Enhancing tomato disease resistance through endogenous antifungal proteins and introduced nematode-targeting dsRNA of biocontrol agent Bacillus velezensis HS-3

BACKGROUND

As a type of biological control agent (BCA), Bacillus velezensis possesses the efficacy of inhibiting pathogenic microorganisms, promoting plant growth, and overcoming continuous cropping obstacles (CCOs). However, there is limited reporting on the optimization of the cultivation conditions for such biocontrol agents and their role as double-stranded RNA (dsRNA) delivery vectors.

RESULTS

In this study, a Bacillus velezensis strain HS-3 was isolated from the root zone of tomato plants with in vitro anti-Botrytis cinerea activity. The investigation into active compounds revealed that HS-3 predominantly employs proteins with molecular weights greater than 3 kDa for its antifungal activity. Liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) analysis identified various proteases and chitosanase, further suggesting that HS-3 most likely employs these enzymes to degrade fungal cell walls for its antifungal effect. To optimize the production of extracellular proteins, fermentation parameters for HS-3 were systematically optimized, leading to an optimized medium (OP-M). HS-3 cultured in OP-M demonstrated enhanced capacity to assist tomato plants in withstanding CCOs. However, the presence of excessive nematodes in diseased soil resulted in the disease severity index (DSI) remaining high. An RNA interference mechanism was further introduced to HS-3, targeting the nematode tyrosine phosphatase (TP) gene. Ultimately, HS-3 expressing dsRNA of TP in OP-M effectively assisted tomatoes in mitigating CCOs, reducing DSI to 2.2% and 17.8% of the control after 45 and 90 days of growth, respectively.

CONCLUSION

The advantages of Bacillus velezensis in crop disease management and the mitigation of CCOs become even more pronounced when utilizing both optimized levels of endogenous enzymes and introduced nematode-targeting dsRNA. © 2024 Society of Chemical Industry.

Accumulation patterns of tobacco root allelopathicals across different cropping durations and their correlation with continuous cropping challenges

Introduction

Continuous cropping challenges have gradually emerged as pivotal factors limiting the sustainable development of agricultural production. Allelopathicals are considered to be the primary obstacles. However, there is limited information on allelopathic accumulation across various continuous cropping years and its correlation with the associated challenges.

Methods

Tobacco was subjected to varying planting durations: 1 year (CR), 5 years (CC5), 10 years (CC10), and 15 years (CC15).

Results

Our findings unveiled discernible disparities in tobacco growth patterns across diverse continuous cropping periods. Notably, the most pronounced challenges were observed in the CC5 category, characterized by yield reduction, tobacco black shank outbreaks, and a decline in beneficial flora. Conversely, CC15 exhibited a substantial reduction in challenges as the continuous cropping persisted with no significant differences when compared to CR. Within the tobacco rhizosphere, we identified 14 distinct allelopathic compounds, with 10 of these compounds displaying noteworthy variations among the four treatments. Redundancy analysis (RDA) revealed that eight allelopathic compounds exhibited autotoxic effects on tobacco growth, with MA, heptadecanoic acid, and VA ranking as the most potent inhibitors. Interaction network highlighted the pivotal roles of VA and EA in promoting pathogen proliferation and impeding the enrichment of 13 beneficial bacterial genera. Furthermore, a structural equation model elucidated that MA and EA primarily exert direct toxic effects on tobacco, whereas VA fosters pathogen proliferation, inhibits the enrichment of beneficial bacteria, and synergistically exacerbates the challenges associated with continuous cropping alongside EA.

Discussion

These findings suggested discernible disparities in tobacco growth patterns across the various continuous cropping periods. The most pronounced challenges were observed in CC5, whereas CC15 exhibited a substantial reduction in challenges as continuous cropping persisted. VA may play a pivotal role in this phenomenon by interacting with pathogens, beneficial bacterial genera, and EA.

