Facilitating Effects of Reductive Soil Disinfestation on Soil Health and Physiological Properties of Panax ginseng.

Chemical soil fumigation (CSF) and reductive soil disinfestation (RSD) have been proven to be effective agricultural strategies to improve soil quality, restructure microbial communities, and promote plant growth in soil degradation remediation. However, it is still unclear how RSD and CSF ensure soil and plant health by altering fungal communities. Field experiments were conducted to investigate the effects of CSF with chloropicrin, and RSD with animal feces on soil properties, fungal communities and functional composition, and plant physiological characteristics were evaluated. Results showed that RSD and CSF treatment improved soil properties, restructured fungal community composition and structure, enhanced fungal interactions and functions, and facilitated plant growth. There was a significant increase in OM, AN, and AP contents in the soil with both CSF and RSD treatments compared to CK. Meanwhile, compared with CK and CSF, RSD treatment significantly increased biocontrol Chaetomium relative abundance while reducing pathogenic Neonectria relative abundance, indicating that RSD has strong inhibition potential. Furthermore, the microbial network of RSD treatment was more complex and interconnected, and the functions of plant pathogens, and animal pathogen were decreased. Importantly, RSD treatment significantly increased plant SOD, CAT, POD activity, SP, Ca, Zn content, and decreased MDA, ABA, Mg, K, and Fe content. In summary, RSD treatment is more effective than CSF treatment, by stimulating the proliferation of probiotic communities to further enhance soil health and plant disease resistance.

First Report of Pantoea agglomerans Causing Leaf Blight on Schisandra chinensis in China.

Schisandra chinensis (Turcz.) Baill is a perennial liana, which is widely cultivated and used in China. In August 2022, Schisandra chinensis leaves with small light brown spots were found on plants growing in Fusong (127°28'E, 42°33'N) of China. There was 15% disease incidence and 50% disease severity of Schisandra chinensis in 2-ha fields of S. chinensis. As the disease progressed, the spots become darker and form round or irregular concentric circles. Leaves with brown spot symptoms were collected from the field. Leaf pieces (5 mm × 5 mm) were excised from lesion margins, surface disinfected with 75% ethanol for 1 min, followed by 1.5% sodium hypochlorite for 3 min, and incubated on Luria Bertani (LB) solid medium at 28°C for 24 hours. Eight cultures were isolated, and representative single colony (XWWZH) was selected from the pure cultures according to colony characteristics for observation The purified colonies were round, yellow, and slimy, cells were straight rod-shaped (0.40 to 0.52 × 1.12 to 1.69 µm) were observed. The isolate was Gram negative. It was positive for methyl red reaction, lysine decarboxylase reaction, gelatin hydrolysis reactionand sucrose utilization. It was negative for indole reaction and produced H2S. The bacterium was preliminarily identified as Pantoea agglomerans based on morphological and biochemical tests (Baird et al. 2007). The 16S rDNA and a portion of rpoB of strain XWWZH were amplified and sequenced. The sequences were submitted to GenBank. (Accession OP763753 and OQ813505, respectively). Phylogenetic trees were constructed based on the 16S rDNA and rpoB gene sequences. The sequences of strain XWWZH clustered with strains P. agglomerans deposited in GenBank. The pathogenicity was verified with non-wounded S. chinensis seedlings by punching holes with sterile needles and injecting a solution of 1 × 108 CFU/ml solution. Sterile ddH2O was injected in the control experiment. The inoculated seedlings were incubated in a greenhouse at 25°C with a relative humidity of 65 to 70%. Five to eight days after inoculation, inoculated leaves, exhibited symptoms which were morphologically identical to those of the originally infected leaves whereas control plants remained asymptomatic. The pathogenicity assays were repeated twice with the same results. The re-isolated pathogen had the same morphology and DNA sequences as the original isolate obtained from the field samples, completing Koch's postulates. Strains of P. agglomerans have been reported to severely infect many plants (Ren et al.2008; Lee et al. 2010; Yang et al. 2011; Guo et al. 2019; Gao et al, 2022), but to the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of a strain of P. agglomerans causing leaf blight on Schisandra chinensis in China. The identification of leaf blight caused by P. agglomerans will enable farmers to prevent and manage it ahead of time to reduce losses.

First Report of Fusarium acuminatum Causing Leaf Spot on Schisandra chinensis in China.

