Industrial hemp (Cannabis sativa L.) has great application potential in heavy metal-polluted soils owing to its safe non-food utilization. However, the fate of heavy metals in different varieties of hemp planted in strongly contaminated natural soils remains unknown. Here, we investigated the growth, heavy metal uptake, distribution, and transfer of nine hemp varieties in soils strongly contaminated with Cu, As, Cd, and Pb. Hemp variety and metal type were the main factors affecting the growth and heavy metal uptake in hemp. The nine hemp varieties grew well in the contaminated soils; however, differences existed among the varieties. The biomass of Z3 reached 5669.1 kg hm-1, whereas that of Yunma No. 1 was only 51.8 % of Z3. The plant height, stalk diameter, and stalk bark thickness of Z3 were greater than those of the other varieties, reaching 168 cm, 9.2 mm, and 0.56 mm, respectively. Permanova\'s analysis revealed that the total effects of Cu, As, Cd, and Pb on the growth of the nine hemp varieties reached 60 %, with leaf As having the greatest effect, reaching 16 %. , Even in strongly contaminated soils, the nine varieties showed poor Cu, As, Cd, and Pb uptake. Most of the Cu, As, Cd, and Pb were retained in the root, reaching 57.7-72.4, 47.6-64.7, 76.0-92.9, and 70.0-87.8 %, respectively. Overall, the Cu, As, Cd, and Pb uptake of Wanma No.1 was the highest among the nine varieties, whereas that of Guangxi Bama was the lowest. These results indicate that hemp is a viable alternative for phytoattenuation in soils contaminated with heavy metals because of its ability to tolerate and accumulate Cu, As, Cd, and Pb in its roots, and Guangxi Bama is superior to the other varieties considering the safe utilization of hemp products.

Among tropical fruit trees, coconut holds significant edible and economic importance. The natural growth of coconuts faces a challenge in the form of low temperatures, which is a crucial factor among adverse environmental stresses impacting their geographical distribution. Hence, it is essential to enhance our comprehension of the molecular mechanisms through which cold stress influences various coconut varieties. We employed analyses of leaf growth morphology and physiological traits to examine how coconuts respond to low temperatures over 2-hour, 8-hour, 2-day, and 7-day intervals. Additionally, we performed transcriptome and metabolome analyses to identify the molecular and physiological shifts in two coconut varieties displaying distinct sensitivities to the cold stress. As the length of cold stress extended, there was a prominent escalation within the soluble protein (SP), proline (Pro) concentrations, the activity of peroxidase (POD) and superoxide dismutase (SOD) in the leaves. Contrariwise, the activity of glutathione peroxidase (GSH) underwent a substantial reduction during this period. The widespread analysis of metabolome and transcriptome disclosed a nexus of genes and metabolites intricately cold stress were chiefly involved in pathways centered around amino acid, flavonoid, carbohydrate and lipid metabolism. We perceived several stress-responsive metabolites, such as flavonoids, carbohydrates, lipids, and amino acids, which unveiled considerably, lower in the genotype subtle to cold stress. Furthermore, we uncovered pivotal genes in the amino acid biosynthesis, antioxidant system and flavonoid biosynthesis pathway that presented down-regulation in coconut varieties sensitive to cold stress. This study broadly enriches our contemporary perception of the molecular machinery that contributes to altering levels of cold stress tolerance amid coconut genotypes. It also unlocks several unique prospects for exploration in the areas of breeding or engineering, aiming to identifying tolerant and/or sensitive coconut varieties encompassing multi-omics layers in response to cold stress conditions.

The sugar industry, which relates to people\'s livelihood, is strategic and fundamental in the development of agricultural economy. In China, sugar derived from sugarcane accounts for approximately 85% of total sugar production. Mechanization is the \"flower\" of sugarcane industry. As the saying goes \"when there are blooming flowers, there will be sweet honey.\" However, due to limitations in land resources, technology, equipment, organization, and management, mechanization throughout the sugarcane production process has not yet brought about the economic benefits that a mechanized system should provide and has not reached an ideal yield through the integration of agricultural machinery and agronomic practice. This paper briefly describes how to initiate the mechanization of Chinese sugarcane production to promote the sound, healthy, and rapid development of the sugarcane industry, and how to ultimately achieve the transformation of sugarcane breeding in China and the modernization of the sugarcane industry from three perspectives, namely, requirements of mechanized production for sugarcane varieties, breeding strategies for selecting new sugarcane varieties suitable for mechanized production, and screening for sugarcane varieties that are suitable for mechanization and diversification in variety distribution or arrangement in China. We also highlight the current challenges surrounding this topic and look forward to its bright prospects.

