Characterization of core microbiota of barley seeds from different continents for origin tracing and quarantine pathogen assessment.

Seeds are important microbial vectors, and seed-associated pathogens can be introduced into a country through trade, resulting in yield and quality losses in agriculture. The aim of this study was to characterize the microbial communities associated with barley seeds, and based on which, to develop technical approaches to trace their geographical origins, and to inspect and identify quarantine pathogens. Our analysis defined the core microbiota of barley seed and revealed significant differences in the barley seed-associated microbial communities among different continents, suggesting a strong geographic specificity of the barley seed microbiota. By implementing a machine learning model, we achieved over 95% accuracy in tracing the origin of barley seeds. Furthermore, the analysis of co-occurrence and exclusion patterns provided important insights into the identification of candidate biocontrol agents or microbial inoculants that could be useful in improving barley yield and quality. A core pathogen database was developed, and a procedure for inspecting potential quarantine species associated with barley seed was established. These approaches proved effective in detecting four fungal and three bacterial quarantine species for the first time in the port of China. This study not only characterized the core microbiota of barley seeds but also provided practical approaches for tracing the regional origin of barley and identifying potential quarantine pathogens.

The Impact of a Non-Pathogenic Strain of Fusarium Oxysporum on Structural and Biochemical Properties of Flax Suspension Cultures.

Flax (Linum usitatissimum L.) is an important crop plant with pharmaceutical significance. It is described in pharmacopoeias (the United States Pharmacopeia and the European Pharmacopoeia), which confirms that it (especially the seeds) is a valuable medicinal product. Similar to flax seeds, which accumulate bioactive compounds, flax in vitro cultures are also a rich source of flavonoids, phenolics, lignans and neolignans. In the present study, flax suspension cultures after treatment of the non-pathogenic Fusarium oxysporum strain Fo47 were established and analyzed. The study examined the suitability of Fo47 as an elicitor in flax suspension cultures and provided interesting data on the impact of these endophytic fungi on plant metabolism and physiology. Two flax cultivars (Bukoz and Nike) and two compositions of media for flax callus liquid cultures were tested. Biochemical analysis revealed enhanced levels of secondary metabolites (total flavonoid and total phenolic content) and photosynthetically active pigments in the flax callus cultures after treatment with the non-pathogenic fungal strain F. oxysporum Fo47 when compared to control, untreated cultures. In cultures with the selected, optimized conditions, FTIR analysis was performed and revealed changes in the structural properties of cell wall polymers after elicitation of cultures with F. oxysporum Fo47. The plant cell wall polymers were more strongly bound, and the crystallinity index (Icr) of cellulose was higher than in control, untreated samples. However, lignin and pectin levels were lower in the flax callus liquid cultures treated with the non-pathogenic strain of Fusarium when compared to the untreated control. The potential application of the non-pathogenic strain of F. oxysporum for enhancing the synthesis of desired secondary metabolites in plant tissue cultures is discussed.

Exploring the Rhizospheric Microbial Communities under Long-Term Precipitation Regime in Norway Spruce Seed Orchard.

The rhizosphere is the hotspot for microbial enzyme activities and contributes to carbon cycling. Precipitation is an important component of global climate change that can profoundly alter belowground microbial communities. However, the impact of precipitation on conifer rhizospheric microbial populations has not been investigated in detail. In the present study, using high-throughput amplicon sequencing, we investigated the impact of precipitation on the rhizospheric soil microbial communities in two Norway Spruce clonal seed orchards, Lipová Lhota (L-site) and Prenet (P-site). P-site has received nearly double the precipitation than L-site for the last three decades. P-site documented higher soil water content with a significantly higher abundance of Aluminium (Al), Iron (Fe), Phosphorous (P), and Sulphur (S) than L-site. Rhizospheric soil metabolite profiling revealed an increased abundance of acids, carbohydrates, fatty acids, and alcohols in P-site. There was variance in the relative abundance of distinct microbiomes between the sites. A higher abundance of Proteobacteria, Acidobacteriota, Ascomycota, and Mortiellomycota was observed in P-site receiving high precipitation, while Bacteroidota, Actinobacteria, Chloroflexi, Firmicutes, Gemmatimonadota, and Basidiomycota were prevalent in L-site. The higher clustering coefficient of the microbial network in P-site suggested that the microbial community structure is highly interconnected and tends to cluster closely. The current study unveils the impact of precipitation variations on the spruce rhizospheric microbial association and opens new avenues for understanding the impact of global change on conifer rizospheric microbial associations.

