Nutrition impacts of non-solid cooking fuel adoption on under-five children in developing countries

This paper examines the nutrition impacts of using non-solid cooking fuel on under-five children in developing countries.We draw on data from more than 1.12 million children in 62 developing countries from the Demographic and Health Surveys(DHS).Results from both fixed effects(FE)and instrumental variable(IV)estimates show that using non-solid cooking fuel significantly improves the nutrition outcomes of under-five children.Compared with their peers from households mainly using solid fuel,children from households mainly using non-solid fuel exhibit a lower probability of experiencing stunting(by 5.9 percentage points)and being underweight(by 1.2 percentage points).Our further investigation provides evidence for several underlying mechanisms,such as improved indoor air quality,induced reduction in children’s respiratory symptoms,benefits on maternal health,and reduction in maternal time spent on fuel collection or cooking.Heterogenous analyses suggest that the nutrition benefits of using non-solid cooking fuel are more prominent among boys,children above three years old,and those from households of lower socioeconomic status,rural areas,and Southeast Asia.

Whole-genome characterization of CKX genes in Prunus persica and their role in bud dormancy and regrowth

Bud dormancy is a complex physiological process of perennial woody plants living in temperate regions,and it can be affected by various phytohormones.Cytokinin oxidase/dehydrogenases(CKXs)are a group of enzymes essential for maintaining cytokinin homeostasis,yet a comprehensive analysis of these enzymes in peach remains lacking.Here,a total of 51 CKX members from different species,including six from peach,eleven from apple,nine from poplar,seven from Arabidopsis,eight from strawberry,and ten from rice,were identified using the Simple HMM Search tool of TBtools and a BLASTP program and classified into four groups using phylogenetic analysis.Conserved motif and gene structure analysis of these 51 CKX members showed that 10 conserved motifs were identified,and each CKX gene contained at least two introns.Cis-element analysis of PpCKXs showed that all PpCKX genes have light-responsive elements and at least one hormone-responsive element.The changed relative expression levels of six PpCKX genes in peach buds from endodormancy to bud-break were observed by qRT-PCR.Among them,the expression trend of PpCKX6 was almost opposite that of PpEBB1,a positive bud-break regulator in woody plants,around the bud-break stage.Y1H,EMSA,and dual-luciferase assays indicated that PpEBB1negatively regulated PpCKX6 through direct binding to a GCC box-like element located in the promoter region of PpCKX6.In addition,a transient assay showed that overexpression of PpCKX6 delayed the bud-break of peach.These results indicate that the PpCKX genes play an essential role in the dormancy-regrowth process,and Pp CKX6may act downstream of PpEBB1 directly to regulate the bud-break process,which further improves the hormoneregulatory network of dormancy-regrowth of woody plants,and provides new insights for molecular breeding and genetic engineering of peach.

Impacts of COVID-19 on agriculture and rural poverty in China

The recent outbreak of COVID-19 has spread rapidly across the world.The pandemic has been seriously affecting public health and national and global economies since the beginning of 2020.By 3 November 2020,the world’s cumulative reported infections exceeded 46 million and the number of deaths reached 1.2 million(WHO 2020).The rapid spread of COVID-19 and its induced pandemic control through territory lockdown,travel bans and many other restrictions imposed on people’s movements have seriously affected the economy of all countries across the world.Worldwide,the pandemic has significantly affected food systems,particularly agricultural inputs and outputs markets,food processing and employment along food value chains,which has exacerbated poverty and food and nutrition insecurity.The latest FAO report on the State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World estimates that the COVID-19 pandemic could add 130 million people worldwide suffering from chronic hunger in 2020(FAO et al.2020).The pandemic is still serious and even worsening in some countries while it is currently under control in other countries.

Asset specificity and farmers' intergenerational succession willingness of apple management

Understanding the factors behind apple farmers’willingness to pass on the management of their farms to their descendants is crucial to the continuity of apple production.Due to the high specificity of the human capital,physical assets,land assets,and geographical location in apple production,this study used a binary logistic regression and a mediating effect model to explore the impact of asset specificity on farmers’intergenerational succession willingness of apple management(FISWAM)and to examine the mediating effects of loss aversion in the impact of asset specificity on the FISWAM.The results showed that about 18.68%of the respondents expressed willingness to transfer their apple business between generations,and the FISWAM was generally weak.In addition to the negative impact of geographical location specificity(GLS),human capital specificity(HCS),physical assets specificity(PAS),and land assets specificity(LAS)can enhance the FISWAM.Loss aversion plays a partial mediating role in the impact of PAS,LAS,and GLS on the FISWAM.

