Stem diameter is an important agronomic trait that affects lodging resistance and stem yield in flax. To clarify the genetic basis of stem diameter, a team of researchers from Xinjiang University, Xinjiang Normal University, and Xinjiang Academy of Agricultural and Reclamation Science conducted a multi-model genome-wide association study (GWAS) using 200 diverse flax accessions representing oil flax, fiber flax, and oil–fiber dual-purpose flax evaluated in three environments. The study provides genetic insights into the natural variation of flax stem diameter, identifying loci and genes as direct targets for molecular breeding to improve lodging resistance and stem yield.

Researchers in China employed CRISPR/Cas9 genome editing to disrupt Dysfunctional Tapetum 1 (DYT1), encoding a conserved regulator of pollen development in plants, and successfully induced complete male sterility in soybean. Phylogenetic analysis identified three DYT1 genes in soybean, among which two bHLH genes, GmDYT1a and GmDYT1c, exhibited distinct expression patterns, and their encoded proteins displayed different subcellular localizations. The study establishes CRISPR/Cas9-mediated editing of DYT1 as an effective strategy for generating male-sterile lines and provides a genetic resource for hybrid breeding in soybean.

Researchers have developed a scalable polyolefin bilayer membrane that helps roofs stay cool while resisting the loss of reflectivity caused by aging and dirt. The membrane achieved 94.1% solar reflectance and retained 83% after xenon-arc aging equivalent to ten years under the adopted testing protocol. Outdoor tests showed an average roof-temperature reduction of 9.4 degrees Celsius and a maximum reduction of 18.1 degrees Celsius, highlighting its potential for long-term building energy savings.

Gastric cancer induces opposing virome changes in blood and gut. The blood virome shifts from phage-dominated to predominantly Anelloviridae (>80%) with a sharp diversity decline, whereas the gut shows increased diversity. We identified 67 novel anelloviruses, one novel gemykibivirus, and Betatorquevirus as a potential blood biomarker for non-invasive diagnosis.

A Reusable Catalyst for Antibiotic Removal

Sulfamethoxazole, a widely used antimicrobial, can persist in aquatic environments and pose risks to ecosystems and human health. Researchers led by Xuejiao Tang at Nankai University developed millimeter-scale magnetic carbon beads, designated CoNC@cPAN/rGO-800, to address the limited recoverability and metal-leaching concerns associated with powdered cobalt catalysts. The material combines a polyacrylonitrile carbon framework, reduced graphene oxide, and cobalt-containing active sites.

Porous Structure, Rapid Degradation

The beads were prepared from a cobalt-containing zeolitic imidazolate framework, polyacrylonitrile, and graphene oxide, followed by calcination under nitrogen at different temperatures. Microscopy, spectroscopy, diffraction, surface-area analysis, electrochemical measurements, and density functional theory calculations were used to characterize the material and assess its catalytic behavior. Under optimized conditions, 0.1 g L⁻¹ of catalyst and 0.1 g L⁻¹ of peroxymonosulfate removed 100% of 10 mg L⁻¹ sulfamethoxazole within 20 min at pH 7.

Two Amendments, Two Pathways

Maintaining soil organic carbon is important for agricultural productivity and climate mitigation, yet organic amendments do not necessarily build soil carbon in the same way. A 10-year maize field experiment at Shenyang Agricultural University compared annual biochar application at 2.625 t ha⁻¹ with maize stover incorporation at approximately 7.5 t ha⁻¹, alongside an untreated control. The field plots received the treatments for ten consecutive crop seasons before soil was sampled at depths of 0–20, 20–40, and 40–60 cm.

Both amendments significantly increased soil organic carbon across the 0–60 cm profile. In the topsoil, carbon gains were similar for biochar and stover, at 49.70% and 48.87%, respectively. Stover produced larger increases in subsurface and deep-soil carbon, reaching 105.90% in the 20–40 cm layer and 32.35% in the 40–60 cm layer. Biochar produced corresponding increases of 72.81% and 4.74%. These contrasting depth patterns indicate that carbon accumulation depends on amendment-specific transport and stabilization processes.

A Food-System Carbon Shift

Tropical islands support important terrestrial and coastal carbon stores while facing strong pressures from development, land conversion, tourism, and climate change. In Hainan Island, food production, aquaculture, processing, and associated supply-chain activities have become increasingly important sources of greenhouse gas emissions within a rapidly developing regional economy.

Authors Zichen Li, Zhaohai Bai, and colleagues from Hainan University, the Chinese Academy of Sciences, and Nanjing University reconstructed the carbon budget of Hainan's food system from 1952 to 2020. Their life cycle assessment framework incorporated offshore ecosystems, land-use and land-use change, crop cultivation, livestock, aquaculture, food processing and consumption, wastewater treatment, and on-farm and off-farm energy use.

Seven Decades of Rising Emissions

Gross food-system emissions increased from 3.29 Mt CO₂ eq in 1952 to 15.13 Mt CO₂ eq in 2020. The analysis attributes this rise principally to fertilizer-related emissions, expansion of tropical crop cultivation, aquaculture growth, and increased energy demand along the food value chain. Nitrogen fertilizer application increased from 223 kg ha⁻¹ to 627 kg ha⁻¹ over the historical period.