Schisandra chinensis (Turcz.) Baill. is a popular and widely cultivated medicinal herb in China, which has rich nutritional value and medicinal effect. In August 2022, leaves with oval and irregularly circular light brown spots from 2 to 10 mm wide with white centers were found on Schisandra chinensis growing in Fusong district (127°28'E, 42°33'N) of Jilin, China. The symptoms were observed in 20% of the plants of a 2 ha-1 field of Schisandra chinensis. About 50% of the leaf areas were affected. As the disease developed, the lesions grew larger and developed necrotic centers. Leaves with light brown spot symptoms from five plants were collected from the field. Five leaf pieces (3 to 5 mm2) were excised from lesion margins, surface sterilized based on Ju et al. (Ju et al. 2021), and incubated on potato dextrose agar (PDA) at 25°C. Six single spores were isolated from five independently infected isolates for pure culture using the single spore isolation technique (Zhang. 2003). Representative single spore isolate (ZWWZH) was selected from pure cultures for further culture. After 5 days, fluffy white aerial mycelium with pink pigmentation on the underside of the colony were observed on PDA. Mycelia became pinkish-brown as the culture aged. Microscopic observations showed the presence of elongated or pointed, and thick-walled macroconidia (n = 50), predominantly three septate, 3.40 to 7.50 × 40.34 to 61.29 µm were observed. Chlamydospores formed in chains within or on top of the mycelium. The primers ITS1/ITS4 (White et al. 1990) and Bt-2a/Bt-2b (Robideau et al., 2011) were used to amplify the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) rDNA and ß-tubulin (TUB2) region, respectively. The obtained sequences were submitted to GenBank under accession numbers for OQ629789 (ITS) and OQ803521(TUB2). BLASTn analysis of both ITS sequence and TUB2 sequence, revealed 100% and 99.92% sequence identity with F. acuminatum MT566456, MT560377 and KJ396328, respectively. The pathogen was identified as F. acuminatum based on morphological and molecular data. Pathogenicity tests were carried out in the greenhouse. Select five healthy Schisandra chinensis seedlings, each with each healthy leaf surfaces inoculated a 1 × 106 spores/mL solution, 3 wells on one side, 10 µL per well. Sterile ddH2O was used in the control experiment. The inoculated seedlings were incubated at 25°C with a relative humidity of 65 to 70% in a greenhouse. Four days after inoculation, all inoculated leaves exhibited the same symptoms as observed in the field, while the controls showed no symptoms. The experiment was repeated three more times with similar results. The re-isolated fungi from the inoculated plants had the same morphology and DNA sequences as the original isolate (ZWWZH) obtained from the field samples, completing Koch's postulates. To our knowledge, this is the first report of F. acuminatum causing leaf spot on Schisandra chinensis in China. F. acuminatum has seriously affected the quality of Schisandra chinensis production. The identification of leaf spot caused by F. acuminatum will enable farmers to identify practices to minimize disease on this important crop.

Genome-Wide Analysis and Expression Profiling of the Glutathione Peroxidase-like Enzyme Gene Family in Solanum tuberosum.

Glutathione peroxidase-like enzyme is an important enzymatic antioxidant in plants. It is involved in scavenging reactive oxygen species, which can effectively prevent oxidative damage and improve resistance. GPXL has been studied in many plants but has not been reported in potatoes, the world's fourth-largest food crop. This study identified eight StGPXL genes in potatoes for the first time through genome-wide bioinformatics analysis and further studied the expression patterns of these genes using qRT-PCR. The results showed that the expression of StGPXL1 was significantly upregulated under high-temperature stress, indicating its involvement in potato defense against high-temperature stress, while the expression levels of StGPXL4 and StGPXL5 were significantly downregulated. The expression of StGPXL1, StGPXL2, StGPXL3, and StGPXL6 was significantly upregulated under drought stress, indicating their involvement in potato defense against drought stress. After MeJA hormone treatment, the expression level of StGPXL6 was significantly upregulated, indicating its involvement in the chemical defense mechanism of potatoes. The expression of all StGPXL genes is inhibited under biotic stress, which indicates that GPXL is a multifunctional gene family, which may endow plants with resistance to various stresses. This study will help deepen the understanding of the function of the potato GPXL gene family, provide comprehensive information for the further analysis of the molecular function of the potato GPXL gene family as well as a theoretical basis for potato molecular breeding.

Covalent hyperbranched porous carbon nanospheres as a polymeric stationary phase for ion chromatography.

