Tobacco bacterial wilt is a major threat to sustainable tobacco agriculture. To identify native biocontrol agents for managing this disease, this study integrated rhizosphere microbiome profiling with functional screening. Comparative 16S rDNA amplicon sequencing showed that disease-affected soils had higher abundances of pathogen-linked genera, while healthy soils were enriched in beneficial microbes such as Bacillus and Streptomyces. Then, we isolated thirty potential bacteria from healthy rhizospheres soil, and investigated the effect of screening potential bacteria on R. solanacearum growth, siderophore secretion, protease activity, and cellulase activity. Among these bacteria, four potential biocontrol bacteria were screened, including three Bacillus MZ3-12, MZ4-13, MZ9-28, and a Glutamicibacter MZ8-15. These strains significantly inhibited R. solanacearum growth and secreted highly active proteases, cellulases, and siderophores. They also promoted tobacco growth, increased plant dry weight and fresh weight, and enhanced the expression levels of genes related to the salicylic acid, jasmonic acid, and ethylene pathways. Furthermore, MZ3-12 displays considerable control effect on tobacco bacterial wilt in greenhouse and field conditions. Our results confirm that combining microbiome analytics with culture-based screening is an effective way to identify environment-friendly biocontrol agents, highlighting the role of Bacillus MZ3-12 in maintaining rhizosphere health and managing tobacco bacterial wilt.

BACKGROUND:Constipation is a common gastrointestinal disorder. Although conventional treatments can alleviate symptoms, they often cause side effects. Bifidobacterium, a safe and well-tolerated probiotic, has demonstrated potential in constipation management; however, functional variability among strains limits its broad application. RESULTS:This study investigated the efficacy of four novel Bifidobacterium strains and the commercial reference Bifidobacterium animalis subsp. lactis BB12 using a loperamide hydrochloride (LOP)-induced constipated mouse model. Bifidobacterium supplementation significantly improved constipation phenotypes, including increased fecal water content, intestinal transit rate, and fecal output, while shortening the time to first black stool. It also enhanced the intestinal barrier by up-regulating tight junction proteins, leading to reduced tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α), interleukin-1 beta (IL-1β), and elevated anti-inflammatory interleukin 10 (IL-10) and fecal short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs). Bifidobacterium modulated gut microbiota composition, with B. animalis subsp. lactis C-2 notably enriching Actinobacteriota, which correlated positively with constipation relief and SCFAs, and negatively with inflammation. Moreover, the abfA cluster expression in C-1 and C-2 was similar to BB12 and higher than in other strains, which correlated with the superior performance of B. animalis strains in constipation alleviation, suggesting a potential genetic determinant warranting further functional validation. CONCLUSION:These findings reveal strain-specific mechanisms and support the targeted use of Bifidobacterium for constipation treatment. © 2026 Society of Chemical Industry.

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) poses a global public health challenge due to its high mortality rate and poor prognosis. Intestinal flora exerts a crucial influence on its occurrence and development. The modulation of the gut microbiota by probiotics to alleviate cancer has been extensively studied. Postbiotics, derivatives of probiotics, are gaining attention as a novel therapeutic strategy for cancer due to their stability and safety. This study used metabolomics to show that the Lactobacillus kefiranofaciens ZW18 postbiotic (Post18), which contains compounds such as c-di-GMP and 3-hydroxybutyric acid with potential anticancer properties, possesses anticancer potential. Cell experiments demonstrated that Post18 effectively inhibited HCC cell proliferation and migration; it also induced apoptosis in HCC cells. This effect was verified in an ectopic HCC model, where supplementation with Post18 significantly inhibited tumor growth, reduced the proportion of proliferating cells, enhanced the infiltration of CD4+ and CD8+ T lymphocytes, elevated the production of pro-inflammatory cytokines (IFN-γ and TNF-α), and improved the tumor microenvironment. Additionally, Post18 decreased the relative transcript levels of FoxP3 and increased those of GzmB in the spleen, suggesting that Post18 reduced the number or function of immunosuppressive Tregs and activated immune responses in HCC mice. These effects may be linked to the promotion of beneficial microorganisms, including Dubosiella, Lactobacillus, and Lachnospiraceae_NK4A136_group, in the gut by Post18. In turn, these microbes produced beneficial metabolites such as SCFAs, particularly butyric acid, which likely contributed to the antitumor effects. Overall, Post18 supplementation represents a potential strategy for alleviating HCC and provides a foundation for developing additional treatment options.