Foxtail millet (Setaria italica (L.) P. Beauv) is an important food and forage crop that is well adapted to nutrient-poor soils. However, our understanding of how different LN-tolerant foxtail millet varieties adapt to long-term low nitrogen (LN) stress at the physiological and molecular levels remains limited. In this study, two foxtail millet varieties with contrasting LN tolerance properties were investigated through analyses of physiological parameters and transcriptomics. The physiological results indicate that JG20 (high tolerance to LN) exhibited superior biomass accumulation both in its shoots and roots, and higher nitrogen content, soluble sugar concentration, soluble protein concentration, zeatin concentration in shoot, and lower soluble sugar and soluble protein concentration in its roots compared to JG22 (sensitive to LN) under LN, this indicated that the LN-tolerant foxtail millet variety can allocate more functional substance to its shoots to sustain aboveground growth and maintain high root activity by utilizing low soluble sugar and protein under LN conditions. In the transcriptomics analysis, JG20 exhibited a greater number of differentially expressed genes (DEGs) compared to JG22 in both its shoots and roots in response to LN stress. These LN-responsive genes were enriched in glycolysis metabolism, photosynthesis, hormone metabolism, and nitrogen metabolism. Furthermore, in the shoots, the glutamine synthetase gene SiGS5, chlorophyll apoprotein of photosystem II gene SiPsbQ, ATP synthase subunit gene Sib, zeatin synthesis genes SiAHP1, and aldose 1-epimerase gene SiAEP, and, in the roots, the high-affinity nitrate transporter genes SiNRT2.3, SiNRT2.4, glutamate synthase gene SiGOGAT2, fructose-bisphosphate aldolase gene SiFBA5, were important genes involved in the LN tolerance of the foxtail millet variety. Hence, our study implies that the identified genes and metabolic pathways contribute valuable insights into the mechanisms underlying LN tolerance in foxtail millet.

The variations in flavor substances across different varieties of steamed potatoes were determined by headspace-gas chromatography ion mobility spectrometry (HS-GC-IMS) combined with sensory evaluation. Results showed that 63 representative compounds, including 27 aldehydes, 14 alcohols, 12 ketones, 4 esters, 2 furans, 1 acid and others, together acted as contributors to the flavors in steamed potatoes. Analysis found that species and concentrations of aldehydes, alcohols and ketones in six varieties were the most abundant. In addition, esters, furans and acid were also responsible for flavor. PCA results showed that volatile compounds in Atlantic, Longshu No. 23, Longshu No. 7 and Longshu No. 14 were similar, while Russet Burbank and Longshu No. 16 had distinct characteristic volatiles, which was consistent with sensory evaluation. The combination of sensory evaluation and HS-GC-IMS provided useful knowledge for charactering volatile compounds of steamed potatoes from different varieties, and also demonstrated the promising application of HS-GC-IMS in the detection of potato flavor with various cooking methods.

The main purpose of the present study was to clarify the differences present in the multi-element and metabolite profiles between two varieties of eggplants. A total of 54 elements were identified by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry, 16 elements were significantly different between peel (n = 3) and flesh (n = 3). Besides, untargeted metabolomics combined with chemometrics was used to discriminate the peel (n = 4) and flesh (n = 4) of the two varieties of eggplants. A total of 178 metabolites were screened out with criteria of p < 0.05, fold change > 1.5 or < 0.67 and variable importance in projection score > 1 for the PLS-DA model. Maltitol and d-proline were the most important discriminants of the two varieties of eggplants. Kaempferol-3-O-rutinoside was the most important identification components between peel and flesh of the two varieties of eggplant. Results showed that the two varieties of eggplants could be distinguished based on their multi-element and metabolite profiles, which may provide new directions for eggplant function research.

In this study, the widely used varieties in China were selected to explore the low starch digestive properties of highland barley from three aspects of composition, starch structural orders, and kernel structure. Two digestive systems were constructed, with highland barley in flour and chyme forms, to investigate the contribution of these inherent properties to starch digestion under different physical forms. Compared with white and black highland barley, blue varieties showed poor chemical composition, lower starch crystallinity, and higher short-range structural order degree, but the starch digestibility as flour was only slightly higher. All varieties of chyme demonstrated lower starch digestibility compared to flour; however, blue highland barley chyme showed much lower starch digestibility than other chyme. Furthermore, kernel structural analysis showed that the blue highland barley kernel structure effectively inhibited digestion. These results indicated that the kernel structure had a critical influence on the starch digestibility of highland barley.

