Dissecting the genetic architecture of complex traits is an ongoing challenge for geneticists.Two complementary approaches for genetic mapping,linkage mapping and association mapping have led to successful dissection ...Dissecting the genetic architecture of complex traits is an ongoing challenge for geneticists.Two complementary approaches for genetic mapping,linkage mapping and association mapping have led to successful dissection of complex traits in many crop species.Both of these methods detect quantitative trait loci(QTL) by identifying marker–trait associations,and the only fundamental difference between them is that between mapping populations,which directly determine mapping resolution and power.Based on this difference,we first summarize in this review the advances and limitations of family-based mapping and natural population-based mapping instead of linkage mapping and association mapping.We then describe statistical methods used for improving detection power and computational speed and outline emerging areas such as large-scale meta-analysis for genetic mapping in crops.In the era of next-generation sequencing,there has arisen an urgent need for proper population design,advanced statistical strategies,and precision phenotyping to fully exploit high-throughput genotyping.展开更多
Lysine content is a criterion of the nutritional quality of rice.Understanding the process of lysine biosynthesis in early-flowering superior grain(SG)and late-flowering inferior grain(IG)of rice would advance breedin...Lysine content is a criterion of the nutritional quality of rice.Understanding the process of lysine biosynthesis in early-flowering superior grain(SG)and late-flowering inferior grain(IG)of rice would advance breeding and cultivation to improve nutritional quality.However,little information is available on differences in lysine anabolism between SG and IG and the underlying mechanism,and whether and how irrigation regimes affect lysine anabolism in these grains.A japonica rice cultivar was grown in the field and two irrigation regimes,continuous flooding(CF)and wetting alternating with partial drying(WAPD),were imposed from heading to the mature stage.Lysine content and activities of key enzymes of lysine biosynthesis,and levels of brassinosteroids(BRs)were lower in the IG than in the SG at the early grainfilling stage but higher at middle and late grain-filling stages.WAPD increased activities of these key enzymes,BR levels,and contents of lysine and total amino acids in IG,but not SG relative to CF.Application of 2,4-epibrassinolide to rice panicles in CF during early grain filling reproduced the effects of WAPD,but neither treatment altered the activities of enzymes responsible for lysine catabolism in either SG or IG.WAPD and elevated BR levels during grain filling increased lysine biosynthesis in IG.Improvement in lysine biosynthesis in rice should focus on IG.展开更多
With marker and phenotype information from observed populations, genomic selection(GS) can be used to establish associations between markers and phenotypes. It aims to use genome-wide markers to estimate the effects o...With marker and phenotype information from observed populations, genomic selection(GS) can be used to establish associations between markers and phenotypes. It aims to use genome-wide markers to estimate the effects of all loci and thereby predict the genetic values of untested populations, so as to achieve more comprehensive and reliable selection and to accelerate genetic progress in crop breeding. GS models usually face the problem that the number of markers is much higher than the number of phenotypic observations.To overcome this issue and improve prediction accuracy, many models and algorithms,including GBLUP, Bayes, and machine learning have been employed for GS. As hot issues in GS research, the estimation of non-additive genetic effects and the combined analysis of multiple traits or multiple environments are also important for improving the accuracy of prediction. In recent years, crop breeding has taken advantage of the development of GS.The principles and characteristics of current popular GS methods and research progress in these methods for crop improvement are reviewed in this paper.展开更多
A major challenge in rice(Oryza sativa L.)production is to cope with increasing grain yield and fertilizer use efficiency without compromising grain quality.This study was designed to determine if optimizing integrati...A major challenge in rice(Oryza sativa L.)production is to cope with increasing grain yield and fertilizer use efficiency without compromising grain quality.This study was designed to determine if optimizing integrative cultivation management in rice could improve grain quality while increase yield and nitrogen use efficiency(NUE).An indica-japonica hybrid rice cultivar and a japonica rice cultivar were grown in the field,with five cultivation managements including no N application(0 N),local farmer's practice(LFP),and three optimizi ng in teg rati ve cultivati on managements,reducing N rate and increasi ng plant density(ND),ND+alternate wetting and moderate soil drying irrigation(NDW),and NDW+applying rapeseed cake fertilizer(NDWR).The results showed that the optimizi ng integrative cultivati on man ageme nts could not only in crease grain yield,but also enhance NUE compared to LFP.Compared to LFP,NDWR sign ifica ntly in creased brow n,milled,head milled rice rate,ratio of the kern el le ngth to breadth and breakdown value of starch,whereas decreased amylose content,gel consiste ncy,prolamin con tent,setback value,perce ntage of chalky kern els,and chalki ness.The three optimizing in tegrative cultivation managements increased con tents of total protei ns,albumin and glutelin,activities of the key enzymes involved in the sucrose-starch con version in grains,root oxidati on activity,and malic and succinic acid concentrations in root exudates during the grain-filling period.The results suggested that optimizing integrative cultivation managements could improve grain quality meanwhile increase grain yield and NUE by enhancing physiological activities of rice plants.展开更多
Grassland is the important component of the terrestrial ecosystems. Estimating net primary productivity(NPP) of grassland ecosystem has been a central focus in global climate change researches. To simulate the grassla...Grassland is the important component of the terrestrial ecosystems. Estimating net primary productivity(NPP) of grassland ecosystem has been a central focus in global climate change researches. To simulate the grassland NPP in southern China, we built a new climate productivity model, and validated the model with the measured data from different years in the past. The results showed that there was a logarithmic correlation between the grassland NPP and the mean annual temperature, and there was a linear positive correlation between the grassland NPP and the annual precipitation in southern China. All these results reached a very significant level(P<0.01). There was a good correlation between the simulated and the measured NPP, with R2 of 0.8027, reaching the very significant level. Meanwhile, both root mean square errors(RMSE) and relative root-mean-square errors(RRMSE) stayed at a relatively low level, showing that the simulation results of the model were reliable. The NPP values in the study area had a decreasing trend from east to west and from south to north, and the mean NPP was 471.62 g C m^(-2) from 2000 to 2011. Additionally, there was a rising trend year by year for the mean annual NPP of southern grassland and the tilt rate of the mean annual NPP was 3.49 g C m^(-2) yr^(-1) in recent 12 years. The above results provided a new method for grassland NPP estimation in southern China.展开更多
Understanding the waxy maize starch physicochemical properties response to heat stress during grain filling could improve starch quality.The effects of heat stress during early(1-15 days after pollination,DAP) and lat...Understanding the waxy maize starch physicochemical properties response to heat stress during grain filling could improve starch quality.The effects of heat stress during early(1-15 days after pollination,DAP) and late(16-30 DAP) grain filling stages on the starch physicochemical properties of four waxy maize varieties were evaluated.Crystallinity only increased in Suyunuo 5 after exposure to high temperature at late grain filling stage.The effects of heat stress on digestibility and swelling power were dependent on varieties and stages.Generally,swelling power was increased by heat stress at early grain development stage and digestibility was increased by high temperature at late grain filling stage,respectively.The results of correlation analysis indicated the starch with large granule size could swell well and easy digest.Peak,trough,final,and breakdown viscosities in response to heat stress were dependent on stages and varieties.In general,peak,trough and final viscosities were decreased and increased by heat stress at early grain formation and late grain filling stages,respectively;whereas the breakdown and setback viscosities were similar among the three treatments.Heat stress increased the gelatinization temperatures and retrogradation percentage.Gelatinization range decreased under heat stress at 1-15 DAP but remained constant under heat stress at 16-30 DAP in all varieties.The starch exposed to high temperature at 16-30 DAP presented higher digestibility and peak viscosity and lower retrogradation percentage than those at 1-15 DAP.Therefore,heat stress at early grain formation stage severely affects the physicochemical properties of starch.展开更多
