Staphylococcus hominis YJILJH and Staphylococcus epidermidis YJ101 promote the growth of white clover (Trifolium repens L.) by increasing available phosphorus

Nanosilicon-based vermicompost leachate and Trichoderma harzianum promote the growth of Panax quinquefolius L. cultivated under forests by improving soil enzyme activity

Planting vegetation under forests in agroforestry systems fosters sustainable agricultural development. However, Limited availability of biostimulants for agroforestry and unclear mechanisms of plant growth promotion. This study synthesized and evaluated a novel biostimulant, nanosilicon-based vermicompost leachate (NSVCL), using Panax quinquefolius L. as the research plant species for forest cultivation. Trichoderma harzianum (TH) was chosen to represent a biostimulant with broad-spectrum properties, and its application effects were compared with NSVCL. The regulatory effects of both on the physiological characteristics and rhizosphere soil microenvironment of P. quinquefolius were investigated, with untreated plants serving as controls. Compared to the control, NSVCL and TH increased the dry weight of P. quinquefolius roots 129.33 % and 23.50 %, respectively. NSVCL was applied more effectively than TH. Additionally, NSVCL markedly improved leaf anatomical traits, including palisade and spongy tissue thickness, overall leaf thickness, chloroplast number, and cuticle thickness. Application of NSVCL and TH significantly elevated the net photosynthetic rate (Pn) by 86.55 % and 60.92 %, respectively, and increased total chlorophyll content (TChl) by 24.91 % and 11.76 %. Biostimulants facilitated nutrient uptake and boosted antioxidant enzyme activity in P. quinquefolius. Partial least squares path modeling (PLS-PM) further demonstrated that both NSVCL and TH promoted plant growth by enhancing soil enzyme activity in forest environments. These findings underscore NSVCL's efficacy in improving P. quinquefolius growth under forest conditions and provide a practical foundation for advancing organic forest cultivation and sustainable forest-medicine integration.

Variation in WIDTH OF LEAF AND GRAIN contributes to grain and leaf size by controlling LARGE2 stability in rice

Grain and flag leaf size are two important agronomic traits that influence grain yield in rice (Oryza sativa). Many quantitative trait loci (QTLs) and genes that regulate these traits individually have been identified, however, few QTLs and genes that simultaneously control these two traits have been identified. In this study, we conducted a genome-wide association analysis in rice and detected a major locus, WIDTH OF LEAF AND GRAIN (WLG), that was associated with both grain and flag leaf width. WLG encodes a RING-domain E3 ubiquitin ligase. WLGhap.B, which possesses five single nucleotide polymophysim (SNP) variations compared to WLGhap.A, encodes a protein with enhanced ubiquitination activity that confers increased rice leaf width and grain size, whereas mutation of WLG leads to narrower leaves and smaller grains. Both WLGhap.A and WLGhap.B interact with LARGE2, a HETC-type E3 ligase, however, WLGhap.B exhibits stronger interaction with LARGE2, thus higher ubiquitination activity toward LARGE2 compared with WLGhap.A. Lysine1021 is crucial for the ubiquitination of LARGE2 by WLG. Loss-of-function of LARGE2 in wlg-1 phenocopies large2-c in grain and leaf width, suggesting that WLG acts upstream of LARGE2. These findings reveal the genetic and molecular mechanism by which the WLG-LARGE2 module mediates grain and leaf size in rice and suggest the potential of WLGhap.B in improving rice yield.

Earthworm Aporrectodea molleri (oligochaeta)'s coelomic fluid-associated bacteria modify soil biochemical properties and improve maize (Zea mays L.) plant growth under abiotic stress conditions

This study evaluated the impact of Aporrectodea molleri's coelomic fluid-associated bacteria (CFB) on Zea mays L. growth and soil biochemical characteristics under abiotic stress conditions, including alkaline soil (pH = 8) and nitrogen (N), phosphate (P), and potassium (K) deficit. Compared to maize cultivated in uninoculated soil, the effect of CFB on boosting plant growth under abiotic stress was notably exceptional. Different CFB treatments increased significantly root and shoot length by 50% and 21%, respectively. Furthermore, the presence of isolates in soil resulted in a significant increase in plant fresh and dry weights (of up to 113% and 91% for roots, and up to 173% and 44% for shoots), leaf surface (78%), and steam diameter (107%). Overall, soil inoculation with CFB significantly (P < 0.05) enhanced chlorophyll and water content in the plant compared to the untreated soil. Despite the soil's alkaline condition, CFB drastically boosted soil quality by increasing nutrient availability (up to 30 ppm for N, 2 ppm for P, and 60 ppm for K) and enzyme activity (up to 1.14 μg p-NP h^-1 g^-1 for acide phosphatase, 9 μg p-NP h^-1 g^-1 for alkaline phosphatase and 40 μg NH₄-N 2 h^-1 g^-1 for urease), throughout the early stages of the growth period. Interestingly, alkaline phosphatase concentrations were substantially greater in treatments with different isolates than acid phosphatase. Furthermore, the principal component analysis showed that the inoculation with bacteria strains CFB1 Buttiauxella gaviniae and CFB3 Aeromonas hydrophila had a significantly better stimulatory stimulatory and direct influence on maize growth than the other isolates had a substantial effect on soil's biochemical features. Thus, we assumed that the beneficial contribution of earthworms in the rhizosphere might be attributed in large part to associated microorganisms.