Liyang Wang

Phosphorus (P) and water are essential but often spatially mismatched resources in agricultural soils, limiting plant growth and nutrient uptake efficiency. Their low mobility and uneven distribution in the soil profile necessitate strategies that optimize their use, particularly through targeted management at the root‐soil interface. A split‐root experiment comprising six distinct combinations of P and water was conducted to assess how their spatial coordination influences maize ( Zea mays L.) growth, P uptake, and root development. Maize roots exhibit strong plasticity in response to spatial heterogeneity, preferentially proliferating in zones with simultaneous P and water availability. The co‐localized treatment (CWP) significantly increased total root length (TRL) and surface area by up to 189% and 208%, respectively, compared to treatments with P or water applied alone. Shoot biomass and shoot P content under the CWP treatment were also markedly enhanced, achieving levels comparable to those in the high‐input control despite a 50% reduction in P inputs. Additionally, root diameter analysis revealed a higher proportion of fine roots (< 0.2 mm) in P‐ and water‐enriched patches, indicating enhanced root foraging capacity. Phosphorus uptake per unit root length was also maximized under CWP treatment, matching levels observed in uniformly high P and water treatments, despite using half the inputs. Correlation analyses further confirmed positive relationships between TRL, shoot P content, and shoot biomass. These findings highlight the synergistic role of spatially coupled P and water supply in optimizing root/rhizosphere efficiency and maximizing nutrient acquisition. The study underscores the potential of precision nutrient‐water placement strategies to enhance agricultural sustainability by improving input efficiency and crop performance under variable soil conditions.

Saline-alkali stress restricts crop yield by disrupting nutrient and water uptake, ionic balance, and oxidative homeostasis. Although myo-inositol enhances tolerance to abiotic stress, its role in sugar beet (Beta vulgaris L.) under saline-alkali conditions remains unclear. To investigate the effects of exogenous myo-inositol on sugar beet growth under saline-alkali soils, a pot experiment was conducted using six myo-inositol concentrations (0, 0.2, 0.4, 0.6, 0.8, and 1.0 g L⁻¹). Myo-inositol significantly influenced plant performance in a concentration-dependent manner. The 0.6 g L⁻¹ treatment produced the highest shoot and root fresh and dry weights, nearly doubling shoot biomass compared with the control. Shoot N and P contents increased markedly at 0.6 g L⁻¹, while their concentrations remained relatively stable, indicating biomass-driven nutrient accumulation. Myo-inositol reduced Na accumulation while maintaining stable K, Ca, and Mg concentrations, thereby improving ionic balance. Antioxidant capacity was enhanced, with superoxide dismutase and catalase activities significantly elevated. Root total length and surface area increased substantially, whereas specific root length and surface area decreased, suggesting improved root morphological development. Soil alkaline phosphatase activity was also stimulated at higher myo-inositol treatments. Overall, moderate myo-inositol application (with regression analysis indicating an optimum of approximately 0.56 g L⁻¹) improved sugar beet growth through enhanced nutrient acquisition, ionic balance, antioxidant capacity, and root development, offering practical insights for its use as a growth regulator in saline-alkali crop production.

Root foraging is affected by fertilization and neighbouring plants, but how these two drivers affect interspecies interactions and regulate plant growth is poorly understood. The present study explores how phosphate type and neighbouring species influence maize root foraging behavior and phosphorus (P) acquisition. A pot experiment was conducted with three phosphate types [rock phosphate (RP), superphosphate (SSP) and potassium dihydrogen phosphate (KP)] and maize grown alone (single maize) or with maize (maize/maize), faba bean (maize/faba bean) or alfalfa (maize/alfalfa). Alfalfa improved maize P uptake and shoot biomass, with a pronounced facilitative effect in treatment with low-solubility P sources (RP, SSP), as evidenced by the positive relative interaction intensity (RII) values. By contrast, faba bean demonstrated competitive root interactions, especially under SSP supply, reducing the biomass of target maize. Lower biomass and P uptake, higher acid phosphatase activity and thin roots of alfalfa enhanced P mobilization, mitigating interspecific competition. Although faba bean secreted large amounts of carboxylates to the rhizosphere, its strong root growth and shoot biomass require large amounts of P, leading to competition with maize. Phosphate bioavailability further shaped interspecific dynamics, with RP and SSP promoting facilitation in maize/alfalfa and competition in maize/maize and maize/faba bean, whereas KP supply minimized competition across all mixtures. Strategic selection of neighbouring crops with appropriate P fertilizer can significantly enhance P-use efficiency while reducing interspecific competition. These findings highlight the importance of pairing poorly soluble P fertilizers with strategic crop combinations for sustainable agriculture. The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12870-025-06800-7.

Root proliferation is a response to a heterogeneous nutrient distribution. However, the growth of root hairs in response to heterogeneous nutrients and the relationship between root hairs and lateral roots remain unclear. This study aims to understand the effects of heterogeneous nutrients on root hair growth and the trade-off between root hairs and lateral roots in phosphorus (P) acquisition. Near-isogenic maize lines, the B73 wild type (WT) and the rth3 root hairless mutant, were grown in rhizoboxes with uniform or localized supply of 40 (low) or 140 (high) mg P kg⁻¹ soil. Both WT and rth3 had nearly two-fold greater shoot biomass and P content under local than uniform treatment at low P. Significant root proliferation was observed in both WT and rth3 in the nutrient patch, with the WT accompanied by an obvious increase (from 0.7 to 1.2 mm) in root hair length. The root response ratio of rth3 was greater than that of WT at low P, but could not completely compensate for the loss of root hairs. This suggests that plants enhanced P acquisition through complementarity between lateral roots and root hairs, and thus regulated nutrient foraging and shoot growth. The disappearance of WT and rth3 root response differences at high P indicated that the P application reduced the dependence of the plants on specific root traits to obtain nutrients. In addition to root proliferation, the root response to a nutrient-rich patch was also accompanied by root hair elongation. The genotypes without root hairs increased their investment in lateral roots in a nutrient-rich patch to compensate for the absence of root hairs, suggesting that plants enhanced nutrient acquisition by regulating the trade-off of complementary root traits.

Background: Dermatophytosis is an infectious disease of global significance caused by several fungal species, which affects the hair, nails, or superficial layers of the skin. The most common zoonotic dermatophytes are Microsporum canis, Nannizzia gypsea and Trichophyton mentagrophytes . Wood’s lamp examination, microscopic identification and fungal culture are the main conventional diagnostic methods used in clinics. Less common methods are dermatophyte PCR and biopsy/histopathology. However, these methods also have limitations for providing both accuracy and timely on-site detection. The recent development of CRISPR-based diagnostic platform provides the possibility of a rapid, accurate, and portable diagnostic tool, which has huge potential for clinical applications. Objectives: The purpose of this study is to establish a molecular method for rapid and accurate diagnosis of clinical dermatophytes, which can accelerate clinical diagnostic testing and help timely treatment. Methods: In this paper, we design a Cas12a-based assay combined with recombinase polymerase amplification (RPA) to differentiate three main zoonotic dermatophytes. The limit of detection (LOD) is determined by using standard strains. A total of 25 clinical samples (hair and scurf) are identified to evaluate the sensitivity and specificity of this assay. Results: The RPA-Cas12a method showed high sensitivity and specificity (100% and 100%, respectively). The results could be observed directly by naked-eyes, and all tested samples were consistent with fungal culture and sequencing results. Conclusions: Compared with other methods, the RPA-Cas12a-fluorescence assay requires less time (30 minutes) and less complicated equipment, and visible changes can be clearly observed, which is suitable for on-site clinical diagnosis.