrose content, whereas T2 enhanced glucose accumulation and total phenolic content, indicating that appropriate CaCl₂ supplementation may improve fruit quality through regulation of carbohydrate metabolism and antioxidant responses. T6 produced the greatest gains in soluble sugars, soluble solids, vitamin C, and antioxidant capacity, indicating a close link between leaf Mg status and carbohydrate accumulation. Transcriptomic analysis of peach leaves further revealed that Mg supplementation modulated genes involved in starch and sucrose metabolism, contributing to sugar accumulation. This study revealed that foliar application of 0.3% MgSO₄ offers an effective strategy for improving peach fruit quality.

Integrated waste management through vermicomposting combined with biochar amendments represents an innovative approach for sustainable resource recovery. This study evaluated the effects of sugarcane bagasse biochar (SBB) at 0%, 5%, and 10% application rates on Eisenia fetida performance and vermicompost quality during preincubation-vermicomposting of sewage sludge and press-mud mixtures. The 10% SBB treatment significantly (p < 0.05) enhanced earthworm biomass (72.3% increase) and cocoon production (24.8 ± 1.8 per earthworm vs. 12.3 ± 1.2 in control). Lignocellulosic degradation improved substantially, achieving 22.6%, 10.7%, and 38.8% degradation for cellulose, hemicellulose, and lignin, respectively. Macronutrient concentrations increased significantly: TN by 38.4%, TP by 15%, and TK by 21.4% compared to initial mixtures. Moreover, total heavy metal concentrations decreased significantly during vermicomposting, with reductions of 8.1–8.7% for Pb, 5.3–7.6% for Cd, and 3.0–4.8% for Cr, with reduced bioavailability factors indicating enhanced metal stabilization. The final vermicompost exhibited optimal maturity indices, including a C:N ratio of 15.4 ± 0.2 and improved electrical conductivity. Results demonstrate that 10% sugarcane bagasse biochar amendment facilitates efficient concurrent management of sewage sludge and sugarcane industrial wastes while producing high-quality organic fertilizer with enhanced nutrient content, reduced heavy metal bioavailability, and accelerated stabilization for sustainable agricultural/horticultural applications.

Magnesium (Mg) deficiency is common in acidic orchard soils and can limit fruit crop growth and quality. This study evaluated whether foliar-applied magnesium oxide nanoparticles (MgO NPs) could improve Mg nutrition and fruit quality in ‘Ninghaibai’ loquat grown under Mg-deficient acidic soil conditions. Pot and field experiments were conducted using water as the control and MgSO₄-50eq as an equimolar Mg comparator. MgO NPs showed a concentration-dependent effect, and 200 mg/L produced the best overall performance among the tested concentrations. At this concentration, total biomass increased by 47.27%, compared with CK, accompanied by enhanced chlorophyll accumulation, antioxidant enzyme activities, and Mg uptake. In fruit, 200 mg/L MgO NPs increased soluble solids content by 45.67% and reduced titratable acidity by 53.26%, while also improving fruit size and sugar–acid balance. Leaf transcriptome analysis suggested that MgO NPs altered the expression of genes involved in metabolism, stress response, and secondary metabolite biosynthesis. At the 50 mg/L level, MgO NPs produced stronger responses than the equimolar MgSO₄ treatment in Mg uptake, nutrient acquisition, and several fruit-quality traits. However, excessive application at 500 mg/L weakened growth and quality improvement. Overall, foliar application of 200 mg/L MgO NPs may represent a promising strategy for improving loquat growth and fruit quality under the tested Mg-deficient conditions.