Consumers’experiences and preferences for plant-based meat food:Evidence from a choice experiment in four cities of China

This paper examined consumers’experiences in and preferences for plant-based meat(PBM)food and their respective correlates,based on data from an online survey of 579 consumers in four major cities in China in early 2021.We first described consumers’experiences in consuming and purchasing PBM food and their correlates,and then analyzed consumer preferences using hypothetical choice experiment.The experiment offered consumers various options to purchase burgers made from PBM or animal-based meat(ABM),combined with different countries of origin(COO),taste labels,and prices.Our data showed that respondents hold overall positive attitudes toward PBM food;85 and 82%of respondents reported experience in eating and purchasing PBM food,respectively.More than half of them ate PBM food because they wanted to try new food(58%),or were interested in healthy food(56%).Income,religion,and dietary restrictions were significantly correlated with consumers’experiences in PBM food consumption.Results from the Random Parameter Logit Model based on the hypothetical choice experiment data showed that 79%of respondents chose PBM burgers and were willing to pay an average of 88 CNY for a PBM burger.We also found that 99.8 and 83%of respondents are willing to buy burgers made in China and those with a taste label,with a willingness to pay(WTP)of 208 and 120 CNY,respectively.The heterogeneity test revealed that females and those with at least a bachelor’s degree,higher income,religious beliefs,and dietary restrictions are more likely to buy PBM burgers than their counterparts.

Identification and epitope mapping of anti-p72 single-chain antibody against African swine fever virus based on phage display antibody library

African swine fever virus(ASFV)is a lethal pathogen that causes severe threats to the global swine industry and it has already had catastrophic socio-economic effects.To date,no licensed prophylactic vaccine exists.Limited knowledge exists about the major immunogens of ASFV and the epitope mapping of the key antigens.As such,there is a considerable requirement to understand the functional monoclonal antibodies(mAbs)and the epitope mapping may be of utmost importance in our understanding of immune responses and designing improved vaccines,therapeutics,and diagnostics.In this study,we generated an ASFV antibody phage-display library from ASFV convalescent swine PBMCs,further screened a specific ASFV major capsid protein(p72)single-chain antibody and fused with an IgG Fc fragment(scFv-83-Fc),which is a specific recognition antibody against ASFV Pig/HLJ/2018 strain.Using the scFv-83-Fc mAb,we selected a conserved epitope peptide(221MTGYKH226)of p72 retrieved from a phage-displayed random peptide library.Moreover,flow cytometry and cell uptake experiments demonstrated that the epitope peptide can significantly promote BMDCs maturation in vitro and could be effectively uptaken by DCs,which indicated its potential application in vaccine and diagnostic reagent development.Overall,this study provided a valuable platform for identifying targets for ASFV vaccine development,as well as to facilitate the optimization design of subunit vaccine and diagnostic reagents.

High-resolution genetic mapping and identification of candidate genes for the wheat stem rust resistance gene Sr8155B1

Stem rust,caused by Puccinia graminis f.sp.tritici(Pgt),threatens global wheat production.Development of cultivars with increased resistance to stem rust by identification,mapping,and deployment of resistance genes is the best strategy for controlling the disease.In this study,we performed fine mapping and characterization of the all-stage stem rust resistance(Sr)gene Sr8155B1 from the durum wheat line 8155-B1.In seedling tests of biparental populations,Sr8155B1 was effective against six Chinese Pgt races tested.In a segregating population of 5060 gametes,Sr8155B1 was mapped to a 0.06-cM region flanked by markers Pku2772 and Pku43365,corresponding to 1.5-and 2.7-Mb regions in the Svevo and Chinese Spring reference genomes.Both regions include several typical nucleotide-binding leucine-rich repeat(NLR)and protein kinase genes that represent candidate genes.Among them,three NLR genes and three receptor-like protein kinases were highly polymorphic between the parental lines and their transcripts were upregulated in the homozygous resistant line TdR2 relative to its susceptible sister line TdS4.Four markers(Pku2772,Pku43365,Pku2950,and Pku3721)developed in this study,together with seedling resistance responses,correctly predicted Sr8155B1 absence or presence in 78 tetraploid wheat genotypes tested.The presence of Sr8155B1 in tetraploid wheat accessions CItr 14916,PI 197492,and PI 197493 was confirmed by mapping in three F_(2)populations.The genetic map and linked markers developed in this study may accelerate the deployment of Sr8155B1-mediated resistance in wheat breeding programs.

