Frontiers in Plant Science最新文献

{"title":"Agronomic and anatomic performance of some soybean genotypes under optimal and water-deficit conditions.","authors":"Alaa A Soliman, Manar I Mousa, Mohamed A Ibrahim, Khaled A Baiumy, Shimaa A Shaaban, Mahmoud M A Shabana, Eman N M Mohamed, Medhat Rehan, Haitian Yu, Yuhua He","doi":"10.3389/fpls.2025.1575180","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3389/fpls.2025.1575180","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Drought is a major environmental challenge that significantly limits crop productivity, and its impact varies based on the severity and timing of water scarcity. Soybean [<i>Glycine max</i> (L.) Merr.] faces considerable yield constraints under water-deficit conditions. This study evaluated the performance of eight soybean genotypes characterized by different levels of drought tolerance compared with the drought-tolerant world genotype PI416937 under normal [100% of crop evapotranspiration (ETc)] and deficit irrigation (60% ETc) conditions during the 2021 and 2022 seasons at Sakha Agricultural Research Station. Under deficit irrigation, the promising line H4L4 produced 92% (4.07 t/ha) of its productivity under normal irrigation, compared with 89% (2.12 t/ha) for the drought-tolerant genotype PI416937 in an average of two seasons. Applying deficit irrigation saved 37.54% and 38.61% of applied irrigation water across two seasons, whereas genotype H4L4 achieved the highest crop water use efficiency (0.95 and 0.90 kg seeds/m³) in the respective seasons, highlighting its potential for sustainable production under water-limited conditions. The promising line H4L4 also exhibited the highest stability and adaptability for seed yield across diverse environments, as confirmed by GGE biplot analysis. Furthermore, the drought susceptibility index (DSI) proved the superiority of H4L4 followed by PI416937, Giza 22, and DR101 for drought tolerance. Additionally, anatomic studies highlighted that PI416937 and H4L4 exhibited superior tolerance by maintaining thicker primary and secondary xylem tissues along with better stem and leaf integrity under irrigation levels. These resilient genotypes, thriving under water-deficit conditions, have significant potential as valuable genetic resources for breeding programs to enhance soybean productivity and sustainability. Additionally, H4L4 may be well-suited for widespread cultivation in water-deficit areas.</p>","PeriodicalId":12632,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in Plant Science","volume":"16 ","pages":"1575180"},"PeriodicalIF":4.1,"publicationDate":"2025-05-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12078311/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144077610","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"dCas9-SPO11-1 locally stimulates meiotic recombination in rice.","authors":"Léo Herbert, Aurore Vernet, Julien Frouin, Anne Cécile Meunier, Jeremy Di Mattia, Minghui Wang, Gaganpreet K Sidhu, Luc Mathis, Alain Nicolas, Emmanuel Guiderdoni, Ian Fayos","doi":"10.3389/fpls.2025.1580225","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3389/fpls.2025.1580225","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Introduction: </strong>Meiotic crossovers shuffle the genetic information transmitted by the gametes. However, the potential to recover all the combinations of the parental alleles remains limited in most organisms, including plants, by the occurrence of only few crossovers <i>per</i> chromosome and a prominent bias in their spatial distribution. Thus, novel methods for stimulating recombination frequencies and/or modifying their location are highly desired to accelerate plant breeding.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Here, we investigate the use of a dCas9-SPO11-1 fusion and clusters of 11 gRNAs to alter meiotic recombination in two chromosomal regions of a rice hybrid (KalingaIII/Kitaake). To accurately genotype rare recombinants in regions of few kbp, we improved the digital PCR-based pollen-typing method in parallel.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Expression of the dCas9-SPO11-1 fusion protein under the ubiquitous <i>ZmUbi1</i> promoter was obtained in leaves/anthers/meiocytes and found to complement the sterility of the <i>Osspo11-1</i> mutant line. We observed a 3.27-fold increase over wild-type (p<0.001) of recombinant pollens in a transgenic hybrid line (7a) targeting a chromosome 7 region. In the offspring plant 7a1, a significant 2.05-fold increase (p=0.048) was observed in the central interval (7.2 kb) of the Chr. 7 target region. This stimulation of meiotic recombination is consistent with the expression of the dCas9-SPO11-1 fusion and gRNAs as well as with the ChIP-revealed binding of dCas9-SPO11-1 to the targeted region. In contrast, no stimulation was observed in other transgenic lines deficient in the above pre-requisite features, expressing the dCas9-SPO11-1 fusion but no gRNAs or targeting a Chr.9 region.