This work presents a method for covalent quaternization of porous carbon nanospheres (PCNSs) and their application as anion exchanging stationary phase for ion chromatography. The PCNSs were covalently quaternized via the dehydration condensation between surface carboxyl groups and polyethyleneimine. This was followed by a repeated epoxy-amine addition reaction with ethylene glycol diglycidyl ether. As a result, surface methylamino groups are formed. The electrostatic interaction between quaternized PCNSs and sulfonated poly(polystyrene-co-divinylbenzene) resulted in the formation of an agglomerated stationary phase. The capacities (41.5-90.2 µequiv) and pressures (540-1150 psi) of column packed with novel phases (100 × 4.0 mm i.d.) were further increased with grafted polymer layer counts (2-5). Common inorganic anions, small organic acids and saccharides were rapidly separated on the new phases. The column efficiencies for seven inorganic anions ranged from 38,400 to 13,200 plates m-1. Through 8 days of flushing test, the RSD values for retention time and efficiencies varied from 0.56% to 1.32%, and from 0.34% to 0.74%, respectively. Graphical abstract Schematic presentation of the covalent modification of porous carbon nanospheres (PCNSs) with hyperbranched quaternized polymers via the amidation and epoxy-amine addition reaction was depicted. Functionalized PCNSs were further applied as agglomerated materials of polymeric stationary phase for ion chromatography (IC).

Improving the professionalization level of a new generation of construction workers to reduce their unsafe behaviour: an empirical study in China.

Objectives. Improvement of the professionalization level for the new generation of construction workers (NGCWs) is critical to upgrade the construction industry. It also provides a new approach to reduce their unsafe behaviour. The purpose of this study is to analyse the correction mechanism of the professionalization level on NGCWs' unsafe behaviour. We examined the mediating role of work-family conflict and job burnout on impacting NGCWs' unsafe behaviour. The moderation effect of the NGCWs' perceived organizational support was also examined. Methods. The cross-sectional study was conducted based on structural equation modelling, confirmatory factor analysis and regression analysis with a sample of 496 NGCWs in China. Results. The professionalization level can effectively correct NGCWs' unsafe behaviour. Job burnout can independently mediate the relationship between professionalization level and unsafe behaviour and act as a serial mediator for work-family conflict. Moreover, the high level of perceived organizational support will effectively suppress the effect of work-family conflict on job burnout. Conclusions. Improving the professionalization level is an effective way to correct NGCWs' unsafe behaviour. Moreover, management should help the NGCWs balance work and family, to alleviate burnout. Additionally, it is suggested that management should ensure the NGCWs perceive the organizational support.

Effects of reductive soil disinfestation combined with different types of organic materials on the microbial community and functions.

Reductive soil disinfestation (RSD) is an effective method to inhibit soilborne pathogens. However, it remains unclear how RSD combined with different types of organic materials affects the soil ecosystems of perennial plants. Pot experiments were conducted to investigate the effects of RSD incorporated with perilla (PF), alfalfa (MS), ethanol, and acetic acid on soil properties, enzyme activities, microbial communities and functions, and seedling growth. Results showed that RSD-related treatments improved soil properties and enzyme activities, changed microbial community composition and structure, enhanced microbial interactions and functions, and facilitated seedling growth. Compared with CK, RSD-related treatments increased soil pH, available nitrogen, and available potassium contents, sucrase and catalase activities, and decreased soil electric conductivity values. Meanwhile, RSD-related treatment also significantly reduced the relative abundance of Fusarium while increasing the relative abundance of Arthrobacter, Terrabacter, and Gemmatimonas. The reduction was more evident in PF and MS treatment, suggesting the potential for RSD combined with solid agricultural wastes to suppress pathogens. Furthermore, the microbial network of RSD-related treatment was more complex and interconnected, and the functions related to carbon, nitrogen, sulfur, and hydrogen cycling were significantly increased, while the functions of bacterial and fungal plant pathogens were decreased. Importantly, RSD-related treatments also significantly promoted seed germination and seedling growth. In summary, RSD combined with solid agricultural wastes is better than liquid easily degradable compounds by regulating the composition and function of microbial communities to improve soil quality and promote plant growth.IMPORTANCEReductive soil disinfestation (RSD) is an effective agricultural practice. We found that RSD combined with solid agricultural wastes is better than that of liquid easily degradable compounds, may improve soil quality and microbial community structure, inhibit the proliferation of pathogenic bacteria, and contribute to the growth of replanted crops. Thus, RSD combined with solid agricultural wastes is more effective than liquid easily degradable compounds.

Effect of ginsenosides on microbial community and enzyme activity in continuous cropping soil of ginseng.

