Luohe Academy of Agricultural Sciences

Oilseed crops are used to produce vegetable oil. Sesame (Sesamum indicum), an oilseed crop grown worldwide, has high oil content and a small diploid genome, but the genetic basis of oil production and quality is unclear. Here we sequence 705 diverse sesame varieties to construct a haplotype map of the sesame genome and de novo assemble two representative varieties to identify sequence variations. We investigate 56 agronomic traits in four environments and identify 549 associated loci. Examination of the major loci identifies 46 candidate causative genes, including genes related to oil content, fatty acid biosynthesis and yield. Several of the candidate genes for oil content encode enzymes involved in oil metabolism. Two major genes associated with lignification and black pigmentation in the seed coat are also associated with large variation in oil content. These findings may inform breeding and improvement strategies for a broad range of oilseed crops.

To introgress the good fiber quality and yield from Gossypium barbadense into a commercial Upland cotton variety, a high-density simple sequence repeat (SSR) genetic linkage map was developed from a BC1 F1 population of Gossypium hirsutum × Gossypium barbadense. The map comprised 2,292 loci and covered 5115.16 centiMorgan (cM) of the cotton AD genome, with an average marker interval of 2.23 cM. Of the marker order for 1,577 common loci on this new map, 90.36% agrees well with the marker order on the D genome sequence genetic map. Compared with five published high-density SSR genetic maps, 53.14% of marker loci were newly discovered in this map. Twenty-six quantitative trait loci (QTLs) for lint percentage (LP) were identified on nine chromosomes. Nine stable or common QTLs could be used for marker-assisted selection. Fifty percent of the QTLs were from G. barbadense and increased LP by 1.07%-2.41%. These results indicated that the map could be used for screening chromosome substitution segments from G. barbadense in the Upland cotton background, identifying QTLs or genes from G. barbadense, and further developing the gene pyramiding effect for improving fiber yield and quality.

A central issue in privacy governance is understanding how users balance their privacy preferences and data sharing to satisfy service demands. We combine survey and behavioral data of a sample of Alipay users to examine how data privacy preferences affect their data sharing with third-party mini-programs on the Alipay platform. We find that there is no relationship between the respondents' self-stated privacy concerns and their number of data-sharing authorizations, confirming the puzzling data privacy paradox. Instead of attributing this paradox to the respondents' unreliable survey responses, resignation from active protection of their data privacy, or behavioral factors in making their data-sharing choices, we show that this phenomenon can be explained by a curious finding that users with stronger privacy concerns tend to benefit more from using mini-programs. This positive relationship between privacy concerns and digital demands further suggests that consumers may develop data privacy concerns as a byproduct of the process of using digital applications, not because such concerns are innate.

Sesame is prized for its oil. Genetic improvement of sesame can be enhanced through marker-assisted breeding. However, few simple sequence repeat (SSR) markers and SSR-based genetic maps were available in sesame. In this study, 7,357 SSR markers were developed from the sesame genome and transcriptomes, and a genetic map was constructed by generating 424 novel polymorphic markers and using a cross population with 548 recombinant inbred lines (RIL). The genetic map had 13 linkage groups, equalling the number of sesame chromosomes. The linkage groups ranged in size from 113.6 to 179.9 centimorgans (cM), with a mean value of 143.8 cM over a total length of 1869.8 cM. Fourteen quantitative trait loci (QTL) for sesame charcoal rot disease resistance were detected, with contribution rates of 3-14.16% in four field environments; ~60% of the QTL were located within 5 cM at 95% confidence interval. The QTL with the highest phenotype contribution rate (qCRR12.2) and those detected in different environments (qCRR8.2 and qCRR8.3) were used to predict candidate disease response genes. The new SSR-based genetic map and 14 novel QTLs for charcoal rot disease resistance will facilitate the mapping of agronomic traits and marker-assisted selection breeding in sesame.