</p><p><strong>Discussion: </strong>These results open new avenues to locally stimulate meiotic recombination in crop genomes and paves the way for a future implementation in plant breeding programs.</p>","PeriodicalId":12632,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in Plant Science","volume":"16 ","pages":"1580225"},"PeriodicalIF":4.1,"publicationDate":"2025-05-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12078263/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144077004","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Forecasting habitat suitability of tropical karst plants in a warmer world - Thailand's <i>Begonia</i> diversity as a key example.","authors":"Sirilak Radbouchoom, Marjorie D Delos Angeles, Boniface K Ngarega, Thamarat Phutthai, Harald Schneider","doi":"10.3389/fpls.2025.1496040","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3389/fpls.2025.1496040","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Tropical karst habitats host a rich plant diversity, of which many species are edaphic specialists with narrow distribution ranges. Many of these plants are expected to be highly vulnerable to global climate change as a consequence of the substantial fragmentation of karst formations in combination with edaphic preferences and dispersal limitations. In recent years, the application of species distribution models to predict range under future climate scenarios has increasingly become a popular tool to guide conservation management approaches. Here, we examined the impact of climate change on the genus <i>Begonia</i> in Thailand using an ensemble modelling approach. The models incorporated climatic data and the geological characteristics of karst formations to reliably predict the distribution of species that reside within karst habitats. Our results revealed that the diversity of <i>Begonia</i> species in karst environments is primarily influenced by key climatic factors, including the mean temperature of the wettest quarter and annual precipitation, along with geographical features such as karst formations. Together, these elements significantly shape the distribution patterns of <i>Begonia</i> diversity in these unique habitats. Under current climatic conditions, clusters of suitable habitats for <i>Begonia</i> were found in Northern, South-Western, and Southern Thailand. The employed scenarios for future warmer climates converged to predict a substantial loss of currently suitable habitats. Applying the moderate SSP245 scenario, the model predicted range losses of 32.46% in 2050 that accumulate to 38.55% in 2070. Notably, more worrying predictions were obtained by applying the worst-case (SSP585) scenario, which projected a range loss of 37.73% in 2050 and increasing to 62.81% in 2070. In turn, the gain by areas becoming suitable was much lower than the loss. These results are highly consistent with the predicted high vulnerability of karst plants to global climatic change. Conservation efforts require taking into account these predictions by focusing on two key actions. Firstly, protecting areas where occurrences of <i>Begonia</i> are predicted to be less affected by climate change. The assignment of these areas to national parks thus far has not been achieved yet. Secondly, establishing practical conservation strategies for <i>Begonia</i> species occurring preliminary or even exclusively in karst landscapes.</p>","PeriodicalId":12632,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in Plant Science","volume":"16 ","pages":"1496040"},"PeriodicalIF":4.1,"publicationDate":"2025-05-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12078323/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144077416","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"<i>MsLHY</i> is an active regulator of cold resistance in alfalfa (<i>Medicago sativa</i> L.).","authors":"Jikai Li, Lu Chai, Mei Yang, Hailing Zhang, Chen Shang, Yuxuan Liu, Kailin Qian, Jiuding Sun, Weibo Han, Pan Zhang","doi":"10.3389/fpls.2025.1559988","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3389/fpls.2025.1559988","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Low-temperature stress is a major environmental factor that limits the yield, quality, and geographical distribution of forage crops and restricts the development of the forage industry. As a core component of plant circadian