High planting density is essential to increasing maize grain yield.However,single plants suffer from insufficient light under high planting density.Ammonium(NH_4^+)assimilation consumes less energy converted from radi...High planting density is essential to increasing maize grain yield.However,single plants suffer from insufficient light under high planting density.Ammonium(NH_4^+)assimilation consumes less energy converted from radiation than nitrateIt is hypothesized that a mixed NO_3~–/NH_4^+supply is more important to improving plant growth and population productivity under high vs.low planting density.Maize plants were grown under hydroponic conditions at two planting densities(low density:only).A significant interaction effect was found between planting density and N form on plant biomass.Compared to nitrate only,75/25NO_3~–/NH_4^+increased per-plant biomass by 44%under low density,but by 81%under high density.Treatment with 75/25NO_3~–/NH_4^+increased plant ATP,photosynthetic rate,and carbon amount per plant by 31,7,and 44%under low density,respectively,but by 51,23,and 95%under high density.Accordingly,carbon level per plant under 75/25NO_3~–/NH_4^+was improved,which increased leaf area,specific leaf weight and total root length,especially for high planting density,increased by 57,17 and 63%,respectively.Furthermore,under low density,75/25NO_3~–/NH_4^+increased nitrogen uptake rate,while under high density,75/25NO_3~–/NH_4^+increased nitrogen,phosphorus,copper and iron uptake rates.By increasing energy use efficiency,an optimum NO_3~–/NH_4^+ratio can improve plant growth and nutrient uptake efficiency,especially under high planting density.In summary,an appropriate supply of NH_4^+in addition to nitrate can greatly improve plant growth and promote population productivity of maize under high planting density,and therefore a mixed N form is recommended for high-yielding maize management in the field.展开更多
Maize plants adapt to low phosphorus (P) stress by increasing root growth. It is of importance to know the extent to which genetic improvement of root growth can enhance P acquisiton. In the present study, the contr...Maize plants adapt to low phosphorus (P) stress by increasing root growth. It is of importance to know the extent to which genetic improvement of root growth can enhance P acquisiton. In the present study, the contribution of root growth improvement to efficient P acquisition was evaluated in two soils using T149 and T222, a pair of near isogenic maize testcrosses which were derived from a backcross BC 4 F 3 population. T149 and T222 showed no difference in shoot biomass and leaf area under normal growth conditions, but differed greatly in root growth. T149 had longer lateral roots and a larger root surface area compared to T222. In calcareous soil, when P was insufficient, i.e., when P was either supplied as KH 2 PO 4 at a concentration of 50 mg P kg-1 soil, or in the form of Phy-P, Ca3-P or Ca10-P, a 43% increase in root length in T149 compared to T222 resulted in an increase in P uptake by 53%, and shoot biomass by 48%. In acid soil, however, when P supply was insufficient, i.e., when P was supplied as KH 2 PO 4 at a concentration of 100 mg P kg-1 soil, or in the form of Phy-P, Fe-P or Al-P, a 32% increase in root length in T149 compared to T222 resulted in an increase in P uptake by only 12%, and shoot biomass by 7%. No significant differences in the exudation of organic acids and APase activity were found between the two genotypes. It is concluded that genetic improvement of root growth can efficiently increase P acquisition in calcareous soils. In acid soils, however, improvements in the physiological traits of roots, in addition to their size, seem to be required for efficient P acquisition.展开更多
Maize plants respond to low-nitrogen stress by enhancing root elongation. The underlying physiological mechanism remains unknown. Seedlings of maize (Zea mays L., cv. Zhengdan 958) were grown in hydroponics with the...Maize plants respond to low-nitrogen stress by enhancing root elongation. The underlying physiological mechanism remains unknown. Seedlings of maize (Zea mays L., cv. Zhengdan 958) were grown in hydroponics with the control (4 mmol L-1) or low-nitrogen (40 μmol L-1) for 12 d, supplied as nitrate. Low nitrogen enhanced root elongation rate by 4.1-fold, accompanied by increases in cell production rate by 2.2-fold, maximal elemental elongation rate (by 2.5-fold), the length of elongation zone (by 1.5-fold), and ifnal cell length by 1.8-fold. On low nitrogen, the higher cell production rate resulted from a higher cell division rate and in fact the number of dividing cells was reduced. Consequently, the residence time of a cell in the division zone tended to be shorter under low nitrogen. In addition, low nitrogen increased root diameter, an increase that occurred speciifcally in the cortex and was accompanied by an increase in cell number. It is concluded that roots elongates in response to low-nitrogen stress by accelerating cell production and expansion.展开更多
