Search

Immobilized microbial technology is a sustainable solution to reduce water pollution. Understanding the microorganisms in immobilized biochar is critical for the removal of contaminants in water. Biochar as a carrier of microorganisms, there are some problems need to be focused on, microporous structure blockage limiting the contact between microorganisms and pollutants for further degradation, unstable microbial loading, and low cycle times. To solve these problems, Alcaligenes faecalis was immobilized with rice hull biochar to study its adsorption and degradation characteristics of phenol. It was found that A. faecalis JH1 could effectively remove 300 mg/L of phenol within 24 h. The adsorption capacity of rice husk biochar for phenol increased with the increasing pyrolysis temperature (700 > 500>300°C). The immobilized biomass of JH1 from 700°C rice husk biochar reached 249.45 nmol P/g at 24 h of fixation reaction. It was found that the phenol removal rate of JH1 immobilized at all temperature biochar reached 300 mg/L within 12 h after the sixth cycle. As the number of cycles increased, bacteria grew and adhered to the biochar, forming a thick viscous biofilm and accelerating the removal of phenol. The results showed that A. faecalis could firmly adhere to rice hull biochar and degrade phenol effectively, with good durability and cyclicity.

Assessing the spatial distribution of organic matter and total nitrogen in soil is essential for management and optimum utilization of fertilizers. Therefore, the present field experiment was conducted to evaluate the impact of different planting pattern arrangements on the spatial distribution of soil total nitrogen and organic matter content under a maize/soybean strip relay intercropping system. The planting was arranged in a manner such that soil sampling could be done from continuous maize/soybean relay strip intercropping (MS1), maize/soybean relay strip intercropping in rotation (MS2), traditional maize/soybean intercropping (MS3), sole maize (M), sole soybean (S), and fallow land (FL) from 2018 to 2020. The results showed significant variations for soil organic matter and total nitrogen content under different planting pattern arrangements of maize and soybean in the strip relay intercropping system. Across all systems, the highest soil organic matter (29.19 g/kg) and total nitrogen (10.19 g/kg) were recorded in MS2. In contrast, the lowest soil organic matter (1.69 g/kg) and total nitrogen (0.64 g/kg) were observed in FL. Soil organic matter and total nitrogen in MS2 increased by 186.45% and 164.06%, respectively, when compared with FL. Soil organic matter and total nitrogen in MS2 increased by 186.45% and 164.06%, respectively, when compared with FL. Furthermore, under MS2, the spatial distribution of soil organic matter was higher in both maize and soybean crop rows as compared with other cropping patterns, whereas the soil total nitrogen was higher under soybean rows as compared with maize in all other treatment. However, correlation analysis of the treatments showed variations in organic matter content. It can be concluded that different planting patterns can have varying effects on soil organic matter and total nitrogen distribution under the strip relay intercropping system. Moreover, it is recommended from this study that MS2 is a better planting pattern for the strip relay intercropping system, which can increase the spatial distribution of soil organic matter and total nitrogen, thereby improving soil fertility, C:N ratio, and crop production. This study will serve as a foundation towards the scientific usage of chemical fertilizers in agricultural sector.

Abstract Maintaining a healthy and functional mitochondrial network is crucial for cell survival and function. Protein misfolding and dysfunction are particularly prevalent in them due to physiological adaptations and stress conditions. For mitochondria to function properly, multiple quality control systems have evolved to ensure that there are enough mitochondria to meet cells’ needs, damaged mitochondrial proteins or mitochondrial parts can be eliminated using these pathways. Several mechanisms control mitochondrial quality, including protein, organelle, and cellular levels. As the extensive study of canonical mitochondrial quality‐mitophagy, this paper reviews the processes and mechanisms of mitochondrial quality control independent of autophagy, including mitochondrial protein and DNA degradation, mitochondria‐derived vesicles and mitochondria‐derived compartments, mitochondrial secretion, tunneling nanotubes, mitocytosis, and mitolysosome exocytosis. Understanding these novel quality control pathways may provide insights into mitochondrial homeostasis and for developing targeted treatments for diseases where these systems fail.