The mechanism of miRNA-mediated root growth and development in response to nutrient deficiency in peanut ( Arachis hypogaea L.) is still unclear. In the present study, we found that both nitrogen (N) and potassium (K) deficiency resulted in a significant reduction in plant growth, as indicated by the significantly decreased dry weight of both shoot and root tissues under N or K deficiency. Both N and K deficiency significantly reduced the root length, root surface area, root volume, root vitality, and weakened root respiration, as indicated by the reduced O 2 consuming rate. N deficiency significantly decreased primary root length and lateral root number, which might be associated with the upregulation of miR160, miR167, miR393, and miR396, and the downregulation of AFB3 and GRF. The primary and lateral root responses to K deficiency were opposite to that of the N deficiency condition. The upregulated miR156, miR390, NAC4, ARF2, and AFB3, and the downregulated miR160, miR164, miR393, and SPL10 may have contributed to the growth of primary roots and lateral roots under K deficiency. Overall, roots responded differently to the N or K deficiency stresses in peanuts, potentially due to the miRNA-mediated pathway and mechanism.

The pathogenesis of wheat powdery mildew (WPM) is from the bottom to upper layers of the plant, and the vertical observation angle limits the early monitoring of WPM status. Multiangle remote sensing could effectively extract spatial structural information from different plant layers. The objectives of this study were to improve the monitoring accuracy of WPM severity and to screen suitable observation angles by developing a novel vegetation index. The monitoring capacities of the novel parameters [Normalized Powdery Mildew Index (NPMI) and Ratio Powdery Mildew Index (RPMI)] and 14 optimized traditional spectral parameters were compared at 13 observation angles and different angle ranges. The correlation between all spectral parameters and disease severity was superior in the forward observation direction than in the backward observation direction in the principal plane of the Sun, and the correlation between the two observation directions decreased with an increase in observation angle. The new spectral parameter suitable for inversion of disease index was RPMI (R <sub xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">744</sub> /R <sub xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">762</sub> - 0.5 × R <sub xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">710</sub> ), and the best optimal observation angle was +10°, with a 0.852 coefficient, which was 31.74% higher than that of the two-band spectral parameter, R <sub xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">744</sub> /R <sub xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">762</sub> . The fitting accuracy of the new parameter in the range of 0° to +30° in the forward direction was 0.704. RPMI could not only improve the monitoring accuracy of powdery mildew severity at a single angle but also achieve a more stable monitoring accuracy in the 0° to +30° range in the forward direction, which significantly expands the application scope of remote sensing monitoring and enhances the flexibility of the technology in actual production environments.

We introduce economic research on blockchains and its recent advances. In particular, we highlight the (i) unifying concepts on blockchain as a decentralized consensus and its core benefits, (ii) equilibrium characterizations and allegedly irreducible tensions among consensus formation, decentralization, and scalability, (iii) major issues including network security, overconcentration, energy consumption and sustainability, adoption, multi-party computation and encryption, smart contracting, and information distribution and aggregation, and (iv) future directions concerning blockchains and their applications such as informational and agency issues, as well as game-theoretical and mechanism design approaches to blockchain protocols.