Nitrogen(N)is unevenly distributed throughout the soil and plant roots proliferate in N-rich soil patches.However,the relationship between the root response to localized N supply and maize N uptake efficiency among di...Nitrogen(N)is unevenly distributed throughout the soil and plant roots proliferate in N-rich soil patches.However,the relationship between the root response to localized N supply and maize N uptake efficiency among different genotypes is unclear.In this study,four maize varieties were evaluated to explore genotypic differences in the root response to local N application in relation to N uptake.A split-root system was established for hydroponically-grown plants and two methods of local N application(local banding and local dotting)were examined in the field.Genotypic differences in the root length response to N were highly correlated between the hydroponic and field conditions(r>0.99).Genotypes showing high response to N,ZD958,XY335 and XF32D22,showed 50‒63%longer lateral root length and 36‒53%greater root biomass in N-rich regions under hydroponic conditions,while the LY13 genotype did not respond to N.Under field conditions,the root length of the high-response genotypes was found to increase by 66‒75%at 40‒60 cm soil depth,while LY13 showed smaller changes in root length.In addition,local N application increased N uptake at the post-silking stage by 16‒88%in the high-response genotypes and increased the grain yield of ZD958 by 10‒12%.Moreover,yield was positively correlated with root length at 40‒60 cm soil depth(r=0.39).We conclude that local fertilization should be used for high-response genotypes,which can be rapidly identified at the seedling stage,and selection for“local-N responsive roots”can be a promising trait in maize breeding for high nitrogen uptake efficiency.展开更多
Plant height is one of the most important agronomic traits associated with yield in maize.In this study,a gibberellins(GA)-insensitive dwarf mutant,m34,was screened from inbred line Ye478 by treatment with the chemica...Plant height is one of the most important agronomic traits associated with yield in maize.In this study,a gibberellins(GA)-insensitive dwarf mutant,m34,was screened from inbred line Ye478 by treatment with the chemical mutagen ethylmethanesulfonate(EMS).Compared to Ye478,m34 showed a dwarf phenotype with shorter internodes,and smaller leaf length and width,but with similar leaf number.Furthermore,m34 exhibited smaller guard cells in internodes than Ye478,suggesting that smaller cells might contribute to its dwarf phenotype.Genetic analysis indicated that the m34 dwarf phenotype was controlled by a recessive nuclear gene.An F2 population derived from a cross between m34 and B73 was used for mutational gene cloning and this gene was mapped to a chromosome region between umc2189 and umc1553 in chromosome 1 bin1.10,which harbored a previously identified dwarf gene Zm VP8.Sequencing analysis showed a nucleotide substitution(G1606 to A1606)in the sixth exon of ZmVP8,which resulted in an amino acid change(E531 to K531)from Ye478 to m34.This amino acid change resulted in anα-helix changing to aβ-sheet in the secondary protein structure and the‘SPEC’domain changed to a‘BOT1NT’domain in the tertiary protein structure.Taken together,these results suggested that m34 is a novel allelic mutant originally derived from Ye478 that is useful for further ZmVP8 functional analysis in maize.展开更多