clocks, Late Elongated Hypocotyl (LHY) plays a crucial role in regulating plant rhythms and responses to abiotic stress. However, the molecular mechanism by which <i>LHY</i> regulates the cold tolerance of alfalfa has not been reported. In this study, <i>MsLHY</i>, which is 2,235 bp in length and encodes 744 amino acids, was isolated from alfalfa. <i>MsLHY</i> was highly expressed in roots and stems and was significantly induced by low temperature. Transgenic <i>MsLHY</i>-overexpressing (OE) and RNAi alfalfa plants were obtained via <i>Agrobacterium</i>-mediated transformation. Under low-temperature stress, OE plants presented reduced reactive oxygen species accumulation and more osmotic regulatory substances, as well as greater antioxidant enzyme activity, to combat cold stress. Conversely, the RNAi plants presented trends opposite those of the OE plants. Furthermore, under cold stress, the overexpression of <i>MsLHY</i> upregulated the expression of the cold-responsive genes <i>MsICE1</i>, <i>MsCBF1</i>, <i>MsCOR15A</i>, and <i>MsCML10</i>, as well as the expression of the antioxidant-synthesizing genes <i>MsSOD1</i> and <i>MsCAT1</i>, thereby increasing the cold tolerance of transgenic alfalfa. These results suggest that <i>MsLHY</i> plays an important role in increasing the cold tolerance of alfalfa.</p>","PeriodicalId":12632,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in Plant Science","volume":"16 ","pages":"1559988"},"PeriodicalIF":4.1,"publicationDate":"2025-05-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12078331/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144077580","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Metabolomic profiles and health-promoting potential of <i>Euchresta japonica</i> tissues revealed by widely targeted metabolomics.","authors":"Liai Xu, Xi Liu, Xiangdong Pan, Sinan Xu, Qinglian Wu, Chengyi Ma, Zupei Lei, Yeqing Ying","doi":"10.3389/fpls.2025.1537273","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3389/fpls.2025.1537273","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p><i>Euchresta japonica</i>, a medicinal plant in Chinese herbal medicine, lacks comprehensive metabolite data to explain its health benefits despite its long-standing use. Here, widely targeted metabolome at six different tissues of <i>E. japonica</i> was investigated, identifying 2,140 metabolites, including flavonoids, phenolic acids, amino acids, lipids, and alkaloids. Among them, 305 were annotated as key active ingredients, and 364 were active pharmaceutical ingredients for nine human disease-resistance, with 206 co-annotated. Metabolic profiles varied significantly across tissues, with medicinally active metabolites highly concentrated in lateral roots and inflorescences, indicating great medical potential. Notably, the lateral root, rather than the main root, was the primary source of root-derived bioactive metabolites. Additionally, KEGG analysis demonstrated that secondary metabolic pathways, especially \"isoflavonoid biosynthesis\" and \"flavonoid biosynthesis\" pathways, played important roles. Overall, lateral roots and inflorescences exhibit the strongest potential for disease treatment, particularly for chronic and multifactorial diseases. This study significantly advances our understanding of <i>E. japonica</i>'s chemical composition and underscores its potential as a valuable resource for novel therapeutic applications, providing a strong foundation for further investigation into its pharmacological properties and drug development prospects.</p>","PeriodicalId":12632,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in Plant Science","volume":"16 ","pages":"1537273"},"PeriodicalIF":4.1,"publicationDate":"2025-05-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12078262/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144077494","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Optimizing nitrogen application strategies can improve grain yield by increasing dry matter translocation, promoting grain filling, and improving harvest indices.","authors":"Chuanliang Li, Yu Shi, Zhenwen Yu, Yongli Zhang, Zhen Zhang","doi":"10.3389/fpls.2025.1565446","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3389/fpls.2025.1565446","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Nitrogen application enhances the grain yield of winter wheat by improving its physiological activity, dry matter production, and grain filling. However, reconciling nitrogen inputs using conservation irrigation remains challenging in water-limited wheat systems. A two-year field experiment was conducted during the 2020-2022 growing seasons with four nitrogen treatments (0 kg ha^-1, N0; 150 