Soil quality plays critical roles in supporting the sustainable development of agriculture and forestry. In agroforestry ecosystems, soil multifunctionality refers to soil quality and further affects forest management practices. However, it still remains obscure how soil microbial communities and their functional genes affect soil multifunctionality. This study quantitatively evaluated the soil multifunctionality in a poultry-farming agroforestry ecosystem to reveal its relation to functional bacterial community. At seven years after a three-year experiment of poultry farming, soil samples were collected from poplar plantation (Populus × euramericana 'Neva') across three soil layers (topsoil: 0-30 cm, middle: 30-60 cm, deepsoil: 60-90 cm). Further, soil properties, soil bacterial community composition and structure, bacterial functional genes related to nitrogen and phosphorus cycling were fully examined. The results showed that soil multifunctionality was significantly increased in poultry-farming plantation of poplar, with notable improvements observed in the topsoil and deepsoil. Soil microbial diversity in the poultry farming plots was significantly higher than in the non-poultry farming plots, and diversity indices showed positive correlations with soil multifunctionality. Meanwhile, in the poultry farming plots, bacterial community transitioned from oligotrophic (e.g., Acidobacteria, Chloroflexi) to copiotrophic taxa (e.g., Actinobacteria, Proteobacteria). Additionally, bacterial functional genes related to nitrification (e.g., amoA2) and organic phosphorus mineralization (e.g., CPhy) were significantly enriched in the topsoil. Some specific microbial taxa (e.g., Gaiella) were indicated to play crucial roles in driving soil nitrogen and phosphorus cycling, and soil multifunctionality was significantly regulated by these key functional microbial taxa. The study revealed deeper microbial mechanisms improving soil productivity in a poultry-farming agroforestry ecosystem, proposing a possible countermeasure for sustainable management of the plantation forest.

The stability of soil carbon pools deeply influences global climate changes. Mineral-associated organic carbon (MAOC) as a stable carbon storage formula, plays an important role in soil carbon stability. However, it is still not clear how soil microbial biotic associations govern SOC stabilization by regulating MAOC formation under salinized soil conditions. Here, we collected soil samples from the Yellow River Delta where soil salinization is widely distributed, to reveal the relationship between soil microbial biotic associations and soil carbon stabilization under this special environment. Further, we conducted a global meta-analysis spanning diverse climates and soil types to investigate whether the findings were supported on a global scale. The results showed that positive biotic associations of microorganisms enhanced microbial metabolic efficiency and improved more carbon allocation to microbial biomass and microbial necromass, as evidenced by elevated carbon use efficiency and microbial growth rate, and reduced metabolic quotient. Further, soil minerals interacted with microbial-derived carbon, promoting MAOC formation and improving SOC stability. Meta-analysis validated the exact relationship between soil microbial biotic associations and soil carbon sequestration, and the positive biotic associations could explain over 72–88% of global-scale variance in SOC stability variables. This study highlights the potential of positive biotic associations to reshape microbial metabolic traits, offering novel insights into how microbe–mineral–soil environment interactions influence the formation and stabilization of SOC in saline soils.

