The regulation of plant growth and developmental processes by carbon dots (CDs) has been frequently reported. However, little is known about how CDs are related to the yield and nutritional quality. In this study, carbon dots, obtained by the hydrothermal method with l-cysteine and glucose, were systematically characterized and applied to lettuces and tomatoes in a hydroponic nutrient solution to comprehensively investigate the mechanism of regulation of plant development by CDs. We found that CDs could accelerate seed germination, promote root and hypocotyl elongation of seedlings by activating the expression of genes encoding aquaporin proteins, and enhance the yield and nutritional qualities of mature plants by promoting the absorption of mineral elements together with the enhancement of photosynthesis. These results provide systematic insights into the mechanisms by which CDs regulate plant development.

In this study, a biomimetic synthetic strategy was proposed for a facile preparation of red fluorescent silicon quantum dots (SiQDs) using unicellular algae of diatoms as reaction precursor.

High temperature (HT) stress affects the growth and production of cucumbers, but genetic resources with high heat tolerance are very scarce in this crop. Calmodulin (CaM) has been confirmed to be related to the regulation of HT stress resistance in plants. CsCaM3, a CaM gene, was isolated from cucumber inbred line “02-8.” Its expression was characterized in the present study. CsCaM3 transcripts differed among the organs and tissues of cucumber plants and could be induced by HTs or abscisic acid, but not by salicylic acid. CsCaM3 transcripts exhibited subcellular localization to the cytoplasm and nuclei of cells. Overexpression of CsCaM3 in cucumber plants has the potential to improve their heat tolerance and protect against oxidative damage and photosynthesis system damage by regulating the expression of HT-responsive genes in plants, including chlorophyll catabolism-related genes under HT stress. Taken together, our results provide useful insights into stress tolerance in cucumber.

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