Yongxia Jia

In this study, bacterial α-diversity, represented by Chao1 richness and Shannon diversity, was quantified and mapped across the acidic red and yellow soils of southern China by integrating a comprehensive meta-database of 920 georeferenced observations with multi-source environmental data and machine-learning models. Chao1 and Shannon were modeled using Random Forest, eXtreme Gradient Boosting, and Support Vector Machine algorithms. Among these, Random Forest consistently achieved the highest predictive accuracy and robustness (R² > 0.83). SHapley Additive exPlanations (SHAP) analysis revealed that soil pH acted as the fundamental filter for both diversity dimensions, while they were further shaped by distinct environmental controls. The Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) negatively constrained species richness, reflecting the prevalence of intensively managed monoculture systems in this region, whereas temperature exerted a strong negative control on community evenness. Spatial predictions showed pronounced regional contrasts among the Southwest, Middle–Lower Yangtze, and Southern China agricultural zones, with uncertainty patterns closely linked to terrain complexity and data density. The results demonstrate that bacterial richness and evenness respond to distinct yet interacting environmental controls, highlighting the necessity of multidimensional diversity assessment. This study provides a scalable and interpretable framework for digital soil mapping of microbial diversity, offering spatially explicit insights for managing acid-sensitive agroecosystems under environmental change.

In recent years, high temperature and drought have severely impacted the growth and development of loquat [Eriobotrya japonica (Thunb.) Lindl.] plants. Although dopamine can improve the stress resistance of plants, its role in combined stress requires further exploration. This study investigated the alleviative effect and mechanism of exogenous dopamine on loquat seedlings subjected to the combined stress of high temperature and drought. The combined stress significantly reduced root viability, photosynthetic pigment content, and net photosynthetic rate (Pn) while markedly increasing reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels, thiobarbituric acid-reactive substances (TBARS) content, and electrolyte leakage (EL). The seedlings exhibited pronounced wilting symptoms, along with markedly reduced root surface area and volume. Dopamine treatment significantly alleviated combined stress-induced damage. This mitigation was manifested through substantially enhanced root viability, photosynthetic pigment content, Pn, antioxidant enzyme activities, and osmotic adjustment substances concomitantly with marked reductions in ROS, TBARS content, and EL. Dopamine significantly reduced seedling wilting severity and improved root morphological parameters. This study demonstrates that dopamine enhances loquat seedlings’ tolerance to combined stress through coordinated mechanisms: maintaining photosynthetic pigments and improving stomatal conductance to sustain photosynthetic efficiency, enhancing antioxidant enzyme activity and ROS scavenging capacity to mitigate oxidative damage, and promoting osmotic solute accumulation for osmotic potential regulation.

Low temperature (LT) restricts the growth and development of pitaya, therefore mitigating these detrimental LT-induced effects is of significant agricultural and economic importance in subtropical regions. This study investigated the effects of exogenous salicylic acid (SA, 2 mM) on the antioxidant system, fatty acid components, degree of unsaturation, and fatty acid desaturases (FADs) gene expression in pitaya seedlings (‘Taiwan No. 6’) under LT stress. LT stress increased reactive oxygen species (ROS), malondialdehyde (MDA), and relative electrical conductivity (REC), causing visible chilling injury (CI = 0.63). Crucially, LT also elevated saturated fatty acids (C12:0, C16:0, C18:0, C22:0) and decreased unsaturated fatty acids (C16:1, C18:2). This reduced the unsaturation ratio (UFA/SFA) and double bond index (DBI), compromising membrane stability and increasing permeability. However, SA application effectively mitigated these effects. SA improved peroxidase (POD) and catalase (CAT) activities, scavenging ROS and preventing oxidative damage. Crucially, SA upregulated the expression of genes encoding stearoyl-ACP desaturase (SAD) and fatty acid desaturases (FAD) enzymes, such as HuSAD2, HuFAD2, HuFAD4, HuFAD6. Consequently, SA increased unsaturated fatty acid proportions (C16:1, C18:2), UFA/SFA, and DBI. This restored membrane stability and integrity, lowered MDA, REC, and markedly reduced CI (to 0.38). This study demonstrates, for the first time in pitaya, that exogenous SA enhances cold resistance by activating antioxidant systems and regulating HuSADs and HuFADs gene expression to maintain membrane fatty acid unsaturation.