Probiotics enhance food nutrition and promote human health owing to their bioactive metabolites and regulatory effects on the gut microbiota. The oligosaccharide (OGS) shows excellent prebiotic characteristics of bioavailability, digestibility, and absorption efficiency, but probiotic-derived OGS has been rarely reported. Herein, Lactobacillus plantarum (L. plantarum) MA2 OGS was extracted, purified, and characterized, the monosaccharides of which were mainly composed of galactose, glucose, and mannose. MA2 OGS could inhibit β-amyloid 40 (Aβ40) aggregation and fibrillogenesis, mitigate aggregation-induced cytotoxicity, and disassemble the mature fibrils in a dose-dependent manner. Furthermore, when the MA2 OGS composite was used with 9-fluorenylmethyloxycarbonyl-modified phenylalanine (Fmoc-F), the gelatinization properties of Fmoc-F@OGS hydrogels were improved, including water retention, rheological characteristics, moisture distribution, and thermal degradability. This study offers theoretical and practical value for developing probiotic-based functional foods with improved nutrient delivery and sustained release.

Fertilization significantly affects ammonia oxidation, a pivotal process governing nitrification in paddy soils. Nevertheless, the ecological niches of ammonia oxidizing-archaea (AOA), ammonia oxidizing-bacteria (AOB), and complete ammonia-oxidizers (Comammox), as well as their relative contributions to ammonia oxidation under long-term fertilization conditions, remain poorly understood. Here, the activity, community structure, and abundance of these ammonia-oxidizers were examined in rice fields under three long-term (35 years) fertilization treatments (CK: no fertilizer, NPK: inorganic fertilizer, SNPK: straw returning combined with inorganic fertilizer) across four rice growth periods. It was observed that AOB activity dominated ammonia oxidation under CK treatment, accounting for 52.65 % of the total ammonia oxidation activity. In contrast, Comammox activity dominated ammonia oxidation under both NPK and SNPK treatments, accounting for 65.44 % and 63.29 % of total ammonia oxidation activity, respectively. The contribution of AOA activity to ammonia oxidation was the lowest (0.67 %-2.25 %) under the three fertilization treatments. Compared to CK, both treatments significantly increased abundance of AOA, AOB, and Comammox, and AOB exhibited the strongest stimulation (943.59 %1445.83 %) by fertilization. Community structure of AOB and Comammox showed a stronger response to fertilization compared with AOA. Partial least squares analysis indicated that fertilization indirectly affected the activity of three types of ammonia-oxidizers by changing the soil physicochemical properties (e.g., pH, organic carbon content, and NH4+-N content) and the community structure of ammonia-oxidizers. Overall, our findings highlight the importance of Comammox in nitrification in long-term fertilized paddy soils, contributing to a better comprehension of the roles of different types of ammonia-oxidizers in nitrogen cycle.

Decomposed wheat straw is a promising seedling substrate but is vulnerable to contamination by filamentous fungi, notably Aspergillus flavus. Multifunctional microbes that combine strong cellulolytic capacity with antifungal activity are needed to enable cleaner bioprocessing and reduce mycotoxin risk. This study sought to identify such a strain and verify its performance from screening to crop-relevant application. From 2,102 Bacillus isolates collected between 2018 and 2023, we selected Bacillus amyloliquefaciens SQ1 exhibiting both cellulolytic activity and antifungal efficacy against A. flavus. During straw decomposition, SQ1 accelerated cellulose and hemicellulose loss, decreased C/N and lignin/N ratios, and rapidly shifted pH toward neutrality. SQ1 suppressed fungal proliferation; Cryo-SEM revealed fractured and collapsed A. flavus hyphae with markedly reduced spore adhesion. Transcriptomic profiling of A. flavus under SQ1 exposure revealed coordinated repression, spanning cell-envelope biogenesis and sterol synthesis (down-regulation of fks1, aflY, erg2, erg11), diminished developmental competence (ligA), and attenuated toxin regulation (aflR). SQ1-amended decomposed straw reduced the relative abundance of Aspergillus and lowered aflatoxin B1 (AFB1, C17H12O6) content. Using the SQ1-amended decomposed straw as a substrate improved peanut seedling survival, plant height, and leaf chlorophyll. SQ1 functions as a dual-purpose biocatalyst, breaking down cellulose while inhibiting fungal growth to enhance straw biotransformation, mitigate mycotoxin risk, and support early crop growth. These findings highlight a sustainable and value-added approach to wheat straw utilization, with practical implications for improved substrate management and cleaner production in crop systems.