Grain number is crucial for analysis of yield components and assessment of effects of cultivation measures.The grain number per spike and thousand-grain weight can be measured by counting grains manually,but it is tim...Grain number is crucial for analysis of yield components and assessment of effects of cultivation measures.The grain number per spike and thousand-grain weight can be measured by counting grains manually,but it is time-consuming,tedious and error-prone.Previous image processing algorithms cannot work well with different backgrounds and different sizes.This study used deep learning methods to resolve the limitations of traditional image processing algorithms.Wheat grain image datasets were collected in the scenarios of three varieties,six background and two image acquisition devices with different heights,angles and grain numbers,1748 images in total.All images were processed through color space conversion,image flipping and rotation.The grain was manually annotated,and the datasets were divided into training set,validation set and test set.We used the TensorFlow framework to construct the Faster Region-based Convolutional Neural Network Model.Using the transfer learning method,we optimized the wheat grain detection and enumeration model.The total loss of the model was less than 0.5 and the mean average precision was 0.91.Compared with previous grain counting algorithms,the grain counting error rate of this model was less than 3%and the running time was less than 2 s.The model can be effectively applied under a variety of backgrounds,image sizes,grain sizes,shooting angles,and shooting heights,as well as different levels of grain crowding.It constitutes an effective detection and enumeration tool for wheat grain.This study provides a reference for further grain testing and enumeration applications.展开更多
Brassinosteroids(BRs)play critical roles in a wide range of plant developmental processes.However,it is unknown whether and how BRs mediate the effect of high temperature(HT)stress during anthesis on the pistil activi...Brassinosteroids(BRs)play critical roles in a wide range of plant developmental processes.However,it is unknown whether and how BRs mediate the effect of high temperature(HT)stress during anthesis on the pistil activity of photo-thermosensitive genetic male-sterile(PTSGMS)rice(Oryza sativa L.)lines.This study investigated the question.Three pot-grown PTSGMS rice lines were subjected to HT stress during anthesis.The contents of 24-epibrassinolide(24-EBL)and 28-homobrassinolide(28-HBL),the major forms of BR in rice plants,and levels of reactive oxygen species(ROS)or antioxidants(AOS),hydrogen peroxide(H2O2),1-aminocylopropane-1-carboxylic acid(ACC),ascorbic acid(AsA),and catalase activity in pistils,were determined.HT stress significantly reduced the contents of both 24-EBL and 28-EBL relative to those under normal temperatures,but the reduction varied by PTSGMS line.A line with higher BR contents under HT stress showed lower contents of ACC and H2O2,higher catalase activity and AsA content in pistils,and higher fertilization rate,seed-setting rate,and seed yield when the line was crossed with a restorer line,indicating that higher levels of BRs increase HT stress resistance.Applying 24-EBL,28-HBL or an inhibitor of BR biosynthesis confirmed the roles of BRs in response to HT stress.The results suggest that BRs mediate the effect of HT stress on pistil activity during anthesis and alleviate the harm of HT stress by increasing AOS and suppressing ROS generation.展开更多
RGB1 regulated not only rice panicle architecture but also the grain filling process.Suppression of RGB1 expression resulted in a denser panicle and smaller grain size and weight,which was largely due to the lower end...RGB1 regulated not only rice panicle architecture but also the grain filling process.Suppression of RGB1 expression resulted in a denser panicle and smaller grain size and weight,which was largely due to the lower endogenous cytokinin(CK)level caused by the increased expression of cytokinin oxidase genes in the inflorescence meristem.Suppression of RGB1 expression also significantly delayed the grain development and reduced the starch accumulation rate through reducing grain abscisic acid(ABA)accumulation during early filling stage.Exogenous ABA can partially rescue the detrimental effects of suppression of RGB1 expression on starch accumulation and grain weight.In conclusion,RGB1 regulated rice panicle architecture and grain filling through monitoring CK level in the inflorescence meristem and grain ABA level during filling stage.展开更多
In Bacillus thuringenesis(Bt) transgenic cotton, the cotton boll has the lowest insecticidal protein content when compared to the other organs. The present study investigated the effects of amino acid spray applicatio...In Bacillus thuringenesis(Bt) transgenic cotton, the cotton boll has the lowest insecticidal protein content when compared to the other organs. The present study investigated the effects of amino acid spray application at the peak flowering stage on the cotton boll Bt toxin concentration and yield formation. Boll protein synthesis and carbohydrate conversion were also studied to reveal the fundamental mechanism. Three treatments(i.e., CK, the untreated control;LA1, five amino acids;LA2, 21 amino acids) were applied to two Bt cultivars of G. hirsutum(i.e., the hybrid Sikang 3 and the conventional Sikang 1) in the cotton-growing seasons during 2017 and 2018. Amino acid spray application at the peak flowering stage resulted in an increase of 5.2–16.4% in the boll Bt protein concentration and an increase of 5.5–11.3%in the seed cotton yield, but there was no difference between the two amino acid treatments. In addition, amino acid applications led to increases in the amino acid content, soluble protein content, glutamate pyruvate transaminase(GPT)activity, glutamate oxaloacetate transaminase(GOT) activity, glucose content, fructose content and soluble acid invertase(SAI) activity. This study also found that Bt protein content, enhanced boll number and the weight of opened bolls were closely related to carbon and nitrogen metabolism. The Bt protein content had significant linear positive correlations with amino acid and soluble protein contents. Enhanced boll number had significant linear positive correlations with the GPT and GOT activities from 15–25 days after flowering(DAF). The weight of opened bolls from 55–65 DAF had a significant linear positive correlation with the SAI activity. These results indicate that the enhancement of boll protein synthesis and carbohydrate conversion by amino acid application resulted in a simultaneous increase in the boll Bt protein concentration and cotton lint yield.展开更多
The structural characteristics of protein body accumulation in different endosperm regions of hard wheat cultivar(XM33) and soft wheat cultivar(NM13) under drought stress were investigated. Drought stress treatment wa...The structural characteristics of protein body accumulation in different endosperm regions of hard wheat cultivar(XM33) and soft wheat cultivar(NM13) under drought stress were investigated. Drought stress treatment was implemented from plant regreening to the caryopsis mature stage. Microscope images of endosperm cells were obtained using resin semithin slice technology to observe the distribution and relative area of protein body(PB). Compared with NM13, relative PB area of XM33 was significantly higher in sub-aleurone endosperm region. The amount of accumulation, including the size and relative area of PB, in two wheat cultivars was higher in sub-aleurone region than that in central region at 18 days post anthesis(DPA). Drought stress significantly enhanced the sizes and relative areas of PBs in the dorsal and abdominal endosperms in two wheat cultivars. Particularly for dorsal endosperm, drought stress enhanced the relative PB area at 18 DPA and NM13(5.0% vs. 6.73%) showed less enhancement than XM33(5.49% vs. 8.96%). However, NM13(9.58% vs. 12.02%) showed greater enhancement than XM33(10.25% vs. 11.7%) at 28 DPA. The protein content in the dorsal and abdominal endosperms of the two wheat cultivars decreased at 12 DPA and then increased until 38 DPA. Drought stress significantly increased the protein contents in the two main regions. From 12 to 38 DPA, the amount of PB accumulation and the protein content were higher in XM33 than those in NM13. The results revealed that PB distribution varied in different endosperm tissues and that the amount of PB accumulation was remarkably augmented by drought stress.展开更多