A Systematic Review on the Continuous Cropping Obstacles and Control Strategies in Medicinal Plants

Continuous cropping (CC) is a common practice in agriculture, and usually causes serious economic losses due to soil degeneration, decreased crop yield and quality, and increased disease incidence, especially in medicinal plants. Continuous cropping obstacles (CCOs) are mainly due to changes in soil microbial communities, nutrient availability, and allelopathic effects. Recently, progressive studies have illustrated the molecular mechanisms of CCOs, and valid strategies to overcome them. Transcriptomic and metabolomics analyses revealed that identified DEGs (differently expressed genes) and metabolites involved in the response to CCOs are involved in various biological processes, including photosynthesis, carbon metabolism, secondary metabolite biosynthesis, and bioactive compounds. Soil improvement is an effective strategy to overcome this problem. Soil amendments can improve the microbial community by increasing the abundance of beneficial microorganisms, soil fertility, and nutrient availability. In this review, we sum up the recent status of the research on CCOs in medicinal plants, the combination of transcriptomic and metabolomics studies, and related control strategies, including uses of soil amendments, crop rotation, and intercropping. Finally, we propose future research trends for understanding CCOs, and strategies to overcome these obstacles and promote sustainable agriculture practices in medicinal plants.

Autotoxins in continuous tobacco cropping soils and their management

Tobacco belongs to the family Solanaceae, which easily forms continuous cropping obstacles. Continuous cropping exacerbates the accumulation of autotoxins in tobacco rhizospheric soil, affects the normal metabolism and growth of plants, changes soil microecology, and severely reduces the yield and quality of tobacco. In this study, the types and composition of tobacco autotoxins under continuous cropping systems are summarized, and a model is proposed, suggesting that autotoxins can cause toxicity to tobacco plants at the cell level, plant-growth level, and physiological process level, negatively affecting soil microbial life activities, population number, and community structure and disrupting soil microecology. A combined strategy for managing tobacco autotoxicity is proposed based on the breeding of superior varieties, and this approach can be combined with adjustments to cropping systems, the induction of plant immunity, and the optimization of cultivation and biological control measures. Additionally, future research directions are suggested and challenges associated with autotoxicity are provided. This study aims to serve as a reference and provide inspirations needed to develop green and sustainable strategies and alleviate the continuous cropping obstacles of tobacco. It also acts as a reference for resolving continuous cropping challenges in other crops.

Dynamic analysis of physiological indices and transcriptome profiling revealing the mechanisms of the allelopathic effects of phenolic acids on Pinellia ternata

Pinellia ternata (Thunb.) is a famous traditional Chinese medicine with high medicinal value, but its culture is strongly hindered by the continuous cropping obstacles (CCO) which are tightly associated with allelopathic effects. Deciphering the response mechanisms of P. ternata to allelochemicals is critical for overcoming the CCO. Here, we elucidate the response of P. ternata to phenolic acids treatment via physiological indices, cellular approaches, and transcriptome analysis. Phenolic acids showed a significant effect on the growth of P. ternata seedlings, similar to the phenotype of continuous cropping. Cellular analysis demonstrated that phenolic acids remarkably induced root cell death. Physiological analysis revealed that phenolic acids induced the overaccumulated of H₂O₂ and O 2 - in root cells. However, two exogenous antioxidants (L-ascorbic acid and β-gentiobiose) aid in the scavenging of over-accumulated H₂O₂ and O 2 - by promoting the antioxidant enzyme activity such as superoxide dismutase (SOD), ascorbate peroxidase (APX), and catalase (CAT). Transcriptome analysis demonstrated that differentially expressed genes (DEGs) related to the cell wall degeneration and reactive oxygen species (ROS) metabolism were upregulated by phenolic acid treatment. In addition, downregulated DEGs involved in sucrose and starch metabolism and phenylpropanoid biosynthesis pathways decreased the key metabolites contents. Taken together, phenolic acids caused root cell death by inducing the overaccumulation of H₂O₂ and O 2 - , and L-ascorbic acid and β-gentiobiose effectively alleviated ROS stress. The present study elucidates the underlying mechanism of the allelopathic effect of phenolic acids, offers valuable information for further understanding the mechanism of CCO, and could contribute to improving guidance for further P. ternata production.

Soil microbial community assembly and stability are associated with potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) fitness under continuous cropping regime