Lactic acid bacteria are commonly present in various sources and possess significant probiotic properties. They can inhibit pathogenic bacteria and fungi simultaneously, making them promising candidates as bio-preservatives. This study investigated two potential probiotic strains: Lactiplantibacillus plantarum LR5-2 (isolated from fermented meat products) and Lacticaseibacillus rhamnosus SQ63 (isolated from infant feces). The study evaluated their aggregation ability, anti-pathogenic activity, safety, and tolerance to gastrointestinal conditions, phenol, and bile salts. Additionally, their biological control potential against Penicillium expansum on fresh grapes was assessed. The results demonstrated that both strains exhibited high survival rates under extreme gastrointestinal conditions, enhanced Auto-aggregation, co-aggregation, and hydrophobicity. They displayed strong antioxidant activity and significant antibacterial effects against 11 pathogenic fungi and foodborne pathogens. Biosafety testing revealed that both strains are sensitive to most antibiotics, do not produce biogenic amines, and exhibit no hemolytic or DNase activity. In grapes, L. plantarum LR5-2 and L. rhamnosus SQ63 significantly reduced the incidence and disease index of P. expansum infection. In conclusion, the characterization analysis and bio-preservation experiments revealed that LR5-2 and SQ63 have strong potential as probiotics and bio-preservatives.

Osteoarthritis (OA) is a globally chronic disease affecting middle-aged and elderly individuals, with growing evidences implicating gut microbiota in its pathogenesis. Lactobacillus kefiranofaciens ZW3 (ZW3) shows potential in modulating gut microbiota, protecting intestinal barrier, and regulating immunity. This study explored the therapeutic effects of ZW3, alone and combined with CII/Gln, using a monoiodoacetate (MIA)-induced OA model. Results indicated that ZW3 significantly mitigated cartilage damage and inflammation alone or combined with CII/Gln, possibly by improving intestinal integrity, reduced oxidative stress, and regulated MMPs expression. 16S rDNA sequencing showed ZW3, especially with CII/Gln, increased beneficial bacteria of Ruminococcaceae and Lachnospiraceae abundances. Furthermore, ZW3 or with CII/Gln elevated SCFAs levels in intestinal contents in OA rats. These findings propose a novel probiotic-based strategy, potentially combined with functional foods, for OA intervention and treatment.

How different stress responses by male and female plants are influenced by interactions with rhizosphere microbes remains unclear. In this study, we employed poplar as a dioecious model plant and quantified biotic associations between microorganisms to explore the relationship between microbial associations and plant adaptation. We propose a health index (HI) to comprehensively characterize the physiological characteristics and adaptive capacity of plants under stress. It was found that male poplars demonstrated higher salt stress tolerance than females, and root-secreted citric acid was significantly higher in the rhizospheres of male poplars. Positive biotic association among bacteria increased poplar HI significantly under salt stress, while fungal and cross-domain biotic association (bacteria-fungi) did not. We further identified a keystone bacterial taxon regulating bacterial biotic association, ASV_22706, which was itself regulated by citric acid and significantly positively correlated with host HI. The abundance of keystone fungal taxa was positively correlated with HI of male poplars and negatively correlated with HI of female poplars. Compared with female poplars, male poplars enriched more prebiotics and probiotics under stress. This work primarily reveals the relationship between adaptation differences and microbial interactions in dioecious plants, which suggests a microbial approach to improve plant adaptability to stress conditions.