The telomere-to-telomere gap-free reference genome of wild blueberry (Vaccinium duclouxii) provides its high soluble sugar and anthocyanin accumulation

Vaccinium duclouxii,endemic to southwestern China,is a berry-producing shrub or small tree belonging to the Ericaceae family,with high nutritive,medicinal,and ornamental value,abundant germplasm resources,and good edible properties.In addition,V.duclouxii exhibits strong tolerance to adverse environmental conditions,making it a promising candidate for research and offering wide-ranging possibilities for utilization.However,the lack of V.duclouxii genome sequence has hampered its development and utilization.Here,a high-quality telomere-to-telomere genome sequence of V.duclouxii was de novo assembled and annotated.All of 12 chromosomes were assembled into gap-free single contigs,providing the highest integrity and quality assembly reported so far for blueberry.The V.duclouxii genome is 573.67 Mb,which encodes 41953 protein-coding genes.Combining transcriptomics and metabolomics analyses,we have uncovered the molecular mechanisms involved in sugar and acid accumulation and anthocyanin biosynthesis in V.duclouxii.This provides essentialmolecular information for further research on the quality of V.duclouxii.Moreover,the high-quality telomere-to-telomere assembly of the V.duclouxii genome will provide insights into the genomic evolution of Vaccinium and support advancements in blueberry genetics and molecular breeding.

Potential of high hydrostatic pressure in reducing the allergenicity of seafood

Seafood,as a primary high-quality protein source,plays an increasingly vital role in diets around the world,while seafood allergy is a worldwide health problem that affects the quality of life and may even threaten lives.High hydrostatic pressure(HHP),a novel non-thermal processing technology,shows the unique potential in alleviating seafood allergenicity.This comment provides a brief introduction of potential of high hydrostatic pressure in reducing the allergenicity of seafood.

Impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on rural poverty and policy responses in China

Given the sudden outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic,a timely study on the impacts of and policy response to the pandemic on rural poverty in China is critically important because China has aimed to completely eradicate extreme poverty by the end of 2020.This paper uses data from the latest round of a nationally representative household panel survey to examine the impacts of the pandemic on rural poverty in China.Our data show that 11.9%of sample households were ever officially registered as poor households between 2013 and 2019,and this poverty incidence fell to 2.7%by the end of 2019.In the middle February of 2020,23%of the households who have graduated from poverty since 2013 perceived that they would fall back into poverty due to the COVID-19.Among those never poor households,7.1%perceived that they would possibly fall into poverty due to the pandemic.Results from both descriptive and multivariate analyses consistently show the interruptions that the pandemic caused in off-farm employment is an important channel that led households to perceive of falling back into or falling into poverty.We also find households in the bottom four quintiles when ranked in terms of household income per capita are much more likely to perceive themselves of falling back into or falling into poverty during this pandemic than those in the richest quintile.Meanwhile,our results show that the education and age of household heads,as well as being from Hubei Province matter in explaining household perception about falling back into or falling into poverty in some cases but not all.The paper concludes with a set of policy responses that China has taken to mitigate the impact of COVID-19 pandemic on poverty alleviation.

Off-farm employment and poverty alleviation in rural China

Two phenomena in the history of China's economic growth during the last four decades are the increase in the share of offfarm employment and the progress in poverty alleviation in rural China.Although both of them have been well documented in the literature,less is known about the linkage between the two.To better understand the role that off-farm employment has played in poverty alleviation in rural China is critically important not only for China but also for those countries that are trying to reduce poverty.Here,we examine the impact of off-farm employment on poverty alleviation in rural China.Using the data from two nationally representative household panel surveys(China National Rural Survey and China Rural Development Survey),this paper provides supporting evidence that off-farm employment contributes to poverty alleviation in rural China.Specifically,if household participation in off-farm employment increases by 10 percentage points,the likelihood for a nonpoor household to fall into poverty will decrease by 0.88 percentage point whereas the likelihood for a poor household to climb out of poverty will increase by 3.5 percentage points.In a word,off-employment can not only prevent rural residents to fall into poverty but also help those already in poverty climb out of it.

