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Four new erythroneurine leafhopper species, Empoascanara aparaoides Wang & Song, sp. nov., Motaga mengyangensis Wang & Song, sp. nov., Motaga acicularis Wang & Song, sp. nov., and Tautoneura qingxiuensis Wang & Song, sp. nov. from karst areas in Southwestern China, are described and illustrated.

Soil microbiomes play a crucial role in enhancing plant growth, health, and overall agricultural productivity. Nevertheless, the influence of distinct agricultural management practices on the microbial diversity and community structure within tea (Camellia sinensis) plantations has remained enigmatic. This study postulates that organic agricultural management models can enhance microbial diversity and optimise the microbial community structure within tea plantations, indirectly augmenting soil fertility and tea quality. We employed metagenome technology and conducted molecular ecological network analysis to explore the impact of organic management, pollution-free management, and conventional management on the microbial network structure of tea plantation soil in Weng'an County in the southwestern karst region. Soils subjected to organic management exhibited a higher relative abundance of soil microbial and carbohydrate-active enzyme functional genes than those subjected to other management regimes. Additionally, the relative abundance and diversity of dominant bacteria and keystone species were notably higher under organic management than under the other management regimes. Correlation analysis showed that soil microorganisms were closely related to soil fertility and tea quality, respectively. One-way analysis of variance and the structural equation modelling results showed significant variability in soil fertility under the three agricultural management modes and that soil fertility and soil microbial diversity had a direct impact on tea quality (P > 0.05). In conclusion, this study underscores the profound impact of management modes on microbial diversity and community structure within tea plantations. These management practices alter the soil microbial network structure and potential function, ultimately regulating the microecological dynamics of the soil community in tea plantations.

Abstract Erythroneurini is the largest tribe of the microleafhopper subfamily Typhlocybinae. Most prior research on this tribe has focused on traditional classification, phylogeny, and control of agricultural pests, and the phylogeography of the group remains poorly understood. In this study, the mitochondrial genomes of 10 erythroneurine species were sequenced, and sequences of four genes were obtained for 12 geographical populations of Seriana bacilla. The new sequence data were combined with previously available mitochondrial DNA sequence data and analyzed using Bayesian and Maximum‐Likelihood‐based phylogenetic methods to elucidate relationships among genera and species and estimate divergence times. Seriana was shown to be derived from within Empoascanara. Phylogeographic and population genetic analysis of the endemic Chinese species Seriana bacilla suggest that the species diverged about 54.85 Mya (95% HPD: 20.76–66.23 million years) in the Paleogene period and that population divergence occurred within the last 14 million years. Ancestral area reconstruction indicates that Seriana bacilla may have originated in the central region of Guizhou, and geographical barriers are the main factors affecting gene flow among populations. Ecological niche modeling using the MaxEnt model suggests that the distribution of the species was more restricted in the past but is likely to expand in the future years 2050 and 2070.

Erythroneurine leafhoppers (Hemiptera, Cicadellidae, Typhlocybinae, Erythroneurini) are utilized to resolve the relationship between the four erythroneurine leafhopper (Hemiptera, Cicadellidae, Typhlocybinae, Erythroneurini): Arboridia (Arboridia) rongchangensis sp. nov., Thaia (Thaia) jiulongensis sp. nov., Mitjaevia bifurcata Luo, Song & Song, 2021 and Mitjaevia diana Luo, Song & Song, 2021, the two new species are described and illustrated. The mitochondrial gene sequences of these four species were determined to update the mitochondrial genome database of Erythroneurini. The mitochondrial genomes of four species shared high parallelism in nucleotide composition, base composition and gene order, comprising 13 protein-coding genes (PCGs), 22 transfer RNAs (tRNAs), two ribosomal RNAs (rRNAs) and an AT control region, which was consistent with majority of species in Cicadellidae; all genes revealed common trait of a positive AT skew and negative GC skew. The mitogenomes of four species were ultra-conservative in structure, and which isanalogous to that of others in size and A + T content. Phylogenetic trees based on the mitogenome data of these species and another 24 species were built employing the maximum likelihood and Bayesian inference methods. The results indicated that the four species belong to the tribe Erythroneurini, M. diana is the sister-group relationship of M. protuberanta + M. bifurcata. The two species Arboridia (Arboridia) rongchangensis sp. nov. and Thaia (Thaia) jiulongensis sp. nov. also have a relatively close genetic relationship with the genus Mitjaevia.