Abstract Dominance hierarchy, the dominance ranking of members in a community, is determined by the relative population fitness of coexisting species. Climate change can shift dominance hierarchies depending on how species respond to changing climate, but ecological mechanisms underlying such shifts remain largely unknown. Specifically, dominance hierarchy shifts under climate change have rarely been linked to eco‐evolutionary responses to thermal extremes, which we consider in this study. We conducted an 8‐year field survey to link extreme high‐temperature events to the shift in dominance hierarchy of two worldwide cereal aphid species ( Rhopalosiphum padi and Sitobion avenae ), which may respond rapidly through evolutionary or plastic responses to thermal extremes due to their short generation duration, clonal structure and high thermal sensitivity. To further understand the mechanism involved in this change in species' dominance, we characterised aphid heat tolerance and demography of the two species sourced from relatively mild (Xinxiang) and hot (Wuhan) locations in a common garden design and compared the same measures in up‐ and down‐selected lines of the two aphid species. We found that accumulation of extreme high‐temperature events (EHTs) affected per capita growth rate of S. avenae but not R. padi , driving a shift in annual relative dominance of these two common species in wheat fields. Furthermore, evidence from common garden tests and artificial thermal selection revealed that evolutionary and plastic changes in thermal tolerance under EHTs were species‐dependent; R. padi evolved higher heat tolerance without reducing fitness while S. avenae did not evolve heat tolerance but showed detrimental transgenerational plastic changes under thermal extremes. Rhopalosiphum padi may take over the dominant position of S. avenae in a warmer future, due to a higher evolutionary potential of heat tolerance and less detrimental plasticity following selection. Field surveys and laboratory experiments together point to a shift in species dominance related to interspecific differences in species' evolutionary rates and transgenerational plasticity of thermal traits during selection events associated with extreme climatic conditions. This study highlights that eco‐evolutionary dynamics can contribute to community responses to natural thermal extremes. A free Plain Language Summary can be found within the Supporting Information of this article.

Members of the Wolbachia genus manipulate insect–host reproduction and are the most abundant bacterial endosymbionts of insects. The tea Geometrid moth Ectropis grisescens (Warren) (Lepidoptera: Geometridae) is the most devastating insect pest of tea plants [ Camellia sinensis (L.) O. Kuntze] in China. However, limited data on the diversity, typing, or phenotypes of Wolbachia in E. grisescens are available. Here, we used a culture-independent method to compare the gut bacteria of E. grisescens and other tea Geometridae moths. The results showed that the composition of core gut bacteria in larvae of the three Geometridae moth species was similar, except for the presence of Wolbachia . Moreover, Wolbachia was also present in adult female E. grisescens samples. A Wolbachia strain was isolated from E. grisescens and designated as w Gri. Comparative analyses showed that this strain shared multilocus sequence types and Wolbachia surface protein hypervariable region profiles with cytoplasmic incompatibility (CI)-inducing strains in supergroup B; however, the w Gri-associated phenotypes were undetermined. A reciprocal cross analysis showed that Wolbachia -uninfected females mated with infected males resulted in 100% embryo mortality (0% eggs hatched per female). Eggs produced by mating between uninfected males and infected females hatched normally. These findings indicated that w Gri induces strong unidirectional CI in E. grisescens . Additionally, compared with uninfected females, Wolbachia -infected females produced approximately 30–40% more eggs. Together, these results show that this Wolbachia strain induces reproductive CI in E. grisescens and enhances the fecundity of its female host. We also demonstrated that w Gri potential influences reproductive communication between E. grisescens and Ectropis obliqua through CI.

Organisms are always confronted with multiple stressors simultaneously. Combinations of stressors, rather than single stressor, may be more appropriate in evaluating the stress they experience. N. barkeri is one of predatory mite species that are commercialized for controlling spider mites. However, their biological control efficiency was often reduced because of high temperature and desiccation in summer. To understand how to improve the tolerance of N. barkeri to combined heat and desiccation stress, we pre-exposed the adult female of N. barkeri to high temperature, desiccation and high temperature × desiccation stress for acclimation. After proper recovery time, mites were subjected to high temperature × desiccation stress again to detect the acclimation effects. The results are as follows: (1) No decrease in mortality rate were observed under high temperature × desiccation stress after heat acclimation. Instead, it increased significantly with acclimation temperature and time. (2) Dehydration acclimation both at 25 °C and high temperatures reduced mortality rate under high temperature × desiccation stress. Mortality rate was only significantly correlated with the amount of water loss, but not with temperature or water loss rate in acclimation, suggesting the increased tolerance is related to dehydration stress rather than heat stress. Among all acclimations, chronic dehydration at 25 °C, 50% relative humidity were the most effective treatment. This study indicated dehydration acclimation is effective to enhance tolerance of N. barkeri to combined heat and desiccation stress, which can improve the efficiency of biological control under multiple stressors.

