The escalating soil salt stress poses a severe threat to food security, while existing mitigation strategies suffer from multiple limitations. As a low-toxicity nanomaterial, carbon dots (CDs) exhibit significant potential in enhancing plant stress resistance. This study focuses on the mechanism by which CDs alleviate salt stress in wheat through regulating wheat genes and soil microorganisms. Wheat plants grown in soil were subjected to salt stress and CDs treatment. Subsequently, plant samples, rhizosphere soil samples, and bulk soil samples were collected. The activities of plant antioxidant enzymes, malondialdehyde (MDA) content, and ion contents were determined. Additionally, transcriptome analysis and soil microbial community analysis were conducted. Under 150 mM NaCl stress, the application of CDs at a concentration of 15 mg/L significantly enhanced the growth performance and physiological stress tolerance of wheat. This enhancement was manifested by an increase in plant height (11.3

BACKGROUND:Over-reliance on and excessive use of pesticides for pest management have led to various side effects, including the rapid development of pesticide resistance. The abundant reactive species present in plasma-activated water (PAW) make it a potential alternative to pesticides for controlling crop pests. Whether PAW can truly replace pesticides or significantly reduce their usage depends on its efficacy when applied in the same manner as pesticides. RESULTS:A foliar spray bioassay that simulates the field application of pesticides was established to estimate the direct toxicity of PAW to two insecticide-susceptible and two resistant strains of cotton aphids in the presence and absence of imidacloprid or flonicamid. Spraying PAW alone only caused mortality of about 20-30% against the four cotton aphid strains, significantly lower than the effects of imidacloprid LC25 dose and flonicamid LC25 dose to the four strains. Spraying a mixture of PAW and imidacloprid at LC25 dose or flonicamid at LC25 dose resulted in significantly higher mortality rates against the four strains compared to the two insecticides diluted with pure water. Relative to pure water control, PAW and its mixtures with imidacloprid LC25 dose or flonicamid LC25 dose displayed no adverse effects on chlorophyll content and the photosynthetic parameters of cotton seedlings. CONCLUSION:The data obtained indicate that PAW has the potential to serve as a plant-safe synergist for enhancing the insecticidal efficacy of imidacloprid and flonicamid against both insecticide-susceptible and -resistant cotton aphids. © 2026 Society of Chemical Industry.

Plasma-activated water (PAW) irrigation is an eco-friendly option for plant soil-borne disease control, but its efficacy against wheat Fusarium crown rot (FCR) remains unclear. Herein, PAW was evaluated under curative, inoculum pre-treatment, and preventive strategies. In vitro, PAW-3 completely inhibited fungal spore germination and mycelial growth via inducing oxidative damage and cellular leakage. In pot trials, curative PAW-2 significantly reduced disease index by 38.5%, increased plant height and shoot biomass by 11% and 19.3%, respectively, and enhanced soil nitrate nitrogen content (about 3-fold) and redox potential while maintained neutral pH. Microbiome analysis reveals that PAW-2 enriched beneficial keystone taxa such as Funneliformis and Pseudeurotium, reduced pathogen abundance, and enhanced microbial network complexity and stability. PLS-PM analysis indicated that PAW-mediated suppression of FCR was associated with antifungal activity, improved soil nitrogen and redox conditions, and enriched beneficial microbiota. These findings establish PAW as a multifunctional soil amendment for sustainable wheat production.

Hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) is the commonly-used bleaching chemical in clinical practice, but its excessive concentrations can cause tooth damage. Atmospheric pressure cold plasma is considered a promising new technique for tooth bleaching. Surface micro-discharge (SMD) devices can generate large-scale plasma, which holds potential for treating multiple teeth simultaneously. However, research in this area remains limited. This study systematically evaluated the bleaching efficacy, mechanism and safety of SMD plasma treatment of multiple human tooth stain models. The results demonstrated that SMD plasma effectively whitens multiple teeth simultaneously, achieving a Delta E 00 value of 5.65 within 10 min. Its whitening efficacy surpasses that of the 10% H2O2 group. SMD plasma generates substantial reactive oxygen species, and the degradation efficiency of theaflavin can reach 99.59% within 5 min. Hydroxyl radicals and ozone serve as primary agents reacting with coloured molecules, cleaving chemical bonds and facilitating tooth whitening. Following SMD plasma treatment, the tooth surface temperature increased but remained within the acceptable range for the oral cavity. Meanwhile, the surface hydrophilicity declined, whereas surface roughness, microhardness and morphology remained largely unchanged. This study provides a crucial theoretical foundation for the application of SMD plasma in tooth whitening.