Aldehyde dehydrogenases(ALDHs) represent a large protein family, which includes several members that catalyze the oxidation of an aldehyde to its corresponding carboxylic acid in plants. Genes encoding members of th...Aldehyde dehydrogenases(ALDHs) represent a large protein family, which includes several members that catalyze the oxidation of an aldehyde to its corresponding carboxylic acid in plants. Genes encoding members of the ALDH7 subfamily have been suggested to play important roles in various stress adaptations in plants. In this study, quantitative RT-PCR analysis revealed that a maize ALDH7 subfamily member(ZmALDH7B6) was constitutively expressed in various organs, including roots, leaves, immature ears, tassels, and developing seeds. The abundance of ZmALDH7B6 mRNA transcripts in maize roots was increased by ammonium, NaCl, and mannitol treatments. To further analyze tissue-specific and stress-induced expression patterns, the 1.5-kb 5′-flanking ZmALDH7B6 promoter region was fused to the β-glucuronidase(GUS) reporter gene and introduced into maize plants. In roots of independent transgenic lines, there was significant induction of GUS activity in response to ammonium supply, confirming ammonium-dependent expression of ZmALDH7B6 at the transcript level. Histochemical staining showed that GUS activity driven by the ZmALDH7B6 promoter was mainly localized in the vascular tissues of maize roots. These results suggested that ZmALDH7B6 is induced by multiple environmental stresses in maize roots, and may play a role in detoxifying aldehydes, particularly in vascular tissue.展开更多
In maize,two root epidermis-expressed ammonium transporters ZmAMT1;1a and ZmAMT1;3 play major roles in highaffinity ammonium uptake.However,the transcriptional regulation of ZmAMT1s in roots for ensuring optimal ammon...In maize,two root epidermis-expressed ammonium transporters ZmAMT1;1a and ZmAMT1;3 play major roles in highaffinity ammonium uptake.However,the transcriptional regulation of ZmAMT1s in roots for ensuring optimal ammonium acquisition remains largely unknown.Here,using a split root system we showed that ZmAMT1;1a and ZmAMT1;3transcript levels were induced by localized ammonium supply to nitrogen-deficient roots.This enhanced expression of Zm AMT1s correlated with increases in ^(15)NH_(4)^(+)influx rates and tissue glutamine concentrations in roots.When ammonium was supplied together with methionine sulfoximine,an inhibitor of glutamine synthase,ammonium-induced expression of ZmAMT1s disappeared,suggesting that glutamine rather than ammonium itself regulated ZmAMT1s expression.When glutamine was supplied to nitrogen-deficient roots,expression levels of ZmAMT1s were enhanced,and negative feedback regulation could subsequently occur by supply of glutamine at a high level.Thus,our results indicated an ammonium-dependent regulation of ZmAMT1s at transcript levels,and a dual role of glutamine was suggested in the regulation of ammonium uptake in maize roots.展开更多
基金supported by the National Basic Research Program of China(2015CB150402)the National Natural Science Foundation of China(31672221 and 31421092)
文摘High planting density is essential to increasing maize grain yield.However,single plants suffer from insufficient light under high planting density.Ammonium(NH_4^+)assimilation consumes less energy converted from radiation than nitrateIt is hypothesized that a mixed NO_3~–/NH_4^+supply is more important to improving plant growth and population productivity under high vs.low planting density.Maize plants were grown under hydroponic conditions at two planting densities(low density:only).A significant interaction effect was found between planting density and N form on plant biomass.Compared to nitrate only,75/25NO_3~–/NH_4^+increased per-plant biomass by 44%under low density,but by 81%under high density.Treatment with 75/25NO_3~–/NH_4^+increased plant ATP,photosynthetic rate,and carbon amount per plant by 31,7,and 44%under low density,respectively,but by 51,23,and 95%under high density.Accordingly,carbon level per plant under 75/25NO_3~–/NH_4^+was improved,which increased leaf area,specific leaf weight and total root length,especially for high planting density,increased by 57,17 and 63%,respectively.Furthermore,under low density,75/25NO_3~–/NH_4^+increased nitrogen uptake rate,while under high density,75/25NO_3~–/NH_4^+increased nitrogen,phosphorus,copper and iron uptake rates.By increasing energy use efficiency,an optimum NO_3~–/NH_4^+ratio can improve plant growth and nutrient uptake efficiency,especially under high planting density.In summary,an appropriate supply of NH_4^+in addition to nitrate can greatly improve plant growth and promote population productivity of maize under high planting density,and therefore a mixed N form is recommended for high-yielding maize management in the field.