Root exudates contain plant metabolites secreted by the roots into the soil, such as ginsenosides secreted by the ginseng root. However, little is known about ginseng root exudate and its impact on the chemical and microbial properties of soil. In this study, the effect of increasing concentrations of ginsenosides on the chemical and microbial properties of soil was tested. Chemical analysis and high-throughput sequencing techniques were used to evaluate the soil chemical properties and microbial characteristics following exogenous application of 0.1 mg·L-1, 1 mg·L-1, and 10 mg·L-1 ginsenosides. Ginsenosides application significantly altered soil enzyme activities; SOM-dominated physicochemical properties were significantly reduced which altered the composition and structure of the soil microbial community. In particular, treatment with 10 mg∙L-1 ginsenosides significantly increased the relative abundance of pathogenic fungi such as Fusarium, Gibberella and Neocosmospora. These findings indicate that ginsenosides in root exudates are important factors that may lead to increased deterioration of soil during ginseng cultivation and provided new research direction for the subsequent study on the mechanism of interaction between ginsenosides and soil microbial communities.

How to promote the sustainable development of virtual reality technology for training in construction filed: A tripartite evolutionary game analysis.

In recent years, virtual reality training technology (VRTT) has been considered by many scholars as a new training method instead of traditional training (TT) to reduce unsafe behaviors ascribed to construction workers (CWs) and corporate accident rates. However, in this process, a conflict of interest arises among the government, construction enterprises (CEs), and CWs. Therefore, this study introduces a quantitative research method, the three-party evolutionary game and creatively combining them with the product life cycle (PLC) to solve this problem by analyzing the equilibrium and evolutionarily stable strategies of the system. Finally, collaborative players' decision-making behaviors and their sensitivity to critical factors are examined. This paper will illustrate these in each stage through numerical simulations. The results of the study indicate that the government plays a dominant role in the VRTT introduction stage. When the government gives CEs appropriate subsidies, CEs will eventually realize the importance of VRTT for CWs. Then the government will gradually reduce the amount of the subsidies in this process. In addition, we also find that the continually high cost will lead to negative policies by the government, which requires the active cooperation and attitude change from CEs and CWs. Ultimately, the government, CEs and CWs adopt the best strategy in the evolutionary process to facilitate the promotion, application and sustainability of VRTT in the construction industry.

The potential of novel bacterial isolates from healthy ginseng for the control of ginseng root rot disease (Fusarium oxysporum).

Ginseng root rot caused by Fusarium oxysporum is serious disease that impacts ginseng production. In the present study, 145 strains of bacteria were isolated from the rhizosphere soil of healthy ginseng plants. Three strains with inhibitory activity against Fusarium oxysporum (accession number AF077393) were identified using the dual culture tests and designated as YN-42(L), YN-43(L), and YN-59(L). Morphological, physiological, biochemical, 16S rRNA gene sequencing and phylogenetic analyses were used to identify the strains as Bacillus subtilis [YN-42(L)] (accession number ON545980), Delftia acidovorans [YN-43(L)] (accession number ON545981), and Bacillus polymyxae [YN-59(L)] (accession number ON545982). All three isolates effectively inhibited the growth of Fusarium oxysporum in vitro and the antagonistic mechanism used by the three strains involved the secretion of multiple bioactive metabolites responsible for the hydrolysis of the fungal cell wall. All three biocontrol bacteria produce indoleacetic acid, which has a beneficial effect on plant growth. From our findings, all three antagonistic strains can be excellent candidates for ginseng root rot caused by the pathogenic fungus Fusarium oxysporum. These bacteria have laid the foundation for the biological control of ginseng root rot and for further research on the field control of ginseng pathogens.

Formation Mechanism and Dynamic Evolution Laws About Unsafe Behavior of New Generation of Construction Workers Based on China's Construction Industry: Application of Grounded Theory and System Dynamics.

Construction workers' unsafe behavior is a major cause of safety accidents and injuries, therefore, a profound understanding of the formation process and evolution laws about construction workers' unsafe behavior is conducive to taking measures to prevent incidents. At present, the new generation of construction workers (NGCWs) born after 1980 are gradually becoming the main force at construction sites in China. Given that generational differences of construction workers can cause the discrepancies in their thoughts and attitudes when engaging in safety-related activities, this study aims to investigate the formation mechanism and dynamic evolution laws about NGCWs' unsafe behavior based on the context of China's construction industry. From the perspective of behavior motivation, in-depth semi-structured interviews with 18 NGCWs and 7 grassroots managers were conducted, and data analysis followed a three-step coding process based on grounded theory. Through continuous comparison, abstraction and analysis, the stimulus-organism-response theory was introduced and expanded to construct a three-stage formation mechanism model. On this basis, the causal diagram and stock flow diagram were developed based on system dynamics principles to reflect the dynamic feedback relationships of the factors in the static formation mechanism model, and simulation was carried out using Vensim PLE software. The results show that three types of internal needs and three types of external incentives stimulate corresponding motivations for NGCWs' unsafe behavior. Two types of individual factors, five types of situational factors and behavior result play an influencing role in the decision-making process of externalizing motivation into behavior. Under the synergistic effect of multiple factors, the level of unsafe behavior displays a downward trend, and the rate of decrease is slow first and then fast. Furthermore, among individual factors and situational factors, safety awareness and safety management system have the most significant effect on the level of unsafe behavior, while situational factors play a more obvious role. The findings can provide theoretical support and practical references to China's construction companies and government departments for the purpose of improving NGCWs' unsafe behavior.