Generation of a series of mutant lines resistant to imidazolinone by screening an EMS-based mutant library in common wheat

The breeding of herbicide-resistant wheat varieties has helped control weeds in wheat fields economically and effectively.Imidazolinone (IMI) herbicides are popular as they have low toxicity in mammals,are effective at small doses,and exhibit broad-spectrum herbicidal action in the field.Therefore,the isolation and genetic and molecular characterization of IMI-resistant wheat mutants will enhance weed management in wheat fields.In the present study,352 IMI-resistant plants were isolated by genetic screening from a mutant pool prepared by EMS-based random mutagenesis.Cloning of the mutated genes from the IMI-resistant plants indicated that ten taals alleles had been isolated,and mutation in one of three Ta ALS homolog genes conferred IMI resistance,and such a mutation is a dominant trait.Further analysis showed that taals-d exhibited the greatest IMI resistance,whereas taals-b exhibited the weakest resistance to IMI among three homologous taals mutants.In terms of IMI resistance,the taals triple mutant was stronger than the taals double mutants,and the taals double mutants were stronger than the single mutants,indicating a dose-dependent effect of the Ta ALS mutation on IMI resistance in wheat.Biochemical analysis indicated that the mutation in Ta ALS increased the tolerance of Ta ALS to inhibition by IMI.Our work details the genetic and molecular characterization of als wheat mutants,provides a foundation for understanding IMI resistance and breeding wheat varieties with herbicide resistance,and indicates that genetic screening using a mutagenized pool is an effective and important means of breeding crops with additional desired agricultural traits.

The impact of migration on the food consumption and nutrition of left-behind family members: Evidence from a minority mountainous region of southwestern China

While migration is widely recognized as a valid option for improving farmers’ income, the welfare effects of migration on left-behind family members are ambiguous. This study examines the impacts of migration on left-behind family members’ food consumption and nutrient intake, particularly in remote rural areas in China. Based on household survey data collected from 611 smallholder rubber farmers in Xishuangbanna Dai Autonomous Prefecture of southwestern China, the empirical results suggest that the migration of family members contributes to improving household net income, whereas it negatively affects left-behind family members’ consumption of grain and pork. Migration also leads to a decrease in left-behind family members’ nutrient intake. Surprisingly, the economic returns of farmers’ migration not only do not foster the transformation of household food consumption from a staple food-dominated dietary structure to one including more meat and dairy products but also reduce left-behind family members’ nutrient intake. This study adds to the literature on the impact of farmers’ migration. The findings have important implications for better understanding the impacts of migration on farmers’ livelihood and human capital development in rural China.

The power of informal institutions:The impact of clan culture on the depression of the elderly in rural China

Exploration of ways to improve the subjective welfare of residents is an important area of current academic research.Using data from the China Family Panel Studies survey conducted in 2010,this paper investigated the impact of clan culture on the mental health of elderly people in rural China.The results demonstrated that clan culture can significantly decrease the depression score of the rural elderly.Further,there was no gender difference with respect to the impact of clan culture on the depression score of the elderly.At the same time,the positive effects of clan culture on the depression score of the elderly have gradually weakened with economic development.Exploration of the mechanisms involved indicated that in areas with stronger clan culture,older people receive more social support.This study enriches our understanding of the impact of informal institutions on the welfare of rural residents.At the same time,it can also provide a certain decisionmaking reference for the government to formulate relative poverty relief strategies in a new stage of poverty alleviation.

The impact of Bt cotton adoption on the stability of pesticide use

Even though the impact of Bacillus thuringiensis （Bt） cotton on pesticide use has been well documented, all previous stud- ies focus on the mean value of pesticide use. Using seven unique waves of panel data collected between 1999 and 2012 in China, we show that Bt cotton adoption has not only caused a reduction of the mean value of pasticide use, but also a reduction of the standard deviation of pesticide use. We conclude that Bt technology adoption has also contributed to the stability of pesticide use in cotton production. We believe that this contribution is theoretically and practically relevant because of the long length of our unique dataset.