Kiwifruit is a nutritious, flavorful fruit that is popular with consumers. However, kiwifruit is a climacteric fruit that is prone to rapid softening and postharvest diseases during storage. In this regard, the application of lactic acid bacteria has been shown to preserve fruit quality and inhibit disease development. In this study, the effect of the application of Lactiplantibacillus pentosus CW5 cell-free supernatant (L. pentosus CW5 CFS) on the postharvest preservation of kiwifruit quality was comprehensively investigated using visual observations, the assessment of several quality indices and antioxidant capacity, and an investigation of the microbial community present on the kiwifruit surface. Results indicated that, relative to the control group (CK), L. pentosus CW5 CFS attenuated the rate of softening and rot development in stored kiwifruit, delayed the increase in soluble solids content (SSC), decreased the reduction in ascorbic acid observed at the end of storage, and maintained SOD, POD, and APX antioxidant enzyme activity. L. pentosus CW5 CFS also reduced the relative abundance of several postharvest pathogenic fungi present in the surface microbiota of kiwifruit, suggesting that this may be a factor in its preservation effect. Our study demonstrated the potential use of L. pentosus CW5 CFS in the postharvest preservation of kiwifruit and provided information that could be used in the development of safe and effective postharvest preservation technologies.

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is one kind of illness with abnormal renal structure and function caused by many factors. Probiotics can be used to regulate intestinal microflora and enhance intestinal mucosal barrier, thus, intervention with probiotics may be regarded as one of the potential ways to protect against CKD. In vitro and in vivo experiments showed that Lactiplantibacillus plantarum MA2 (MA2), a probiotic separated from traditional Chinese Tibetan kefir grains, could degrade the uremic toxins including creatinine, urea nitrogen and uric acid. Oral administration of MA2 or its inactive strains (IMA2) could decrease serum uremic toxins of adenine-induced CKD mice, and also elevate the relative expression of claudin-1. Meanwhile, intervention of MA2 or IMA2 decreased the contents of lipopolysaccharide, Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) and interleukin-1β (IL-1β) in the kidney. 16S rDNA sequencing results indicated that the intervention of MA2 or IMA2 regulated the gut microbiota structure by elevating the abundance of Lactobacillus, and decreasing the abundance of Proteobacteria. Thus, oral administration of MA2 or IMA2 can reduce the uremic toxins in CKD mice by regulating gut microflora and restoring the intestinal mucosal barrier. Our study provided a theoretical basis for the application of MA2 and its postbiotics in the CKD intervention and treatment.

A novel combination of carbon and nitrogen cycling occurs through nitrite- and nitrate-dependent anaerobic oxidation of methane (AOM). However, their role in the rice rhizosphere remains unexplored. This study investigates the contribution and regulation of nitrite- and nitrate-AOM in the rhizosphere soil of paddy fields. The results showed that nitrite- and nitrate-AOM activities were elevated in rhizosphere soil by 132 % and 87 %, respectively, compared to bulk soil across all fertilization treatments. Rhizosphere soil exhibited a significantly higher abundance of NC10 bacteria (9.89 × 106-2.04 × 107 copies g-1 dry soil) than bulk soil (1.50-2.94 × 106 copies g-1 dry soil). High-throughput sequencing unveiled distinct community compositions of NC10 bacteria and ANME-2d archaea in rhizosphere and bulk soils. Furthermore, PLS-PM analysis identified that significant variations in soil properties between rhizosphere and bulk soils resulted in the difference of NC10 bacterial abundance, finally leading to the difference in nitrite-AOM activity. However, nitrate-AOM activity was collectively influenced by the variations in soil properties and the abundance of ANME-2d archaea. This study provides pioneering evidence, positioning the rhizosphere as an active region for AOM, thereby refining the evaluation of AOM's role in paddy fields.

