● Saline-alkali land is an important underutilized resource in China that could complement arable land and maintain the food security.

Soil salinity is a global threat to the productivity of arable land. With the impact of population growth and development of social economy in China, the area of arable land has been shrinking in recent decades and is approaching a critical threshold of 120 Mha, the minimum area for maintaining the national food security. Saline-alkaline land, as important backup reserve, has been receiving increased attention as an opportunity to expand land resources. This review first summarizes the general principles and technologies of saline soil reclamation to support plant growth, including leaching salts or blocking the rise of salts, and soil fertility enhancement to improve the buffering capacity. Then the progress in this area in China is described including the customization of technologies and practices used in different saline-alkali regions. Following the soil management strategies, the concept of selecting crops for saline soil is proposed. This encompasses halophyte planting, salt-tolerant crop breeding and the application of saline-adapted functional microorganisms to improve the adaptation of crops. Finally, the current problems and challenges are evaluate, and future research directions and prospects proposed for managing this major soil constraint.

● Continuous cropping obstacles (CCOs) cause, on average, 22% reduction in crop production, seriously threatening sustainable agricultural development.

Due to the increasing global population and limited land resources, continuous cropping has become common. However, after a few years of continuous cropping, obstacles often arise that cause soil degeneration, decreased crop yield and quality, and increased disease incidence, resulting in significant economic losses. It is essential to understand the causes and mitigation mechanisms of continuous cropping obstacles (CCOs) and then develop appropriate methods to overcome them. This review systematically summarizes the causes and mitigation measures of soil degradation in continuous cropping through a meta-analysis. It was concluded that not all continuous cropping systems are prone to CCOs. Therefore, it is necessary to grasp the principles governing the occurrence of diseases caused by soilborne pathogens in different cropping systems, consider plant–soil-organisms interactions as a system, scientifically regulate the physical and chemical properties of soils from a systems perspective, and then regulate the structure of microbial food webs in the soil to achieve a reduction in diseases caused by soilborne pathogens and increase crop yield ultimately. This review provides reference data and guidance for addressing this fundamental problem.

Natural plant roots enrich a diverse array of soil microbes, collectively known as the root microbiota. This microbiota interacts synergistically with plants, modulating various physiological processes, including nutrient utilization, which influences plant growth and health. Environmental nutrient conditions and plant nutrient-related genes have been reported to regulate the composition of the root microbiota. Innovative analytical methods, such as microbiome genome- and microbiome-wide association studies, have advanced understanding of the relationships between plants and root microbiota. These methods systematically reveal the interactions between root microbiota and plant nutrient utilization, providing a theoretical foundation for applying root microbiota in agriculture.

● Analyzes the current situation of planted forests construction in China.

Tree plantations are an important forest resource that substantively contributes to climate change mitigation and carbon sequestration. As the area and standing volume of tree plantations in China have increased, issues such as unreasonable structure, low productivity, limited ecological functionality and diminishing ecological stability have occurred, which hinder the ability of tree plantations to enhance carbon sequestration. This study outlined the trajectory of carbon sequestration and its associated benefits in tree plantations by examining the current state of tree plantation establishment and growth, elucidated the strategies for advantages of carbon sequestration and climate change mitigation in planted forests, and summarized the existing problems with tree plantations. This paper underscores the pressing need for concerted efforts to boost carbon sequestration within planted forests and proposes management and development strategies for Chinese tree plantations. In the future, it will be necessary to apply scientific theories to practice and develop multi-objective management optimization models for the high-quality development of tree plantations. This will involve establishing a cohesive national carbon trading market, improving the prediction of carbon sequestration, and identifying priority zones for afforestation and reforestation, to better serve China’s national strategy for achieving peak carbon and carbon neutrality.