The co-application of biochar, plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR), and phosphorus- and potassium-bearing minerals has emerged as a promising strategy for improving soil nutrient availability. However, the synergistic effects and impact factors that facilitate this optimization are yet to be fully elucidated. To address this knowledge gap, we conducted a pot experiment to evaluate the effects of these amendments on tea yield and phosphorus (P)/potassium (K) availability, while employing Random Forest (RF) and Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) to reveal the underlying mechanisms driving these improvements. The results demonstrated that the tripartite combination significantly enhanced tea yield, leaf P/K concentrations, and soil available P (AP)/available K (AK) levels compared to individual applications or pairwise combinations. Analytical modeling identified Chloroflexi bacteria containing pqqc functional genes as key drivers of AP enhancement. The AP was further modulated by β-glucosidase activity, NaHCO₃-P, and AK levels. Critical determinants of AK dynamics included phosphorus-solubilizing bacterial populations, catalase activity, and fundamental soil chemical properties. In summary, our research conclusively shows that the co-application of phosphorus- and potassium-bearing minerals, PGPR, and biochar represents an effective approach to enhancing P and K accessibility in soil, thereby offering a viable alternative to conventional P and K fertilizers in tea cultivation.

In this paper, hyperaccumulator straw (Solanum nigrum L., Amaranthus chinense L., and Siegesbeckia orientalis L.) and phosphate rock powder were selected as materials, a pot experiment was used to study the effects of three compounding modifiers on the growth, nutritional quality and cadmium (Cd) content of Chinese cabbage. The results showed that: (1) The combination of Siegesbeckia orientalis + phosphate rock powder can significantly promote the growth of Chinese cabbage, while Solanum nigrum + phosphate rock powder and Amaranthus chinense + phosphate rock powder have no effect on the growth of Chinese cabbage. (2) The combination of Solanum nigrum and phosphate rock powder increased the content of soluble sugar, soluble protein and VC in shoots of Chinese cabbage by 64.33%, 16.27% and 2.2%, respectively, and the nitrite content decreased by 34.58%, which improved the quality of Chinese cabbage. (3) Different compounding modifiers can significantly reduce the Cd content in shoots of Chinese cabbage, and the reduction of Solanum nigrum + phosphate rock powder is the largest, reaching 61.29%. In conclusion, all three modifiers can improve the nutritional quality and reduce the Cd content in the shoots of Chinese cabbage, and Solanum nigrum + phosphate rock powder has the best effect.

Soil culture experiments were carried out to study the effects of the mixture of Amaranthus chinense L. straw and phosphate rock on soil pH, available phosphorus (AP), available potassium (AK) and DTPA-Cd content in Cd polluted soil. The results showed that: (1) 2% phosphate rock powder combined with 1%, 2%, 3% of Amaranthus chinense L. straw can significantly increase soil pH, AP and AK content. Compared with CK, pH was increased by 0.42~0.56, 0.53~0.70 and 0.47~0.73 units, respectively, and AP was increased by 19.03%~32.62%, 14.91%~43.63% and 18.88%~58.01%, respectively, and AK was increased by 201.46%~234.66%, 210.5%~266.56% and 184.07%~224.98%, respectively. (2) The DTPA-Cd content in soil decreased significantly after adding three different ratios of compound materials, which were 1.75%~9.01%, 2.86%~10.02% and 0.98%~8.7% lower than CK, respectively. In summary, the mixture of 1% Amaranthus chinense L. straw and 2% phosphate rock powder had the best passivation effect on Cd.

Soil culture experiments were carried out to study the effects of the mixture of cadmium (Cd) hyperaccumulator straw (Solanum nigrum L., Amaranthus chinense L., and Siegesbeckia orientalis L.) and phosphate rock on soil pH, available Cd content and soil nutrients in Cd polluted soil. The results showed that: (1) The soil pH was increased to a certain extent by three kinds of compound materials. (2) The contents of available potassium (AK) and available phosphorus (AP) in soil were increased to a certain extent by the three compounding materials, but there was no significant effect on total nitrogen (TN). And 2% phosphate rock powder and 1% Amaranthus chinense L. had the greatest increase in AP, reaching 49.28%, and 2% phosphate rock powder and 1% Siegesbeckia orientalis L. had the greatest increase in AK, reaching 136.23%. (3) The available Cd content in soil was reduced by three kinds of compound materials. The decrease of available Cd was the greatest in 2% phosphate rock powder and 1% Solanum nigrum L. straw mixed, which was 12.71%. In summary, the combination of Cd hyperaccumulator straw and phosphate rock powder can effectively passivate Cd in soil and improve soil nutrient content, and 2% phosphate rock powder and 1% Solanum nigrum L. straw are the best.