The relationship between biochar physicochemical characteristics and the adsorption and the degradation of extracellular DNA (eDNA) was studied to assess controls on the fate and transport of eDNA in the environment. Biochar samples were generated by pyrolysis of Chinese herbal medicine residues of sweet wormwood (Artemisia annua L.) at 500, 600, and 700 °C. Selected physicochemical properties of the biochar were characterized. Adsorption dynamics (adsorption capacity and kinetics) of eDNA to biochar were quantified using several adsorption kinetic and isotherm models. Furthermore, gel electrophoresis was used to detect the impact of biochar on the degradation of eDNA by DNase I. Characterization results indicated that biochar generated from Chinese herbal medicine residues was dominantly aromatic, stable, and polar. Adsorption data showed that the biochar–eDNA interactions were dominated by an electrostatic interaction mechanism. Based on eDNA adsorption capacity and gel electrophoresis of eDNA fragments, we demonstrated that larger eDNA fragments were adsorbed to the biochar and protected from degradation by DNase I. The Chinese herbal medicine residues generated a superior biochar product to adsorb eDNA and protect it from degradation by DNase I. The results of this study provide a mechanistic understanding of factors controlling the fate and transport of eDNA in the environment.

ELONGATED HYPOCOTYL5 (HY5), a bZIP-type transcription factor, acts as a master regulator that regulates various physiological and biological processes in plants such as photomorphogenesis, root growth, flavonoid biosynthesis and accumulation, nutrient acquisition, and response to abiotic stresses. HY5 is evolutionally conserved in function among various plant species. HY5 acts as a master regulator of light-mediated transcriptional regulatory hub that directly or indirectly controls the transcription of approximately one-third of genes at the whole genome level. The transcription, protein abundance, and activity of HY5 are tightly modulated by a variety of factors through distinct regulatory mechanisms. This review primarily summarizes recent advances on HY5-mediated molecular and physiological processes and regulatory mechanisms on HY5 in the model plant Arabidopsis as well as in crops.

A phosphorylation/dephosphorylation cycle at tyrosine 428 of CHITIN ELICITOR RECEPTOR KINASE 1 (CERK1) plays an essential role in chitin triggered immunity in Arabidopsis thaliana. In this study, we used a differential peptide pull-down (PPD) assay to identify factors that could participate downstream of this cycle. We identified ZYGOTIC ARREST 1 (ZAR1) and showed that it interacts with CERK1 specifically when the tyrosine 428 (Y428) residue of CERK1 is dephosphorylated. ZAR1 was originally characterized as an integrator for calmodulin and G-protein signals to regulate zygotic division in Arabidopsis. Our current results established that ZAR1 also negatively contributed to defense against the fungus Botrytis cinerea and played a redundant role with its homolog ZAR2 in this process. The zar1-3 zar2-1 double mutant exhibited stronger resistance to B. cinerea compared with zar1-3 single mutant, zar2-1 single mutant, and wild-type plants. Moreover, the inducible expression of numerous defense response genes upon B. cinerea infection was increased in the zar1-3zar2-1 double mutant, consistent with a repressive role for ZAR proteins in the defense response. Therefore, our findings provided insight into the function of ZAR1 in multiple defenses and developmental regulation pathways.

In this paper, to investigate the effects of different fertilizer treatments on soil structure and maize root growth, this experiment was conducted to investigate the differences in soil physical properties, agglomerates, and maize root distribution under different fertilizer treatments, to explain the reasons for yield differences due to differences in soil quality and crop growth and development between fertilizer treatments. Soil capacity, porosity, particle size classification of water-stable agglomerates, stability of agglomerates, carbon and nitrogen content of agglomerates, and carbon and nitrogen distribution ratios of agglomerates were measured and calculated utilizing the volumetric ring method, agglomerate structure analyzer, and elemental analyzer. The organic fertilizer reduced the soil capacity and increased the pore size to a certain extent, which increased the water holding capacity in the field and provided a good environment for root penetration. In conclusion, although the NP treatment helped to increase the total root length and root volume of the root system, it had no significant effect on the improvement of soil quality, while the treatment improved the soil structure and soil quality by reducing the bulkiness, increasing the porosity, improving the soil water-holding property, increasing the content of large aggregates, the stability of the aggregates and the carbon and nitrogen content of the aggregates, and significantly increased the root length and total volume of the maize root system, which resulted in the above-ground nutrient accumulation and maize yield. Therefore, organic, and inorganic fertilization is an effective fertilization measure to improve soil quality and obtain a sustainable high yield. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]