Background Fluorescent carbon-dots (CDs) with multifaceted advantages have provided hope for improvement of crop growth. Near infrared (NIR) CDs would be more competitive and promising than short-wavelength emissive CDs, which are not directly utilized by chloroplast. The molecular targets and underlying mechanism of these stimulative effects are rarely mentioned. Results NIR-CDs with good mono-dispersity and hydrophily were easily prepared by a one-step microwave-assisted carbonization manner, which showed obvious UV absorptive and far-red emissive properties. The chloroplast-CDs complexes could accelerate the electron transfer from photosystem II (PS II) to photosystem I (PS I). NIR-CDs exhibited a concentration-dependent promotion effect on N. benthamiana growth by strengthening photosynthesis. We firstly demonstrated that potential mechanisms behind the photosynthesis-stimulating activity might be related to up-regulated expression of the photosynthesis and chloroplast synthesis related genes, among which PsbP and PsiK genes are the key regulators. Conclusion These results illustrated that NIR-CDs showed great potential in the applications to increase crop yields through ultraviolet light harvesting and elevated photosynthesis efficiency. This work would provide a theoretical basis for the understanding and applications of the luminescent nanomaterials (not limited to CDs) in the sunlight conversion-related sustainable agriculture. Graphic abstract

Photovoltaic agriculture is a newly emerging ecological planting pattern. In view of the adverse effect on production, a better understanding of photovoltaic adaptation responses is essential for the development of the innovative agriculture mode in sustainable crop production. Here, we investigated the impact of photovoltaic condition on endogenous hormone composition and transcriptome profile of Tetrastigma hemsleyanum. A total of 16 differentially accumulated phytohormones and 12,615 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified. Photovoltaic adaptation significantly decreased the contents of phytohormones especially salicylic acid (SA) and jasmonic acid (JA). DEGs were the most relevant to photosynthesis and mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signaling pathway especially the key genes encoding proteins involved in photosystem I (PS I) and photosystem II (PS II) reaction center. Nitric oxide (NO), JA, and SA treatment alone significantly enhanced the photosynthetic efficiency which was decreased by exposure to photovoltaic condition, but the combined treatment of “NO + SA” could weaken the enhancement effect by regulating the expression level of psaL, CHIL, petF1, psbQ, and psaE genes. Exogenous phytohormones and NO treatment mitigated the accumulation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and potentiated antioxidant capacity, which would be weakened by the combined treatment of “NO + SA.” SA and JA significantly decreased endogenous NO burst triggered by photovoltaic adaptation. SA might be a potent scavenger of NO and counter the restoration effect of NO on growth and photosynthetic potential in T. hemsleyanum. The results could provide reference for the application of phytohormones/other signaling molecules in photovoltaic agriculture.

Tetrastigma hemsleyanum (T. hemsleyanum) is a traditional medicinal plant that is widely used in China. Cultivated T. hemsleyanum usually encounters cold stress, limiting its growth and quality at key developmental stages. APETALA2 (AP2)/ethylene-responsive factor (ERF) transcription factors (TFs) comprise one of the largest gene superfamilies in plants and are widely involved in biotic and abiotic stresses. To reveal the roles of AP2/ERF TFs during T. hemsleyanum development, 70 AP2/ERF TFs were identified in T. hemsleyanum. Among them, 18 and 2 TFs were classified into the AP2 and RAV families, respectively. The other 50 TFs belonged to the ERF family and were further divided into the ERF and (dehydration reaction element binding factor) DREB subfamilies. The ERF subfamily contained 46 TFs, while the DREB subfamily contained 4 TFs. Phylogenetic analysis indicated that AP2/ERF TFs could be classified into five groups, in which 10 conserved motifs were confirmed. Several motifs were group- or subgroup-specific, implying that they were significant for the functions of the AP2/ERF TFs of these clades. In addition, 70 AP2/ERF TFs from the five groups were used for an expression pattern analysis under three low-temperature levels, namely, –4, 0, and 4°C. The majority of these AP2/ERF TFs exhibited a positive response to cold stress conditions. Specifically, ThERF5, ThERF31, ThERF46, and ThERF55 demonstrated a more sensitive response to cold stress. Moreover, AP2/ERF TFs exhibited specific expression patterns under cold stress. Transient overexpression and RNA interference indicated that ThERF46 has a specific tolerance to cold stress. These new insights provide the basis for further studies on the roles of AP2/ERF TFs in cold stress tolerance in T. hemsleyanum.