The escalating recognition of sustainable agriculture and food systems is a response to the multifaceted challenges of food insecurity, climate change, environmental deterioration and economic pressures. In this review, sustainable agriculture is characterized as an array of farming practices that effectively address immediate demands, while simultaneously safeguarding the potential of future generations to fulfill their needs. The primary objectives include sustained productivity, pollution reduction, and economic viability and sustainability. Sustainable food systems incorporate dimensions beyond production, including processing, distribution, consumption patterns, and waste management along the entire food supply chain. An abundance of research underscores the manifold benefits offered by sustainable agriculture and food systems to society at large. These advantages include fostering climate resilience, curbing greenhouse gas emissions, enhancing water quality, promoting biodiversity, enriching soil fertility, fortifying rural livelihoods and nurturing community well-being. Nevertheless, the path toward sustainability is strewn with significant challenges. These include substantial costs involved in transitioning, conflicts in policy objectives, and the pervasive influence of traditional methods. Achieving sustainability requires the execution of holistic strategies that traverse various sectors and scales. Accelerating this progress can be facilitated through the adoption of diverse strategies, including agroforestry, agroecology, urban agriculture, farmer knowledge exchange, ecosystem service payments and supply chain shortening. However, the success of these strategies hinges on the provision of appropriate policies and incentives. Further research is vital to ascertain the ideal conditions for implementing specific interventions and to assess the comprehensive expenses and benefits linked to them. This review emphasizes the assertion that widespread adoption of sustainable practices in agriculture and interconnected food systems has positive impacts in terms of community nutrition, conservation of natural resources and long-term economic progress.

● Global black soil distribution map developed by using country-driven approach.

Black soils, characterized by their thick, dark horizons enriched with organic matter, epitomize highly fertile soils. However, their fertility precipitates intense land use, engendering challenges such as soil erosion, nutrient depletion, pollution, compaction, salinization, and acidification. Notably, these soils are significant contributors to global greenhouse gas emissions, primarily due to substantial losses in soil organic carbon. Despite these challenges, black soils are pivotal for global food production. This paper delineates the implementation of digital soil mapping for the global cartography of black soils and human interference on these soils. Predominantly distributed in Eastern Europe, Central and Eastern Asia, and North and South America, black soils cover an approximate area of 725 Mha, with the Russian Federation, Kazakhstan, and China collectively have over half of this area. Agriculturally, these soils underpin significant proportions of global crop yields, producing 66% of sunflower, 30% of wheat, and 26% of potato outputs. The organic carbon content in the upper 30 cm of these soils is estimated at 56 Gt. Sustainable management of black soils is imperative for ensuring food security and addressing climate change on a global scale.

● Soil acidification is determined by proton production and soil buffering capacity.

Soil acidification is a serious constraint to food production worldwide. This review explores its primary causes, with a focus on the role of nitrogen fertilizer, and suggests mitigation strategies based on optimal N management. Natural acidification is determined by the leaching of weak acid mainly caused by climate and soil conditions, whereas the use of ammonium-based fertilizers, nitrate leaching and removal of base cations (BCs) by crop harvesting mostly accounts for anthropogenic acidification. In addition, low soil acid buffering capacity, mainly determined by soil parent materials and soil organic matter content, also accelerates acidification. This study proposes targeted mitigation strategies for different stages of soil acidification, which include monitoring soil carbonate content and pH of soils with pH > 6.5 (e.g., calcareous soil), use of alkaline amendments for strongly acidic soils (pH < 5.5) with aluminum toxicity risk to pH between 5.5 and 6.5, and decreasing acidification rates and supplementing BCs to maintain this optimal pH range, especially for soils with low acid buffering capacity. Effective mitigation involves optimizing the rate and form of N fertilizers used, regulating N transformation processes, and establishing an integrated soil–crop management system that balances acid production and soil buffering capacity.

● The main impediments to low-carbon development of livestock sector are recognized.

Rapid growth and a vast transition of Chinese livestock industry driven by economic incentives make it become an important contributor on climate change over the last four decades. This study first analyzes the evolving low-carbon livestock development policies and regulations, then an assessment and explanations of the achievements and non-achievements are provided. The findings reveal that China began to pay attention to low-carbon development policy starting in the early 1990s. However, only after the cyclic and green concept became the main sustainable development policy, China began to move seriously toward low-carbon livestock development. Several policy instruments were introduced, including moderate scale, feed optimization, manure resource utilization, facility and equipment allocation rate, energy conservation and substitution. Overall, achievements were made in introducing such policies. However, due to the large share of standard agriculture and regional resources, and environmental diversity, such policies may have little effect in practice. The divergence between the policies and actual practices are explained, and important policies applicable to all developing countries are also recommended.

