Natural products have long been a crucial source of, or provided inspiration for new agrochemical discovery.  Naturally occurring 18β-glycyrrhetinic acid shows broad-spectrum bioactivities and is a potential skeleton for novel drug discovery.  To extend the utility of 18β-glycyrrhetinic acid for agricultural uses, a series of novel 18β-glycyrrhetinic acid amide derivatives were prepared and evaluated for their antibacterial potency.  Notably, compound 5k showed good antibacterial activity in vitro against Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzae (Xoo, EC₅₀=3.64 mg L^–1), and excellent protective activity (54.68%) against Xoo in vivo.  Compound 5k induced excessive production and accumulation of reactive oxygen species in the tested pathogens, resulting in damaging the bacterial cell envelope.  More interestingly, compound 5k could increase the activities of plant defense enzymes including catalase, superoxide dismutase, peroxidase, and phenylalanine ammonia lyase.  Taken together, these enjoyable results suggested that designed compounds derived from 18β-glycyrrhetinic acid showed potential for controlling intractable plant bacterial diseases by disturbing the balance of the phytopathogen’s redox system and activating the plant defense system

Maize (Zea mays L.) is a globally significant crop that plays a crucial role in feeding the growing global population.  Among its various traits, plant height is particularly important as it affects yield, lodging resistance, ecological adaptability, and other important factors.  Traditional methods for measuring plant height often lack cost-efficiency and accuracy.  In this study, we employed a light detection and ranging (LiDAR) sensor mounted on an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) to collect point cloud data from 270 doubled haploid (DH) lines.  This innovative application of UAV-based LiDAR technology was explored for high-throughput phenotyping in maize breeding.  We constructed high-density genetic maps and assessed plant height at both single-plant and row scales across multiple developmental stages and genetic backgrounds.  Our findings revealed that for many varieties and small areas, single-plant-scale estimation accuracy was superior to row-scale estimation, with an R² of 0.67 versus 0.56 and an RMSE of 0.12 m vs. 0.17 m, respectively.  Two high-density genetic maps were constructed based on SNP markers.  In Sanya and Xinxiang, the F₁DH and F₂DH populations identified 12 and 20 QTLs (quantitative trait loci) for plant height, respectively.  The study successfully identified and validated QTLs associated with plant height, revealing novel genetic loci and candidate genes.  This research highlights the potential of UAV-based remote sensing to advance precision agriculture by enabling efficient, large-scale phenotyping and gene discovery in maize breeding programs.