Fengju Zhang

Salinity is one of the most devastating abiotic stresses limiting crop productivity. Here, the salinity tolerance level and physiological changes in Echinochloa frumentacea in saline and alkaline soils were estimated by studying root morphology, quantifying ions (Ca2+, K+, Na+, Ca2+/Na+, and K+/Na+) in roots, and measuring antioxidant enzyme activities, malondialdehyde (MDA), proline, and soluble sugar contents. Echinochloa frumentacea was tested against four neutral and alkaline salts, NaCl: Na2SO4:NaHCO3:Na2CO3 in different proportions at 60, 120, 180, 240, and 300 mmol L−1 concentrations. Echinochloa frumentacea was evaluated and compared with plant species, which are commonly cultivated in non-saline and alkaline soils i.e. Echinochola crusgalli, Avena sativa, Salicornia europaea, Medicago sativa, and Glycyrrhiza uralensis. The results revealed an increase in root length, diameter, absorption area, fresh, and dry weight at 120 mmol L−1. However, a gradual decrease in these parameters was observed at higher salt concentrations. In contrast, an increase in superoxide dismutase (SOD), peroxidase (POD), catalase (CAT) activities, and MDA and proline levels were observed with increasing salt concentration. The roots of E. frumentacea absorbed higher levels of ions than the other five forage plant species. Higher K+/Na+ and strong root structure in E. frumentacea indicate its better tolerance in saline soil than in alkaline soil. Our results demonstrate that E. frumentacea can tolerate up to 120 mmol L−1 salt in a saline–alkaline environment and is more suitable for growth in saline soil. In addition, the root system of E. frumentacea can be used to dechlorinate the chloride from soil and reduce its toxic effect on plants. It can also be used as a target species for selection and breeding programs to improve salt tolerance in future studies.

Glycyrrhiza uralensis is a saline-alkali-tolerant plant whose aerial parts are rich in flavonoids; however, the role of these flavonoids in saline-alkali tolerance remains unclear. Herein, we performed physiological, metabolomics, and transcriptomics analyses in G. uralensis leaves under alkaline salt stress for different durations. Alkaline salt stress stimulated excessive accumulation of reactive oxygen species and consequently destroyed the cell membrane, causing cell death, and G. uralensis initiated osmotic regulation and the antioxidant system to respond to stress. In total, 803 metabolites, including 244 flavonoids, were detected via metabolomics analysis. Differentially altered metabolites and differentially expressed genes were coenriched in flavonoid-related pathways. Genes such as novel.4890, Glyur001511s00039602, and Glyur000775s00025737 were highly expressed, and flavonoid metabolites such as 2'-hydroxygenistein, apigenin, and 3-O-methylquercetin were upregulated. Thus, flavonoids as nonenzymatic antioxidants play an important role in stress tolerance. These findings provide novel insights into the response of G. uralensis to alkaline salt stress.

The use of chemical fertilizer along with organic fertilizer is an important agricultural practice that improves crop yield but also affects soil biogeochemical cycles. In this study, a maize field experiment was conducted to investigate the effects of NPK fertilizer (NPK), organic fertilizer (OF), and their combination (NPK+OF) on soil chemical properties, bacterial and fungal community structures, and diversity compared the control (CK, without any fertilizer). The results showed that the application of OF and NPK-combined OF increased soil organic matter (OM), total N, total P, available N, available P, and available K levels. For alpha diversity analyses, the application of fertilizers led to decreases in soil bacterial and fungal Shannon indices (except for NPK in fungi). Compared with CK, NPK, OF, and NPK+OF fertilization treatments significantly increased the abundances of Acidobacteriota, Gemmatimonadota, and Basidiomycota. Network analysis showed that fertilization produced fewer connections among microbial taxa, especially in the combination of NPK and OF. A redundancy analysis combined with Mantel test further found that the soil OM, available N and P were the main soil-fertility factors driving microbial community variations. Therefore, using organic fertilizer or biological fertilizer combined with chemical fertilizer to improve the status of soil C, N, and P is a promising method to maintain the balance of soil microorganisms in maize field.

 With the advent of the era of big data, the development models of various sectors of the social economy have changed, and there are more and more market opportunities, but competition and challenges have also come along. As an important productive force in the competition and development of modern society, talent has become increasingly prominent in the digital process. Especially for state-owned enterprises, which are essential lifelines and pillars of the national economy, the quality of talent is the key to the success or failure of enterprises. This article intends to reveal the existing problems in the talent incentive process of state-owned enterprises through a case study of the employee incentive mechanism of H Water Conservancy Company and conduct a detailed analysis of the specific reasons. Then, it proposes targeted incentive mechanism optimization plans to provide some valuable reference suggestions for state-owned enterprises to find appropriate talent cultivation and innovation strategies in the increasingly fierce competition.