Continuous cropping obstacles caused by the over-cultivation of a single crop trigger soil degradation, yield reduction and the occurrence of plant disease. However, the relationships among stability, complexity and the assembly process of soil microbial community with continuous cropping obstacles remains unclear. In this study, molecular ecological networks analysis (MENs) and inter-domain ecological networks analysis (IDENs), and a new index named cohesion tools were used to calculate the stability and complexity of soil microbial communities from eight potato cultivars grown under a continuous cropping regime by using the high-throughput sequencing data. The results showed that the stability (i.e., robustness index) of the bacterial and fungal communities for cultivar ZS5 was significantly higher, and that the complexity (i.e., cohesion values) was also significantly higher in the bacterial, fungal and inter-domain communities (i.e., bacterial-fungal community) of cultivar ZS5 than other cultivars. Network analysis also revealed that Actinobacteria and Ascomycota were the dominant phyla within intra-domain networks of continuous cropping potato soil communities, while the phyla Proteobacteria and Ascomycota dominated the correlation of the bacterial-fungal network. Infer community assembly mechanism by phylogenetic-bin-based null model analysis (iCAMP) tools were used to calculate the soil bacterial and fungal communities' assembly processes of the eight potato cultivars under continuous cropping regime, and the results showed that the bacterial community was mainly dominated by deterministic processes (64.19% - 81.31%) while the fungal community was mainly dominated by stochastic processes (78.28% - 98.99%), indicating that the continuous-cropping regime mainly influenced the potato soil bacterial community assembly process. Moreover, cultivar ZS5 possessed a relatively lower homogeneous selection, and a higher TP, TN, AP and yield than other cultivars. Our results indicated that the soil microbial network stability and complexity, and community assemble might be associated with yield and soil properties, which would be helpful in the study for resistance to potato continuous cropping obstacles.

Integrated Analysis of Physiological, mRNA Sequencing, and miRNA Sequencing Data Reveals a Specific Mechanism for the Response to Continuous Cropping Obstacles in Pogostemon cablin Roots

Pogostemon cablin (patchouli) is a commercially important medicinal and industrial crop grown worldwide for its medicinal and aromatic properties. Patchoulol and pogostone, derived from the essential oil of patchouli, are considered valuable components in the cosmetic and pharmaceutical industries. Due to its high application value in the clinic and industry, the demand for patchouli is constantly growing. Unfortunately, patchouli cultivation has suffered due to severe continuous cropping obstacles, resulting in a significant decline in yield and quality. Moreover, the physiological and transcriptional changes in patchouli in response to continuous cropping obstacles remain unclear. This has greatly restricted the development of the patchouli industry. To explore the mechanism underlying the rapid response of patchouli roots to continuous cropping stress, integrated analysis of the transcriptome and miRNA profiles of patchouli roots under continuous and noncontinuous cropping conditions in different growth periods was conducted using RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) and miRNA-seq and complemented with physiological data. The physiological and biochemical results showed that continuous cropping significantly inhibited root growth, decreased root activity, and increased the activity of antioxidant enzymes (superoxide dismutase, peroxidase, and catalase) and the levels of osmoregulators (malondialdehyde, soluble protein, soluble sugar, and proline). Subsequently, we found 4,238, 3,494, and 7,290 upregulated and 4,176, 3,202, and 8,599 downregulated differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in the three growth periods of continuously cropped patchouli, many of which were associated with primary carbon and nitrogen metabolism, defense responses, secondary metabolite biosynthesis, and transcription factors. Based on miRNA-seq, 927 known miRNAs and 130 novel miRNAs were identified, among which 67 differentially expressed miRNAs (DEMIs) belonging to 24 miRNA families were induced or repressed by continuous cropping. By combining transcriptome and miRNA profiling, we obtained 47 miRNA-target gene pairs, consisting of 18 DEMIs and 43 DEGs, that likely play important roles in the continuous cropping response of patchouli. The information provided in this study will contribute to clarifying the intricate mechanism underlying the patchouli response to continuous cropping obstacles. In addition, the candidate miRNAs and genes can provide a new strategy for breeding continuous cropping-tolerant patchouli.

Effects of different technical substitutions on reducing replant disease of Radix pseudostella-riae and the underlying mechanism