Colletotrichum gloeosporioides (C. gloeosporioides) is the primary pathogen of pepper anthracnose. Plasma-activated water (PAW), a novel non-thermal method with strong oxidation, shows great potential for microbial inactivation and disease control. This study evaluated PAW’s antifungal effect, mechanisms, and potential in controlling pepper anthracnose by treating C. gloeosporioides spores. Results demonstrated that PAW-7 achieved a 99.9% sterilization rate, completely inhibited mycelial growth, and decreased spore germination to 2.67%. Mechanistic analysis revealed that PAW induced structural damage to the spores, triggered the accumulation of MDA and ROS and leakage intracellular nucleic acids and proteins. Transcriptomic analysis revealed that PAW exerted its antifungal effect by producing excessive RONS, disrupting MAPK signaling, compromising cell wall and membrane integrity, promoting chitin and ergosterol degradation, and inducing oxidative stress that impaired ribosomal function, cellular transcription, translation, and protein synthesis, ultimately leading to fungal cell death. Moreover, treatment with PAW significantly mitigated pepper decay rate and weight loss by effectively suppressing microbial load while controlling the development of anthracnose. Among the treatments, the PAW-7 group effectively preserved the nutritional quality of the peppers during storage. This work highlighted the possibility of using PAW as a successful measure of dealing with pepper anthracnose.

Background: Internode length (IL), a key component of plant height (PH), plays an important role in achieving the optimal architecture in wheat. However, the genetic mechanisms underlying internode elongation are not well understood. Methods: In this study, a recombinant inbred line (RIL) population derived from a cross between Bainong 4199 (BN4199) and Zhengyinmai 2 (ZYM2) was evaluated for PH and five ILs across two field locations over two years and genotyped using a 120 K liquid-phase chip. Results: A total of 141 quantitative trait loci (QTL) associated with PH and the five ILs were mapped onto 20 chromosomes, except for chromosome 5D. Among these, 37 stable QTL were identified on chromosomes 1B, 2B, 2D, 4B, 5A, 7A, 7B and 7D, accounting for 3.86-25.97% of the phenotypic variation. Meanwhile, 23 co-localized QTL associated with at least two traits were detected, with QTL cluster regions on chromosomes 2D, 4B, 5A, 7A, and 7B. Moreover, the total additive effects of the QTL combinations increased with the number of QTL, which indicates the effectiveness of pyramid breeding. Additionally, based on gene function annotation, the cloning and characterization of rice orthologs, and analysis via the QTG miner module of the wheat integrative gene regulatory network (wGRN) platform, 63 candidate genes (e.g., Rht1, Rht8, TB1 and ZnF-B) were prioritized within the stable QTL intervals, and their tissue expression patterns were analyzed. Conclusions: Collectively, these findings not only deepen our understanding of the genetic basis of PH and ILs in wheat but also lay a foundation for the further validation and functional characterization of candidate genes, enabling the optimization of plant architecture through marker-assisted selection (MAS) to ultimately improve agronomic performance and yield potential.

Aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) is a prevalent mycotoxin in oil crops, such as peanuts, with potent teratogenic and carcinogenic properties, posing a threat to human health. Plasma-activated water (PAW) with abundant active species is an emerging food decontamination technology. Herein, this study investigated the degradation efficiency and products of PAW on AFB1, as well as the peanut quality. The findings showed that PAW achieved degradation efficiencies of 88.5 % and 87.6 % for AFB1 in pure toxin and contaminated peanut models, while exerting a minimal impact on the levels of AV, MDA and FA in peanut oil. 1O2, H2O2 and ONOO- contributed most to PAW degradation of AFB1, forming low-toxicity products. Meanwhile, PAW can significantly diminish AFB1 in the peanut cleaning solution, exhibiting benefits in environmental protection. As a result, PAW cleaning is anticipated to be applied in detoxifying peanuts prior to oil production to ensure the safety of edible peanut oil.

