Research progress and strategies for multifunctional rapeseed： A case study of China

Rapeseed(Brassicanapus),is an important source of edible oil,animal fodder,vegetables,condiments and biodiesel,and plays a significant role in securing edible oil production worldwide.However,in countries with comparatively low levels of agricultural mechanization,such as China,increasing costs of labor and agricultural inputs are decreasing rapeseed profitability,and hence the area of rapeseed under cultivation.If the value of rapeseed crops is not further increased,the rapeseed growing area will continue to decrease,potentially jeopardizing oil production.Therefore,full exploitation of the existing and potential value of rapeseed is desirable.Different rapeseed products are already utilized in different ways,with more applications currently underutilized.As well as oil extraction from the seeds,the shoot and leaves can be used as vegetables,the roots to absorb soil cadmium for pollution remediation,the flowers for sightseeing and as a source of nectar,the pollen for extracting flavonoids and useful amino acids,the seeds/seed meal for extracting isthiocyanates and other important sulforaphane compounds,the straw and seed meal for fodder,and immature whole plants for green manure.This review summarizes recent research on ways to explore the potential holistic value of rapeseed,by taking the example of multifunctionality of rapeseed in China.

Graphene oxide influences bacterial community and soil environments of Cd-polluted Haplic Cambisols in Northeast China

Graphene oxide(GO),a carbon nanomaterial that is widely used in the environment and other industries,may pose potential risks to ecosystems,especially the soil ecosystem.Some soils in Northeast China are frequently polluted with cadmium(Cd) metal.However,there is no study on the influence of GO on the Cd-contaminated soil microbial community and soil chemical properties.In this study,Cd(100 mg kg^(-1))-polluted soils were treated with different concentrations of GO(0,25,50,150,250,and 500 mg L^(-1),expressed as T1,T2,T3,T4,T5,and T6,respectively) for 40 days.The treatment without Cd pollution and GO served as the control(CK).Then,we investigated the influence of the GO concentrations on the bacterial community and chemical properties of Cd-polluted Haplic Cambisols,the zonal soil in Northeast China.After GO addition,the richness and diversity indexes of the bacterial community in Cd-contaminated Haplic Cambisols initially increased by 0.05-33.92% at 25 mg L^(-1),then decreased by0.07-2.37% at 50 mg L^(-1),and then increased by 0.01-24.37%within 500 mg L^(-1) again.The species and abundance of bacteria varied with GO concentration,and GO significantly increased bacterial growth at 25 and 250 mg L^(-1).GO treatments influenced the bacterial community structure,and the order of similarity of the bacterial community structure was as follows:T4=T5> T1=T6> T2> T3> CK.Proteobacteria and Acidobacteria were the dominant bacteria,accounting for 36.0% and 26.2%,respectively,of soil bacteria.Different GO treatments also significantly affected the metabolic function of bacteria and further influenced the diversity of the bacterial community structure by affecting several key soil chemical properties:soil pH,organic matter and available potassium,phosphorus,and cadmium.Our results provide a theoretical basis for scientific and comprehensive evaluation of the environmental impacts of GO on the zonal forest soils of Northeast China.

Research progress and mechanism of nanomaterials-mediated in-situ remediation of cadmium-contaminated soil:A critical review

Cadmium contamination of soil is a global issue and in-situ remediation technology as a promising mitigation strategy has attracted more and more attention.Many nanomaterials have been applied for the in-situ remediation of cadmium-contaminated soil due to their excellent properties of the nano-scale size effect.In this work,recent research progress of various nanomaterials,including carbon nanomaterials,metal-based nanomaterials and nano mineral materials,in the removal of cadmium and in-situ remediation of cadmiumcontaminated soil were systematically discussed.Additional emphases were particularly laid on both laboratory and field restoration effects.Moreover,the factors which can affect the stability of cadmium,main interaction mechanisms between nanomaterials and cadmium in the soil,and potential future research direction were also provided.Therefore,it is believed that this work will ultimately contribute to the myriad of environmental cleanup advances,and further improve human health and sustainable development.

Spatio-temporal variation prediction on Cd content in the rice grains from Northern Zhejiang Plain during 2014–2019 based on high-precision soil geochemical data

In recent years,Cadmium(Cd)pollution has been found in many soil geochemical surveys in Northern Zhejiang Plain,a crucial rice production area in East China,located in the lower Yangtze River.To more scientifically predict the effect of soil Cd on rice safety,data including 348 local rhizosphere soil-rice samples obtained in 2014 were used in this study.Meanwhile,we extracted 90% of random samples as variables based on soil Cd content(Cd_(soil)),soil organic matter(SOM),pH,and other indicators.In addition,a multivariate linear model for rice Cd content(Cd_(rice))prediction based on the indicators including the soil Cd content(Cd_(soil)),the soil organic matter(SOM),and the pH value.The remaining 10%of random samples were used for the significance test.Based on the 2014 soil Cd content(Cd_(soil14))and the 2019 soil Cd content(Cd_(soil19)),this study predicted Cd content in 2019 rice grains(Cd_(p-rice19)).The spatio-temporal variation of Cdrice was contrasted in the five years from 2014 to 2019,and the risk areas of rice safety production were analyzed using the Geographical Information System(GIS).The results indicated that compared with the actual Cd content in 2014 rice grains(Cdrice14),the proportion of Cd_(p-rice19),which exceeded the standard food level in China(GB2762-2017),increased dramatically.Moreover,the high-value areas of Cdrice distributed greatly coincidentally in these two years.By contrast,both Cdrice and Cdsoil show very different spatial scales.The dominant reason is the distribution of the local canal systems,indicating that economic activities and agricultural irrigation may aggravate the risk of soil Cd pollution,thus threatening safe rice production.

Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi inoculation and exogenous indole-3-acetic acid application induce antioxidant defense response to alleviate cadmium toxicity in Broussonetia papyrifera

Cadmium(Cd)contamination in soil poses a huge threat to plants even at low concentrations;Broussonetia papyrifera has great potential in remediation of soil heavy metal contamination.However,whether exogenous indole-3-acetic acid(IAA)application and arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi(AMF)have synergistic effects on Cd tolerance of B.papyrifera remains unclear.To investigate the effects of AMF inoculation and IAA application on the tolerance of B.papyrifera to Cd stress,two experiments were conducted:the first to investigate the effect of AMF(Rhizophagus irregularis)inoculation on the tolerance of B.papyrifera to Cd stress and the second to investigate the combined effects of AMF inoculation and IAA application on the tolerance of B.papyrifera to Cd stress.Parameters including endogenous hormone concentration,antioxidant defense response,malondialdehyde(MDA)content,and gene expression related to antioxidant enzyme system and hormone were measured.The results indicated that AMF alleviated Cd toxicity of B.papyrifera by reducing MDA content and improving antioxidant enzyme activities and Cd absorption capacity.Furthermore,the combination of AMF inoculation and IAA application had a synergetic effect on the tolerance of B.papyrifera to Cd stress through upregulating BpAUX1 and BpAUX2,which might contribute to root growth and root xylem synthesis,and by upregulating BpSOD2 and BpPOD34 to enhance the antioxidant enzyme system.This work provides a new insight into the application of IAA in the remediation of soil Cd pollution by mycorrhizal plants.