The increase of atmospheric carbon dioxide(CO_2) concentration adversely affect several quality traits of rice grains, but the biochemical mechanism remains unclear. The objectives of this study were to determine how ...The increase of atmospheric carbon dioxide(CO_2) concentration adversely affect several quality traits of rice grains, but the biochemical mechanism remains unclear. The objectives of this study were to determine how changes in the source-sink relationship affected rice quality. Source-sink manipulation was achieved by free-air CO_2 enrichment from tillering to maturity and partial removal of spikelet at anthesis using a japonica rice cultivar Wuyunjing 23. Enrichment with CO_2 decreased the head rice percentage and protein concentration of milled rice, but increased the grain chalkiness. In contrast, spikelet removal resulted in a dramatic increase in the head rice percentage and protein concentration, and much less grain chalkiness. Neither CO_2 enrichment nor spikelet removal affected the starch content, but the distribution of starch granule size showed distinct treatment effects. O n average, spikelet removal decreased the percentage of starch granules of diameter >10 and 5–10 μm by 23.6 and 5.6%, respectively, and increased those with a diameter of 2–5 and <2 μm by 4.6 and 3.3%, respectively. In contrast, CO_2 elevation showed an opposite response: increasing the proportion of large starch granules(>5 μm) and decreasing that of <5 μm. The starch pasting properties were affected by spikelet removal much more than by CO_2 elevation. These results indicated that the protein concentration and starch granule size played a role in chalkiness formation under these experimental conditions.展开更多
Sheath blight(SB) caused by the soil borne pathogen Rhizoctonia solani is one of the most serious global rice diseases. Breeding resistant cultivar is the most economical and effective strategy to control the disease....Sheath blight(SB) caused by the soil borne pathogen Rhizoctonia solani is one of the most serious global rice diseases. Breeding resistant cultivar is the most economical and effective strategy to control the disease. However, no rice varieties are completely resistant to SB, and only a few reliable quantitative trait loci(QTLs) linked with SB resistance have been identified to date. In this study, we conducted a genome-wide association study(GWAS) of SB resistance using 299 varieties from the rice diversity panel 1(RDP1) that were genotyped using 44 000 high-density single nucleotide polymorphism(SNP) markers. Through artificial inoculation, we found that only 36.5% of the tested varieties displayed resistance or moderate resistance to SB. In particular, the aromatic and aus sub-populations displayed higher SB resistance than the tropical japonica(TRJ), indica and temperate japonica sub-populations. Seven varieties showed similar resistance levels to the resistant control YSBR1. GWAS identified at least 11 SNP loci significantly associated with SB resistance in the three independent trials, leading to the identification of two reliable QTLs, qSB-3 and qSB-6, on chromosomes 3 and 6. Using favorable alleles or haplotypes of significantly associated SNP loci, we estimated that both QTLs had obvious effects on reducing SB disease severity and can be used for enhancing SB resistance, especially in improving SB resistance of TRJ sub-population rice varieties. These results provided important information and genetic materials for developing SB resistant varieties through breeding.展开更多
Cotton bolls exhibit the lowest insecticidal efficacy among all organs of Bt cotton,which would ultimately affect the yield formation.The objective of this study was to investigate the effects of different urea concen...Cotton bolls exhibit the lowest insecticidal efficacy among all organs of Bt cotton,which would ultimately affect the yield formation.The objective of this study was to investigate the effects of different urea concentrations on the seed Bt protein contents,seed cotton yield and the corresponding protein metabolism mechanism.The experiments were conducted during 2017–2018 cotton growing seasons.Two cultivars,Sikang 3(hybrid,SK3)and Sikang 1(conventional,SK1),were treated with six urea concentrations and their seed Bt protein contents were compared during boll formation period.The urea spray concentration had a significant effect on the seed Bt toxin content and seed cotton yield.Spraying of either 5 or 6%urea led to higher insecticidal protein contents and higher seed cotton yield for both cultivars.Moreover,the highest amino acid and soluble protein contents,as well as GPT and GOT activities,and lower protease and peptidase activities were observed at the 5 to 6%urea levels.Significant positive correlations between the seed Bt toxin and amino acid contents,and between the seed Bt toxin content and GPT activities were detected.The lower boll worm number and hazard boll rate were also observed with the 5 to 6%urea treatments,which may be the reason why nitrogen spraying increased the seed cotton yield.Therefore,our results suggested that the seed Bt toxin content and insect resistance were impacted markedly by external nitrogen application,and 5 to 6%urea had the greatest effect on insect resistance.展开更多
Polyamines(PAs) are important endogenous plant growth regulators responding to environmental stress and mediating many physiological processes including grain filling in cereals.This study investigated whether PAs med...Polyamines(PAs) are important endogenous plant growth regulators responding to environmental stress and mediating many physiological processes including grain filling in cereals.This study investigated whether PAs mediate the effect of post-anthesis soil drying on starch granule size distribution,starch content,and weight of superior and inferior kernels of wheat(Triticum aestivum L.).Two wheat cultivars were grown in pots.Three treatments,well-watered(WW),moderate soil drying(MD) and severe soil drying(SD),were imposed from 9 days post-anthesis until maturity.PA levels in kernels and small,medium and large granules were measured.The results showed that superior kernels had much higher free spermidine(Spd) and free spermine(Spm) concentrations,larger volumes of medium starch granules,and smaller-sized large granules than did inferior kernels under all the treatments.Compared to WW,MD significantly increased the concentrations of free Spd and free Spm,activities of soluble starch synthase and granule-bound starch synthase,volume of medium granules,and starch content and kernel weight of inferior kernels,and decreased the size of large granules.SD produced the opposite effect.Application of Spd or Spm to spikes produced effects similar to those of MD,and application of an inhibitor of Spd and Spm synthesis produced effects similar to those of SD.These results suggest that PAs mediate the effect of post-anthesis soil drying on starch biosynthesis in wheat kernels by regulating key enzymes in starch synthesis and that elevated PA levels under MD increase the volume of medium granules and kernel weight of inferior kernels.展开更多
The cotton direct seeding after wheat(rape) harvested is under trial and would be the future direction at the Yangtze River Valley region of China.The objective of this study was to quantify the effects of branch and ...The cotton direct seeding after wheat(rape) harvested is under trial and would be the future direction at the Yangtze River Valley region of China.The objective of this study was to quantify the effects of branch and stem architecture on cotton yield and identify the optimal cotton architecture to compensate the yield loss due to the reduction of individual production capacity under high planting density in the direst seeding after wheat harvested cropping system.The characteristics of the stem and branch architecture and the relationships between architecture of the stem and branch with yield formation were studied on eight short season cotton cultivars during 2015 and 2016 cotton growth seasons.Based on the two years results,three cultivars with different architectures of stem and branch were selected to investigate the effect of mepiquat chloride(MC) application on the architecture of the stem and branch,boll retention,and the yield in 2017.Significant differences were observed on plant height,all fruiting nodes to branches ratio(NBR) in the cotton plant,and the curvature of the fruiting branch(CFB) among the studied cultivars.There were three types of stem and fruiting branch structures: Zhong425 with stable and suitable plant height and NBR(about 90 cm and 2.5,respectively),high CFB(more than 10.0),and high boll retention speed and seed cotton yield;Siyang 822 with excessive plant height and NBR,low CFB,and low boll retention speed and seed cotton yield;and other studied cultivars with unstable structure of stem and branch,boll retention speed,and seed cotton yield across years.And MC application could promote the appropriate plant height and NBR and high CFB and thus resulted in high boll retention speed and the yield.The results suggested that the suitable plant height and NBR(about 90 cm and 2.5 respectively),and high CFB(more than 10.0),which was related to both genotype and cultural practice,could promote the higher boll retention speed and seed cotton yield.展开更多