Pythium and Globisporangium species associated with cucumber rhizosphere causing damping-off and their effects on cucumber seed decay in Oman.

Pythium sensu lato (s.l.) is a pathogenic oomycete. The present study was conducted to isolate and identify Pythium s.l. species associated with the rhizosphere and roots of greenhouse-growing cucumbers showing damping-off symptoms in 10 Omani governorates (provinces). A total of 166 isolates were recovered from 276 rhizosphere soil and root samples and were identified based on the ribosomal DNA (rDNA) internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region and the cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COX I) gene region. Pythium aphanidermatum, P. myriotylum, Globisporangium spinosum, Globisporangium sp.1 (isolates Kb003/PySyCu-1 and Kb004/PySyCu-2), and Globisporangium sp.2 (isolate Ib002R) were identified. Among these species, P. aphanidermatum was the most abundant species, represented by 143 isolates (86.1%), followed by G. spinosum with 18 isolates (10.8%), Globisporangium sp.1 and P. myriotylum each with 2 isolates (2.4%), and Globisporangium sp.2 with 1 isolate (0.6%). Pathogenicity tests were also conducted for 38 isolates, including P. aphanidermatum (25), P. myriotylum (2), Globisporangium sp.2 (1), G. spinosum (8), and Globisporangium sp.1 (2). Among the tested isolates, only Globisporangium sp.2 isolate was avirulent, and none of the seeds were rotted at the end of the treatment. However, the other species induced the symptoms of seed decay with the incidence ranged from 86.7 to 100%. Phylogenetic analyses were conducted based on 222 ITS and 53 COX I sequences, and confirmed morphological identification. In addition, the genetic diversity of 93 P. aphanidermatum isolates was assessed via the amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP) method. The analysis produced 93 genotypes and 449 polymorphic loci. Pythium aphanidermatum populations were found to have moderate levels of genetic diversity (H = 0.2) and a moderate Shannon information index (I = 0.3793). Analysis of molecular variance (FST = 0.1, P = 0.0) revealed a moderate level of genetic differentiation among P. aphanidermatum isolates between Oman governorates. The sensitivity of 15 P. aphanidermatum isolates was evaluated against hymexazol at different concentrations (10, 100, and 1000 ppm). The results revealed that P. aphanidermatum could grow well at concentrations of up to 100 ppm hymexazol. However, hymexazol at 1000 ppm retarded the growth of P. aphanidermatum. This study showed that P. aphanidermatum is the most prevalent species in greenhouses in Oman and exhibited a moderate level of genetic diversity. Most of the isolates exhibited differences in tolerance to hymexazol but showed no resistance.

Priestia aryabhattai MBM3-Mediated Enhancement of Sulphur Metabolism in Brassica campestris.

Sulphur, an essential element for plant growth, is vital for synthesizing various crucial components such as amino acids and enzymes. Its limited availability in acidic soil inhibits crop development and yield. Our research identified low pH tolerance sulphur-metabolizing bacterial isolate Priestia aryabhattai MBM3, with plant growth-promoting traits. Key sulphur-metabolizing genes viz., cysK, cysE, luxS, and a hypothetical gene, BG04-4883 were increasingly upregulated during the lag phase in acidic environments, indicating to the isolates ability to accumulate sulphur through increased activity of these essential genes. Microcosm experiment revealed bioprimed Brassica campestris L seeds with Priestia aryabhattai MBM3 had improved performance in acidic conditions, as demonstrated by agronomic and physiological, and no metabolic demand for sulphur, unlike control untreated plants which showed requirement for sulphur with significant expression of sulfate transporters, as revealed by molecular studies.

Seed Priming with Rhizospheric Bacillus subtilis: A Smart Strategy for Reducing Fumonisin Contamination in Pre-Harvest Maize.