Plant roots are crucial for nitrogen uptake. To efficiently acquire N, root system architecture (RSA), which includes the length and quantity of primary roots, lateral roots and root hairs, is dynamically regulated by the surrounding N status. For crops, an ideotype RSA characterized by enhanced plasticity to meet various N demands under fluctuating N conditions is fundamental for high N utilization and subsequent yield. Therefore, exploring the genetic basis of N-dependent RSA, especially in crops, is of great significance. This review summarizes how plants sense both local and systemic N signals and transduce them to downstream pathways. Additionally, it presents the current understanding of genetic basis of N-dependent root plasticity in Arabidopsis and major crops. Also, to fully understand the mechanisms underlying N-dependent root morphogenesis and effectively identify loci associated with an ideotype RSA in crops, more attention should be paid to non-destructive, in situ phenotyping of root traits, cell-type-specific exploration of gene functions, and crosstalk between root architecture, environment and management in the future.

Localized fertilization strategies (banding fertilizers) developed to minimize nutrient fixation by soil are used widely in intensive agricultural production. Localized fertilization encourages root foraging for heterogeneously distributed soil nutrients. This review focuses on the advances in root growth and nutrient acquisition of heterogeneously distributed soil resources. It is proposed that the incremental amplification of root foraging for nutrients induced by localized fertilization: (1) increased absorption area due to altered root morphology, (2) enhanced mobilization capacity underpinned by enhanced root physiological processes, and (3) intensified belowground interactions due to selective stimulation of soil microorganisms. The increase in root proliferation and the nutrient mobilization capacity as well as microbiome changes caused by localized fertilization can be amplified stepwise to synergistically enhance root foraging capacity, nutrient use efficiency and improve crop productivity. Engineering the roots/rhizosphere through localized, tailored nutrient application to stimulate nature-based root foraging for heterogeneously distributed soil nutrients, and scaling up of the root foraging capacity and nutrient acquisition efficiency from the rhizosphere to the field offers a potential pathway for green and sustainable intensification of agriculture.

● Soil compaction due to intensive agriculture threatens soil quality, crop growth, and food security.

With the development of agricultural technology to meet the growing demands of a rapidly increasing population and economic development, intensive agriculture practices have been widely adopted globally. However, this intensification has resulted in adverse consequences for soil structure due to intensified farming activities and increased usage of heavy farm machinery. Of particular concern is soil compaction, which leads to the degradation of physical, chemical and biological properties of the soil. Soil compaction negatively impacts crop growth, reduces yields and poses a significant threat to food security and the overall sustainability of agricultural systems. Recognizing these challenges, this review aims to deepen understanding of the factors contributing to soil compaction and to develop effective mitigation strategies. By doing so, it is intended to attenuate the adverse impacts of soil compaction, improve soil structure, increase crop yield and ultimately enhance the sustainability of agricultural practices.

Amid the escalating frequency of climate extremes, it is crucial to determine their impact on agricultural water scarcity to preserve agricultural development. Current research does not often examine how different spatial scales and compound climate extremes influence agricultural water scarcity. Using an agricultural water scarcity index (AWSI), this study examined the effects of precipitation and temperature extremes on AWSI across secondary and tertiary river basins in China from 1971 to 2010. The results indicated a marked increase in AWSI during dry years and elevated temperatures. The analysis underscores that precipitation had a greater impact on AWSI than temperature variation. In secondary basins, AWSI was about 26% higher than the long-term average during dry years, increasing to nearly 49% in exceptionally dry conditions. By comparison, in tertiary basins, the increases were 28% and 55%, respectively. In hot years, AWSI rose by about 6.8% (7.3% for tertiary basins) above the average, surging to about 19.1% (15.5% for tertiary basins) during extremely hot periods. These results show that AWSI assessment at the tertiary basin level better captured the influence of climate extremes on AWSI than assessments at the secondary basin level, which highlights the critical importance of a finer spatial scale for a more precise assessment and forecast of water scarcity within basin scales. Also, this study has highlighted the paramount urgency of implementing strategies to tackle water scarcity issues under compound extreme dry and hot conditions. Overall, this study offers an in-depth evaluation of the influence of both precipitation and temperature variation, and research scale on water scarcity, which will help formulate better water resource management strategies.