Oryza ridleyi is an allotetraploid wild species with the HHJJ genome, and Oryza sativa is a diploid cultivated rice that has the AA genome. Although the wide hybrid between the two species is difficult to obtain, we o...Oryza ridleyi is an allotetraploid wild species with the HHJJ genome, and Oryza sativa is a diploid cultivated rice that has the AA genome. Although the wide hybrid between the two species is difficult to obtain, we overcome this difficulty by young embryo rescue. An obvious heterosis was primarily found for the plant height, tillering ability, vegetative vigor, etc. However, the hybrid panicle and culm traits were found to resemble that of the wild rice parent, O. ridleyi, for the long awns, exoteric purple stigma, grain shattering, dispersed panicles, and culm mechanical strength. Genomic in situ hybridization(GISH) analysis was subsequently performed on the mitotic metaphase chromosome of the root tips, and we determined that the hybrid is an allotriploid with 36 chromosomes and its genomic constitution is AHJ. Chemical analyses conducted on the culm of O. sativa, O. ridleyi, and their interspecific hybrids showed that major changes occurred in the xylose, glucose, and arabinose concentrations, which are correlated with the specific hemicellulose polymer and cellulose components that are important in the primary cell walls of green plants. Meanwhile, the culm anatomical analyses indicated that additional large vascular bundles and an extra sclerenchyma cell layer were found in O. ridleyi. Additionally, further thickening of the secondary cell walls of the cortical fiber sclerenchyma cells and the phloem companion cells was discovered in O. ridleyi and in the interspecific hybrids. These results imply that there may be a potential link between culm mechanical strength and culm anatomical structure.展开更多
Two mutants with rolled leaves, temporally designated as rl3(t)-1 and rl3(t)-2, were served for exploring the mechanism underlying the rolled leaf characteristic. Except for having typical rolled leaves, the plant hei...Two mutants with rolled leaves, temporally designated as rl3(t)-1 and rl3(t)-2, were served for exploring the mechanism underlying the rolled leaf characteristic. Except for having typical rolled leaves, the plant heights and panicle lengths of rl3(t)-1 and rl3(t)-2 significantly decreased, and the seed-setting rate also decreased when compared with wild type 93-11. Cytological analysis suggested that the rolled leaf phenotype might be caused by the changes of number and size of bulliform cells. Genetic analysis indicated rl3(t)-1 is allelic to rl3(t)-2, and controlled by a recessive gene. Gene mapping result indicated that RL3(t) gene resided in a 46-kb long region governed by the sequence tag site markers S3-39 and S3-36 on rice chromosome 3. The result provides an important clue for further cloning the RL3(t) and understanding the mechanism of rice leaf development.展开更多
Simple sequence repeats(SSRs) are important molecular markers for assessing genetic diversity in Arachis hypogaea L. and many other crops and constructing genetic linkage maps for important agricultural traits. In thi...Simple sequence repeats(SSRs) are important molecular markers for assessing genetic diversity in Arachis hypogaea L. and many other crops and constructing genetic linkage maps for important agricultural traits. In this study, 29,357 potential SSRs were identified in 22,806 unigenes assembled from A. hypogaea transcript sequences. Of these unigenes, 1883 and 4103 were annotated and assigned in Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes Orthology and Eukaryotic Orthologous Groups databases, respectively. Among the SSR motifs, mono-(19,065; 64.94%) and trinucleotide(5033; 17.14%) repeats were the most common, and the three most dominant motifs were A/T(18,358; 62.54%), AG/CT(2804;9.55%), and AAG/CTT(1396; 4.76%). Polymerase chain reaction(PCR) primer pairs were designed for 4340 novel SSR markers and 210 new SSRs were validated using 24 A. hypogaea varieties. Of the 210, 191(91%) yielded PCR products, with 37(18%) identifying polymorphisms. The 37 polymorphic SSR markers detected 146 alleles(2–10 alleles per locus), and the average polymorphic information content was 0.403(with a range of 0.077 to0.819). The new SSRs enrich the current marker resources for A. hypogaea and may also be useful for genetic diversity analysis, functional genomics research, and molecular breeding.展开更多
High temperature (HT) stress has become one of the most detrimental stresses in crop production among constantly changing environmental factors.Exploiting approaches to enhance crop thermotolerance would have great si...High temperature (HT) stress has become one of the most detrimental stresses in crop production among constantly changing environmental factors.Exploiting approaches to enhance crop thermotolerance would have great significance in assuaging adverse effects of HT stress on crop growth and development.As jasmonates (JAs) and brassinosteroids (BRs) are novel phytohormones and play important roles in responses to biotic and abiotic stresses and in a wide range of plant developmental processes,this paper reviewed the roles and mechanisms of JAs and BRs in mitigating HT stress,with focus on rice (Oryza sativa L.) subjected to HT stress during anthesis.It is demonstrated that JAs alleviate spikelet-opening impairment and BRs ameliorate pistil fertilization ability under HT stress during anthesis of rice,although there are controversial observations.Activating the defense system,enhancing osmotic regulation,protecting photosynthesis,and interacting with other phytohormones,especially with ethylene and abscisic acid,are main physiological mechanisms by which JAs or BRs attenuate HT stress to plants.Elevating levels of JAs or BRs in plants could be considered as an important approach to enhance crop thermotolerance through breeding new varieties.Using JAs or BRs as chemical regulators and adopting proper water and nitrogen management practices could reduce the harm of HT stress to rice.Further research is needed to elucidate the roles of JAs and BRs in different plant tissues in responses to HT stress under different genetic backgrounds and environments,reveal the molecular mechanism underlying JAs and BRs mediating HT stress,understand the cross-talk between phytohormones in modulating HT stress,and establish integrated crop management to minimize the hazard of HT stress in rice production.展开更多
基金supported by the Priority Academic Program Development of Jiangsu Higher Education Institutionthe National Natural Science Foundation of China(Nos.91535103,31391632,and 31200943)+4 种基金the National High Technology Research and Development Program of China(No.2014AA10A601-5)the Natural Science Foundation of Jiangsu Province(No.BK2012261)the Natural Science Foundation of Jiangsu Higher Education Institution(No.14KJA210005)the Postgraduate Research and Innovation Project in Jiangsu Province(No.KYLX151368)the Innovative Research Team of University in Jiangsu Province
文摘Dissecting the genetic architecture of complex traits is an ongoing challenge for geneticists.Two complementary approaches for genetic mapping,linkage mapping and association mapping have led to successful dissection of complex traits in many crop species.Both of these methods detect quantitative trait loci(QTL) by identifying marker–trait associations,and the only fundamental difference between them is that between mapping populations,which directly determine mapping resolution and power.Based on this difference,we first summarize in this review the advances and limitations of family-based mapping and natural population-based mapping instead of linkage mapping and association mapping.We then describe statistical methods used for improving detection power and computational speed and outline emerging areas such as large-scale meta-analysis for genetic mapping in crops.In the era of next-generation sequencing,there has arisen an urgent need for proper population design,advanced statistical strategies,and precision phenotyping to fully exploit high-throughput genotyping.
基金This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(32071943,32272198).