The denitrification process is known to contribute to soil nitrogen (N) loss, which is strongly affected by fertilization strategies; however, the effects of distinct straw retention modes on soil denitrification activity have rarely been discriminated and the underlying mechanisms remain unclear. This study coupled field and incubation experiments to explore the characteristics of soil denitrification activity, soil and standing water physicochemical properties, and the abundance, community diversity, and co-occurrence network of nosZ denitrifiers, based on a paddy field implementing 10-year straw retention under a rice-wheat rotation system. Four straw retention treatments with equivalent chemical fertilizers were applied, namely no straw (NS), wheat straw only (WS), rice straw only (RS), and wheat and rice straw (WRS). Results indicated a significant increase (by 41.93-45.80% when compared to that with NS) in the soil denitrification activity with RS and WRS. Correspondingly, treatments with rice straw retention resulted in the development of a similar community composition (P < 0.05), structure (P = 0.001), and more positively interconnected network, as well as similar specific keystone taxa of nosZ denitrifiers, relative to those in non-rice straw mode. Under long-term rice straw retention conditions, the core nosZ-denitrifying phylogroups shifted (r = 0.83, P < 0.001), with the recruitment of keystone taxa from the phyla Bacteroidetes and Euryarchaeota playing a key role in enhancing denitrification activity and stimulating N loss. Accordingly, in a rice-wheat rotation field, the practice of wheat straw retention in a single season is recommended because it will not markedly sacrifice soil N availability impaired by the denitrification process.

Deoxynivalenol (DON) widely contaminates cereals, causing severe kidney damage in human and animal. However, its underlying mechanisms and efficient detoxification strategy is still limited. Cold atmospheric plasma (CAP) containing rich reactive oxygen species is regarded as an emerging approach for mycotoxin decontamination in cereals. Here we focus on the potential mitigating role CAP in DON-induced nephrotoxicity by exploring DON degradation pathways, toxicity mitigation, and cellular recovery. The results show that CAP-derived 1O2, ∙OH, ∙O2-, and H2O2 degraded over 98 % of DON after 120-s treatment and destroyed the toxic epoxy, double bond and hydroxyl group of DON to generate 5 degradation products. The toxicity test was conducted using human renal proximal tubular epithelial cells (HKC-8) in-vitro and murine acute kidney injury model in-vivo. The mechanistic insights into oxidative stress and apoptosis pathways, including Nrf2/HO-1/NQO-1 signaling and JNK-mediated Nrf2 degradation were explored. DON caused serious nephrotoxicity in-vitro and mice by inducing mitochondrial oxidative damage and cell apoptosis via activating Nrf2 phosphorylation and sequentially inhibiting Nrf2/HO-1/NQO-1 signaling pathway, resulting in 45 % loss of HKC-8 cell viability, 85 % of elevation in serum creatinine, and 89 % of increase in blood urea nitrogen (BUN) levels compared with control. While, CAP-treated DON (Pla-DON) can reverse the mitochondrial damage and maintain intracellular redox homeostasis via blocking JNK-mediated Nrf2 degradation, rescuing 50 % of HKC-8 cell activity and reducing creatinine and BUN by 89 % and 83 % compared with DON group. Overall, this study demonstrates the considerable potential of CAP to mitigate DON-induced nephrotoxicity.

Wheat Fusarium head blight (FHB) caused by Fusarium graminearum (F. graminearum) greatly threatens global wheat production and produces hazardous deoxynivalenol (DON). Commonly used chemical pesticides will increase fungal resistance and DON production. Herein, we develop plasma-activated water (PAW) as an eco-friendly and chemical-free alternative. Results showed that PAW not only has the ability to kill F. graminearum immediately but also has a long-term effect of suppressing pathogenicity. PAW can completely inhibit lesion formation and achieve a remarkable DON reduction of 94.7% (TBI medium) and 79.6% (wheat medium). The long-term inhibition effect of PAW on pathogenicity was associated with DON biosynthesis, transmembrane transport, and MAPK signaling pathways. Field trials show that the control efficiency of Zhoumai 36 and Zhengmai 1860 achieved about 80%, and DON productions were decreased to 6.57 and 1.31 μg/g, respectively. This study offers a transformative solution for cereal crop protection within environmentally constrained scenarios.