Radix pseudostellariae is a traditional Chinese medicinical herb, with tuberous roots being used as a medicine. Serious continuous monoculture problems were suffered from process of artificial and intensive cultivation. To explore the effective technical methods to overcome the monoculture problems, the effects of different technical substitution patterns on soil environment remediation, photosynthetic physiology and yield performance of R. pseudostellariae were assessed under continuous cropping system with four technical substitution treatments in the phase between two crops after the newly harvested R. pseudostellariae (first crop): fallow (RP-F-RP), fallow treated with microbial fertilizer (RP-F-BF), water flooding (RP-WF), and water flooding treated with specific microbial fertilizer (RP-WF-BF). Results showed that RP-WF-BF pattern was the single one that could effectively restore R. pseudostellariae yield under two-year monoculture and three-year monoculture to more than 90% and 70% of the newly planted respectively. All the other patterns did not significantly improve R. pseudostellariae yield under two-year monoculture. The contents of polysaccharide and total saponin in R. pseudostellariae under RP-WF-BF treatment were significantly increased by 15.3% and 16.5% compared with those of the newly planted, respectively. The abundance of beneficial microorganisms in the rhizosphere soil of R. pseudostellariae significantly increased. A reverse pattern occurred for pathogens under RP-WF-BF pattern. Moreover, soil nitrogen cycling was improved. The expression of AOB, nosZ and nirK was increased by 931%, 124% and 100% compared with those in the RP-F-RP pattern, respectively. Soil acidification under RP-WF-BF pattern was alleviated. The alleviation of soil biological and abiotic stress enhanced the stability of the antioxidant enzyme system, thereby improving the growth and development of R. pseudostellariae at the seedling and the early expand stages. The chlorophyll content, leaf area index and photosynthesis rate of leaves were increased, with the dry matter translocation improved and accumulation of underground dry matter accelerated, which ultimately increased yield and quality under RP-WF-BF pattern. In this study, the separate water flooding treatment (RP-WF) and microbial fertilizer treatment (RP-F-BF) failed to significantly reduce the continuous cropping obstacles of R. pseudostellariae, while the combination of them could produce a multiplication effect of sustainable strengthening on rhizosphere environment. The findings suggested that effective technical substitution could reduce replant disease of R. pseudostellariae.

[Research progress on application of biochar in cultivation of agriculture and Chinese materia medica]

Biochar is a kind of solid material with high aromatization and rich in carbon, which is formed by pyrolysis of biomass at high temperature(250-700 ℃) under anoxic or hypoxic conditions. It has the characteristics of large specific surface area and rich pores. In recent years, as a good soil conditioner, biochar has gradually improved its advantages in improving soil rhizosphere micro ecological environment, promoting plant growth and development, and enhancing plant resistance, etc. It has been proved that biochar can affect the growth and development of plants by improving soil physical and chemical properties, adjusting microbial community structure, participating in the metabolic process in plants, and inducing plants to enhance resistance. This paper summarized the research progress of biochar application in agriculture and introduced the ecological effects and mechanism of biochar on plant seed germination, seedling growth, crop yield and stress resistance. Combined with the characteristics of Chinese materia medica, this paper expounds the application potential of biochar in improving the content of secondary metabolites of Chinese materia medica and alleviating continuous cropping obstacles of Chinese materia medica, etc. In the future, it is necessary to strengthen the research of biochar in the biosynthesis of secondary metabolites, allelopathy and heavy metal stress of medicinal plants, so as to provide reference for the application of biochar in the cultivation of Chinese materia medica.

[Production and quality control of original herbal materials of Danhong Injection]

Cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases are the leading cause of death for residents in China. Danhong Injection(DHI) decoction piece is prepared from Salviae Miltiorrhizae Radix et Rhizoma and Carthami Flos, with the function of promoting the blood circulation, removing the blood stasis, relaxing the sinews and dredging the collaterals. In recent years, about 100 million bottles of DHI have been sold. Consequently, its safety and effectiveness are very important to a large number of patients. Raw materials are the source and foundation for production of traditional Chinese medicine injections. In this article, we reviewed the identification of Salviae Miltiorrhizae Radix et Rhizoma and Carthami Flos, resource distribution, cultivation, quality control, and detection of xenobiotic pollutants, in order to guide the production of high-quality, stable, and pollution-free raw materials. This will be a benefit in ensuring the safety and effectiveness of DHI and reducing the incidence of adverse reactions from the raw materials. By comparing the similarities and differences between the quality standards of Salviae Miltiorrhizae Radix et Rhizoma, Carthami Flos and DHI, we provided some comments for improving the quality standards and post-marketing reevaluation of DHI, and provided some theoretical supports for the production of high-quality herbal raw materials.