Maize, one of the most important cereal crops in Bangladesh, is severely contaminated by fumonisin, a carcinogenic secondary metabolite produced by Fusarium including Fusarium proliferatum. Biocontrol with Bacillus strains is an effective approach to controlling this F. proliferatum as Bacillus has proven antagonistic properties against this fungus. Therefore, the present study aimed to determine how native Bacillus strains can reduce fumonisin in maize cultivated in Bangladesh, where BDISO76MR (Bacillus subtilis) strains showed the highest efficacy both in vitro in detached cob and in planta under field conditions. The BDISO76MR strain could reduce the fumonisin concentration in detached cob at 98.52% over untreated control, by inhibiting the conidia germination and spore formation of F. proliferatum at 61.56% and 77.01%, respectively in vitro. On the other hand, seed treatment with formulated BDISO76MR showed higher efficacy with a reduction of 97.27% fumonisin contamination compared to the in planta cob inoculation (95.45%) over untreated control. This implies that Bacillus-based formulation might be a potential approach in mitigating fumonisin contamination in maize to ensure safe food and feed.

Implications of Domestication in Theobroma cacao L. Seed-Borne Microbial Endophytes Diversity.

The study of plant-microbe interactions is a rapidly growing research field, with increasing attention to the role of seed-borne microbial endophytes in protecting the plant during its development from abiotic and biotic stresses. Recent evidence suggests that seed microbiota is crucial in establishing the plant microbial community, affecting its composition and structure, and influencing plant physiology and ecology. For Theobroma cacao L., the diversity and composition of vertically transmitted microbes have yet to be addressed in detail. We explored the composition and diversity of seed-borne endophytes in cacao pods of commercial genotypes (ICS95, IMC67), recently liberated genotypes from AGROSAVIA (TCS01, TCS19), and landraces from Tumaco (Colombia) (AC9, ROS1, ROS2), to evaluate microbial vertical transmission and establishment in various tissues during plant development. We observed a higher abundance of Pseudomonas and Pantoea genera in the landraces and AGROSAVIA genotypes, while the commercial genotypes presented a higher number of bacteria species but in low abundance. In addition, all the genotypes and plant tissues showed a high percentage of fungi of the genus Penicillium. These results indicate that domestication in cacao has increased bacterial endophyte diversity but has reduced their abundance. We isolated some of these seed-borne endophytes to evaluate their potential as growth promoters and found that Bacillus, Pantoea, and Pseudomonas strains presented high production of indole acetic acid and ACC deaminase activity. Our results suggest that cacao domestication could lead to the loss of essential bacteria for seedling establishment and development. This study improves our understanding of the relationship and interaction between perennial plants and seed-borne microbiota.

Peanut Rhizosphere Achromobacter xylosoxidans Inhibits Aspergillus flavus Development and Aflatoxin Synthesis by Inducing Apoptosis through Targeting the Cell Membrane.

Contamination of crop seeds and feed with Aspergillus flavus and its associated aflatoxins presents a significant threat to human and animal health due to their hepatotoxic and carcinogenic properties. To address this challenge, researchers have screened for potential biological control agents in peanut soil and pods. This study identified a promising candidate, a strain of the nonpigmented bacterium, Achromobacter xylosoxidans ZJS2-1, isolated from the peanut rhizosphere in Zhejiang Province, China, exhibiting notable antifungal and antiaflatoxin activities. Further investigations demonstrated that ZJS2-1 active substances (ZAS) effectively inhibited growth at a MIC of 60 µL/mL and nearly suppressed AFB1 production by 99%. Metabolomic analysis revealed that ZAS significantly affected metabolites involved in cell wall and membrane biosynthesis, leading to compromised cellular integrity and induced apoptosis in A. flavus through the release of cytochrome c. Notably, ZAS targeted SrbA, a key transcription factor involved in ergosterol biosynthesis and cell membrane integrity, highlighting its crucial role in ZJS2-1's biocontrol mechanism. Moreover, infection of crop seeds and plant wilt caused by A. flavus can be efficiently alleviated by ZAS. Additionally, ZJS2-1 and ZAS demonstrated significant inhibitory effects on various Aspergillus species, with inhibition rates ranging from 80 to 99%. These findings highlight the potential of ZJS2-1 as a biocontrol agent against Aspergillus species, offering a promising solution to enhance food safety and protect human health.

Effectiveness of local isolates of Trichoderma spp. in imparting drought tolerance in rice, Oryza sativa.

