Efficient potassium (K) recycling and root carbon (C) metabolism improve K use efficiency in pear rootstock genotypes

Ionic Homeostasis, Carbohydrate Metabolism, and Oxidative Balance Underlie Wild Soybean Resistance to Low Potassium Stress

The scarcity of potassium resources in farmland soils poses a major challenge to global food security. Wild soybean (Glycine soja), a valuable wild germplasm related to cultivated soybeans, is known for its high-stress resistance and adaptability. This study comprehensively compares two wild soybean ecotypes in terms of growth parameters, photosynthetic physiology, mineral ions and metabolite contents, and gene expression, aiming to clarify the regulatory mechanisms of low potassium stress tolerance in wild soybean seedlings' leaves. Results show that in barren-tolerant wild soybean (GS2), genes involved in potassium ion transport were significantly upregulated. This promotes potassium absorption and transport, maintaining a high K+ concentration and K+/Na+ ratio. Carbohydrate synthesis is enhanced in GS2, with increased sucrose and raffinose accumulation and a more active tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle. GS2 also strengthens the ascorbic acid-glutathione (ASA-GSH) cycle, along with promoting salicylic acid and 4-aminobutyric acid GABA synthesis, which boosts antioxidant capacity and reactive oxygen species (ROS) scavenging, maintaining oxidative balance. Under low potassium stress, GS2 accumulates unsaturated fatty acids, enhancing cell-membrane fluidity and providing a stress-resistant structural barrier. Overall, this study provides a basis for developing high-quality wild soybean resources and exploring genes for low potassium stress tolerance, which could contribute to improving cultivated soybeans' adaptability to potassium-deficient soils and ensuring global food production stability.

Low-Potassium Fruits and Vegetables: Research Progress and Prospects

With the increasing number of patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) and the improved recognition of nutritional therapy, research on low-potassium (LK) fruits and vegetables for CKD patients has gained global attention. Despite its already commercial availability primarily in Japan, public awareness remains limited, and cultivation methods lack a comprehensive strategy. This review offers an extensive examination of the developmental significance, current cultivation techniques, and existing limitations of functional LK fruits and vegetables with the objective of providing guidance and inspiration for their exploitation. Additionally, this review investigates various factors influencing K content, including varieties, temperature, light, exogenous substances, harvest time, and harvest parts, with a focus on optimizing production methods to enhance potassium utilization efficiency (KUE) and decrease the K content in plants. Finally, the review outlines the shortcomings and prospects of research on LK fruits and vegetables, emphasizing the importance of interdisciplinary research (in agriculture technology, medicine, and business) for patients with CKD and the future development of this field.

Current Situation of Fire Blight in China

Fire blight, caused by the plant-pathogenic bacterium Erwinia amylovora, is a devastating disease that occurs on rosaceous plants, including pears and apples. E. amylovora is indigenous to North America and was spread to the Eurasian continent in the second half of the 20th century through contaminated plant materials. In 2016, fire blight was first observed in Yili, Xinjiang Province, in Northwestern China. Since then, it has spread to most pear-producing regions in Xinjiang Province and parts of Gansu Province. The disease has caused severe damage to China's pear and apple industries, including the 2017 disease epidemic in Korla, Xinjiang, which caused an overall yield reduction of 30 to about 50% in Korla and the destruction of over 1 million pear trees. Over the past few years, a combined effort of research, extension, and education by the Chinese government, scientists, and fruit growers has greatly alleviated outbreaks and epidemics in affected regions while successfully limiting the further spread of fire blight to new geographical regions. Here, we review the occurrence, spread, and damage of this disease to the Chinese fruit industry, as well as the management options used in China and their outcomes. We also discuss future perspectives for restraining the spread and alleviating the damage of fire blight in China.