The glycoside hydrolase 13 (GH13) family is crucial for catalyzing α-glucoside linkages, and plays a key role in plant growth, development, and stress responses. Despite its significance, its role in plants remains understudied. This study targeted four GH13 subgroups in wheat, identifying 66 GH13 members from the latest wheat database (IWGSC RefSeq v2.1), including 36 α-amylase (AMY) members, 18 1,4-α-glucan-branching enzyme (SBE) members, 9 isoamylase (ISA) members, and 3 pullulanase (PU) members. Chromosomal distribution reveals a concentration of wheat group 7 chromosomes. Phylogenetic analysis underscores significant evolutionary distance variations among the subgroups, with distinct molecular structures. Replication events shaped subgroup evolution, particularly in regard to AMY members. Subcellular localization indicates AMY member predominance in extracellular and chloroplast regions, while others localize solely in chloroplasts, confirmed by the heterologous expression of TaSEB16 and TaAMY1 in tobacco. Moreover, 3D structural analysis shows the consistency of GH13 across species. Promoter cis-acting elements are suggested to be involved in growth, stress tolerance, and starch metabolism signaling. The RNA-seq data revealed TaGH13 expression changes under drought and submergence stress, and significant expression variation was observed between strong and weak gluten varieties during seed germination using quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR), correlating with seed starch content. These findings demonstrate the pivotal role of GH13 family gene expression in wheat germination, concerning variety preference and environmental stress. Overall, this study advances the understanding of wheat GH13 subgroups, laying the groundwork for further functional studies.

Cold atmospheric plasma (CAP) has shown great promise in mycotoxin degradation. This study compared the degradation efficiency of CAP against DON in the solid phase, aqueous solution, and wheat grains, as well as their degradation pathway and cytotoxicity of degradation products. The degradation efficiency of liquid DON by 12Wand 3.5-min CAP was 95%, while the maximum degradation rate of solid DON was only 56% after 40-W CAP treatment for 20 min. The major individual degradation products of solid and liquid-phase DON were C 15 H 19 NO 9 and C 15 H 18 O 7 . There were also four same degradation products, namely C 14 H 16 O 4 , C 15 H 18 O 6 , C 15 H 18 O 8 , and C 15 H 20 O 5 . The cytotoxicity of solid and liquid-phase DON on human kidney cells was significantly decreased after CAP treatment. Additionally, the degradation rate of 30-min CAP at 10 W against DON in wheat grains was 61%. The pasting and gluten quality of whole wheat flour was altered after CAP treatment.

IntroductionHeavy ion beam is a novel approach for crop mutagenesis with the advantage of high energy transfer line density and low repair effect after injury, however, little investigation on the biological effect on plant was performed. 50 Gy irradiation significantly stimulated the growth of Arabidopsis seedlings, as indicated by an increase in root and biomass, while 200 Gy irradiation significantly inhibited the growth of seedlings, causing a visible decrease in plant growth.MethodsThe Arabidopsis seeds were irradiated by 12C6+. Monte Carlo simulations were used to calculate the damage to seeds and particle trajectories by ion implantation. The seed epidermis received SEM detection and changes in its organic composition were detected using FTIR. Evidence of ROS and antioxidant systems were analyzed. RNA-seq and qPCR were used to detect changes in seedling transcript levels.Results and discussionMonte Carlo simulations revealed that high-dose irradiation causes various damage. Evidence of ROS and antioxidant systems implies that the emergence of phenotypes in plant cells may be associated with oxidative stress. Transcriptomic analysis of the seedlings demonstrated that 170 DEGs were present in the 50 Gy and 200 Gy groups and GO enrichment indicated that they were mainly associated with stress resistance and cell wall homeostasis. Further GO enrichment of DEGs unique to 50 Gy and 200 Gy revealed 58 50Gy-exclusive DEGs were enriched in response to oxidative stress and jasmonic acid entries, while 435 200 Gy-exclusive DEGs were enriched in relation to oxidative stress, organic cyclic compounds, and salicylic acid. This investigation advances our insight into the biological effects of heavy ion irradiation and the underlying mechanisms.

