Trehalose:A sugar molecule involved in temperature stress management in plants

Trehalose(Tre)is a non-reducing disaccharide found in many species,including bacteria,fungi,invertebrates,yeast,and even plants,where it acts as an osmoprotectant,energy source,or protein/membrane protector.Despite relatively small amounts in plants,Tre concentrations increase following exposure to abiotic stressors.Trehalose-6-phosphate,a precursor of Tre,has regulatory functions in sugar metabolism,crop production,and stress tolerance.Among the various abiotic stresses,temperature extremes(heat or cold stress)are anticipated to impact crop production worldwide due to ongoing climate changes.Applying small amounts of Tre can mitigate negative physiological,metabolic,and molecular responses triggered by temperature stress.Trehalose also interacts with other sugars,osmoprotectants,amino acids,and phytohormones to regulate metabolic reprogramming that underpins temperature stress adaptation.Transformed plants expressing Tre-synthesis genes accumulate Tre and show improved stress tolerance.Genome-wide studies of Tre-encoding genes suggest roles in plant growth,development,and stress tolerance.This review discusses the functions of Tre in mitigating temperature stress—highlighting genetic engineering approaches to modify Tre metabolism,crosstalk,and interactions with other molecules—and in-silico approaches for identifying novel Tre-encoding genes in diverse plant species.We consider how this knowledge can be used to develop temperature-resilient crops essential for sustainable agriculture.

Better tillage selection before ridge–furrow film mulch can facilitate root proliferation, and increase nitrogen accumulation,translocation and grain yield of maize in a semiarid area

Plastic film mulch systems are used widely in arid areas, and the associated tillage measures affect soil properties, root and crop growth, and nutrient uptake. However, much debate surrounds the most suitable tillage method for plastic film mulch systems. We conducted a two-year field experiment to explore the impact of three tillage treatments-rotary tillage before ridge–furrow plastic film mulch(MR), no-tillage before ridge–furrow plastic film mulch(MZ), and plow tillage before ridge–furrow plastic film mulch(MP)-on soil total nitrogen, available nitrogen, root stratification structure,nitrogen transfer and utilization, and maize yield. The results showed that MP had better soil quality than either MR or MZ over 2019 and 2020, with higher nitrate-nitrogen and total nitrogen in the 0–40 cm soil layer. MP improved the soil physicochemical properties more than the other treatments, producing significantly higher root numbers and root biomass for the aerial and underground nodal roots than MR and MZ. At harvest, MP had the highest root biomass density,root length density, and root surface area density in the different soil layers(0–20, 20–40, and 0–40 cm). Significant correlations occurred between root biomass and aboveground nitrogen accumulation during maize growth. During grain filling, MP had the greatest nitrogen transfer amount, significantly increasing root and aboveground nitrogen transfer by 19.63–45.82% and 11.15–24.56%, respectively, relative to the other treatments. MP significantly produced 1.36–26.73%higher grain yields and a higher grain crude protein content at harvest than MR and MZ. MP also had higher values for the nitrogen harvest index, nitrogen uptake efficiency, and partial factor productivity of nitrogen fertilizer than MR and MZ.In conclusion, plow tillage combined with a ridge–furrow plastic film mulch system facilitated maize root development and improved nitrogen utilization, thereby increasing maize yield more than the other treatments.

Ameliorative effects of potassium on drought-induced decreases in fiber length of cotton(Gossypium hirsutum L.) are associated with osmolyte dynamics during fiber development

Fiber length of cotton(Gossypium hirsutum L.)decreases under drought stress,potassium(K)could diminish the decreased caused by drought,but the mechanism associated with this alleviation effect is not clear.We evaluated the effect of K on fiber elongation using two cotton cultivars,Simian 3 and Siza 3,grown in well-watered and drought-stressed conditions.Potassium fertilizer(K2O)was applied 0,150,or 300 kg ha?1 in each growing condition.Drought stress reduced the final fiber length due to a decline in the maximum rate of rapid elongation(Vmax,mmday?1).The application of K alleviated the droughtinduced fiber length reduction by increasing Vmax.At 10 and 15 days post-anthesis(DPA),drought significantly reduced osmotic potential(OP)and increased K+and malate contents at all K rates,relative to well-watered conditions,which was associated with increased activities of phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase(PEPC),V-ATPase,PPase,and PM H+-ATPase in cotton fiber.However,the relative contribution of K+and malate to OP declined under drought in comparison with well-watered condition.Compared with control without K,K application decreased OP and increased the accumulation of osmolytes(K+,malate and soluble sugar)as well as the activities of related enzymes in fiber irrespective of water treatments.Moreover,K application increased osmotic adjustment during drought,and improved the contribution of K+and malate to OP,especially under drought stress.This study showed that drought decreased fiber length by reducing Vmax,and K application ameliorates the decline in fiber elongation due to drought by enhancing osmolytes accumulation and their contribution to OP in fiber cells.