文摘Lysine content is a criterion of the nutritional quality of rice.Understanding the process of lysine biosynthesis in early-flowering superior grain(SG)and late-flowering inferior grain(IG)of rice would advance breeding and cultivation to improve nutritional quality.However,little information is available on differences in lysine anabolism between SG and IG and the underlying mechanism,and whether and how irrigation regimes affect lysine anabolism in these grains.A japonica rice cultivar was grown in the field and two irrigation regimes,continuous flooding(CF)and wetting alternating with partial drying(WAPD),were imposed from heading to the mature stage.Lysine content and activities of key enzymes of lysine biosynthesis,and levels of brassinosteroids(BRs)were lower in the IG than in the SG at the early grainfilling stage but higher at middle and late grain-filling stages.WAPD increased activities of these key enzymes,BR levels,and contents of lysine and total amino acids in IG,but not SG relative to CF.Application of 2,4-epibrassinolide to rice panicles in CF during early grain filling reproduced the effects of WAPD,but neither treatment altered the activities of enzymes responsible for lysine catabolism in either SG or IG.WAPD and elevated BR levels during grain filling increased lysine biosynthesis in IG.Improvement in lysine biosynthesis in rice should focus on IG.
基金supported by grants from the National High Technology Research and Development Program of China(2014AA10A601-5)the National Key Research and Development Program of China(2016YFD0100303)+5 种基金the National Natural Science Foundation of China(91535103)the Natural Science Foundations of Jiangsu Province(BK20150010)the Natural Science Foundation of the Jiangsu Higher Education Institutions(14KJA210005)the Open Research Fund of State Key Laboratory of Hybrid Rice(Wuhan University)(KF201701)the Science and Technology Innovation Fund Project in Yangzhou University(2016CXJ021)the Priority Academic Program Development of Jiangsu Higher Education Institutions and the Innovative Research Team of Universities in Jiangsu Province
文摘With marker and phenotype information from observed populations, genomic selection(GS) can be used to establish associations between markers and phenotypes. It aims to use genome-wide markers to estimate the effects of all loci and thereby predict the genetic values of untested populations, so as to achieve more comprehensive and reliable selection and to accelerate genetic progress in crop breeding. GS models usually face the problem that the number of markers is much higher than the number of phenotypic observations.To overcome this issue and improve prediction accuracy, many models and algorithms,including GBLUP, Bayes, and machine learning have been employed for GS. As hot issues in GS research, the estimation of non-additive genetic effects and the combined analysis of multiple traits or multiple environments are also important for improving the accuracy of prediction. In recent years, crop breeding has taken advantage of the development of GS.The principles and characteristics of current popular GS methods and research progress in these methods for crop improvement are reviewed in this paper.
基金supported by the National Basic Research Program of China (2015CB150404)the National Key Research and Development Program of China (2016YFD0300206-4, 2017YFD0301206, 2018YFD0300801)+4 种基金the National Natural Science Foundation of China (31201155, 31871559)the Natural Science Foundation of the Jiangsu Higher Education Department, China (15KJA210005)the Young Elite Scientists Sponsorship Program by China Association for Science and Technology (2016QNRC001)the Six Talent Peaks Project of Jiangsu Province, China (SWYY-151)the Project Funded by the Priority Academic Program Development of Jiangsu Higher Education Institutions, China and the Top Talent Support Plan of Yangzhou University, China (2015-01)
文摘A major challenge in rice(Oryza sativa L.)production is to cope with increasing grain yield and fertilizer use efficiency without compromising grain quality.This study was designed to determine if optimizing integrative cultivation management in rice could improve grain quality while increase yield and nitrogen use efficiency(NUE).An indica-japonica hybrid rice cultivar and a japonica rice cultivar were grown in the field,with five cultivation managements including no N application(0 N),local farmer's practice(LFP),and three optimizi ng in teg rati ve cultivati on managements,reducing N rate and increasi ng plant density(ND),ND+alternate wetting and moderate soil drying irrigation(NDW),and NDW+applying rapeseed cake fertilizer(NDWR).The results showed that the optimizi ng integrative cultivati on man ageme nts could not only in crease grain yield,but also enhance NUE compared to LFP.Compared to LFP,NDWR sign ifica ntly in creased brow n,milled,head milled rice rate,ratio of the kern el le ngth to breadth and breakdown value of starch,whereas decreased amylose content,gel consiste ncy,prolamin con tent,setback value,perce ntage of chalky kern els,and chalki ness.The three optimizing in tegrative cultivation managements increased con tents of total protei ns,albumin and glutelin,activities of the key enzymes involved in the sucrose-starch con version in grains,root oxidati on activity,and malic and succinic acid concentrations in root exudates during the grain-filling period.The results suggested that optimizing integrative cultivation managements could improve grain quality meanwhile increase grain yield and NUE by enhancing physiological activities of rice plants.
基金funded by the Priority Academic Program Development of Jiangsu Higher Education Institutions, China (PAPD)the Science and Technology Innovation Project Fund of Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences (2015)
文摘Grassland is the important component of the terrestrial ecosystems. Estimating net primary productivity(NPP) of grassland ecosystem has been a central focus in global climate change researches. To simulate the grassland NPP in southern China, we built a new climate productivity model, and validated the model with the measured data from different years in the past. The results showed that there was a logarithmic correlation between the grassland NPP and the mean annual temperature, and there was a linear positive correlation between the grassland NPP and the annual precipitation in southern China. All these results reached a very significant level(P<0.01). There was a good correlation between the simulated and the measured NPP, with R2 of 0.8027, reaching the very significant level. Meanwhile, both root mean square errors(RMSE) and relative root-mean-square errors(RRMSE) stayed at a relatively low level, showing that the simulation results of the model were reliable. The NPP values in the study area had a decreasing trend from east to west and from south to north, and the mean NPP was 471.62 g C m^(-2) from 2000 to 2011. Additionally, there was a rising trend year by year for the mean annual NPP of southern grassland and the tilt rate of the mean annual NPP was 3.49 g C m^(-2) yr^(-1) in recent 12 years. The above results provided a new method for grassland NPP estimation in southern China.
基金supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(31271640 and 31471436)the Jiangsu High School Natural Science Major Project,China (14KJA210004)+1 种基金the Priority Academic Program Development of Jiangsu Higher Education Institutions,Chinathe New Century Talents Project of Yangzhou University, China
文摘Understanding the waxy maize starch physicochemical properties response to heat stress during grain filling could improve starch quality.The effects of heat stress during early(1-15 days after pollination,DAP) and late(16-30 DAP) grain filling stages on the starch physicochemical properties of four waxy maize varieties were evaluated.Crystallinity only increased in Suyunuo 5 after exposure to high temperature at late grain filling stage.The effects of heat stress on digestibility and swelling power were dependent on varieties and stages.Generally,swelling power was increased by heat stress at early grain development stage and digestibility was increased by high temperature at late grain filling stage,respectively.The results of correlation analysis indicated the starch with large granule size could swell well and easy digest.Peak,trough,final,and breakdown viscosities in response to heat stress were dependent on stages and varieties.In general,peak,trough and final viscosities were decreased and increased by heat stress at early grain formation and late grain filling stages,respectively;whereas the breakdown and setback viscosities were similar among the three treatments.Heat stress increased the gelatinization temperatures and retrogradation percentage.Gelatinization range decreased under heat stress at 1-15 DAP but remained constant under heat stress at 16-30 DAP in all varieties.The starch exposed to high temperature at 16-30 DAP presented higher digestibility and peak viscosity and lower retrogradation percentage than those at 1-15 DAP.Therefore,heat stress at early grain formation stage severely affects the physicochemical properties of starch.
