Search

Abstract [Objective] A newly recorded orchid species, Gastrodia exilis Hook.f., was spotted from Yunnan Province, China, and its main characters were compared with its morphologically close relatives G. menghaiensis Z.H. Tsi & S.C. Chen, G. putaoensis X.H. Jin and G. dyeriana King & Pantl. [Methods] Morphological and anatomical observations of wild population specimens of the above species were carried out using a stereomicroscope, and photographs were taken with a close-up lens attached digital camera. [Results] G. exilis Hook.f. could be easily distinguished from those species by having a lip free of perianth tube, a disk with two conspicuous triangular lamellae near apex, and lobes of perianth tube crisped. [Conclusion] G. exilis Hook.f. is a newly recorded orchid species in China, and the discovery expands its distribution area and enriches the resources of wild orchids in China.

Environmental cues profoundly influence the developmental processes of plants that evolve to produce specific phenotypes. However, the developmental plasticity in response to seasonal changes, particularly temperature and day length, has not been fully understood in fruit development and quality. To explore the mechanism by which the transcriptional network adapts to external environmental changes by regulating metabolism during the development of melon fruits, this study selected the fruits grown under spring and fall conditions and focused on specific phenylpropanoid pathway metabolites, including phenolic acids, lignin, and flavonoids. Significant changes in these compounds result in noticeable differences in fruit quality such as texture, flavor, and color, which are of utmost importance to consumers. Employing co-expression analysis complemented by machine learning, we identified hub genes and pathways governing the metabolic changes, highlighting the influence of temperature and photoperiod cues in mediating the transcriptional regulatory networks. These results provide valuable insights into how fruits adapt to seasonal variability, and drive us to innovate broadly adaptable melon cultivars poised for improved climate resilience in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Plant Growth-Promoting Rhizobacteria (PGPR) are gaining increasing attention, but their interactions with indigenous rhizosphere microbiomes remain unclear. To address this issue, we isolated a strain of Priestia aryabhattai with a growth-promoting effect. Under greenhouse conditions, its growth-promoting effect on alfalfa was evaluated, and amplicon sequencing was used to analyze changes in the rhizosphere microbial community to explore the growth promotion mechanism. Our study shows that inoculation with Priestia aryabhattai increases the α-diversity index of the alfalfa rhizosphere microbiome and enhances the abundance of beneficial bacterial genera. This is likely because inoculation with Priestia aryabhattai increased the abundance of carbon-sequestering genera, particularly Gemmatimonas, thereby improving the soil environment. The increased abundance of beneficial bacteria stimulates root development in alfalfa and enhances nutrient uptake, particularly phosphorus, which in turn boosts photosynthesis and promotes alfalfa growth. In summary, Priestia aryabhattai improves soil environment and promotes alfalfa growth by enhancing the carbon sequestration capacity of the rhizosphere microbial community. This work provides theoretical support and insight for the development of PGPR inoculants and for further research on their mechanisms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The hole transport layers are critical for collecting holes and suppressing recombination in perovskite solar cells, and metal oxides are superior due to their green synthesis and good ambient stability. Although gallium oxide is rarely applied as the hole transport layers of devices for the mismatch of valence bands with perovskite materials, copper dopants can provide an additional transport channel via their impurity levels. Herein, InxGa2−xO3 nanocrystals with copper dopants are synthesized as the hole transport material of perovskite solar cells by the hydrothermal method, and uniform hole transport layers can be deposited by spin‐coating at a low temperature of 100 °C. The energy position of impurity levels and the hole transport ability of hole transport layers can be regulated by incorporating indium ions. In the optimized condition, the efficiencies of devices increase from 19.6% to 21.4%, which is related to the improvement of the charge extraction process and carrier recombination process. And the photostability of devices can be improved simultaneously. This work provides an efficient hole transport material for inverted perovskite solar cells and demonstrates the regulation of transport channels via impurity levels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]