Rural transformation,income growth,and poverty reduction by region in China in the past four decades

China has experienced rapid rural transformation in the past four decades.Accompanying the rapid transformation is a significant rise in rural household income and a substantial fall in rural poverty.This paper examines the evolutions of and the relationships between rural transformation(high-value agriculture and rural non-farm employment)and its outcomes(per capita rural income and rural poverty incidence)using provincial-level data.The results show that 31 provinces/autonomous regions/municipalities have undergone significant rural transformation,but the level and speed of rural transformation differed considerably.Moreover,an increased level of rural transformation is often associated with higher per capita rural income and reduced rural poverty incidence.Notably,a category of provincial rural transformation based on high-value agriculture and rural non-farm employment is also analyzed.We further discuss the likely impacts of institutions,policies,and investments(IPIs)on rural transformation and conclude with policy implications.

Does nature-based solution sustain grassland quality? Evidence from rotational grazing practice in China

Rotational grazing is considered as one of the nature-based solutions(NbS)to grassland protection by natural scientists.However,its effects on improving grassland quality are still unclear when it is adopted by herders.Using a householdlevel panel data from field survey in two main pastoral provinces of China,empirical results from fixed-effect model and instrumental approach show that rotational grazing practices have insignificant short-term effects on grassland quality,but have positive long-term effects.In addition,rotational grazing practices can improve grassland quality when villages invest public infrastructure or herders have private supporting measures for more efficiency livestock production.Further analysis shows that herders adopting rotational grazing have higher grazing intensity,higher supplementary intensity and more livestock-house-feeding days,which indicate herders can utilize more efficient livestock management without increasing pressure on natural grassland.We also find that herders with pastoral income are more likely to adopt rotational grazing practice.These insightful findings offer policy implications on promoting grassroot NbS for ecosystem protection and resource utilization in developing pastoral countries.

TATA-box binding protein-associated factor 2 regulates grain size in rice

Grain size,characterized by a combination of grain length,width,and thickness,is one of the major determinants of yield in rice.The present study identified TATA-box binding protein-associated factor 2(TAF2)as an essential component regulating transcription and determining grain size in rice.Map-based cloning showed that a G/T substitution in TAF2 resulted in a naturally occurring mutant called reduced grain size and plant height 1(rgh1).The mutants,with weak edited rgh1 alleles,exhibited a small grain phenotype with reduced grain length and width,while the severe knockout mutant(rgh1-2s)was dwarf and completely sterile.Allelic test performed between rgh1 and several edited alleles confirmed that the mutation in TAF2 caused the rgh1 phenotype.GUS staining showed that TAF2 was mainly expressed in the vascular bundles of roots,stems,leaves,and grains.The cytological analysis revealed that reduced cell division in the glumes resulted in the small grain phenotype of rgh1.Further RNA-sequencing detected altered expression of genes involved in the basic biological processes in rgh1 mutant.These findings provide novel insights into the TAF2-mediated genetic mechanism regulating grain size in rice.

Accelerating rural transformation in Asian developing countries

All developing countries experience a process of rural transformation(RT),and the evidence available to date says that economies that transform their rural sectors more rapidly achieve faster growth and are also more inclusive.However,not all countries are successful.This special focus contains five papers related to the nature of rural transformation,its components,and consequences.

Single-nucleus RNA and ATAC sequencing analyses provide molecular insights into early pod development of peanut fruit

Peanut(Arachis hypogaea L.)is an important leguminous oil and economic crop that produces flowers aboveground and fruits belowground.Subterranean fruit-pod development,which significantly affects peanut production,involves complex molecular mechanisms that likely require the coordinated regulation of multiple genes in different tissues.To investigate the molecular mechanisms that underlie peanut fruitpod development,we characterized the anatomical features of early fruit-pod development and integrated single-nucleus RNA-sequencing(snRNA-seq)and single-nucleus assay for transposase-accessible chromatin with sequencing(snATAC-seq)data at the single-cell level.We identified distinct cell types,such as meristem,embryo,vascular tissue,cuticular layer,and stele cells within the shell wall.These specific cell types were used to examine potential molecular changes unique to each cell type during pivotal stages of fruit-pod development.snRNA-seq analyses of differentially expressed genes revealed cell-type-specific insights that were not previously obtainable from transcriptome analyses of bulk RNA.For instance,we identified MADS-box genes that contributes to the formation of parenchyma cells and gravity-related genes that are present in the vascular cells,indicating an essential role for the vascular cells in peg gravitropism.Overall,our single-nucleus analysis provides comprehensive and novel information on specific cell types,gene expression,and chromatin accessibility during the early stages of fruit-pod development.This information will enhance our understanding of the mechanisms that underlie fruit-pod development in peanut and contribute to efforts aimed at improving peanut production.