Intercropping With Turmeric or Ginger Reduce the Continuous Cropping Obstacles That Affect Pogostemon cablin (Patchouli)

Continuous cropping (CC) restricts the development of the medicinal plant cultivation industry because it alters soil properties and the soil microbial micro-ecological environment. It can also lead to reductions in the chemical contents of medicinal plants. In this study, we intercropped continuously cropped Pogostemon cablin (patchouli) with turmeric or ginger. High-throughput sequencing was used to study the soil bacteria and fungi. Community composition, diversity, colony structure, and colony differences were also analyzed. A redundancy analysis (RDA) was used to study the interactions between soil physical and chemical factors, and the bacteria and fungi. The correlations between the soil community and the soil physical and chemical properties were also investigated. The results showed that intercropping turmeric and ginger with patchouli can improve soil microbial abundance, diversity, and community structure by boosting the number of dominant bacteria, and by improving soil bacterial metabolism and the activities of soil enzymes. They also modify the soil physical and chemical properties through changes in enzyme activity, soil pH, and soil exchangeable Ca (Ca). In summary, turmeric and ginger affect the distribution of dominant bacteria, and increase the contents of the active ingredient in patchouli. The results from this study suggested that the problems associated with continuously cropping patchouli can be ameliorated by intercropping it with turmeric and ginger.

Changes in the Microbiome in the Soil of an American Ginseng Continuous Plantation

American ginseng is an important herbal medicinal crop in China. In recent years, there has been an increasing market demand for ginseng, but the production area has been shrinking due to problems associated with continuous monocropping. We analyzed the microbiome in bulk soils to assess whether and, if so, what changes in the bulk soil microbiome are associated with continuous American ginseng cropping. The alpha diversity of fungi and bacteria was significantly lower in the soils planted with American ginseng than the virgin (non-planted) land. The relative abundance of Fusarium spp. and Ilyonectria spp., known plant root pathogens, was much higher in the soils cropped with American ginseng than the non-planted. On the other hand, a number of bacteria with biodegradation function, such as Methylibium spp., Sphingomonas spp., Variovorax spp., and Rubrivivax spp., had lower abundance in the soils cropped with American ginseng than the non-cropped. In addition, soil pH was lower in the field planted with American ginseng than the non-planted. Accumulation of fungal root pathogens and reduction of soil pH may, therefore, have contributed to the problems associated with continuous monocropping of American ginseng.

Phomopsis liquidambari colonization promotes continuous cropping peanut growth by improving the rhizosphere microenvironment, nutrient uptake and disease incidence

BACKGROUND

The continuous cropping of peanuts is a primary cause of yield and quality loss. Solutions to this problem should be therefore developed to ensure the sustainability of peanut production.

RESULTS

In this study, colonization by the endophytic fungus Phomopsis liquidambari was detected, which led to significantly improved rhizosphere soil microenvironment, enhanced N, P and K assimilation and suppressed incidence of peanut disease. Statistical analysis demonstrated that the yield enhancement was significantly correlated with improvement of the rhizosphere soil microenvironment and the peanut's physiological status by P. liquidambari colonization. In addition, P. liquidambari colonization also significantly improved peanut quality.

CONCLUSION

Our results indicate that the practical application of the endophytic fungus P. liquidambari has a strong potential to alleviate the obstacles associated with continuous peanut cropping under field conditions. © 2018 Society of Chemical Industry.

[Changes of diversity and composition of fungal communities in rhizosphere of Panax ginseng]

Continuous cropping obstacles resulted in the yield losses of Panax ginseng, and affected the development of ginseng industry. Soil fungal communities participated in the key ecological process, and their changes of diversity and composition were related to the continuous cropping obstacles. We analyzed the changes of fungal diversity and composition in the rhizosphere of ginseng using the high-throughput sequencing method, stated the effects of ginseng cultivation on the micro-ecology, and provided effective strategies for overcoming continuous cropping obstacles. Compared to those of the forest soils, the fungal diversity of ginseng rhizosphere soils was increased, and the increasing trends were declined with an increasing years of ginseng cultivation; the relative abundance of Sordariomycetes, Alatospora, Eurotiomycetes, Leotiomycetes, Saccharomycetes, Mucorales and Pezizomycetes were increased in the rhizosphere of ginseng. Pearson's correlation index indicated that soil chemical perporties affected the relative abundance of fungal communities. pH was significantly related to the relative abundance of Dothideomycetes and Alatospora; the content of available potassium was markedly associated with the relative abundance of Dothideomycetes, Alatospora and Mucorales; the content of total nitrogen was significant correlation with the relative abundance of Sordariomycetes and Mucorales. These results indicated that fertilization was one of pivotal factors affecting the rhizosphere micro-ecology of ginseng, and optimization of fertilization system was an effective method to overcome continuous cropping obstacles.

