An Integrated Green Control System: Combining Immune Inducer ZNC and Microbial Consortium Recharge for Sustainable Yam Production

The sustainable production of Dioscorea polystachya (Chinese yam) is severely compromised by a vicious cycle of excessive chemical dependency and complex biotic stresses including anthracnose, nematodes, thrips and other associated pests and diseases. Moreover, the efficacy of single biocontrol agents in field applications often proves unstable, and balancing the growth–defense trade-off remains challenging. To break these impasses, we established a novel “ZR Integrated Green Control System” (ZR-IGCS) by coupling an active plant immune inducer ZNC with a functional microbial agent Recharge. This system establishes a dual defense barrier, orchestrating internal immune activation with external micro-ecological regulation to engineer ecological synergy. Field trials demonstrated that the ZR-IGCS significantly accelerated seed tuber germination and seedling biomass accumulation. It established a spatiotemporal complementary defense network, exhibiting excellent integrated pest and disease control efficacy. The system maintained over 60% efficacy against foliar diseases such as anthracnose and brown spot, while enhancing the control of soil-borne diseases like wilt and root-lesion nematodes by more than 60% and 30%, respectively. It also achieved ~48% specific control of thrips. Crucially, ZR-IGCS alleviated the growth–defense conflict, significantly delaying plant senescence and synchronously optimizing yield structure for aerial beans and underground tubers. This synergy increased the proportion of high-quality yam beans, yielded a 51.66% surge in high-quality tubers, and improved total economic benefits by ~30%. The combined system successfully bridges the gap between laboratory potential and field stability for yam production, offering a robust and sustainable strategy to mitigate continuous cropping obstacles and reduce chemical inputs.