● Research on heavy metal passivation and nitrogen emissions is necessary for the pig industry.

The widespread use of feed additives in intensive and large-scale pig farming has resulted in high levels of heavy metals in pig manure. The long-term application of organic fertilizers containing high levels of heavy metals leads to the accumulation of heavy metals in the soil, which not only causes heavy metal pollution in the soil, and also affect food safety and endanger human health. Composting is an economical and effective technical measures to achieve environmentally-sustainable treatment of pig manure and is a practical method to reduce the problem of heavy metals and to improve the resource value of pig manure. The composting process is accompanied by high temperatures and the production and emission of gases, and also lead to changes in the nitrogen content of the compost and provide opportunity for heavy metal passivation additives. This paper summarizes the forms and types of heavy metals present in pig manure and reviews the progress of research as well as the techniques and problems of in the composting process, and provides recommendations for research on heavy metal passivation and nitrogen retention in pig manure composting.

● Much of the world’s agricultural land has been degraded through soil loss and degradation of soil organic matter.

Over the course of the postglacial period has managed to add degrade a substantial portion of the world’s potential agricultural land. The soil loss and degradation that has repeatedly impacted regional societies around the world resulted from agricultural practices that increased the physical loss of soil (erosion), reduced soil organic matter, changed pH (acidification) or salinity, and disrupted or altered communities of soil life. In the coming century, as continued soil degradation threatens global food security while the global population keeps rising it is imperative that farmers develop and adopt soil-health building (regenerative) practices to solve a problem that has plagued societies throughout history. Growing evidence suggests that agricultural systems that combine cover crops, reduced tillage, and diverse crop rotations can reduce erosion, enhance soil health and rebuild soil organic matter to cultivate beneficial soil life and harvest both economic and environmental benefits. In the coming post-oil world, global food security would benefit from a global effort to promote soil restoration to help addresses the challenge of sustainably feeding the world, increase soil-based carbon sequestration, protect on-farm biodiversity and reduce off-farm water pollution. Because soil security sets a solid foundation for global food security, agricultural policies and subsidies should be reformed to encourage farmers to adopt regenerative, soil-building practices.

Seed aging adversely affects agricultural productivity by reducing germination rates and seedling vigor, leading to significant costs for seed banks and companies due to the need for frequent seed renewals. This study demonstrated the use of plasma-activated water (PAW), generated by a solar-powered corona dielectric barrier discharger, to enhance germination rates of spinach seeds that had been stored at 4 °C for 23 years. Treating seeds with PAW at 17 kV for 15 min improved germination (by 135%) and seedling growth compared to untreated seeds. Through detailed analysis, beneficial PAW properties for seed development were identified, and a molecular mechanism for this rejuvenation is proposed. The solar-powered microreactor used in this study is considered to represent a significant advancement in seed treatment technology, offering a sustainable solution to meet growing food demands while addressing environmental and resource sustainability challenges.

● Cultivated land quality can be considered in four dimensions: suitability, contiguity, resistance, and ecological stress.