地标生境技术援助粮农组织“一国一品”计划亚太区域实施的能力建设

为期十天的“优质地理产品生境保护与可持续发展(地标生境)技术转让支持联合国粮农组织‘一国一品’(One Country One Priority Product)亚太区域实施能力建设国际会议”(以下简称“能力建设国际会议”)于2023年8月22日在中国科学院地理科学与资源研究所落下帷幕。来自孟加拉、不丹、尼泊尔、柬埔寨、巴布亚新几内亚五国承担粮农组织-一国一品项目任务的政府官员和国家代表,以及来自澳大利亚、德国、粮农组织亚太区域办公室官员以及中国专家和有关领导参加了这次国际会议。会议由粮农组织亚太区域办公室高级政策官员、亚太区域一国一品项目协调人、工作组组长李轩博士和中国科学院地理科学与资源研究所研究员、地标生境首席专家、粮农组织-一国一品亚太区域组织组(ROG)副主席刘闯博士担任共同主席。

Sequencing of Cultivated Peanut, Arachis hypogaea, Yields Insights into Genome Evolution and Oil Improvement

Cultivated peanut (Arachis hypogaea) is an allotetraploid crop planted in Asia, Africa, and America for edible oil and protein. To explore the origins and consequences of tetraploidy, we sequenced the allotetraploid A. hypogaea genome and compared it with the related diploid Arachis duranensis and Arachis ipaensis genomes. We annotated 39 888 A-subgenome genes and 41 526 B-subgenome genes in allotetraploid peanut. The A. hypogaea subgenomes have evolved asymmetrically, with the B subgenome resembling the ancestral state and the A subgenome undergoing more gene disruption, loss, conversion, and transposable element proliferation, and having reduced gene expression during seed development despite lacking genome-wide expression dominance. Genomic and transcriptomic analyses identified more than 2 500 oil metabolism-related genes and revealed that most of them show altered expression early in seed development while their expression ceases during desiccation, presenting a comprehensive map of peanut lipid biosynthesis. The availability of these genomic resources will facilitate a better understanding of the complex genome architecture, agronomically and economically important genes, and genetic improvement of peanut.

Carbon Isotope Discrimination is not Correlated with Transpiration Efficiency in Three Cool-Season Grain Legumes(Pulses)

The carbon isotope discrimination （δ^13C） of leaves has been shown to be correlated with the transpiration efficiency of leaves in a wide range of species. This has led to δ^13C being used in breeding programs to select for improved transpiration efficiency. The correlation between δ^13C and transpiration efficiency was determined under well-watered conditions during the vegetative phase in six genotypes of lentil （Lens culinaris Medikus）, six genotypes of chickpea （Cicerarietinum L.） and 10 cultivars of narrow-leafed lupin （Lupinus angustifolius L.）. Biomass （dry matter） accumulation and water use （transpiration） varied among the genotypes in all three species and transpiration efficiency was 40% to 75% higher in the most efficient compared with the least efficient genotypes. However, δ^13C and transpiration efficiency were not significantly correlated in any of the species. This suggests that the δ^13C technique cannot be used in selection for transpiration efficiency in the three grain legumes （pulses） studied.

Effects of different continuous fertilizer managements on soil total nitrogen stocks in China: A meta-analysis

Soil total nitrogen is critical for crop productivity and related to agricultural managements. However, the effects of different fertilizer applications on soil total nitrogen storage are not well understood. To quantify soil total nitrogen storage under different fertilizer management practices and explore the effects of climate, soil texture, experimental duration, and cropping system on soil total nitrogen storage in China, we conducted a meta-analysis of 67 fertilizer management strategies from experiments conducted over a period of at least three years. This meta-analysis included 854 observations of changes in soil total nitrogen stock(TNS) under no fertilizer application(control, CK), chemical fertilization with nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium(CF), CF plus straw retention(CFS), and CF plus manure addition(CFM) relative to initial soil TNS. The CFM and CFS treatments increased soil TNS, and the CFM treatments increased soil C/N ratio the most. The longer the experimental duration, the greater the increase in soil TNS in the CF, CFS, and CFM treatments.Soil texture and crop type significantly affected the changes in soil TNS. The experimental duration, initial soil TNS, soil C/N ratio, and cropping system had significant linear correlations with the change in soil TNS. Temperature and precipitation were not correlated with soil TNS. Results of random forest modeling indicated that the most important factor affecting changes in soil TNS was experimental duration(positive correlation), followed by initial soil TNS(negative correlation). The CFM treatments had the largest increase in soil TNS under various conditions. We recommend promoting CFM to improve soil fertility in farmlands globally.

Ephemeral gully recognition and accuracy evaluation using deep learning in the hilly and gully region of the Loess Plateau in China

Ephemeral gullies are widely distributed in the hilly and gully region of the Loess Plateau and play a unique role in the slope gully erosion system.Rapid and accurate identification of ephemeral gullies impacts the distribution law and development trend of soil erosion on the Loess Plateau.Deep learning algorithms can quickly and accurately process large data samples that recognize ephemeral gullies from remote sensing images.Here,we investigated ephemeral gullies in the Zhoutungou watershed in the hilly and gully region of the Loess Plateau in China using satellite and unmanned aerial vehicle images and combined a deep learning image semantic segmentation model to realize automatic recognition and feature extraction.Using Accuracy,Precision,Recall,F1value,and AUC,we compared the ephemeral gully recognition results and accuracy evaluation of U-Net,R2U-Net,and SegNet image semantic segmentation models.The SegNet model was ranked first,followed by the R2U-Net and U-Net models,for ephemeral gully recognition in the hilly and gully region of the Loess Plateau.The ephemeral gully length and width between predicted and measured values had RMSE values of 6.78 m and 0.50 m,respectively,indicating that the model has an excellent recognition effect.This study identified a fast and accurate method for ephemeral gully recognition in the hilly and gully region of the Loess Plateau based on remote sensing images to provide an academic reference and practical guidance for soil erosion monitoring and slope and gully management in the Loess Plateau region.

STRATEGIES FOR IMPROVING WATER USE EFFICIENCY IN DRYLAND AGROECOSYSTEMS

1 INTRODUCTION Rainfed cultivation is under pressure in dryland agroecosystems in developing countries and is a major concern for subsistence farmers. Alternate crop management and efficient water use practices may help improve water use efficiencies(WUE) in the dryland farming systems.