ABSTRACT: The responses of two maize (Zea mays L.) cultivars, ‘LY336’ (shade tolerant) and ‘LC803’ (shade sensitive), to shade stress in a pot experiment conducted in the 2015 and 2016 growing seasons were investigated. The impact of 50% shade stress treatment on shoot biomass, photosynthetic parameters, chlorophyll fluorescence, and malondialdehyde (MDA) content was evaluated. The shoot biomass of the two maize hybrids was decreased significantly by shade stress treatment, for shade stress 7 d, the LC803 and LY336 were reduced by 56.7% and 44.4% compared with natural light. Chlorophyll fluorescence parameters of LY336 were not significantly affected by shade stress, whereas those of LC803 were significantly affected, the Fo increased under shade stress; however Fm, FV/FM and ΦPSII were decreased under shade stress. Among photosynthetic parameters measured, net photosynthetic rate (Pn), stomatal conductance (Gs), and transpiration rate were significantly decreased compared with natural light, LY336 and LC803 reduction by 28.0%, 22.2%, 57.7% and 35.5%, 18.9%, 62.4%; however, intercellular CO2 concentration (Ci) was significantly increased, for the two cultivars. Under shade stress for different durations (1, 3, 5, 7 d), Pn, Gs, Ci, and MDA content differed significantly between the two cultivars. Results indicated that different maize genotypes showed different responses to shading. Shade-tolerant genotypes are only weakly affected by shade stress.

Here the microstructure and physicochemical properties of sweetpotato starch and their effects on the quality of sweetpotato starch noodles were studied. Five varieties of sweetpotato starch had a particle size (D [4,3]) of 23.75–34.00 μm and amylose content of 20.98–22.74%, while their degree of branching (DB) and relative crystallinity were 1.119–5.181% and 20.26–27.60%, respectively. The starches exhibited different thermal, pasting, gel, and rheological properties. Sweetpotato starch noodles prepared from variety Xushu 32 had the best cooking properties. The particle size, short-range ordered structure, amylose content, amylopectin chain length distribution, DB, relative crystallinity, and lamellar structure of the sweetpotato starch significantly affected the swelling power and pasting, gel, and rheological properties of the starch paste. The thermal, pasting, gel, and rheological properties and the solubility of the starch paste affected the cooking and textural properties of the sweetpotato starch noodles. In addition, a quality correlation network of “starch–starch paste–starch noodles” was found. The critical microstructure, including the particle size and relative crystallinity of the sweetpotato starch, regulated the elasticity of the starch noodles by influencing the final viscosity during starch gelatinization.

This study aimed to assess the effects of insoluble dietary fiber (IDF) from feijoa supplementation on the physicochemical and functional properties of wheat bread. The results showed that feijoa IDF (FJI) had the typical structures of hydrolysis fiber, polysaccharide functional groups, and crystal structure of cellulose. The gradual increase of FJI levels (from 2 to 8%) in wheat bread resulted in increased total DF, ash, and protein contents, accompanied by a reduction in moisture, carbohydrates, and energy value. The inclusion of FJI in the bread crumb caused a rise in both redness (a*) and yellowness (b*) values while decreasing the brightness (L*) relative to the control specimen. In addition, adding FJI up to 2% significantly increased total phenolic and flavonoid contents and antioxidant activity, as well as flavor score of supplemented bread samples, while additions above 2% resulted in undesirable taste and texture. FJI addition caused higher bile acid, NO2−, and cholesterol adsorption capacities. Moreover, FJI addition up to 4% significantly reduced glucose adsorption capacities at different in vitro starch digestion intervals. The findings revealed that FJI offers great potential as an ideal functional ingredient in food processing.