Rice is a crop that requires high amount of water, and the drought is a major constraint in paddy cultivation. Water stress condition frequently prevails due to shortage of rain which results in significantly reduced plant growth and yield of rice. In the present study capability of Trichoderma spp. in imparting drought tolerance to rice, Oryza sativa was explored. Eleven local strains of Trichoderma spp. were applied to rice cv. Swarna Sub-1 through soil application (2 g/kg soil) and seed treatment (20 g/kg seed) under 0, 25, 50 and 75% less watering of the recommended amount. The soil application of T. harzianum AMUTHZ84 significantly promoted the shoot and root length (23.6 and 21.3%) followed by seed treatment (19.7 and 18.2%) under recommended level of irrigation condition (100% irrigation). Next in effectiveness was T. viride AMUTVR73 (21.5 and 18.1%) over untreated control. However, under 75% water availability, soil application with T. harzianum AMUTHZ82 was found superior over other isolates in enhancing shoot and root length (17.7 and 16.4%). The same isolate was also recorded to be superior under 50% (12.4 and 10.1%) and 25% water availability (9.3 and 8.1%) in enhancing the plant growth and biomass of rice cv. Swarna Sub-1. The isolate also significantly enhanced the leaf pigments, and photosynthesis in the rice plants grown under 25-75% water stress condition. In general, soil application of Trichoderma isolates was found more effective than seed treatment, and the T. harzianum AMUTHZ82 provided 8-17% enhancement in the plant growth, biomass, leaf pigments and photosynthesis of rice cv. Swarna Sub-1 grown under 25-75% water stress condition.

Colonization compatibility with Bacillus altitudinis confers soybean seed rot resistance.

The plant microbiome and plant-associated bacteria are known to support plant health, but there are limited studies on seed and seedling microbiome to reveal how seed-associated bacteria may confer disease resistance. In this study, the application of antibiotics on soybean seedlings indicated that seed-associated bacteria were involved in the seed rot resistance against a soil-borne pathogen Calonectria ilicicola, but this resistance cannot be carried to withstand root rot. Using PacBio 16S rRNA gene full-length sequencing and microbiome analyses, 14 amplicon sequence variants (ASVs) including 2 ASVs matching to Bacillus altitudinis were found to be more abundant in the four most resistant varieties versus the four most susceptible varieties. Culture-dependent isolation obtained two B. altitudinis isolates that both exhibit antagonistic capability against six fungal pathogens. Application of B. altitudinis on the most resistant and susceptible soybean varieties revealed different colonization compatibility, and the seed rot resistance was restored in the five varieties showing higher bacterial colonization. Moreover, quantitative PCR confirmed the persistence of B. altitudinis on apical shoots till 21 days post-inoculation (dpi), but 9 dpi on roots of the resistant variety TN5. As for the susceptible variety HC, the persistence of B. altitudinis was only detected before 6 dpi on both shoots and roots. The short-term colonization of B. altitudinis on roots may explain the absence of root rot resistance. Collectively, this study advances the insight of B. altitudinis conferring soybean seed rot resistance and highlights the importance of considering bacterial compatibility with plant varieties and colonization persistence on plant tissues.

Optimisation of indole acetic acid production by Neopestalotiopsis aotearoa endophyte isolated from Thymus vulgaris and its impact on seed germination of Ocimum basilicum.

BACKGROUND: Microbial growth during plant tissue culture is a common problem that causes significant losses in the plant micro-propagation system. Most of these endophytic microbes have the ability to propagate through horizontal and vertical transmission. On the one hand, these microbes provide a rich source of several beneficial metabolites. RESULTS: The present study reports on the isolation of fungal species from different in vitro medicinal plants (i.e., Breynia disticha major, Breynia disticha, Duranta plumieri, Thymus vulgaris, Salvia officinalis, Rosmarinus officinalis, and Ocimum basilicum l) cultures. These species were tested for their indole acetic acid (IAA) production capability. The most effective species for IAA production was that isolated from Thymus vulgaris plant (11.16 µg/mL) followed by that isolated from sweet basil plant (8.78 µg/mL). On screening for maximum IAA productivity, medium, "MOS + tryptophan" was chosen that gave 18.02 µg/mL. The macroscopic, microscopic examination and the 18S rRNA sequence analysis indicated that the isolate that given code T4 was identified as Neopestalotiopsis aotearoa (T4). The production of IAA by N. aotearoa was statistically modeled using the Box-Behnken design and optimized for maximum level, reaching 63.13 µg/mL. Also, IAA extract was administered to sweet basil seeds in vitro to determine its effect on plant growth traits. All concentrations of IAA extract boosted germination parameters as compared to controls, and 100 ppm of IAA extract exhibited a significant growth promotion effect for all seed germination measurements. CONCLUSIONS: The IAA produced from N. aotearoa (T4) demonstrated an essential role in the enhancement of sweet basil (Ocimum basilicum) growth, suggesting that it can be employed to promote the plant development while lowering the deleterious effect of using synthetic compounds in the environment.