INTRODUCTION:Zearalenone (ZEN) is one of the most widely contaminated mycotoxins in world, posing a severe threat to human and animal health. Atmospheric cold plasma (ACP) holds great penitential in mycotoxin degradation. OBJECTIVES:This study aimed to investigate the degradation efficiency and mechanisms of ACP on ZEN as well as the cytotoxicity of ZEN degradation products by ACP. Additionally, this study also investigated the degradation efficiency of ACP on ZEN in cereals and its effect on cereal quality. METHODS:The degradation efficiency and products of ZEN by ACP was analyzed by HPLC and LC-MS/MS. The human normal liver cells and mice were employed to assess the cytotoxicity of ZEN degradation products. The ZEN artificially contaminated cereals were used to evaluate the feasibility of ACP detoxification in cereals. RESULTS:The results showed that the degradation rate of ZEN was 96.18 % after 30-W ACP treatment for 180 s. The degradation rate was dependent on the discharge power, and treatment time and distance. Four major ZEN degradation products were produced after ACP treatment due to the oxidative destruction of CC double bond, namely C18H22O7 (m/z = 351.19), C18H22O8 (m/z = 367.14), C18H22O6 (m/z = 335.14), and C17H20O6 (m/z = 321.19). L02 cell viability was increased from 52.4 % to 99.76 % with ACP treatment time ranging from 0 to 180 s. Mice results showed significant recovery of body weight and depth of colonic crypts as well as mitigation of glomerular and liver damage. Additionally, ACP removed up to 50.55 % and 58.07 % of ZEN from wheat and corn. CONCLUSIONS:This study demonstrates that ACP could efficiently degrade ZEN in cereals and its cytotoxicity was significantly reduced. Therefore, ACP is a promising effective method for ZEN detoxification in cereals to ensure human and animal health. Future study needs to develop large-scale ACP device with high degradation efficiency.

Atmospheric pressure cold plasma (ACP) is an effective treatment method to kill microorganisms, which can protect food from microbial contamination, thereby maintaining the nutritional quality of food and extending the storage time of food. As a highly nutritious fruit, blueberries are susceptible to microbial contamination during the postharvest storage period. More seriously, the gray mold caused by Botrytis cinerea (B. cinerea) is a major postharvest disease of blueberries. Herein, this study investigated the effects of ACP treatment with different time (0, 5, 10, 15 and 20 min) on the natural decay, gray mold decay caused by B. cinerea, postharvest quality and the microbiota community composition and diversity of blueberries (Vaccinium corymbosum L.) during 10-d storage at 25 ± 2 °C. The results showed that ACP treatment inhibited the native microbial growth and natural decay of blueberries during the storage period. Meanwhile, ACP treatment also exhibited marked inhibitory effects on the spore germination and mycelial growth of B. cinerea in vitro, and gray mold decay in blueberries inoculated with B. cinerea during the postharvest storage. In terms of post-harvest quality, short-term (≤ 15 min) ACP treatment has little effect on firmness, pH, redox potential and anthocyanin content, but darkens the color of blueberries, reduces lipid peroxidation, and improves overall postharvest quality. However, the 20-min ACP treatment caused serious oxidative damage to the blueberry peels, resulting in softening of the fruit and decreased anthocyanin content. Moreover, the long-term low temperature storage reduced the abundance and diversity of fungal microorganisms on the surface of blueberries. Taken together, these results have important theoretical significance and practical value in revealing the mechanism of ACP on food preservation, improving the interaction between plasma and surface microorganisms of blueberries.

Fusarium graminearum (F. graminearum), a pathogenic fungus, induces Fusarium head blight (FHB) in wheat, leading to reduced yields and economic losses. More severely, F. graminearum can produce various mycotoxins on contaminated grains, posing a significant threat to human and livestock health. Recently, plasma-activated water (PAW) has shown promising applications in the microbial inactivation due to its low cost, easy operation, high efficiency, eco-friendliness, and without toxic byproducts. However, the current reports on the impact of PAW on the growth of plant-pathogenic fungi, the biosynthesis of fungal mycotoxins, and its field efficacy in preventing plant fungal diseases remain limited.