Background Luminescent nanomaterials (LNMs), especially newly-exploited fluorescent carbon-dots (CDs), have demonstrated promising candidates for sunlight harvesting and enhanced photosynthesis efficiency of crops. However, most of the studies focus on the design and synthesis of LNMs and primary metabolism in biomass acceleration, secondary metabolism that closely associated with the quality ingredients of plants is rarely mentioned. Results UV-absorptive and water-soluble NIR-CDs were harvested via a facile microwave-assisted carbonization method. The effect and regulatory mechanism of NIR-CDs on the secondary metabolism and bioactive ingredients accumulation in Tetrastigma hemsleyanum were explored. A total of 191 differential secondary metabolites and 6874 differentially expressed genes were identified when the NIR-CDs were adopted for enhancing growth of T. hemsleyanum. The phenolic acids were generally improved, but the flavonoids were more likely to decrease. The pivotal differentially expressed genes were involved in biosynthesis of secondary metabolites, flavonoid biosynthesis, porphyrin and chlorophyll metabolism, etc. The gene-metabolite association was constructed and 44 hub genes highly related to quality ingredients accumulation and growth were identified, among which and the top 5 genes of the PPI network might be the key regulators. Conclusion This research provided key regulatory genes and differentially accumulating quality ingredients under NIR-CDs-treatment, which could provide a theoretical basis for expanding the applications of nanomaterial in industrial crop agriculture. Graphical Abstract

Background: Luminescent nanomaterials (LNMs), especially newly-exploited fluorescent carbon-dots (CDs), have demonstrated promising candidates for sunlight harvesting and enhanced photosynthesis efficiency of crops. However, most of the studies focus on the design and synthesis of LNMs and primary metabolism in biomass acceleration, secondary metabolism that closely associated with the quality ingredients of plants is rarely mentioned. Results: UV-absorptive and water-soluble NIR-CDs were harvested via a facile microwave-assisted carbonization method. The effect and regulatory mechanism of NIR-CDs on the secondary metabolism and bioactive ingredients accumulation in Tetrastigma hemsleyanum were explored. A total of 191 differential secondary metabolites and 6874 differentially expressed genes were identified when the NIR-CDs were adopted for enhancing growth of T. hemsleyanum. The phenolic acids were generally improved, but the flavonoids were more likely to decrease. The pivotal differentially expressed genes were involved in biosynthesis of secondary metabolites, flavonoid biosynthesis, porphyrin and chlorophyll metabolism, etc. The gene-metabolite association was constructed and 44 hub genes highly related to quality ingredients accumulation and growth were identified, among which and the top 5 genes of the PPI network might be the key regulators.Conclusion: This research provided key regulatory genes and differentially accumulating quality ingredients under NIR-CDs-treatment, which could provide a theoretical basis for expanding the applications of nanomaterial in industrial crop agriculture.

Previous studies have indicated that some Rehmannia glutinosa Leucine-rich repeat receptor-like protein kinases (LRR-RLKs) are involved in the formation of replant disease. However, it remains unclear how the interaction of LRR-RLKs with a key factor, the interaction between root exudates and Fusarium oxysporum, results in formation of replant disease. In this study, the influences of root exudates, F. oxysporum and the interaction of these two factors on expression of nine R. glutinosa LRR-RLKs (RgLRRs) were analyzed. The resulting eight RgLRRs of them were highly expressed at the early stage, and rapidly declined at later stages under mixed treatment of root exudates and F. oxysporum. The functions of nine RgLRRs under root exudates, F. oxysporum and mixed treatment of root exudates and F. oxysporum were preliminarily analyzed using transient overexpression and RNAi experiments. The results showed that high expression of RgLRR19, RgLRR21, RgLRR23 and RgLRR29 could decrease the damage to root cells from the mixed treatment of root exudates and F. oxysporum, but the interference of these genes enhanced the damage levels of root cells. Based on this, stable transgenic R. glutinosa seedlings were acquired. Overexpression of RgLRR29 conferred resistance of R. glutinosa seedlings to root exudates, F. oxysporum and mixed treatment. These results indicated that the continuous proliferation of F. oxysporum supported by root exudates altered the expression patterns of RgLRRs in R. glutinosa, then disordered the growth and development of R. glutinosa, finally leading to the formation of replant disease.