In this study, we sequenced and reported the complete mitochondrial genomes of Kusala populi for the first time. The complete mitochondrial genome was registered in GenBank with accession number NC_064377 as the first complete mitogenome of the genus Kusala. The circular mitochondrial genome length is 15,402 bp, with nucleotide composition A (41.8%), C (11.4%), G (9.2%), T (37.6%), A + T (79.4%), and C + G (20.6%), comprising 13 protein-coding genes, 2 rRNA genes, 22 tRNA genes and a D-loop region. All protein-coding genes were encoded by the H-strand, except for 4 genes (nad5, nad4, nad4L, nad1). 8 tRNA genes (tRNA-Gln, tRNA-Cys, tRNA-Tyr, tRNA-Phe, tRNA-His, tRNA-Pro, tRNA-Leu, tRNA-Val) and 2 rRNA genes (16S, 12S) were encoded in the L-strand. Phylogenetic analysis indicated that the newly sequenced species had a close relationship with Mitjaevia, another widespread Old-World genus of Erythroneurini.

Introduction: The tea green leafhopper, Empoasca (Matsumurasca) onukii Matsuda, R., 1952 (Hemiptera: Cicadellidae), is currently one of the most devastating pests in the Chinese tea industry. The long-term use of chemical pesticides has a negative impact on human health, impeding the healthy and sustainable development of the tea industry in this region. Therefore, there is a need for non-chemical insecticides to control E. onukii in tea plants. The essential oils from plants have been identified for their potential insecticidal ability; however, there is a lack of knowledge regarding the effect of plant essential oils on E. onukii and its gene expression.Methods: In order to address these knowledge gaps, the components of Pogostemon cablin and Cinnamomum camphora essential oils were analyzed in the present study using gas chromatography‐mass spectrometry. The fumigation toxicity of two essential oils on E. onukii was tested using sealed conical flasks. In addition, We performed comparative transcriptome analyses of E. onukii treated with or without P. cablin essential oil.Results: The 36-h lethal concentration (LC50) values for E. onukii treated with P. cablin and C. camphora essential oils were 0.474 and 1.204 μL mL−1 respectively. Both essential oils exhibited the potential to control E. onukii, but the fumigation activity of P. cablin essential oil was more effective. A total of 2,309 differentially expressed genes were obtained by transcriptome sequencing of E. onukii treated with P. cablin essential oil.Conclusion: Many of differentially expressed genes were found to contain detoxifification genes, indicating that these families may have played an important role when E. onukii was exposed to essential oil stress. We also found differential expression of genes related to redox-related gene families, suggesting the upregulation of genes associated with possible development of drug and stress resistance. This work offers new insights for the prevention and management of E. onukii in the future.

The tea leafhopper (Empoasca (Matsumurasca) onukii Matsuda, 1952) is the predominant pest infesting tea and causes significant losses in yield. Plants have evolved multiple defense responses to protect themselves from insect herbivores. Camellia tetracocca, a kind of ancient tea with local popularity, is unique to southwest China. This ancient tea is often attacked by the tea leafhopper. However, there are no relevant reports on changes in volatile components and defense signaling pathways after Camellia tetracocca has been attacked by E. onukii. To reveal changes in the responses of the volatile components of C. tetracocca to E. onukii, the headspace sampling technique and GC-MS were adopted to determine and analyze the volatiles. Furthermore, to unveil the defense mechanisms of C. tetracocca in response to E. onukii, transcriptome analysis was applied to damaged tea leaves and healthy leaves. The GC-MS analysis showed significant increases in the linalool and (E)-2-hexenal contents. The transcriptome analysis revealed a set of core pest-responsive genes (3074 upregulated and 5098 downregulated). Most of the enriched pest-responsive genes are mainly involved in plant hormone signal transduction photosynthesis, terpenoid backbone biosynthesis, alpha-linolenic acid metabolism, and the NF-κB signaling pathway. A conjoint analysis of the transcriptome and metabolome indicated that N2-acetylornithine, D-malic acid, theogallin, fucosyllactose, 5-caffeoylquinic acid, fumarprotocetraric acid, and arabinogalactose have a significant correlation with LOC114279735, LOC114317534, LOC114282078, LOC114317768, and LOC114263181. This study lays a foundation for further research on the breeding and cultivation of insect-resistant germplasm resources for C. tetracocca and on the promotion and development of the plant.

