ABSTRACT Oat and Sesbania have complementary growth, enabling eco‐friendly rotation for autumn‐sown oat. Nevertheless, how different Sesbania utilization practices regulate soil conditions, crop productivity and comprehensive benefits remains poorly quantified. A four‐year field experiment was conducted at two sites (WJ and CZ), encompassing three cropping treatments: oat‐fallow (O + F, control), oat‐ Sesbania rotation with Sesbania harvested as forage (O + SFH) and oat– Sesbania incorporated as green manure (O + SGM). We measured soil physicochemical properties, oat yield, quality and economic benefits, and adopted partial least squares path modelling (PLS‐PM) to reveal driving mechanisms. Compared with O + F, O + SGM and O + SFH significantly increased soil organic matter (SOM) and total and available nutrients (N, P, K) in 0–20 cm soil at WJ. Oat dry matter yield (DMY) increased by 6.86–39.23% under O + SGM and 3.96–29.21% under O + SFH, consistent trends were found at CZ. Improved soil nutrient accumulation facilitated crop nutrient absorption and dry matter production. Both rotations boosted economic returns, with O + SFH demonstrating greater economic performance due to extra forage gains. This study quantitatively compares different Sesbania utilization modes in oat rotations and clarifies soil–crop‐economic synergistic mechanisms. The findings support region rotation schemes to lower chemical fertiliser input and improve land use efficiency.
ABSTRACT Using cryo‐electron microscopy and spectroscopic analyses, demonstrated that Chl f at the A −1B site of the far‐red photosystem I reaction centre directly participates in primary charge separation, thereby providing an atomic‐level structural basis for understanding photochemical reactions beyond the conventional red‐light region. This finding further offers potential design targets for engineering spectral expansion in crop photosynthesis.
ABSTRACT Sweetness is the most important determinant of the overall desirability of tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) fruits. In cultivated tomatoes, sweetness is mainly determined by the contents of fructose and glucose, which are the major carbohydrates in the fruits. In recent years, many key regulators of sugar accumulation in tomato fruit, including sugar metabolism enzymes, sugar transporters, transcription factors, and protein kinases, have been identified through map‐based cloning, genome‐wide association studies, and reverse genetics. A growing number of studies have also indicated that aromatic volatiles, such as apocarotenoid‐ and phenylalanine‐derived volatiles (PHEVs), can improve tomato sweetness independently of sugar content. In this perspective, we summarise recent advances in our understanding of sugar metabolism in tomatoes and discuss progress in identifying aromatic substances that can affect tomato sweetness. We also discuss challenges in increasing tomato sweetness and propose new breeding strategies to further improve sugar content and sweetness in tomatoes.
ABSTRACT Gum Arabic (GA) is an edible dried sticky exudate from the stems and branches of Acacia seyal and Senegal that is rich in non‐viscous soluble fibre and has been used widely in the food and pharmaceutical field. It has been used as an oral hygiene substance by communities in North Africa and the Middle East. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying its therapeutic effects, particularly the modulation of gene expression in metabolic disorders, remain underexplored. Therefore, the objective of this review was to review the potentiality of GA in gene expression for diabetic and obesity diseases and conditions as therapeutics. Different research articles have described that GA modified gene expression in Obesity, diabetes, inflammation, and fertility. Moreover, these GAs were capable of downregulating or upregulating different types of genes in other metabolic diseases such as infertility, insulin resistance, hyperglycemia, hyperlipidaemia, obesity, and type‐2 diabetes. Despite encouraging results, human translational data remain limited, and direct causal relationships among GA, chromatin remodelling, and metabolic gene networks necessitate additional clarification. This review emphasises the promise of GA as a functional food aimed at modulating gene expression to improve diabetic and obese phenotypes, while pinpointing essential knowledge gaps to inform future nutrigenomic research.
ABSTRACT Soil salinisation poses a global threat to agricultural sustainability, affecting about one billion hectares of farmland. This review highlights integrated strategies—combining water management, agronomic practices, and biochemical interventions—to mitigate salinity while improving overall productivity. Precision irrigation methods, such as subsurface drip and microsprinklers, raise water‐use efficiency by 25%–40% and reduce surface salt buildup. Agronomic approaches—deep tillage, land levelling, and organic or inorganic amendments—enhance soil structure and increase soil organic carbon by 18%–32%. Biochemical tools, including salt‐tolerant germplasm and rhizosphere microorganisms (e.g., plant growth‐promoting bacteria and arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi), can boost yields by up to 50%. Unlike prior reviews focussing on isolated tactics, this work emphasises interdisciplinary synergies, such as subsurface drip irrigation creating favourable conditions for microbial inoculants and salt‐tolerant crops. It also addresses key socioeconomic barriers, including high initial costs and technical expertise gaps, and proposes future research on landscape‐scale modelling, circular resource use, and climate‐resilient saline agroecosystems.
