The genome of Chinese flowering cherry(Cerasus serrulata)provides new insights into Cerasus species

Cerasus serrulata is a flowering cherry germplasm resource for ornamental purposes.In this work,we present a de novo chromosome-scale genome assembly of C.serrulata by the use of Nanopore and Hi-C sequencing technologies.The assembled C.serrulata genome is 265.40 Mb across 304 contigs and 67 scaffolds,with a contig N50 of 1.56 Mb and a scaffold N50 of 31.12 Mb.It contains 29,094 coding genes,27,611(94.90%)of which are annotated in at least one functional database.Synteny analysis indicated that C.serrulata and C.avium have 333 syntenic blocks composed of 14,072 genes.Blocks on chromosome 01 of C.serrulata are distributed on all chromosomes of C.avium,implying that chromosome 01 is the most ancient or active of the chromosomes.The comparative genomic analysis confirmed that C.serrulata has 740 expanded gene families,1031 contracted gene families,and 228 rapidly evolving gene families.By the use of 656 single-copy orthologs,a phylogenetic tree composed of 10 species was constructed.The present C.serrulata species diverged from Prunus yedoensis~17.34 million years ago(Mya),while the divergence of C.serrulata and C.avium was estimated to have occurred∼21.44 Mya.In addition,a total of 148 MADS-box family gene members were identified in C.serrulata,accompanying the loss of the AGL32 subfamily and the expansion of the SVP subfamily.The MYB and WRKY gene families comprising 372 and 66 genes could be divided into seven and eight subfamilies in C.serrulata,respectively,based on clustering analysis.Nine hundred forty-one plant disease-resistance genes(R-genes)were detected by searching C.serrulata within the PRGdb.This research provides high-quality genomic information about C.serrulata as well as insights into the evolutionary history of Cerasus species.

The eff ects of temperature and host size on the development of Brachymeria lasus parasitising Hyphantria cunea

Brachymeria lasus Walker is a solitary endoparasitoid that attacks the pupae of a wide range of lepidopteran hosts,including an important invasive species,the fall webworm(Hyphantria cunea Drury).We studied the relationship between temperature and development of B.lasus from egg to adult hatching.The results show a decrease in parasitoid development time from 34.4 days at 18°C to 10.6 days at 32°C.The minimum threshold temperature of B.lasus was 13.2°C±1.7°C,and the eff ective accumulated temperature was 210.3±28.7 degree days.These results provide a basis for optimizing the production of this parasitoid.In addition,the eff ects of host size on off spring performance of B.lasus were investigated under laboratory conditions.Off spring longevity,size,and percentage of females were positively correlated with host size.Female off spring are larger and live longer than males.Furthermore,this research showed that parasitoid adults successfully emerged from approximately 27.9%of pupae.However,eclosion or hatching of H.cunea decreased dramatically,which may be due to damage caused by female B.lasus when testing hosts with their ovipositors or by feeding on them.The results suggest that B.lasus has the potential to become an effi cient natural enemy for controlling H.cunea.

The role of salicylic acid in plant flower development

Salicylic acid(SA),belonging to a family of naturally occurring phenolic compounds,is a crucial plant hormone involved in many biological processes,such as plant immunity,seed germination,root initiation,stomatal closure,and biotic/abiotic stress response.SA playing central roles in many metabolic processes have been extensively characterized.However,the function of SA in plant flower development has rarely been investigated.This paper reviews recent research advances on the roles of SA in flower development,including regulation of stamen development,flowering time,and ovarian development.This study provides multiple lines and levels of evidence substantiating that SA plays important roles in flower development,and suggests a pressing need to study the flower development-related functions of SA in both annual and perennial plants.

Biochar for future and futuristic biochar

Biochar,a close-to-natural product derived from renewable biomass resources,has proven to be a promising carbon-negative material for achieving sustainable development goals and improving the future well-being of ecosystems and human life.Over the past thousands of years,advances in biochar research could generally be divided into three stages:the historical application stage,the recognition and investigation stage,and the rapid engineered development and advancement stage.In this perspective,we describe the development history of biochar,discuss the features of futuristic biochar,and propose new research directions for biochar in the future.

Improvement of quality of Ginkgo biloba seeds powder by solid-state fermentation with Eurotium cristatum for developing high-value ginkgo seeds products

In this study,we investigated the feasibility of Ginkgo biloba seeds powder by solid-state fermen-tation with Eurotium cristatum for developing high-value ginkgo seeds products.The optimum fermentation medium was consisted of 10 g of 40-mesh ginkgo seeds powder loaded in 100 mL Erlenmeyer flask with 50%(w/w)of water content,4%(w/w)of MgSO_(4)and 5%(w/w)of KH_(2)PO_(4)addition.The optimum fermentation conditions were pH 5.0,2×10^(8)CFU/g of inoculum size,3 mL of sterilized water supplemented every two days during the four days of fermentation.Through fermentation,the spore number of E.cristatum was improved by about 36 times with the produc-tion of lovastatin reaching(54.10±0.16)μg/g.The antioxidant activity of fermented ginkgo seeds powder also got obvious enhancement,which could help eliminate excess free radicals produced by normal metabolism.The content of free amino acids increased by 82.32%.Except that the sugar was consumed in some degree,the other nutritional and functional components were well preserved while the content of detrimental ginkgolic acids was reduced by 44.97%.In addition,fermented ginkgo seeds powder possessed better digestibility and showed pleasant orange-like smelling.In conclusion,the quality of ginkgo seeds powder was remarkably improved through solid-state fermentation by using E.cristatum,which could be a promising way for functional applications of ginkgo seeds.