Skeletal muscle growth and development from embryo to adult consists of a series of carefully regulated changes in gene expression. This study aimed to identify candidate genes involved in Haiyang Yellow Chickens’ growth and to understand the regulatory role of the key gene ALOX5 (arachidonate 5-lipoxygenase) in myoblast proliferation and differentiation. In order to search the key candidate genes in the process of muscle growth and development, RNA sequencing was used to compare the transcriptomes of chicken muscle tissues at four developmental stages and to analyze the effects of ALOX5 gene interference and overexpression on myoblast proliferation and differentiation at the cellular level. The results showed that 5743 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) (|fold change| ≥ 2; FDR ≤ 0.05) were detected by pairwise comparison in male chickens. Functional analysis showed that the DEGs were mainly involved in the processes of cell proliferation, growth, and developmental process. Many of the DEGs, such as MYOCD (Myocardin), MUSTN1 (Musculoskeletal Embryonic Nuclear Protein 1), MYOG (MYOGenin), MYOD1 (MYOGenic differentiation 1), FGF8 (fibroblast growth factor 8), FGF9 (fibroblast growth factor 9), and IGF-1 (insulin-like growth factor-1), were related to chicken growth and development. KEGG pathway (Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes pathway) analysis showed that the DEGs were significantly enriched in two pathways related to growth and development: ECM-receptor interaction (Extracellular Matrix) and MAPK signaling pathway (Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase). With the extension of differentiation time, the expression of the ALOX5 gene showed an increasing trend, and it was found that interference with the ALOX5 gene could inhibit the proliferation and differentiation of myoblasts and that overexpression of the ALOX5 gene could promote the proliferation and differentiation of myoblasts. This study identified a range of genes and several pathways that may be involved in regulating early growth, and it can provide theoretical research for understanding the regulation mechanism of muscle growth and development of Haiyang Yellow Chickens.

摘要：

Abstract Mythimna separata (Walker) moths captured in light traps were monitored in Luohe, central‐northern China, from 1980 to 2016. Annual average temperature recorded an increase of 0.298°C/10 years in this region in the period. Our results indicate that a rising April and May average temperature and earlier occurrences of days recording the highest day temperature (30°C) caused an advanced peak and increasing proportion of high ovarian development levels of first‐generation females in earlier summers. Results using Johnson's formulation of “oogenesis‐flight syndrome” indicate that increasing sexual maturity proportion has resulted in more emigrant individuals in the local first‐generation moth becoming residents, and then increased individuals rapidly in the local second‐generation moth since 2006. Consequences of this action have a boom in corn damage since 2007 in this region. Advanced peak dates of the first and second‐generation moth revealed the same response to increasing average monthly temperatures in the monitoring period. Increasing temperatures, the average May temperature exceeds or equal to 22°C, during the early 2000's may represent a physiological threshold for M. separata development. Our results suggest that climate warming may impact M. separata migratory status and cause a problem of crop production in this region.

Increasing yield is an important goal of barley breeding. In this study, 54 papers published from 2001-2022 on QTL mapping for yield and yield-related traits in barley were collected, which contained 1080 QTLs mapped to the barley high-density consensus map for QTL meta-analysis. These initial QTLs were integrated into 85 meta-QTLs (MQTL) with a mean confidence interval (CI) of 2.76 cM, which was 7.86-fold narrower than the CI of the initial QTL. Among these 85 MQTLs, 68 MQTLs were validated in GWAS studies, and 25 breeder's MQTLs were screened from them. Seventeen barley orthologs of yield-related genes in rice and maize were identified within the hcMQTL region based on comparative genomics strategy and were presumed to be reliable candidates for controlling yield-related traits. The results of this study provide useful information for molecular marker-assisted breeding and candidate gene mining of yield-related traits in barley.