基金mainly supported by the National Key Research and Development Program of China(2017YFD0301205)the Postgraduate Research&Practice Innovation Program of Jiangsu Province,China(KYCX18_2371)+4 种基金the National Natural Science Foundation of China(31701355 and 31671615)the China Postdoctoral Science Foundation,China(2016M600448)the Priority Academic Program Development of Jiangsu Higher Education Institutions,China(PAPD)the Yangzhou Science Foundation for Excellent Youths,China(YZ2017098)the Science and Technology Plan Projects of Yangzhou,China(YZ2016251)。
文摘Grain number is crucial for analysis of yield components and assessment of effects of cultivation measures.The grain number per spike and thousand-grain weight can be measured by counting grains manually,but it is time-consuming,tedious and error-prone.Previous image processing algorithms cannot work well with different backgrounds and different sizes.This study used deep learning methods to resolve the limitations of traditional image processing algorithms.Wheat grain image datasets were collected in the scenarios of three varieties,six background and two image acquisition devices with different heights,angles and grain numbers,1748 images in total.All images were processed through color space conversion,image flipping and rotation.The grain was manually annotated,and the datasets were divided into training set,validation set and test set.We used the TensorFlow framework to construct the Faster Region-based Convolutional Neural Network Model.Using the transfer learning method,we optimized the wheat grain detection and enumeration model.The total loss of the model was less than 0.5 and the mean average precision was 0.91.Compared with previous grain counting algorithms,the grain counting error rate of this model was less than 3%and the running time was less than 2 s.The model can be effectively applied under a variety of backgrounds,image sizes,grain sizes,shooting angles,and shooting heights,as well as different levels of grain crowding.It constitutes an effective detection and enumeration tool for wheat grain.This study provides a reference for further grain testing and enumeration applications.
基金supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(31771710,31901445)the National Key Research and Development Program of China(2016YFD03002064,2018YFD0300800)+1 种基金the Priority Academic Program Development of Jiangsu Higher Education Institutions(PAPD)the Top Talent Supporting Program of Yangzhou University(2015-01)。
文摘Brassinosteroids(BRs)play critical roles in a wide range of plant developmental processes.However,it is unknown whether and how BRs mediate the effect of high temperature(HT)stress during anthesis on the pistil activity of photo-thermosensitive genetic male-sterile(PTSGMS)rice(Oryza sativa L.)lines.This study investigated the question.Three pot-grown PTSGMS rice lines were subjected to HT stress during anthesis.The contents of 24-epibrassinolide(24-EBL)and 28-homobrassinolide(28-HBL),the major forms of BR in rice plants,and levels of reactive oxygen species(ROS)or antioxidants(AOS),hydrogen peroxide(H2O2),1-aminocylopropane-1-carboxylic acid(ACC),ascorbic acid(AsA),and catalase activity in pistils,were determined.HT stress significantly reduced the contents of both 24-EBL and 28-EBL relative to those under normal temperatures,but the reduction varied by PTSGMS line.A line with higher BR contents under HT stress showed lower contents of ACC and H2O2,higher catalase activity and AsA content in pistils,and higher fertilization rate,seed-setting rate,and seed yield when the line was crossed with a restorer line,indicating that higher levels of BRs increase HT stress resistance.Applying 24-EBL,28-HBL or an inhibitor of BR biosynthesis confirmed the roles of BRs in response to HT stress.The results suggest that BRs mediate the effect of HT stress on pistil activity during anthesis and alleviate the harm of HT stress by increasing AOS and suppressing ROS generation.
基金supported by the Peacock Science and Technology Innovation Project of Shenzhen,China(Grant No.KQJSCX20170328153821275)the National Natural Science Foundation of China(Grant No.32070292)+1 种基金Shenzhen Government Fund for Fundamental Research(Grant No.JCYJ20170817104523456)Shenzhen Science and Technology Program(Grant No.KQTD20190929173906742)in China.
文摘RGB1 regulated not only rice panicle architecture but also the grain filling process.Suppression of RGB1 expression resulted in a denser panicle and smaller grain size and weight,which was largely due to the lower endogenous cytokinin(CK)level caused by the increased expression of cytokinin oxidase genes in the inflorescence meristem.Suppression of RGB1 expression also significantly delayed the grain development and reduced the starch accumulation rate through reducing grain abscisic acid(ABA)accumulation during early filling stage.Exogenous ABA can partially rescue the detrimental effects of suppression of RGB1 expression on starch accumulation and grain weight.In conclusion,RGB1 regulated rice panicle architecture and grain filling through monitoring CK level in the inflorescence meristem and grain ABA level during filling stage.
基金supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (31901462 and 31671613)the Natural Science Foundation of Jiangsu Province,China (BK20191439)+1 种基金the Postgraduate Research&Practice Innovation Program of Jiangsu Province,China(KYCX22_3508)the Priority Academic Program Development of Jiangsu Higher Education Institutions,China (PAPD)。
文摘In Bacillus thuringenesis(Bt) transgenic cotton, the cotton boll has the lowest insecticidal protein content when compared to the other organs. The present study investigated the effects of amino acid spray application at the peak flowering stage on the cotton boll Bt toxin concentration and yield formation. Boll protein synthesis and carbohydrate conversion were also studied to reveal the fundamental mechanism. Three treatments(i.e., CK, the untreated control;LA1, five amino acids;LA2, 21 amino acids) were applied to two Bt cultivars of G. hirsutum(i.e., the hybrid Sikang 3 and the conventional Sikang 1) in the cotton-growing seasons during 2017 and 2018. Amino acid spray application at the peak flowering stage resulted in an increase of 5.2–16.4% in the boll Bt protein concentration and an increase of 5.5–11.3%in the seed cotton yield, but there was no difference between the two amino acid treatments. In addition, amino acid applications led to increases in the amino acid content, soluble protein content, glutamate pyruvate transaminase(GPT)activity, glutamate oxaloacetate transaminase(GOT) activity, glucose content, fructose content and soluble acid invertase(SAI) activity. This study also found that Bt protein content, enhanced boll number and the weight of opened bolls were closely related to carbon and nitrogen metabolism. The Bt protein content had significant linear positive correlations with amino acid and soluble protein contents. Enhanced boll number had significant linear positive correlations with the GPT and GOT activities from 15–25 days after flowering(DAF). The weight of opened bolls from 55–65 DAF had a significant linear positive correlation with the SAI activity. These results indicate that the enhancement of boll protein synthesis and carbohydrate conversion by amino acid application resulted in a simultaneous increase in the boll Bt protein concentration and cotton lint yield.
基金supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (31171482,31571573)a project funded by the Priority Academic Program Development of Jiangsu Higher Education Institutions,China (PAPD)+1 种基金the Foundation of Excellent Doctoral Dissertation of Yangzhou UniversityChina and the Jiangsu Province College Students Innovation Training Program in 2015,China (201511117063Y)
文摘The structural characteristics of protein body accumulation in different endosperm regions of hard wheat cultivar(XM33) and soft wheat cultivar(NM13) under drought stress were investigated. Drought stress treatment was implemented from plant regreening to the caryopsis mature stage. Microscope images of endosperm cells were obtained using resin semithin slice technology to observe the distribution and relative area of protein body(PB). Compared with NM13, relative PB area of XM33 was significantly higher in sub-aleurone endosperm region. The amount of accumulation, including the size and relative area of PB, in two wheat cultivars was higher in sub-aleurone region than that in central region at 18 days post anthesis(DPA). Drought stress significantly enhanced the sizes and relative areas of PBs in the dorsal and abdominal endosperms in two wheat cultivars. Particularly for dorsal endosperm, drought stress enhanced the relative PB area at 18 DPA and NM13(5.0% vs. 6.73%) showed less enhancement than XM33(5.49% vs. 8.96%). However, NM13(9.58% vs. 12.02%) showed greater enhancement than XM33(10.25% vs. 11.7%) at 28 DPA. The protein content in the dorsal and abdominal endosperms of the two wheat cultivars decreased at 12 DPA and then increased until 38 DPA. Drought stress significantly increased the protein contents in the two main regions. From 12 to 38 DPA, the amount of PB accumulation and the protein content were higher in XM33 than those in NM13. The results revealed that PB distribution varied in different endosperm tissues and that the amount of PB accumulation was remarkably augmented by drought stress.