kg ha^-1, N150; 210 kg ha^-1, N210; and 270 kg ha^-1, N270). The responses of the senescence, dry matter accumulation and transfer, grain-filling, and grain yield of wheat to the nitrogen application rate were studied. The SPAD value, photosynthetic capacity, and antioxidant capacity of N210 flag leaves were not significantly different from those of N270 between 7-28 d after anthesis. However, these parameters were significantly higher in the N210 group than in the N0 and N150 groups. N210 and N270 significantly increased the sucrose content and sucrose phosphate synthase (SPS) activity in flag leaves relative to N0 and N150. Nitrogen application had a significant impact on dry matter transport within plants. Compared to N0, N150, and N270, dry matter transport in N210 wheat increased by 541.60-811.44 kg ha^-1, 165.07-173.49 kg ha^-1, and 179.02-216.74 kg ha^-1, respectively, after anthesis. N210 significantly extended the active grain-filling period, leading to an increased grain weight. At maturity, the grain dry matter distribution in N210 was significantly higher than that in the other treatments, resulting in grain yield increases of 70.10%, 11.16%, and 6.81% compared to N0, N150, and N270, respectively. Therefore, under supplemental irrigation conditions in the North China Plain, moderate nitrogen reduction to 210 kg N ha^-1 (N210) enhanced grain yield by delaying flag leaf senescence, improving dry matter remobilization, and optimizing grain-filling processes. The findings provide novel insights into the physiological mechanisms through which maintaining plant cellular physiological activity enhances crop productivity.</p>","PeriodicalId":12632,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in Plant Science","volume":"16 ","pages":"1565446"},"PeriodicalIF":4.1,"publicationDate":"2025-04-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12075212/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144077516","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Cell wall modulation by drought and elevated CO₂ in sugarcane leaves.","authors":"Alexandre Junio Borges Araujo, Amanda Pereira de Souza, Débora Pagliuso, Mauro de Medeiros Oliveira, Bruno Viana Navarro, Adriana Grandis, Marcos Silveira Buckeridge","doi":"10.3389/fpls.2025.1567201","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3389/fpls.2025.1567201","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Climate change poses significant challenges to global agriculture, with elevated atmospheric CO2 (eCO₂) concentrations and increased frequency of droughts affecting crop productivity. Understanding how economically important crops like sugarcane respond to these combined stresses is essential for developing resilient cultivars. This study explores the effects of eCO₂ and drought stress on sugarcane growth and cell wall composition. Sugarcane plants were cultivated under CO₂ treatments (390 ppm and 780 ppm) and subjected to drought stress. Leaf biomass, cell wall composition, and global transcriptome sequencing were analyzed. eCO₂ (780 ppm) significantly increased leaf biomass by 64%, attributed to enhanced photosynthesis and water-use efficiency. Conversely, drought reduced leaf biomass by 45%, highlighting sugarcane's sensitivity to water scarcity. When both conditions were combined, eCO₂ mitigated drought's negative impact, maintaining biomass at levels comparable to ambient conditions. Despite notable changes in biomass, cell wall biomass was only slightly affected. Under drought, a 14% reduction in cell wall biomass was observed alongside compositional changes, including reduced arabinosylation in glucuronoarabinoxylan (GAX). This alteration, supported by decreased xylan arabinosyl transferase (XAT) expression and reduced arabinose content, suggests stronger associations between GAX and cellulose, potentially enhancing drought tolerance by modifying cell wall rigidity and flexibility. Under eCO₂, cell wall composition was altered, with reductions in glucose and uronic acid in specific fractions, indicating decreased mixed-linkage glucan (MLG) and pectin. These changes likely increased cell wall flexibility, supporting rapid growth. Combined eCO₂ and drought treatments amplified specific modifications, such as enhanced fucosylation of xyloglucan (XG) and potential MLG expansion, both linked to stress adaptation. Overall, the findings underscore the critical role of cell wall plasticity in sugarcane's response to abiotic stress. While eCO₂ boosted growth and partially alleviated drought effects, structural changes in cell wall composition under these conditions further contribute to stress resilience, emphasizing the adaptive mechanisms of sugarcane to environmental challenges. This is the first report in which eCO₂, and drought are combined to evaluate the response of sugarcane to the impact of climate changes.