Quality is the core feature of cultivated land. In the face of deteriorating cultivated land quality and growing food demand, improving cultivated land quality is a top priority for guaranteeing the sustainable use of resources and national food security. Cultivated land quality in the new era can be considered in four dimensions: suitability, contiguity, resistance and ecological stress. Cultivated land suitability in China shows a decreasing trend from east to west, cultivated land contiguity is high in the north-east and low in the south-west. In terms of cultivated land resistance, the number of strongly and weakly resistant cropping fields is small and spatially clustered. Cultivated land with ecological stress is mainly located in the northern region. Based on the current situation of cultivated land quality and the strategic needs of national high-quality development, China’s future goals for improving cultivated land quality include four aspects: promoting the sustainable use of resources, improving the economic benefits of farming, coping with extreme meteorological disasters and meeting the transition of the food system. Against the backdrop of a volatile international environment and high domestic demand for food, China should guarantee a safe supply of staples, a stable supply of animal feed and a moderate supply of high-nutrient food. In the future, China should create three major food production spaces: high-standard, low- to medium-yield, and marginal cultivated land. China urgently needs to construct three paths to implement the goal of improving cultivated land quality, namely the development of high-standard cultivated land with the core of spatial optimization, resilience enhancement and scale coupling, the transformation of low- to medium-yield cultivated land with the core of obstacle elimination, tenure adjustment, ecological sustainable, and the conservation development of marginal cultivated land with a focus on sustainable use.

● Production, distributions and environmental risks of LM in Shaanxi were studied.

Shaanxi is a leading province in animal husbandry (AH) in China. However, the lack of provincial information on the characteristics and utilization potential of livestock manure (LM) hinders crucial management decisions. Therefore, we investigated the spatiotemporal distribution, availability and biogas potential of LM in Shaanxi, and examine the carbon emission reduction potential of AH. There has been a 1.26-fold increase in LM quantities in Shaanxi over the past 35 years, reaching 4635.6 × 10⁴ t by 2021. LM was mainly concentrated in northern Shaanxi and the eastern part of Hanzhong. Cattle and pig manure were the primary sources of LM, with the average LM land-load of 14.57 t·ha⁻¹ in 2021. While the overall AH in Shaanxi has not exceeded the environmental capacity, the actual scales of AH in Ankang and Hanzhong have already surpassed the respective environmental capacities, posing a higher risk of N and P pollutions. In 2021, the estimated biogas energy potential of LM was 1.2 × 10¹¹ MJ. From 2012 to 2021, the average carbon emission reduction potential in Shaanxi was 22%, with an average potential scale of 10%. The results of this research provide valuable data and policy recommendations for promoting the intensive use of LM and reducing carbon emissions in Shaanxi.

● Soil properties varied within coefficients of variation ranging from 7% to 169%.

Awareness of how soil properties vary over agroecosystems (AES) is essential for understanding soil potentials and improving site-specific agricultural management strategies for a sustainable ecosystem. This study examined the characteristics of soil quality attributes and implications for agriculture in the Choke Mountain watershed in Ethiopia. Forty-seven composite soil samples (0–20 cm deep) were collected from lowland and valley fragmented (AES 1), midland plain with black soil (AES 2), midland plain with brown soil (AES 3), sloppy midland land (AES 4), and hilly and mountainous highlands (AES 5). Ten of 15 soil quality properties were significant (P < 0.05 or 0.01), including silt, exchangeable bases, cation exchange capacity, percent base saturation, pH, organic matter, total nitrogen and available phosphorous (P) across the five AES. However, all properties were variable with coefficients of variation from 7% (total porosity) to 169% (available P) across the AES. Although AES 2 and 3 are affected by waterlogging and acidity, these two have better prospects for agriculture, but AES 1, 4, and 5 are unsuitable for agriculture because of soil erosion. Therefore, appropriate and applicable soil management strategies, particularly lime application and organic fertilizer, are fundamental to reversing soil acidity and improving soil fertility.