Antifungal Activity and Mechanism of Physcion against Sclerotium rolfsii, the Causal Agent of Peanut Southern Blight.

Peanut southern blight, caused by the soil-borne pathogen Sclerotium rolfsii, is a widespread and devastating epidemic. Frequently, it is laborious to effectively control by labor-intensive foliar sprays of agrochemicals due to untimely find. In the present study, seed treatment with physcion (PHY) at doses of 0.08, 0.16, and 0.32 g AI kg-1 seed significantly improved the growth and photosynthetic activity of peanuts. Furthermore, PHY seed treatment resulted in an elevated enzymatic activity of key enzymes in peanut roots, including peroxidase, superoxide dismutase, polyphenol oxidase, catalase, lipoxygenase, and phenylalanine ammonia-lyase, as well as an increase in callus accumulation and lignin synthesis at the infection site, ultimately enhancing the root activity. This study revealed that PHY seed treatment could promote the accumulation of reactive oxygen species, salicylic acid (SA), and jasmonic acid (JA)/ethylene (ET) in peanut roots, while also decreasing the content of malondialdehyde levels in response to S. rolfsii infection. The results were further confirmed by transcriptome data and metabolomics. These findings suggest that PHY seed treatment activates the plant defense pathways mediated by SA and JA/ET in peanut roots, enhancing the resistance of peanut plants to S. rolfsii. In short, PHY is expected to be developed into a new plant-derived immunostimulant or fungicide to increase the options and means for peanut disease control.

Hepatic transcript profiling in beef cattle: Effects of feeding endophyte-infected tall fescue seeds.

The objective of our study was to evaluate the effect of endophyte-infected tall fescue (E+) seeds intake on liver tissue transcriptome in growing Angus × Simmental steers and heifers through RNA-seq analysis. Normal weaned calves (~8 months old) received either endophyte-free tall fescue (E-; n = 3) or infected tall fescue (E+; n = 6) seeds for a 30-d period. The diet offered was ad libitum bermudagrass (Cynodon dactylon) hay combined with a nutritional supplement of 1.61 kg (DM basis) of E+ or E- tall fescue seeds, and 1.61 kg (DM basis) of energy/protein supplement pellets for a 30-d period. Dietary E+ tall fescue seeds were included in a rate of 20 µg of ergovaline/kg BW/day. Liver tissue was individually obtained through biopsy at d 30. After preparation and processing of the liver samples for RNA sequencing, we detected that several metabolic pathways were activated (i.e., upregulated) by the consumption of E+ tall fescue. Among them, oxidative phosphorylation, ribosome biogenesis, protein processing in endoplasmic reticulum and apoptosis, suggesting an active mechanism to cope against impairment in normal liver function. Interestingly, hepatic protein synthesis might increase due to E+ consumption. In addition, there was upregulation of "thermogenesis" KEGG pathway, showing a possible increase in energy expenditure in liver tissue due to consumption of E+ diet. Therefore, results from our study expand the current knowledge related to liver metabolism of growing beef cattle under tall fescue toxicosis.

Mother trees of common ash (Fraxinus excelsior) disperse different sets of mycobiome through their seed wings.