基金funded jointly by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(31171460,31371563,31571597,31471437,31261140364)the Major Fundamental Research Program of Natural Science Foundation of Jiangsu Higher Education Institutions,China(11KJA210003)+2 种基金the Jiangsu Planned Projects for Postdoctoral Research Funds,China(1501077C)the China Postdoctoral Science Foundation(2015M581870)the Priority Academic Program Development of Jiangsu Higher Education Institutions,China
文摘The increase of atmospheric carbon dioxide(CO_2) concentration adversely affect several quality traits of rice grains, but the biochemical mechanism remains unclear. The objectives of this study were to determine how changes in the source-sink relationship affected rice quality. Source-sink manipulation was achieved by free-air CO_2 enrichment from tillering to maturity and partial removal of spikelet at anthesis using a japonica rice cultivar Wuyunjing 23. Enrichment with CO_2 decreased the head rice percentage and protein concentration of milled rice, but increased the grain chalkiness. In contrast, spikelet removal resulted in a dramatic increase in the head rice percentage and protein concentration, and much less grain chalkiness. Neither CO_2 enrichment nor spikelet removal affected the starch content, but the distribution of starch granule size showed distinct treatment effects. O n average, spikelet removal decreased the percentage of starch granules of diameter >10 and 5–10 μm by 23.6 and 5.6%, respectively, and increased those with a diameter of 2–5 and <2 μm by 4.6 and 3.3%, respectively. In contrast, CO_2 elevation showed an opposite response: increasing the proportion of large starch granules(>5 μm) and decreasing that of <5 μm. The starch pasting properties were affected by spikelet removal much more than by CO_2 elevation. These results indicated that the protein concentration and starch granule size played a role in chalkiness formation under these experimental conditions.
基金partially supported by the Open Funding from State Key Laboratory for Biology of Plant Diseases and Insect Pests(Grant No.SKLOF201403)by the Natural Science Foundation of China(Grant Nos.31571748 and 31701057)the Natural Science Foundation of Jiangsu Province,China(Grant Nos.BK20171293 and BK20141291)
文摘Sheath blight(SB) caused by the soil borne pathogen Rhizoctonia solani is one of the most serious global rice diseases. Breeding resistant cultivar is the most economical and effective strategy to control the disease. However, no rice varieties are completely resistant to SB, and only a few reliable quantitative trait loci(QTLs) linked with SB resistance have been identified to date. In this study, we conducted a genome-wide association study(GWAS) of SB resistance using 299 varieties from the rice diversity panel 1(RDP1) that were genotyped using 44 000 high-density single nucleotide polymorphism(SNP) markers. Through artificial inoculation, we found that only 36.5% of the tested varieties displayed resistance or moderate resistance to SB. In particular, the aromatic and aus sub-populations displayed higher SB resistance than the tropical japonica(TRJ), indica and temperate japonica sub-populations. Seven varieties showed similar resistance levels to the resistant control YSBR1. GWAS identified at least 11 SNP loci significantly associated with SB resistance in the three independent trials, leading to the identification of two reliable QTLs, qSB-3 and qSB-6, on chromosomes 3 and 6. Using favorable alleles or haplotypes of significantly associated SNP loci, we estimated that both QTLs had obvious effects on reducing SB disease severity and can be used for enhancing SB resistance, especially in improving SB resistance of TRJ sub-population rice varieties. These results provided important information and genetic materials for developing SB resistant varieties through breeding.
基金the National Natural Science Foundation of China(31671613 and 31901462)the National Key Research and Development Program of China(2018YFD0100406 and 2017YFD0201306)+3 种基金the Natural Science Foundation of Jiangsu Province,China(BK20191439)the Natural Science Foundation of Jiangsu Higher Education Institutions,China(17KJA210003)the Priority Academic Program Development of Jiangsu Higher Education Institutions,China(PAPD)the Brand Professional Construction Program of Jiangsu Higher Education Institutions,China。
文摘Cotton bolls exhibit the lowest insecticidal efficacy among all organs of Bt cotton,which would ultimately affect the yield formation.The objective of this study was to investigate the effects of different urea concentrations on the seed Bt protein contents,seed cotton yield and the corresponding protein metabolism mechanism.The experiments were conducted during 2017–2018 cotton growing seasons.Two cultivars,Sikang 3(hybrid,SK3)and Sikang 1(conventional,SK1),were treated with six urea concentrations and their seed Bt protein contents were compared during boll formation period.The urea spray concentration had a significant effect on the seed Bt toxin content and seed cotton yield.Spraying of either 5 or 6%urea led to higher insecticidal protein contents and higher seed cotton yield for both cultivars.Moreover,the highest amino acid and soluble protein contents,as well as GPT and GOT activities,and lower protease and peptidase activities were observed at the 5 to 6%urea levels.Significant positive correlations between the seed Bt toxin and amino acid contents,and between the seed Bt toxin content and GPT activities were detected.The lower boll worm number and hazard boll rate were also observed with the 5 to 6%urea treatments,which may be the reason why nitrogen spraying increased the seed cotton yield.Therefore,our results suggested that the seed Bt toxin content and insect resistance were impacted markedly by external nitrogen application,and 5 to 6%urea had the greatest effect on insect resistance.
基金supported by grants from the National Basic Research Program of China(No.2012CB114306)the National Natural Science Foundation of China(Nos.31461143015,31271641,and 31471438)+3 种基金the National Key Technology R&D Program of China(Nos.2012BAD04B08 and 2014AA10A605)the Priority Academic Program Development of Jiangsu Higher Education Institutions(PAPD)the Top Talent Supporting Program of Yangzhou University(No.2015-01)Jiangsu Creation Program for Post-graduation Students(No.KYZZ15_0364)
文摘Polyamines(PAs) are important endogenous plant growth regulators responding to environmental stress and mediating many physiological processes including grain filling in cereals.This study investigated whether PAs mediate the effect of post-anthesis soil drying on starch granule size distribution,starch content,and weight of superior and inferior kernels of wheat(Triticum aestivum L.).Two wheat cultivars were grown in pots.Three treatments,well-watered(WW),moderate soil drying(MD) and severe soil drying(SD),were imposed from 9 days post-anthesis until maturity.PA levels in kernels and small,medium and large granules were measured.The results showed that superior kernels had much higher free spermidine(Spd) and free spermine(Spm) concentrations,larger volumes of medium starch granules,and smaller-sized large granules than did inferior kernels under all the treatments.Compared to WW,MD significantly increased the concentrations of free Spd and free Spm,activities of soluble starch synthase and granule-bound starch synthase,volume of medium granules,and starch content and kernel weight of inferior kernels,and decreased the size of large granules.SD produced the opposite effect.Application of Spd or Spm to spikes produced effects similar to those of MD,and application of an inhibitor of Spd and Spm synthesis produced effects similar to those of SD.These results suggest that PAs mediate the effect of post-anthesis soil drying on starch biosynthesis in wheat kernels by regulating key enzymes in starch synthesis and that elevated PA levels under MD increase the volume of medium granules and kernel weight of inferior kernels.