2′-Deoxymugineic (DMA), a phytosiderophore secreted by Poaceae species, can improve iron nutrition in plants. However, little is known about how DMA influences beneficial bacteria in rhizosphere microecosystem. To address this gap, the DMA analog proline-2′-deoxymugineic (PDMA) was used to evaluate its positive effect on peanut rhizobacterial communities and network structure. This study demonstrated that PDMA can promote the absorption of several mineral nutrients in plants and activate micronutrients in the rhizosphere. Specifically, PDMA led to significant impact on the bacterial community structure in the peanut rhizosphere, resulting in a substantial increase in the relative abundance of Actinobacteriota with six beneficial rhizobacterial genera in this phylum. The Cellulosimicrobium and Marmoricola of Actinobacteriota recruited by PDMA may enhance micronutrient availability both to peanut plants and in soil. PDMA application led to the development of a tight, stable microbial network, as indicated by higher topological parameters and a greater variety of keystone genera. Functional prediction revealed that PDMA fosters microbial communication in the rhizosphere. Overall, PDMA was shown to recruit beneficial bacteria and to modulate bacterial network structure in the peanut rhizosphere. It is concluded that these findings demonstrate that phytosiderophore might promote plant growth and nutrition absorption by regulating plant–soil microecosystem.

● Biochar-compost-based controlled-release urea fertilizer (BCRUF) pellets with an active microbial community were successfully synthesized.

Nitrogen (N) fertilizers in agriculture suffer losses by volatilization of N to the air, surface runoff and leaching into the soil, resulting in low N use efficiency (NUE) ($\text{lt}$50%) and raising severe environmental pollutions. Controlled-release nitrogen fertilizers (CRNFs) can control the release of N nutrients to NUE in crop production. Different methods were used to develop new CRNFs. However, different CRNF technologies are still underdeveloped due to inadequate controlling on N releasing time and/or unsustainable diffusion. The study on the influences of CRNF processing parameters on microbial conditions are lacking when the CRNFs composed of various bio-ingredients such as biochar, composts, and biowaste. The complexity of processing methods, material biodegradability, and other physical properties make current CRNFs of questionable value in agricultural production. This research aims to develop a novel biochar-compost-based controlled-release urea fertilizer (BCRUF) to preserve microbial properties carried by the compost. The BCRUF was synthesized by pelletizing the 50:50 (dry, wt/wt) mixture of biochar and compost. BCRUF was loaded with urea and then spray-coated with polylactic acid (PLA). The releasing time of two types of BCRUFs, coated and uncoated with PLA, for 80% of N release in water was up to 6 h at three different temperatures (4, 23, and 40 °C), compared to conventional urea fertilizer and commercial environmentally smart N (ESN) fertilizer. The releasing time of coated BCRUF for 80% N release in soil was up to 192 h (8 days). Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) analysis revealed that no new functional groups were found in the release solution, indicating no new chemical hazards generated. The differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) tests also verified that its thermal stability could be up to 160 °C. The microbe populations in the BCRUF pellets were reduced after the pelleting and drying processes in BCRUF fabrication, but a few bacteria can endure in the air-drying process. BCRUF pellets soaked in water for 4 days retained some bacteria. The BCRUF showed very promising characteristics to improve NUE and sustainability in agricultural production.

● It is crucial to comprehensively summarize remediation technologies and identify future development directions.

Metal(loid) pollution has emerged as a pressing environmental issue in agriculture, garnering extensive public attention. Metal(loid)s are potentially toxic substances that infiltrate the soil through diverse pathways, leading to food chain contamination via plant uptake and subsequent animal exposure. This poses a serious threat to environmental quality, food security, and human health. Hence, the remediation of metal(loid)-contaminated agricultural soil is an urgent concern demanding immediate attention. Presently, the majority of research papers concentrate on established, isolated remediation technologies, often overlooking comprehensive field management approaches. It is imperative to provide a comprehensive summary of remediation technologies and identify future development directions. This review aims to comprehensively summarize a range of soil remediation and enhancement technologies, incorporating insights from multiple disciplines including physics, chemistry, biology, and their interdisciplinary intersections. The review examines the mechanisms of action, suitable scenarios, advantages, disadvantages, and benefits associated with each remediation technology. Particularly relevant is the examination of metal(loid) sources, as well as the mechanisms behind both established and innovative, efficient remediation and enhancement technologies. Additionally, the future evolution of remediation technologies are considered with the aim of offering a scientific research foundation and inspiration to fellow researchers. This is intended to facilitate the advancement of remediation technologies and establish a robust foundation for sustainable development of soil.