Atmospheric cold plasma (ACP) is an emerging non-thermal food sterilization technology. This study investigated the effects of ACP on the antioxidant membrane-bound triterpenoid carotenoid pigment (staphyloxanthin, STX) in S. aureus. Results showed that the survival rate of S. aureus in water (1.3 x 107 CFU/mL) after ACP treatment for 5, 10, 15, 20 min significantly decreased to 55.0%, 18.5%, 9.7% and 4.1%, accompanied by a decrease of STX content from 448.8 to 276.7, 80.3, 45.1 and 19.7 mu g/mL, respectively. Particularly, 20-min ACP-treated S. aureus became more susceptible (4.79 times) to hydrogen peroxide (0.1 M) attack most probably due to the decrease of STX. ACP also caused a decrease in the cell membrane potential (MP), accumulation of intra-cellular reactive oxygen species (ROS), and cell necrosis. Pearson correlation analysis indicated that the survival rate, MP, intracellular ROS, and cell necrosis were all highly correlated to STX content, indicating that STX contributed to ACP-induced physiological alterations in S. aureus. These results demonstrated that STX was an important attack target during ACP inactivation of S. aureus.Industrial relevance: This study proposes a novel antibacterial mechanism of ACP against S. aureus from the perspective of STX, which would accelerate the development of ACP in food sterilization. Noting that pigmentation is a hallmark of multiple foodborne pathogenic microbes, this work shows the exciting potential of inactivating foodborne pathogens through destroying their intrinsic pigments.

The gaseous reactive oxygen/nitrogen species (RONS) generated by cold atmospheric plasma (CAP) can effectively inactivate Aspergillus flavus (A. flavus) and prolong the shelf-life of food. Plasma-activated water (PAW) is the extension of cold plasma sterilization technology. Without the limitation of a plasma device, PAW can be applied to more scenarios of food decontamination. However, the efficacy of PAW as a carrier of RONS for eradicating A. flavus or inhibiting its growth remains unclear. In this study, the immediate fungicidal effect and long-term inhibitory effect of PAW on A. flavus were investigated. The results demonstrated that 60-min instant-prepared PAW could achieve a 3.22 log reduction CFU/mL of A. flavus and the fungicidal efficacy of PAW gradually declined with the extension of storage time. Peroxynitrite (ONOO-/ONOOH) played a crucial role in this inactivation process, which could damage the cell wall and membrane structure, disrupt intracellular redox homeostasis, and impair mitochondrial function, ultimately leading to fungal inactivation. In addition to the fungicidal effect, PAW also exhibited fungistatic properties and inhibited the synthesis of aflatoxin B-1 (AFB(1)) in A. flavus. By analyzing the cellular antioxidant capacity, energy metabolism, and key gene expression in the AFB(1) synthesis pathway, it was discovered that PAW can significantly reduce ATP levels, while increasing SOD and CAT activity during 5-d cultivation. Meanwhile, PAW effectively suppressed the expression of genes related to AFB(1) synthesis.

Owing to current global water scarcity, there is an urgent need for advanced water treatment technologies to be invested in wastewater treatment processes. Additionally, there is growing concern that some anthropogenic contaminants have been detected in finished drinking water and wastewater slated for reuse, such as organic chemicals, pharmaceuticals, industrial dyes and even viruses, and their health effects are poorly understood at low concentrations. Atmospheric pressure plasma (APP) is a kind of advanced oxidation technology with high efficiency, low energy consumption, and little environmental impact. In recent decades, as a new method of environmental pollution abatement, APP has proven able to decompose and even completely eliminate stubborn organic contaminants. This paper focuses on the application of different types of plasma in the wastewater purification, such as water containing perfluorinated compounds, pesticides, pharmaceuticals, dyes, phenols, and viruses. Then, the effects of discharge parameters (discharge power, electrode distance, gas flow rate and working gas composition) on degradation efficiency were summarized. Finally, the existing challenges and future prospects of plasma-based wastewater purification are outlined.