Previous studies have shown that supplementation with specific probiotics can be used to alleviate allergy symptoms. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the anti-allergic effects of Lactobacillus kefiranofaciens ZW3 (ZW3) in ovalbumin (OVA)-induced allergic mice. The mice were divided into six groups: the food allergy group, positive group (Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG), low-dose ZW3 group, middle-dose ZW3 group, high-dose ZW3 group, and the control group involving healthy mice. BALB/c mice were intraperitoneally injected with OVA/complete Freund’s adjuvant (CFA) for allergy sensitization. Probiotics were administered orally once every two days in the probiotic-treated groups. The allergic score, serum OVA-sIgE, body mass, thymus, and spleen indexes were detected on day 22, and the relative mRNA expression of inflammatory cytokines was detected via RT-qPCR. The results suggest that the body weight and thymus index returned to normal levels; allergy scores, serum OVA-sIgE, IL-4, IL-5, and IL-10 expression decreased; and IFN-γ and IL-2 increased significantly in the ZW3 group compared with the allergy group. Furthermore, ZW3 decreased Muribaculaceae and Ruminococcaceae abundance and increased Lachnospiraceae abundance in the intestinal flora. In summary, ZW3 induced anti-allergic effects by increasing Th1 cytokines and decreasing Th2 cytokines, which can remarkably ameliorate the symptoms of an ovalbumin-induced food allergy.

AIM:Candidatus Methanoperedens-related archaea have recently been identified as anaerobic methane oxidizers in paddy soils. Fertilization practices, including the application of inorganic and organic fertilizers (e.g. chicken manure), may significantly influence their community dynamics and the associated methane cycling processes. However, the comparative effects of inorganic and chicken manure fertilization on these archaeal community in paddy fields remain unclear. This study aimed to examine the diversity, community composition, and abundance of Methanoperedens-related archaea at three representative soil layers of 0-10, 20-30, and 40-50 cm under three fertilization treatments (no fertilizer, inorganic fertilizer, chicken manure fertilizer). METHODS AND RESULTS:High-throughput sequencing revealed significant differences in community composition among treatments, while overall diversity showed minimal changes. Quantitative Polymerase Chain Reaction indicated that archaeal abundance under inorganic (2.3 × 106 copies g-1) and chicken manure fertilization (2.2 × 106 copies g-1) treatments was significantly greater than that under no fertilization (1.8 × 106 copies g-1) in upper 30 cm soils, with no significant difference at 40-50 cm depth. Inorganic fertilization more strongly promoted archaeal abundance, whereas chicken manure had a greater effect on community structure. Soil ammonium, nitrate, and organic carbon contents were significantly correlated with archaeal community patterns. CONCLUSION:Both inorganic and organic fertilization can substantially influence the community structure and abundance of Methanoperedens-related archaea in paddy soils.

Intake of certain Lactiplantibacillus strains was recognized as a potential strategy for acute liver injury (ALI) prevention. This study is aimed at developing a selenium-enriched Lactiplantibacillus strain-based ALI prevention strategy. L. plantarum ZZU 8-12 was isolated from human fecal sample and screened out based on its adaption to intestinal microenvironment, inhibitive capability against pathogenic bacteria, and in vivo anti-inflammation response in DSS-induced colitis mice model. The strain was applied as a producer of nano selenium particles to produce selenium-enriched L. plantarum ZZU 8-12. Intake of selenium-enriched L. plantarum ZZU 8-12 upregulated the abundance of short-chain fatty acid-producing genera including Lactiplantibacillus, Phascolarctobacterium, Butyricicoccus, and Clostridiales bacterium in fecal microbiota and thus inhibited ALI induced by CCL4 injection in mice. This study drew the potential for selenium-enriched L. plantarum ZZU 8-12 as an ingredient for ALI protection.