● Methane led China’s growth in net greenhouse gas emissions over the pandemic.

To study the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on agricultural carbon emissions in China, the greenhouse gas emissions generated by crop and livestock production, and agricultural material and energy inputs in China from 2019 to 2021 were systematically calculated. It was found that from 2019 to 2021, Net greenhouse gas emissions (NGHGE) from agriculture in China had an increasing trend. Methane emissions ranked first in NGHGE, with an annual proportion exceeding 65% and an increasing annual trend. CH₄ emissions were primarily influenced by enteric fermentation and rice production. Nitrous oxide emissions accounted for around 22% of annual NGHGE and decreased from 2019 to 2021. The main sources of N₂O emissions were the use of nitrogen fertilizers and manure management. Carbon dioxide emissions accounted for about 18% annually, with diesel and agricultural electricity use contributing to over 60% of CO₂ emissions. Soil carbon sequestration represented about a 6.1% lowering of NGHGE. The combined proportion of CH₄ emissions from enteric fermentation and rice production accounted for over 50% of total GHG emissions. The changes in NGHGE were mainly caused by disturbance of the livestock industry during the pandemic.

● Isolation of potential PGPR from rhizosphere sandy BRIS soil of Acacia mangium .

This study has isolated, characterized, and identified potential plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) with multiple PGP characteristics (N₂-fixation, P- and K-solubilization, IAA, and siderophores production) from the rhizosphere BRIS soil of Acacia mangium. A total of 24 pure colonies were isolated and only 8 colonies were selected for further evaluation of the growth rate in 5% organic molasses medium supplemented with 2% KNO₃. Based on the biochemical, potential PGP characteristics and growth performance, 3 superior PGPR strains were selected and identified as Paraburkholderia unamae (UA1), Bacillus amyloliquefaciens (UA6), and Enterobacter asburiae (UAA2) by partial sequencing of the 16S rRNA gene. The selected bacterial strains either in single or mixed (UA1 + UA6 + UAA2) cultures have shown a significant biochemical estimation of the PGP characteristics. Each strain has its own PGPR traits superiority with UA1 showing the best PGP characteristic followed by UA6 and UAA2. The use of mixed bacterial strains was beneficial as it showed the best performance in N₂-fixation, siderophores production, and significant effect on corn phenology, growth and yield compared to using a single strain. These types of microbes showed potential to be used as biofertilizer and should be exploited more.

● First report of bacteria Paenarthrobacter nitroguajacolicus for effective control of cucumber corynespora leaf spot and promotion of cucumber growth.

Currently, the disease control in cucumber mainly depends on agrochemicals, which is not an environmentally benign strategy. Biocontrol bacteria not only resist plant pathogens but also promote plant growth, which is ecofriendly and sustainable option. A biocontrol bacterial strain BJ-5 was screened using Corynespora cassiicola as the target pathogen, and BJ-5 was determined to be Paenarthrobacter nitroguajacolicus by morphological and molecular methods. The effect of BJ-5 on C. cassiicola was studied, including the spore germination, cell membrane permeability and infected cucumbers. BJ-5 inhibited the germination of C. cassiicola spores in vitro and led to atrophy and deformation of the C. cassiicola budding tubes. BJ-5 caused the relative extracellular conductivity of C. cassiicola mycelia to increase compared with the control. Additionally, BJ-5 reduced the severity of cucumber corynespora leaf spot of cucumber infected with C. cassiicola. The inhibition efficacy of BJ-5 suspension as a foliar spray against cucumber corynespora leaf spot reached 63% inhibition, which is higher than a 5000-fold dilution of Luna-Son SC fungicide. In addition, BJ-5 was tested on the emergence of cucumber seedlings, recording the biomass and photosynthesis of cucumber during the growth period. BJ-5 at 1.5 × 10⁵ CFU·mL⁻¹ promoted the germination of cucumber seeds and increased biomass and photosynthesis at the adult plant stage. Also, the secondary metabolites of BJ-5 were determined. BJ-5 could produce chitinases, siderophore, cellulase, amylase and protease in the respective medium. Finally, adaptation assay of BJ-5 showed good salt tolerance and good adaptability in alkaline conditions, and that BJ-5 retains inhibition of fungi activity at higher temperatures. This is the first report of the biocontrol by P. nitroguajacolicus with antagonism to C. cassiicola and promote cucumber growth. This study indicates that P. nitroguajacolicus may serve as potential biocontrol agents against cucumber corynespora leaf spot fungus.