OBJECTIVE: The endophytic mycobiome is present in all studied plant compartments, including fruits and seeds. Here, we studied the mycobiome of seed wings as they are transferred with seeds in common ash and tested whether the mycobiome differs among trees. To achieve this, we used ITS1-based amplicon sequencing and two genotypes of F. excelsior as a model to compare the mycobiome of mother trees and their wings. RESULTS: We compared the mycobiome of 57 seed wings to the seed stalks (57) collected from two genotypes of F. excelsior using three ramets of each genotype. Alpha diversity indices (ACE, Fisher and Observed OTUs) suggested a higher richness of the mycobiome associated with the seed wing than the seed stalk within each genotype. However, there were neither significant differences in Shannon diversity between the mycobiomes from the two tissue types nor the two genotypes. PERMANOVA revealed significant differences in the mycobiome composition between tissue types (P < 0.001). It also showed a significant difference between seed wings (P = 0.04), but not between seed stalks of the two genotypes. Our results suggest that Fraxinus excelsior mother trees disperse different sets of mycobiomes with their seed wings, which may be important for germination and seedling establishment-especially in the light of ash dieback.

Wild rodents seed choice is relevant for sustainable agriculture.

Mitigating pre-harvest sprouting (PHS) and post-harvest food loss (PHFL) is essential for enhancing food securrity. To reduce food loss, the use of plant derived specialized metabolites can represent a good approach to develop a more eco-friendly agriculture. Here, we have discovered that soybean seeds hidden underground during winter by Tscherskia triton and Apodemus agrarius during winter possess a higher concentration of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) compared to those remaining exposed in fields. This selection by rodents suggests that among the identified volatiles, 3-FurAldehyde (Fur) and (E)-2-Heptenal (eHep) effectively inhibit the growth of plant pathogens such as Aspergillus flavus, Alternaria alternata, Fusarium solani and Pseudomonas syringae. Additionally, compounds such as Camphene (Cam), 3-FurAldehyde, and (E)-2-Heptenal, suppress the germination of seeds in crops including soybean, rice, maize, and wheat. Importantly, some of these VOCs also prevent rice seeds from pre-harvest sprouting. Consequently, our findings offer straightforward and practical approaches to seed protection and the reduction of PHS and PHFL, indicating potential new pathways for breeding, and reducing both PHS and pesticide usage in agriculture.

Enhancing drought stress tolerance and growth promotion in chiltepin pepper (Capsicum annuum var. glabriusculum) through native Bacillus spp.

The drought can cause a decrease in food production and loss of biodiversity. In northern Mexico, an arid region, the chiltepin grows as a semi-domesticated crop that has been affected in its productivity and yield. An alternative to mitigate the effect of drought and aid in its conservation could be using Plant Growth-Promoting Bacteria (PGPB). The present study evaluated the capacity of native Bacillus spp., isolated from arid soils, as PGPBs and drought stress tolerance inducers in chiltepin under controlled conditions. Chiltepin seeds and seedlings were inoculated with native strains of Bacillus spp. isolated from arid soils, evaluating germination, vegetative, and drought stress tolerance parameters. The PGPBs improved vegetative parameters such as height, stem diameter, root length, and slenderness index in vitro. B. cereus (Bc25-7) improved in vitro survival of stressed seedlings by 68% at -1.02 MPa. Under greenhouse conditions, seedlings treated with PGPBs exhibited increases in root length (9.6%), stem diameter (13.68%), leaf fresh weight (69.87%), and chlorophyll content (38.15%). Bc25-7 alleviated severe water stress symptoms (7 days of water retention stress), and isolates B. thuringiensis (Bt24-4) and B. cereus (Bc25-7, and Bc30-2) increased Relative Water Content (RWC) by 51%. Additionally, the treated seeds showed improved germination parameters with a 46.42% increase in Germination Rate (GR). These findings suggest that using PGPBs could be an alternative to mitigate the effect of drought on chiltepin.

Research on nondestructive detection of sweet-waxy corn seed varieties and mildew based on stacked ensemble learning and hyperspectral feature fusion technology.