[DNA marker-assisted selection of medicinal plants (Ⅰ) .Breeding research of disease-resistant cultivars of Panax notoginseng]

DNA marker-assisted selection of medicinal plants is based on the DNA polymorphism, selects the DNA sequences related to the phenotypes such as high yields, superior quality, stress-resistance and so on according to the technologies of molecular hybridization, polymerase chain reaction and high-throughput sequencing, and assists the breeding of new cultivars. This study bred the first disease-resistant cultivar of notoginseng "Miaoxiang Kangqi 1" using the technology of DNA marker-assisted selection of medicinal plants and systematic breeding. The disease-resistant cultivar of notoginseng contained 12 special SNPs based on the analysis of Restriction-site Associated DNA Sequencing (RAD-Seq). Among the SNP (record_519688) was related to the root rot-resistant characteristics, which indicated this SNP could serve as genetic markers of disease-resistant cultivars and assist the systematic breeding. Compared to the conventional cultivated cultivars, the incidence rate of root-rot and rust-rot in notoginseng seedlings decreased by 83.6% and 71.8%, respectively. The incidence rate of root-rot respectively declined by 43.6% and 62.9% in notoginseng cultivation for 2 and 3 years compared with those of the conventional cultivated cultivars. Additionally, the potential disease-resistant groups were screened based on the relative SNP, and this model enlarged the target groups and advanced the breeding efficiency. DNA marker-assisted selection of medicinal plants accelerated the breeding and promotion of new cultivars, and guaranteed the healthy development of Chinese medicinal materials industry.

[A semimicroquality evaluation method on Panax notoginseng and its application in analysis of continuous cropping obstacles research samples]

Panax notoginseng is a commonly used traditional Chinese medicine with blood activating effect while has continuous cropping obstacle problem in planting process. In present study, a semimicroextraction method with water-saturated n-butanol on 0.1 g notoginseng sample was established with good repeatability (RSD<2.5%) and 9.6%-20.6% higher extraction efficiency of seven saponins than the conventional method. A total of 16 characteristic peaks were identified by LC-MS-IT-TOF, including eight 20(S)-protopanaxatriol (PPT) type saponins and eight 20(S)-protopanaxadiol (PPD) type saponins. The established method was utilized to evaluate the quality of notoginseng samples cultivated by manual intervened methods to overcome continuous cropping obstacles.As a result, HPLC fingerprint similarity, content of Fa and ratio of notoginsenoside K and notoginsenoside Fa (N-K/Fa) were found out to be as valuatable markers of the quality of samples in continuous cropping obstacle research, of which N-K/Fa could also be applied to the analysis of notoginseng samples with different growth years.Notoginseng samples with continuous cropping obstacle had HPLC fingerprint similarity lower than 0.87, in consistent with normal sample, and had significant lower content of notoginsenoside Fa and significant higher N-K/Fa (2.35-4.74) than normal group (0.45-1.33). All samples in the first group with manual intervention showed high similarity with normal group (>0.87), similar content of common peaks and N-K/Fa (0.42-2.06). The content of notoginsenoside K in the second group with manual intervention was higher than normal group. All samples except two displayed similarity higher than 0.87 and possessed content of 16 saponins close to normal group. The result showed that notoginseng samples with continuous cropping obstacle had lower quality than normal sample. And manual intervened methods could improve their quality in different levels.The method established in this study was simple, fast and accurate, and the markers may provide new guides for quality control in continuous cropping obstacle research of notoginseng.

[Research progress of relationship between continuous cropping obstacles and microRNAs in Rehmannia glutinosa]

The efficacy of Rehmannia glutinosa which as a large quantity of traditional Chinese medicine is significant. However, the land must be given up after one season of R. glutinosa cultivation or replanted after a period of 8-10 years because of the severe continuous cropping obstacles. MicroRNAs is a class of endogenous non-coding small RNAs, which participate in regulation of physiological activities by target mRNA cleavage or translational repression in plants. In recent years,studies on the role of miRNAs in plants have made significant progresses,especially in medicinal plants．MiRNAs from some different medicinal plant species have been identified with regulatory effects．When plants are exposed to environmental stress, miRNAs act on stress-related genes and initiate stress-resistance mechanisms in the body against adverse factors. R. glutinosa is also a kind of environmental stress. It is conducive to deciphering the molecular mechanism of continuous cropping obstacles for us by researching miRNAs. This article reviews the production of miRNAs, mechanism, research approaches and characteristics of resisting the environmental stresses in plants, the development trends and future prospect of R. glutinosa miRNAs research.