基金funded by the National Key Research and Development Program of China(2018YFD0100400 and 2017YFD0201300)the Engineering Science and Technology Innovation Fund of Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences(2016PCTS-1)+1 种基金the National Natural Science Foundation of China(31671613)the Priority Academic Program Development of Jiangsu Higher Education Institutions,China(PAPD)
文摘The cotton direct seeding after wheat(rape) harvested is under trial and would be the future direction at the Yangtze River Valley region of China.The objective of this study was to quantify the effects of branch and stem architecture on cotton yield and identify the optimal cotton architecture to compensate the yield loss due to the reduction of individual production capacity under high planting density in the direst seeding after wheat harvested cropping system.The characteristics of the stem and branch architecture and the relationships between architecture of the stem and branch with yield formation were studied on eight short season cotton cultivars during 2015 and 2016 cotton growth seasons.Based on the two years results,three cultivars with different architectures of stem and branch were selected to investigate the effect of mepiquat chloride(MC) application on the architecture of the stem and branch,boll retention,and the yield in 2017.Significant differences were observed on plant height,all fruiting nodes to branches ratio(NBR) in the cotton plant,and the curvature of the fruiting branch(CFB) among the studied cultivars.There were three types of stem and fruiting branch structures: Zhong425 with stable and suitable plant height and NBR(about 90 cm and 2.5,respectively),high CFB(more than 10.0),and high boll retention speed and seed cotton yield;Siyang 822 with excessive plant height and NBR,low CFB,and low boll retention speed and seed cotton yield;and other studied cultivars with unstable structure of stem and branch,boll retention speed,and seed cotton yield across years.And MC application could promote the appropriate plant height and NBR and high CFB and thus resulted in high boll retention speed and the yield.The results suggested that the suitable plant height and NBR(about 90 cm and 2.5 respectively),and high CFB(more than 10.0),which was related to both genotype and cultural practice,could promote the higher boll retention speed and seed cotton yield.
基金supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(31571624 and 31071382)the National Key Research and Development Program of China(2016YFD0102001-006)+2 种基金the National Basic Research(973)Program of China(2010CB125904-3,2013CBA01405)the Key Natural Science Project in University of Jiangsu Province,China(15KJA210004)the Priority Academic Program Development of Jiangsu Higher Education Institutions,China(PAPD)
文摘Oryza ridleyi is an allotetraploid wild species with the HHJJ genome, and Oryza sativa is a diploid cultivated rice that has the AA genome. Although the wide hybrid between the two species is difficult to obtain, we overcome this difficulty by young embryo rescue. An obvious heterosis was primarily found for the plant height, tillering ability, vegetative vigor, etc. However, the hybrid panicle and culm traits were found to resemble that of the wild rice parent, O. ridleyi, for the long awns, exoteric purple stigma, grain shattering, dispersed panicles, and culm mechanical strength. Genomic in situ hybridization(GISH) analysis was subsequently performed on the mitotic metaphase chromosome of the root tips, and we determined that the hybrid is an allotriploid with 36 chromosomes and its genomic constitution is AHJ. Chemical analyses conducted on the culm of O. sativa, O. ridleyi, and their interspecific hybrids showed that major changes occurred in the xylose, glucose, and arabinose concentrations, which are correlated with the specific hemicellulose polymer and cellulose components that are important in the primary cell walls of green plants. Meanwhile, the culm anatomical analyses indicated that additional large vascular bundles and an extra sclerenchyma cell layer were found in O. ridleyi. Additionally, further thickening of the secondary cell walls of the cortical fiber sclerenchyma cells and the phloem companion cells was discovered in O. ridleyi and in the interspecific hybrids. These results imply that there may be a potential link between culm mechanical strength and culm anatomical structure.
基金financially supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 31171158)the Ministry of Science and Technology (Grant No. 2011ZX08009-003-005)+2 种基金the Natural Science Foundation of Jiangsu Province (Grant No. BK2012684)the Six Talent Peaks in Jiangsu Provincethe Priority Academic Program Development of Jiangsu Higher Education Institutions
文摘Two mutants with rolled leaves, temporally designated as rl3(t)-1 and rl3(t)-2, were served for exploring the mechanism underlying the rolled leaf characteristic. Except for having typical rolled leaves, the plant heights and panicle lengths of rl3(t)-1 and rl3(t)-2 significantly decreased, and the seed-setting rate also decreased when compared with wild type 93-11. Cytological analysis suggested that the rolled leaf phenotype might be caused by the changes of number and size of bulliform cells. Genetic analysis indicated rl3(t)-1 is allelic to rl3(t)-2, and controlled by a recessive gene. Gene mapping result indicated that RL3(t) gene resided in a 46-kb long region governed by the sequence tag site markers S3-39 and S3-36 on rice chromosome 3. The result provides an important clue for further cloning the RL3(t) and understanding the mechanism of rice leaf development.
基金funded by the National Basic Research Program of China (2013CB127803, 2011CB109304)National High Technology Research and Development Program of China (2013AA102602)+2 种基金National Natural Science Foundation of China (31371662, 31461143022)China Agriculture Research System (CARS-14)Shandong Agricultural Industrialization Project for New Variety Development (2014–2016)
文摘Simple sequence repeats(SSRs) are important molecular markers for assessing genetic diversity in Arachis hypogaea L. and many other crops and constructing genetic linkage maps for important agricultural traits. In this study, 29,357 potential SSRs were identified in 22,806 unigenes assembled from A. hypogaea transcript sequences. Of these unigenes, 1883 and 4103 were annotated and assigned in Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes Orthology and Eukaryotic Orthologous Groups databases, respectively. Among the SSR motifs, mono-(19,065; 64.94%) and trinucleotide(5033; 17.14%) repeats were the most common, and the three most dominant motifs were A/T(18,358; 62.54%), AG/CT(2804;9.55%), and AAG/CTT(1396; 4.76%). Polymerase chain reaction(PCR) primer pairs were designed for 4340 novel SSR markers and 210 new SSRs were validated using 24 A. hypogaea varieties. Of the 210, 191(91%) yielded PCR products, with 37(18%) identifying polymorphisms. The 37 polymorphic SSR markers detected 146 alleles(2–10 alleles per locus), and the average polymorphic information content was 0.403(with a range of 0.077 to0.819). The new SSRs enrich the current marker resources for A. hypogaea and may also be useful for genetic diversity analysis, functional genomics research, and molecular breeding.
基金supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(31771710,32071943)the National Key Research and Development Program of China(2018YFD0300800)the Priority Academic Program Development of Jiangsu Higher Education Institutions(PAPD-1)。
文摘High temperature (HT) stress has become one of the most detrimental stresses in crop production among constantly changing environmental factors.Exploiting approaches to enhance crop thermotolerance would have great significance in assuaging adverse effects of HT stress on crop growth and development.As jasmonates (JAs) and brassinosteroids (BRs) are novel phytohormones and play important roles in responses to biotic and abiotic stresses and in a wide range of plant developmental processes,this paper reviewed the roles and mechanisms of JAs and BRs in mitigating HT stress,with focus on rice (Oryza sativa L.) subjected to HT stress during anthesis.It is demonstrated that JAs alleviate spikelet-opening impairment and BRs ameliorate pistil fertilization ability under HT stress during anthesis of rice,although there are controversial observations.Activating the defense system,enhancing osmotic regulation,protecting photosynthesis,and interacting with other phytohormones,especially with ethylene and abscisic acid,are main physiological mechanisms by which JAs or BRs attenuate HT stress to plants.Elevating levels of JAs or BRs in plants could be considered as an important approach to enhance crop thermotolerance through breeding new varieties.Using JAs or BRs as chemical regulators and adopting proper water and nitrogen management practices could reduce the harm of HT stress to rice.Further research is needed to elucidate the roles of JAs and BRs in different plant tissues in responses to HT stress under different genetic backgrounds and environments,reveal the molecular mechanism underlying JAs and BRs mediating HT stress,understand the cross-talk between phytohormones in modulating HT stress,and establish integrated crop management to minimize the hazard of HT stress in rice production.