</p>","PeriodicalId":12632,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in Plant Science","volume":"16 ","pages":"1567201"},"PeriodicalIF":4.1,"publicationDate":"2025-04-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12075542/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144077549","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"A systematic review of multi-mode analytics for enhanced plant stress evaluation.","authors":"Abdolrahim Zandi, Seyedali Hosseinirad, Hossein Kashani Zadeh, Kouhyar Tavakolian, Byoung-Kwan Cho, Fartash Vasefi, Moon S Kim, Pantea Tavakolian","doi":"10.3389/fpls.2025.1545025","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3389/fpls.2025.1545025","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Introduction: </strong>Detecting plant stress is a critical challenge in agriculture, where early intervention is essential to enhance crop resilience and maximize yield. Conventional single-mode approaches often fail to capture the complex interplay of plant health stressors.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>This review integrates findings from recent advancements in Multi-Mode Analytics (MMA), which employs spectral imaging, image-based phenotyping, and adaptive computational techniques. It integrates machine learning, data fusion, and hyperspectral technologies to improve analytical accuracy and efficiency.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>MMA approaches have shown substantial improvements in the accuracy and reliability of early interventions. They outperform traditional methods by effectively capturing complex interactions among various abiotic stressors. Recent research highlights the benefits of MMA in enhancing predictive capabilities, which facilitates the development of timely and effective intervention strategies to boost agricultural productivity.</p><p><strong>Discussion: </strong>The advantages of MMA over conventional single-mode techniques are significant, particularly in the detection and management of plant stress in challenging environments. Integrating advanced analytical methods supports precision agriculture by enabling proactive responses to stress conditions. These innovations are pivotal for enhancing food security in terrestrial and space agriculture, ensuring sustainability and resilience in food production systems.</p>","PeriodicalId":12632,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in Plant Science","volume":"16 ","pages":"1545025"},"PeriodicalIF":4.1,"publicationDate":"2025-04-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12076076/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144077587","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Intercropping of short- and tall-stature maize decreases lodging risk without yield penalty at high planting density.","authors":"Jianhong Ren, Dejie Wei, Xinru Zhang, Cai Wu, Wenwen Han, Lingxin Shi, Zhiyi Tang, Zhihua Wu, Guangzhou Liu, Yanhong Cui, Xiong Du, Zhen Gao","doi":"10.3389/fpls.2025.1570921","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3389/fpls.2025.1570921","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>High planting density of maize usually results in higher grain yield but also raises the risk of lodging. Cultivar intercropping had been proved to improve yield and stress resistance. Thus, we aimed to coordinate grain yield and lodging resistance of maize under high planting density by intercropping short-stalked Zhengdan958 (ZD) with tall-stalked Xianyu335 (XY). Five planting systems were conducted, i.e. SZD: sole Zhengdan 958 at normal density (7.5 plants m^-2); SXY and SHXY: sole Xianyu 335 at normal and high density (9.0 plants m^-2); IND and IHD: normal density ZD intercropped with normal and high density XY, respectively. Land equivalent ratio (LER) averaged to 0.99 and 0.96 in two experimental years, indicating no land use advantage of maize variety intercropping compared to monocultures. The average relative yield (partial LER) of ZD was 0.36-0.42, but that of XY was 0.54-0.63, indicating dominance of tall XY in the intercropping. Yield of intercropped XY per meter row was 13.3% and 17.0% higher than sole XY in two years; however, yield of intercropped ZD in IND and IHD was 16.7% and 25.3% lower than sole ZD in this study, respectively. Compared with IND, IHD did not significantly improve the population yield. The upper leaf area of intercropped XY was greater than sole stand, leading to increased interception of photosynthetically active