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder characterized by cerebral amyloid-β deposition, neurofibrillary tangles of hyperphosphorylated tau, and chronic neuroinflammation. Growing evidence underscores the role of the gut-brain axis in mediating bidirectional communication between the gut and the central nervous system. Postbiotics, non-viable microorganisms and/or ingredients that are beneficial to the host's health, have emerged as promising modulators of brain function via this axis. Herein, we evaluated the neuroprotective effects of three postbiotics derived from Bifidobacterium animalis subsp. lactis IOBL07, Lactiplantibacillus plantarum IOB602 and Lactobacillus paracasei IOB413 in a D-galactose/AlCl3-induced AD rats. These postbiotics ameliorated cognitive deficits and anxiety-like behaviors, reduced neuronal degeneration and Aβ accumulation, and suppressed microglial activation and neuroinflammation via the TLR4/MyD88/NLRP3 signaling pathway. 16S rDNA sequencing revealed that postbiotics intervention induced substantial gut microbiota remodeling, selectively enriching Lachnospiraceae, Ruminococcus and Lactobacillus, while depleting Muribaculaceae. Postbiotic administration also elevated fecal short-chain fatty acid levels. Metabolomics analysis identified 11 metabolites, including indole derivatives, cholinergics and niacinamides, that were uniquely enriched in the IOB602 group. These metabolites may underlie its anti-AD effects by attenuating oxidative stress, modulating neuroinflammation, and enhancing mitochondrial function. Together, these findings provide a foundation for developing postbiotic-based adjuvant therapies against AD pathogenesis.

Soil carbon (C) sequestration is a core issue in global C cycle research, and the rhizosphere, as a hotspot of plantsoil-microbe interactions, still requires in-depth analysis of its mechanism in the formation and stabilization of soil C. This study, based on the "microbial C pump" theory, focuses on the differences in microbial C transformation between the rhizosphere and bulk soils, aiming to reveal how microbial metabolic efficiency regulate the differences in soil C sequestration derived from microbial necromss C between these two soil compartments. We performs a common garden experiment, by measuring amino sugars, systematically compared the differences in the contribution of microbial necromass C to soil organic carbon (SOC) in the rhizosphere of ten tree species and bulk soils. Simultaneously, the 18O-H2O labeling technique was used to determine microbial carbon use efficiency (CUE), and the intrinsic relationship between CUE and microbial necromass C accumulation was analyzed. The results showed: (1) The microbial necromass C content in the rhizosphere was significantly higher than that in the bulk soil, increasing by an average of 35.3 %; (2) The contribution of microbial necromass C to SOC in the rhizosphere was 69.1 % higher than that in the bulk soil; (3) The average microbial CUE in the rhizosphere was 192.6 % higher than that in the bulk soil, and was significantly positively correlated with the content of necromass C in the rhizosphere and/or bulk soil. These results consistently indicate that the rhizosphere promotes the accumulation of microbial-derived C through enhancing microbial CUE. Our study mechanistically confirmed the key role of the rhizosphere for soil C sequestration, not only deepening the understanding of the interaction between plants and microorganisms driving the soil C cycle, but also providing scientific evidence for regulating rhizosphere processes to enhance the C sequestration capacity of ecosystems.

In order to improve the poor mechanical properties and strong hydrophilicity of soluble soybean polysaccharide (SSPS) based films, licorice residue extract (LE) was introduced into the film-forming matrix. In this study, the effect of the amount of LE on the microstructure, physical and functional performances of the SSPS-based films, and its antioxidant activity and practical application in delaying the oxidation of oil-fried peanuts were investigated. The results showed that the compounding of LE increased the tensile strength (TS) by 4.39 times, decreased the WVP to 62 %, and increased the contact angle by 17.77 %, respectively. FTIR and SEM analyses verified the formation of intermolecular hydrogen bonds among LE, glycerol and SSPS. Furthermore, radical scavenging activity experiments proved that the films possessed a superior capacity to scavenge DPPH and ABTS•+ radicals up to 63.51 % and 93.10 % respectively, when the LE dosage was at 10 %. It is worth noting the shelf life of oil-fried peanut was extended by about 3.25 d at 60 °C (~65 d at 20 °C) with the packaging of SSS-LE8 film. The preparation of SSPS-LEx film could promote the development of biomass-based packaging materials and their preservation applications in nuts and other products.