Can Professionalization Alleviate Job Burnout in Construction Workers in China? A Multivariable Mediating Model.

Burnout is at all-time highs across modern professions. As a typical labor-intensive industry, the high-pressure and task-driven nature of the construction industry makes construction workers more prone to burnout. It is still unclear whether increasing the professionalization level can lessen the many harmful consequences of job burnout on construction workers' employment. Therefore, this study examined the influencing mechanism of professionalization on job burnout in the construction industry. First, a theoretical model based on the conservation of resources (COR) theory was developed with workload, job insecurity, and work-family conflict as moderating variables. A reliable sample of 441 Chinese construction workers were then recruited in the investigation. The data analysis was supported by confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) and structural equation modeling (SEM). The results indicated that: (i) an increase in the professionalization level could be directly effective in alleviating job burnout among construction workers; (ii) workload and work-family conflict could play an independent and continuous mediating role between professionalization and job burnout; and (iii) while job insecurity caused by a low professionalization did not have a direct impact on job burnout, it could have an indirect impact on job burnout through workload and work-family conflict, respectively. This study enriches the literature on job burnout among construction workers, as well as provides a theoretical basis and practical management guidance for Chinese construction companies to alleviate job burnout in workers from a professionalization standpoint.

Different Responses of Soil Environmental Factors, Soil Bacterial Community, and Root Performance to Reductive Soil Disinfestation and Soil Fumigant Chloropicrin.

Reductive soil disinfestation (RSD) and soil fumigant chloropicrin (SFC) are two common agricultural strategies for the elimination of soil-borne pathogens. However, the differences in soil environmental factors, soil bacterial microbiome, and root performance between SFC and RSD are poorly understood. In this study, three soil treatments, untreated control (CK), SFC with 0.5 t⋅ha-1 chloropicrin, and RSD with 15 t⋅ha-1 animal feces, were compared. We evaluated their effects on soil environmental factors, bacterial community structure, and root activity using chemical analysis and high-throughput sequencing. RSD treatment improved soil composition structure, bacterial diversity, and root performance to a greater extent. Carbon source utilization preference and bacterial community structure were strikingly altered by SFC and RSD practices. Bacterial richness, diversity, and evenness were notably lowered in the SFC- and RSD-treated soil compared with the CK-treated soil. However, RSD-treated soil harbored distinct unique and core microbiomes that were composed of more abundant and diverse potentially disease-suppressive and organic-decomposable agents. Also, soil bacterial diversity and composition were closely related to soil physicochemical properties and enzyme activity, of which pH, available Na (ANa), available Mg (AMg), available Mn (AMn), total Na (TNa), total Ca (TCa), total Cu (TCu), total Sr (TSr), urease (S-UE), acid phosphatase (S-ACP), and sucrase (S-SC) were the main drivers. Moreover, RSD treatment also significantly increased ginseng root activity. Collectively, these results suggest that RSD practices could considerably restore soil nutrient structure and bacterial diversity and improve root performance, which can be applied as a potential agricultural practice for the development of disease-suppressive soil.

The protein elicitor Hrip1 enhances resistance to insects and early bolting and flowering in Arabidopsis thaliana.

The elicitor Hrip1 isolated from necrotrophic fungus Alternaria tenuissima, could induce systemic acquired resistance in tobacco to enhance resistance to tobacco mosaic virus. In the present study, we found that the transgenic lines of Hrip1-overexpression in wild type (WT) Arabidopsis thaliana were more resistant to Spodoptera exigua and were early bolting and flowering than the WT. A profiling of transcription assay using digital gene expression profiling was used for transgenic and WT Arabidopsis thaliana. Differentially expressed genes including 40 upregulated and three downregulated genes were identified. In transgenic lines of Hrip1-overexpression, three genes related to jasmonate (JA) biosynthesis were significantly upregulated, and the JA level was found to be higher than WT. Two GDSL family members (GLIP1 and GLIP4) and pathogen-related gene, which participated in pathogen defense action, were upregulated in the transgenic line of Hrip1-overexpression. Thus, Hrip1 is involved in affecting the flower bolting time and regulating endogenous JA biosynthesis and regulatory network to enhance resistance to insect.