radiation (PAR). However, the increased leaf area of intercropped XY resulted in reduced PAR for ZD, especially at the middle layer where assimilates are directly transported to the ear. Moreover, decreased superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity and SPAD, increased malondialdehyde content of ear leaf was observed for intercropped ZD, due to shading stress caused by tall XY. The principal component analysis indicated upper and middle leaf area, light interception, and SOD were closely related to grain yield. Lodging rate of sole XY under normal and high density was 4.3% and 22.0% in 2021, but lodging was absent for ZD and intercropped XY, which demonstrated that the lodging resistance of intercropped XY was significantly enhanced. This study presents a strategy to enhance maize lodging resistance without yield penalty or requiring additional inputs.</p>","PeriodicalId":12632,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in Plant Science","volume":"16 ","pages":"1570921"},"PeriodicalIF":4.1,"publicationDate":"2025-04-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12075153/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144077448","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Sustainable and innovative biological control strategies against <i>Pseudomonas syringae</i> pv<i>. tomato, Pseudomonas savastanoi</i> pv<i>. phaseolicola</i> and <i>Xanthomonas</i> spp. affecting vegetable crops: a review.","authors":"Davide Giovanardi, Enrico Biondi, Nina Biondo, Nicolás Quiroga, Francesco Modica, Gerardo Puopolo, Set Pérez Fuentealba","doi":"10.3389/fpls.2025.1536152","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3389/fpls.2025.1536152","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Genera <i>Pseudomonas</i> and <i>Xanthomonas</i> include bacterial species that are etiological agents of several diseases of major vegetable crops, such as tomato, pepper, bean, cabbage and cauliflower. The bacterial pathogens of those genera may cause severe crop damage, leading to symptoms like leaf spots, wilting, blights, and rotting. These plant pathogens can affect propagation materials and spread rapidly through plant tissues, contaminated soils, or water sources, making them challenging to control using conventional chemical products alone. Biopesticides, such as essential oils (EOs), are nowadays studied, tested and formulated by employing nano- and micro-technologies as innovative biological control strategies to obtain more sustainable products using less heavy metal ions. Moreover, there is a growing interest in exploring new biological control agents (BCAs), such as antagonistic bacterial and fungal species or bacteriophages and understanding their ecology and biological mechanisms to control bacterial phytopathogens. These include direct competition for nutrients, production of antimicrobial compounds, quorum quenching and indirect induction of systemic resistance. Optimisation of the biocontrol potential goes through the development of nanoparticle-based formulations and new methods for field application, from foliar sprays to seed coatings and root inoculation, aimed to improve microbial stability, shelf life, controlled release and field performance. Overall, the use of biological control in horticultural crops is an area of research that continues to advance and shows promising potential. This review aims to provide an in-depth exploration of commercially accessible biocontrol solutions and innovative biocontrol strategies, with a specific focus on the management of bacterial diseases in vegetable crops caused by <i>Pseudomonas</i> and <i>Xanthomonas</i> species. In this article, we highlighted the advancements in the development and use of EOs and other BCAs, emphasizing their potential or shortcomings for sustainable disease management. Indeed, despite the reduced dependence on synthetic pesticides and enhanced crop productivity, variable regulatory frameworks, compatibility among different BCAs, and consistent performance under field conditions are among the current challenges to their commercialization and use. The review seeks to contribute valuable insights into the evolving landscape of biocontrol in vegetable crops and to provide guidance for more effective and eco-friendly solutions against plant bacterial diseases.</p>","PeriodicalId":12632,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in Plant Science","volume":"16 ","pages":"1536152"},"PeriodicalIF":4.1,"publicationDate":"2025-04-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12075305/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144077544","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}