Low temperature (LT) is an important elicitor that triggers anthocyanin biosynthesis. To investigate whether the reactive oxygen species (ROS) produced via RBOH are involved in this process, we analysed the function and mechanism of ROS produced via RBOH during LT-induced anthocyanin biosynthesis in Begonia semperflorens Link & Otto. The results showed that BsRBOHD transcription was upregulated in LT-grown seedlings at the 3rd hour, which was followed by the upregulation of anthocyanin-biosynthesis genes at the 5–9th hour, leading to anthocyanin accumulation on the 2nd day. The LT-induced increases in ROS production, BsRBOHD and anthocyanin-biosynthesis gene transcription, and anthocyanin content were abolished by the pre-treatment of seedlings with DPI [an inhibitor of nicotinamide adenine nucleoside phosphorylase (NADPH) oxidase or DMTU (a H2O2 scavenger)], but were promoted by pre-treatment with NADPH (a substrate of NADPH oxidase). Changes in the chlorophyll fluorescence parameters showed that pre-treatment of DPI or DMTU alleviated the LT-induced decrease in the seedling chlorophyll content and a/b ratio, which subsequently alleviated the LT-induced decreases in the ABS/CSm, TRo/CSm, RC/CSm, ETo/CSm and REo/CSm values. In contrast, NAPDH pre-treatment intensified these changes. Therefore, we suggest that ROS produced via BsRBOHD may be involved in the LT-induced anthocyanin biosynthesis by strengthening the overaccumulation of ROS produced by the overexcitation of PSII reaction centres and overflux from $${\text{Q}}_{{\text{A}}}^{ - }$$ to NADP+ in B. semperflorens.

The straw incorporation in lime concretion black soil compromises the emergence and quality of winter wheat seedlings in Huaibei Plain, China, lowering the potential of wheat productivity. To overcome the disadvantage, a two-year field experiment was conducted in 2017-18 and 2018-19 to investigate the effects of different tillage modes on seedling emergence and subsequent seedling growth, and final grain yield (GY) in winter wheat. The modes are rotary tillage with compaction after sowing (RCT), rotary tillage after deep ploughing (PT) and rotary tillage after deep ploughing with compaction after sowing (PCT), with the traditional rotary tillage (RT) method as the control. Compared to RT, greater soil moisture content (SMC) at the seedling stage was observed in deep ploughing or compaction treatment, and the highest SMC was achieved in PCT; the time of reaching the maximum number of seedlings was 1 d sooner in RCT or PT, and 3 d in PCT; the seedling number in RCT, PT and PCT was significantly increased by 32.6%, 34.5% and 61.5% respectively. The population size, shoot and root growth of winter wheat in ploughing mode was significantly enhanced than that of rotary treatment at the over-wintering stage; compared to no compaction after sowing, plant growth in compaction treatments was significantly promoted with greater plant population size and height of seedlings. At harvest, GY in RCT, PT and PCT was significantly improved by 5.87%, 10.8% and 16.4%, respectively, compared to RT and the highest GY was achieved in PCT by up to 8, 350.1 kg ha-1 due to the increased spike number. In conclusion, the seedling quality in the straw incorporation practice was improved through rotary after deep ploughing and compaction after sowing for lime concretion black soil in Huaibei Plain, China or a similar soil type.

The loreyi leafworm Mythimna loreyi (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) is a serious pest of agriculture that causes particular damage to Gramineae crops in Asia, Europe, Australia, Africa, and the Middle East. Low temperature is one of the important environmental factors that limits the survival, distribution, colonization, and abundance of M. loreyi. However, the metabolic synthesis pathways of cold-tolerant substances in M. loreyi and the key genes involved in the regulation under cold stress remain largely unknown. In this study, we sequenced the transcriptomes of three developmental stages (larvae, pupae, and adults) of M. loreyi to discover the molecular mechanisms of their responses to cold stress. In total, sequencing generated 120.64 GB of clean data from 18 samples, of which 19,459 genes and 1740 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified. The enrichment analysis of Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) revealed that many DEGs were mainly enriched in pathways associated with energy metabolism and hormone metabolism. Among these, genes encoding multiple metabolic enzymes, cuticle proteins (CPs), and heat shock proteins (HSPs) were differentially expressed. These results indicate that there are significant differences among the three developmental stages of M. loreyi exposed to cold stress and provide a basis for further studying the molecular mechanisms of cold tolerance in insects.