Octacosanol and health benefits:Biological functions and mechanisms of action

Octacosanol is a widely distributed natural higher aliphatic alcohol that can be isolated and purified from rice bran,sugarcane,beeswax,insect wax,etc.Octacosanol exerts various biological effects,including anti-fatigue,anti-hypoxia,antioxidant,anti-inflammatory,antitumor,etc.Meanwhile,it has the effects of regulating the body's immune function and energy metabolism and has potential benefits for cardiovascular disease,cerebrovascular disorders,diabetes,Parkinson's disease,and others.Octacosanol is primarily responsible for regulating multiple signaling pathways,such as AMPK,PI3K/Akt,and MAPK/NF-κB,to achieve different physiological functions.This review systemically summarized the progress in characterization,extraction and purification,biological functions,molecular mechanisms,and bioavailability of octacosanol.This study will provide a reference for many investigators to further explore the physiological functions of higher aliphatic alcohols and apply them as supplements in functional foods.

Effect of long-term fertilization on bacterial communities in wheat endosphere

Fertilization has been shown to exert a significant influence on soil microorganisms and directly and indirectly influences plant growth and survival in agroecosystems. However, it is unknown whether fertilization affects endophytic microbial communities, which are ubiquitous and intimately associated with plant growth and health. Herein, we investigated endophytic bacterial communities in wheat leaves and roots under different long-term fertilization regimes,including NPK chemical fertilizer and NPK chemical fertilizer combined with wheat straw, pig manure, or cow manure. Endophytic bacterial community composition considerably differed in leaves and roots. Although different fertilization treatments did not affect the endophytic bacterial species richness or phylogenetic diversity in either leaves or roots, the community composition was significantly altered, particularly in roots. The endophytic bacterial co-occurrence network in leaves was more complex and stable than that in roots. Furthermore, many of the keystone species that were identified by their topological positions in the co-occurrence networks of leaves and roots were involved in plant growth and fitness. The total relative abundance of keystone species was the highest in the NPK plus cow manure treatment in both leaves and roots. Overall, our results suggest that different fertilization regimes can strongly affect endophytic bacterial communities, and the combination of NPK fertilizer and cow manure promoted the relative abundance of the key endophytic bacterial microbiota in both leaves and roots, which might be beneficial for plants in agroecosystems.

Insights on mechanisms of aluminum phytotoxicity mitigation by canola straw biochars from different regions

To better understand the amendment effects and mechanisms of aluminum(Al(Ⅲ))phytotoxicity mitigation by differ-ent regional crop straw biochars,wheat seedling root elongation trials were conducted.The contributions of liming effect,oxygen-containing surface functional group adsorption,and oxyanions precipitation to Al(Ⅲ)phytotoxicity mitigation by Ca(OH)_(2),pristine and ash-free canola straw biochar were evaluated.The results indicated that biochars derived from canola straw collected from four different regions(Yingtan,Xuancheng,Nanjing,and Huaiyin)caused 22-70%wheat seedling root elongation,which might be linked to liming effect.Incorporation of the corresponding ash-free biochars caused 15-30%elongation,which could be attributed to the surface functional group adsorption.About 0-60%of changes could be explained by Al(Ⅲ)precipitation with inorganic oxyanions.These findings provide new insights into the physicochemical properties,potential applications,efficiencies,and underlying mechanisms of crop straw biochar in alleviating Al(Ⅲ)phytotoxicity,which is dependent on the cultivation soil,and indicate similar application of crop straw biochar for acidic soil amelioration,contaminated soil remediation,and arable soil improvement.

Photoactivation of peroxymonosulfate by wood pulp cellulose biochar/g-C_(3)N_(4)composite for diclofenac degradation:the radical and nonradical pathways

Metal-free photocatalysts have attracted growing concern recently.Herein,the composites combining g-C_(3)N_(4)with wood pulp cellulose biochar(WPBC/g-C_(3)N_(4))were synthesized to effectively activate peroxymonosulfate(PMS)under visible light for the degradation of diclofenac(DCF).The incorporation of WPBC endowed g-C_(3)N_(4)with enhanced visible light absorption,improved charge separation capability,reduced electrical conductivity,and increased photocatalytic and PMS activation capability.Based on quenching tests,electron paramagnetic resonance(EPR),electrochemical analysis and solvent exchange experiments,both radical and nonradical mechanisms were proposed.Radical species including·OH,h^(+),·O_(2)^(-)were identified to contribute to DCF degradation.The 1O2 and electron transfer were the dominant nonradical pathways for DCF degradation.Moreover,the common influencing factors were examined,and DCF concentration was the most influential factor based on principal component analysis.Generally,the composites exhibited good reusability during consecutive runs.Based on HPLC/MS analysis,four intermediates were detected and the possible DCF degradation pathway was proposed.This work provided a potential strategy based on metal-free WPBC/g-C_(3)N_(4)for the photocatalytic activation of PMS to effectively degrade emerging contaminants in wastewater.