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•Salicylic acid (SA) improved rice growth under salt and drought stresses.•SA increased proline (Pro) content, and reduced membrane damage of rice under salt and drought stresses.•SA increased the activities of peroxidase (POD), catalase (CAT) and superoxide dismutase (SOD) of rice under salt and drought stresses.•SA improved the expression of genes related to salt and drought stresses.

ζ-carotene desaturase (ZDS) is a key enzyme in carotenoid biosynthesis and plays an important role in plant photosynthesis. We characterized an albino leaf-color mutant obtained from ethyl methanesulfonate treatment: albino and seedling lethality 1 (ale1). The material contains a chloroplast thylakoid defect where photosynthetic pigments declined and reactive oxygen species accumulated resulting in ale1death within 3 weeks. Positional cloning and sequencing revealed that there was a single base substitution in ALE1, which encoded a ZDS involved in carotenoid biosynthesis. RNAi and complementation tests confirmed the identity of ALE1. Subcellular localization showed that the ALE1 protein is localized in the chloroplast. Expression analysis indicated that the genes involved in chlorophyll and carotenoid biosynthesis were downregulated. We conclude that ALE1plays an important role in chloroplast and plant growth in rice.

A series of Zr-based MOFs were successfully prepared by conventional solvothermal method and microwave irradiation method. The effects of synthesis methods and acid modifiers on the morphology and thermal stability of the materials were investigated. The samples were characterized by powder X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, thermogravimetric analysis, N2adsorption–desorption, Fourier transform infrared, and diffuse reflectance spectra. The results showed that the products synthesized by microwave irradiation possessed a better dispersibility and a lager specific surface area than those synthesized by solvothermal method. As a potential adsorbent for wastewater treatment, the adsorption and removal of cationic dye methylene blue (MB) by the synthetic materials was studied. The addition of acid as a regulator could increase the specific surface area of the materials, thereby improving the adsorption efficiency of MB. After repeated adsorption and desorption, the adsorption capacity of the samples could be regenerated by photocatalytic degradation. The photodegradation and regeneration experiments showed that the samples had good stability and reusability. All these indicated that this type of materials had great potential in the field of wastewater treatment and resource utilization.