Fisheries in coastal and lakeside regions are increasingly facing sustainability challenges. This predicament has compelled these regions to shift toward economic diversification, with tourism emerging as a feasible alternative economic activity. This study focuses on a rural community adjacent to Erhai Lake in Dali City, Yunnan Province, China, examining its shift from a fishing-based economy to tourism over several decades. Employing an adaptive sustainable livelihood framework, this study assessed the livelihood transformation across various stages over an extended period, from both institutional and action-oriented perspectives, analyzing factors influencing sustainable livelihood transformation in lakeside communities and their subsequent effects. This research revealed several key insights. Firstly, tourism, as an alternative industry to fishing, not only faces increasingly stringent environmental protection policies but also confronts multiple challenges from the community level. Secondly, the improvement of the physical assets of locals within the tourism development, which can increase property-based income, has the potential to facilitate a sustainable transformation of their livelihoods. Thirdly, analysis identifies the pivotal role of human capital in the current transition process, with the influence of talent and innovative livelihood industry management models gaining prominence to ensure sustainability of this transformation.

Organic inputs are key to increasing soil organic carbon in agricultural soils. This study aimed to unravel the process of mineralization and humification of chicken manure (CM) and composted kitchen waste (KW) using an in situ litter-bag incubation experiment. The results indicated that over 50%, 64% to 72%, and 62% to 85% of the initial mass, carbon and nitrogen, respectively, were lost through incubation with a marked loss occurring during the first 28 days. Increased humic acids (HAs), humus (HS) and degree of humification, along with a decrease in the level of fulvic acids and precursors for humic substances were observed through incubation. By comparison, CM demonstrated higher carbon and nitrogen conservation efficiencies and greater humification compared to KW. Additionally, a higher degree of humifaction and larger quantities of HAs and HS were not favorable for carbon and nitrogen conservation. Further structural equation modeling indicated that microbial community had a strong effect on carbon loss and nitrogen release, while stoichiometric properties of organic inputs were the main determinant of the mineralization and humification processes. These findings will enhance understanding of litter decomposition in soils and provide valuable references for soil carbon sequestration with organic inputs.

● Sugarcane and sugar beet yield and carbon footprint rose with time but profit declined

Climate change mitigation is a major challenge of human society. Currently, to this end, many countries including China are committed to achieving carbon neutrality within a few decades. China is a major sugarcane and sugar beet producing country and has one of the largest carbon footprint for sugarcane and sugar beet production globally. A comprehensive study was conducted on sugarcane and sugar beet crops grown in China for greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions mitigation potential, economic crop production from a sustainable sugar production perspective. Long-term trend analysis showed that yield and GHG emissions of sugarcane and sugar beet crops increased but the ratio of income to cost declined. Structural equation model analysis revealed nitrogen fertilizer and labor as the major drivers of GHG emissions for both sugarcane and sugar beet. For sugarcane and sugar beet, the path coefficient of N fertilizer were ‒0.964 and ‒0.835 and that of labor were 0.771 and 0.589, respectively. By transitioning the current cropping system to an improved model with optimized labor, N input and machinery use, the GHG emissions and total annual cost of sugarcane and sugar beet production can be reduced by 32% and 24%, respectively, by 2030, compared to a business-as-usual scenario. This is the first integrated and comparative study of environmental and economic sustainability of sugarcane and sugar beet production in China. These findings will enable all stakeholders of Chinese sugarcane and sugar beet industries to transform them into environmentally and economically sustainable sugar production.