Leafhoppers (Hemiptera, Auchenorrhyncha, Cicadellidae) are distributed worldwide and include around 2550 genera, more than 21,000 species, including almost 2000 species in China. Typhlocybinae is the second largest subfamily in Cicadellidae after Deltocephalinae. Previously, morphological characteristics were the diagnostic basis of taxonomy, but they were not combined with molecular biology. The genus Ziczacella Anufryev, 1970 has only six known species worldwide. The mitogenomes of Ziczacella steggerdai Ross, 1965, Ziczacella dworakowskae Anufriev, 1969 and Ziczacella heptapotamica Kusnezov, 1928 were sequenced and identified here for the first time. They all contained 13 PCGs, 22 tRNA genes, 2 rRNA genes, and a control region, and the complete mitochondrial genomes were 15,231 bp, 15,137 bp, and 15,334 bp, respectively. The results show heavy AT nucleotide bias. Phylogenetic analysis yielded the following topology: (Empoascini + Alebrini) + ((Erythroneurini + Dikraneurini) + (Zyginellini + Typhlocybini)). In this study, three newly sequenced species were closely related to Mitjaevia dworakowskae and M. shibingensis. We confirmed the monophyly of the four tribes within Typhlocybinae again, and Zyginellini should be combined with Typhlocybini, which supports Chris’s points.

Camellia tetracocca, a kind of tea with local popularity, is unique to southwest China, where it has an important natural heritage and cultural heritage. However, the tea plant and its sprout are frequently attacked on a large-scale by Empoasca onukii. The metabolic mechanisms of the unique plant for defending against these pest insects are unclear. Therefore, we used untargeted gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC-MS) and high performance liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry (LC-MS) to compare the metabolite profiles between E. onukii-attacked leaves and healthy leaves. Using GC-MS, 56 metabolites (24 up-regulated, 32 down-regulated) were preliminarily identified. Additionally, 576 metabolites (280 up-regulated, 287 down-regulated) were rudimentarily identified with LC-MS. Differentially abundant metabolites were mainly enriched in the biosynthesis of specialized metabolites. Fourteen accumulated specialized metabolites are related to insect resistance. Mainly, momordicin I and arabidopside B are reportedly involved in the resistance to the insect. Therefore, we conjectured that the accumulation of momordicin I and arabidopside B is involved in the C. tetracocca’s resistance to E. onukii. Our results indicate that these specialized metabolites may be served as candidate biocontrol agents against the pest of E. onukii of C. tetracocca located in the State-owned Pubai Forest Farm.

C. tetracocca are local characteristic plants with significant medicinal and economic values. However, little is known about the relationship of soil nutrient contents and the accumulation of primary and secondary metabolites from C. tetracocca. The metabolic accumulation of C. tetracocca grown in karst areas and non karst areas have not been compared. In this study, we sampled soil and leaves of C. tetracocca in karst areas and non karst areas to compare the relationship between soil nutrients (soil organic carbon, total nitrogen, total phosphorus, total potassium, calcium, magnesium) and organic components (organic carbon, total nitrogen, total phosphorus, total potassium, calcium, magnesium), free amino acids, functional components (catechin (C), caffeine (CAFF), gallic acid (GA), epicatechin (EC), (-)-epicatechin gallate (ECG), (-)-epigallocatechin (EGC), and epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG)) of C. tetracocca. The results showed that there was a significant positive correlation between K and EC in soil and plants and a significant negative correlation between P and EC. There was a negative correlation between Mg and EGC in soil and plants. Therefore, increasing the content of K and reducing the content of Mg and P can improve the functional components of C. tetracocca. The C. tetracocca in karst areas and non karst areas share excellent quality and have not been severely affected by the harsh environment. Therefore, these findings emphasized the significance of ancient tea trees and laid a solid foundation for the promotion and planting of C. tetracocca. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]