This study compared the quality and storage characteristics of four pineapple varieties to select those displaying adequate storage resistance and those suitable for freshly cut processing. Four varieties of pineapple, namely Tainong No.16, Tainong No.17, Tainong No.11, and Bali, were used to analyze the quality differences in freshly cut pineapple during storage by measuring the quality, physiological indicators, and total microbial count. The results indicated that the nutritional quality and storability of freshly cut pineapples differed significantly among the varieties. During refrigeration at 4 °C, Tainong No.11 and Bali displayed the shortest storage period of 4 d, while Tainong No.17 and Tainong No.16 presented storage periods of 5 d and 6 d, respectively. A sensory evaluation indicated that the Tainong No.16 variety was superior in terms of consumer preference, while the Bali slices were generally rated lower than the other cultivars. Additionally, the sensory properties, weight loss, firmness, and ascorbic acid (AA) content of Tainong No.16 changed the least during storage, with values of 60.75%, 6.48%, 75.15%, and 20.44%, respectively. Overall, the quality order of the four varieties of freshly cut pineapples during storage was: Tainong No.16 > Tainong No.17 > Tainong No.11 > Bali. Moreover, two-way ANOVA showed that the main effect of variety and storage time on the storage quality of fresh-cut pineapple was significant (p < 0.05). The interaction effect of variety and storage time on other quality characteristics of fresh-cut pineapple was significant (p < 0.05) except for Titratable acid (TA) and AA. In conclusion, Tainong No.16 displayed higher storage potential than the other varieties. The results of this work provide application possibilities to promote the successful processing of pineapple cultivars as freshly cut produce.

In recent years, plant metabolomics and microbiome studies have suggested that the synthesis and secretion of plant secondary metabolites are affected by microbial-host symbiotic interactions. In this study, six varieties of fingered citron (Citrus medica \'Fingered\') are sampled to study their phyllosphere bacterial communities and volatile organic compounds (VOCs). High-throughput sequencing is used to sequence the V5-V7 region of the 16S rRNA of the fingered citron phyllosphere bacteria, and the results showed that Proteobacteria, Actinobacteria, Firmicutes, and Bacteroidetes were the dominant bacterial phylum in the phyllosphere of fingered citron. There were significant differences in the phyllosphere bacteria community between XiuZhen and the remaining five varieties. The relative abundance of Actinomycetospora was highest in XiuZhen, and Halomonas, Methylobacterium, Nocardioides, and Pseudokineococcus were also dominant. Among the remaining varieties, Halomonas was the genus with the highest relative abundance, while the relative abundances of all the other genera were low. Headspace solid-phase microextraction (HS-SPME) and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) were used to analyze and identify the aroma compounds of six different fingered citron, and a total of 76 aroma compounds were detected in six varieties. Pinene, geraniol, and linalool were found to be the primary VOCs that affect the aroma of fingered citron based on relative odor activity value. The correlation analysis showed 55 positive and 60 negative correlations between the phyllosphere bacterial flora and aroma compounds of fingered citron. The top 10 genera in the relative abundance were all significantly associated with aroma compounds. This study provides deep insight into the relation between bacteria and VOCs of fingered citron, and this may better explain the complexity of the analysis of bacterial and metabolic interactions.

Nanotechnology is an emerging technique that helps in solving the biotic and abiotic agricultural issues leading to enhance crop productivity. Therefore, it was hypothesized to check the effect of Qiangdi 863 nano synergids biological-assisted growth apparatus and nitrogen, phosphorous, and potassium (NPK) fertilizers improving rice germination, early growth, physiology, and yield. An experiment was performed on five rice varieties for three consecutive years (2017-2019). The nanosynergids-treated water (NTW) significantly improved the speed of germination (25.3, 35.6, and 32.3%), final emergence percentage (100%) and seed emergence energy percentage (80, 95, and 90%), radical (1.25, 1.7, and 2.35 cm) and plumule growth (1.29, 1.24, and 1.66 cm), soil plant analysis development (46, 45, and 47), antioxidant enzymatic activities, such as catalase activity (34,376 μg-1FW h-1, 33,264 μg-1FW h-1, and 34,453 μg-1F W h-1), superoxide dismutase (18,456 μg-1F W h-1, 19,445 μg-1F W h-1, and 19,954 μg-1F W h-1), peroxide (745 Ug-1F W, 734 Ug-1F W, and 752 Ug-1F W), production and declined malondialdehyde (4.5 μmolg-1F W, 5.1 μmolg-1F W, and 4.2 μmolg-1F W) for all years respectively in KSK 133. The application of nano-treated irrigated water enriched the biomass of rice seedlings. The overall nano synergid treatments successfully enhanced the endogenous hormones as salicylic acid (6,016.27 p mol/L, 5823.22 p mol/L, and 5922.12 p mol/L), jasmonates (JA) (5,175.6 p mol/L, 4231 p mol/L, and 5014.21 p mol/L) brassinosteroids (BR) (618.2 p mol/L, 546.83 p mol/L, and 582.1 p mol/L) quantification and yield 1000 grain weight (22.3, 22, and 23.2 g) of KSK 133. Hence, the overall results proved that NTW could effectively enhance the early growth and yield of rice varieties.