The variety and quality of corn seeds are crucial factors affecting crop yield and farmers' economic benefits. This study adopts an innovative method based on a hyperspectral imaging system combined with stacked ensemble learning, aiming to achieve varieties classification and mildew detection of sweet-waxy corn seeds. First, data interference is eliminated by extracting the spectral and texture information of each corn sample and preprocessing the data. Secondly, a stacked ensemble learning model (Stack) was constructed by stacking base models and meta-models. Its results were compared with those of the base models, including Gradient Boosting Decision Tree (GBDT), Extreme Gradient Boosting (XGBoost), Light Gradient Boosting Machine (LightGBM), and Random Forest (RF).Finally, the overall performance of the model is improved through the information fusion strategy of hyperspectral data and texture information. The research results indicate that the GBDT-Stack model, which integrates spectral and texture data, demonstrated optimal performance in the comprehensive classification of both corn seed varieties and mold detection. On the test set, the model achieved an average prediction accuracy of 97.01%. Specifically, the model achieved a test set accuracy ranging from 94.49% to 97.58% for different corn seed varieties and a test set accuracy of 98.89% for mildew detection. This model not only classifies corn seed varieties but also accurately detects mildew, demonstrating its wide applicability. The method has huge potential and is of great significance for improving crop yield and quality.

Enhancing Seed Germination of Cremastra appendiculata: Screening and Identification of Four New Symbiotic Fungi in the Psathyrellaceae Family.

Several coprinoid fungi have been identified as promotors of Cremastra appendiculata seed germination, while others appear ineffective. This study aimed to discern which genera within the Psathyrellaceae family exhibit this capability and to identify the most effective coprinoid fungi for the cultivation of C. appendiculata. We collected 21 coprinoid fungi from diverse sources and symbiotically cultured them with C. appendiculata seeds. 9 fungi were found to induce seed germination and support seed development, specifically within the genera Coprinellus, Tulosesus, and Candolleomyces. In contrast, fungi that failed to promote germination predominantly belonged to the genera Coprinopsis and Parasola. Notably, four fungi-Coprinellus xanthothrix, Coprinellus pseudodisseminatus, Psathyrella singeri, and Psathyrella candolleana-were documented for the first time as capable of enhancing C. appendiculata seed germination. Strain 218LXJ-10, identified as Coprinellus radians, demonstrated the most significant effect and has been implemented in large-scale production, underscoring its considerable practical value. These findings contribute vital scientific insights for the conservation and sustainable use of C. appendiculata resources.

Diverse Mycena Fungi and Their Potential for Gastrodia elata Germination.

It remains to be determined whether there is a geographical distribution pattern and phylogenetic signals for the Mycena strains with seed germination of the orchid plant Gastrodia elata. This study analyzed the community composition and phylogenetics of 72 Mycena strains associated with G. elata varieties (G. elata. f. glauca and G. elata. f. viridis) using multiple gene fragments (ITS+nLSU+SSU). We found that (1) these diverse Mycena phylogenetically belong to the Basidiospore amyloid group. (2) There is a phylogenetic signal of Mycena for germination of G. elata. Those strains phylogenetically close to M. abramsii, M. polygramma, and an unclassified Mycena had significantly higher germination rates than those to M. citrinomarginata. (3) The Mycena distribution depends on geographic site and G. elata variety. Both unclassified Mycena group 1 and the M. abramsii group were dominant for the two varieties of G. elata; in contrast, the M. citrinomarginata group was dominant in G. elata f. glauca but absent in G. elata f. viridis. Our results indicate that the community composition of numerous Mycena resources in the Zhaotong area varies by geographical location and G. elata variety. Importantly, our results also indicate that Mycena's phylogenetic status is correlated with its germination rate.

Dynamic changes on sensory property, nutritional quality and metabolic profiles of green kernel black beans during Eurotium cristatum-based solid-state fermentation.

Eurotium cristatum, a unique probiotic in Fu brick tea, is widely used in food processing to enhance added values. Here, green kernel black beans (GKBBs) were solid-fermented with E. cristatum and dynamic changes in flavour, chemical composition and metabolites during fermentation were investigated. As results, E. cristatum fermentation altered aroma profiles and sensory attributes of GKBBs, especially reduced sourness. After fermentation, total polyphenolic and flavonoid contents in GKBBs were elevated, while polysaccharides, soluble proteins and short-chain fatty acids contents were decreased. E. cristatum fermentation also induced biotransformation of glycosidic isoflavones into sapogenic isoflavones. During fermentation, dynamic changes in levels of 17 amino acids were observed, in which 3 branched-chain amino acids were increased. Non-targeted metabolomics identified 51 differential compounds and 10 related metabolic pathways involved in E. cristatum fermentation of GKBBs. This study lays foundation for the development of green kernel black bean-based functional food products with E. cristatum fermentation.