基金supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(31121062and31071852)EU Seventh Framework Programme of European Union(NUE-CROPS,222645)the Special Fund for the Agricultural Profession of China(201103003)
文摘Maize plants adapt to low phosphorus (P) stress by increasing root growth. It is of importance to know the extent to which genetic improvement of root growth can enhance P acquisiton. In the present study, the contribution of root growth improvement to efficient P acquisition was evaluated in two soils using T149 and T222, a pair of near isogenic maize testcrosses which were derived from a backcross BC 4 F 3 population. T149 and T222 showed no difference in shoot biomass and leaf area under normal growth conditions, but differed greatly in root growth. T149 had longer lateral roots and a larger root surface area compared to T222. In calcareous soil, when P was insufficient, i.e., when P was either supplied as KH 2 PO 4 at a concentration of 50 mg P kg-1 soil, or in the form of Phy-P, Ca3-P or Ca10-P, a 43% increase in root length in T149 compared to T222 resulted in an increase in P uptake by 53%, and shoot biomass by 48%. In acid soil, however, when P supply was insufficient, i.e., when P was supplied as KH 2 PO 4 at a concentration of 100 mg P kg-1 soil, or in the form of Phy-P, Fe-P or Al-P, a 32% increase in root length in T149 compared to T222 resulted in an increase in P uptake by only 12%, and shoot biomass by 7%. No significant differences in the exudation of organic acids and APase activity were found between the two genotypes. It is concluded that genetic improvement of root growth can efficiently increase P acquisition in calcareous soils. In acid soils, however, improvements in the physiological traits of roots, in addition to their size, seem to be required for efficient P acquisition.
基金financially supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (31071852 and 31121062)
文摘Maize plants respond to low-nitrogen stress by enhancing root elongation. The underlying physiological mechanism remains unknown. Seedlings of maize (Zea mays L., cv. Zhengdan 958) were grown in hydroponics with the control (4 mmol L-1) or low-nitrogen (40 μmol L-1) for 12 d, supplied as nitrate. Low nitrogen enhanced root elongation rate by 4.1-fold, accompanied by increases in cell production rate by 2.2-fold, maximal elemental elongation rate (by 2.5-fold), the length of elongation zone (by 1.5-fold), and ifnal cell length by 1.8-fold. On low nitrogen, the higher cell production rate resulted from a higher cell division rate and in fact the number of dividing cells was reduced. Consequently, the residence time of a cell in the division zone tended to be shorter under low nitrogen. In addition, low nitrogen increased root diameter, an increase that occurred speciifcally in the cortex and was accompanied by an increase in cell number. It is concluded that roots elongates in response to low-nitrogen stress by accelerating cell production and expansion.
基金supported by the Hainan Provincial Natural Science Foundation of China(321CXTD443)the National Natural Science Foundation of China(31972485 and 31971948).
文摘Nitrogen(N)is unevenly distributed throughout the soil and plant roots proliferate in N-rich soil patches.However,the relationship between the root response to localized N supply and maize N uptake efficiency among different genotypes is unclear.In this study,four maize varieties were evaluated to explore genotypic differences in the root response to local N application in relation to N uptake.A split-root system was established for hydroponically-grown plants and two methods of local N application(local banding and local dotting)were examined in the field.Genotypic differences in the root length response to N were highly correlated between the hydroponic and field conditions(r>0.99).Genotypes showing high response to N,ZD958,XY335 and XF32D22,showed 50‒63%longer lateral root length and 36‒53%greater root biomass in N-rich regions under hydroponic conditions,while the LY13 genotype did not respond to N.Under field conditions,the root length of the high-response genotypes was found to increase by 66‒75%at 40‒60 cm soil depth,while LY13 showed smaller changes in root length.In addition,local N application increased N uptake at the post-silking stage by 16‒88%in the high-response genotypes and increased the grain yield of ZD958 by 10‒12%.Moreover,yield was positively correlated with root length at 40‒60 cm soil depth(r=0.39).We conclude that local fertilization should be used for high-response genotypes,which can be rapidly identified at the seedling stage,and selection for“local-N responsive roots”can be a promising trait in maize breeding for high nitrogen uptake efficiency.
基金supported by the National Key R&D Program of China(2016YFD0101803)the earmarked fund for China Agriculture Research System(CARS-02-10)+1 种基金the National Natural Science Foundation of China(31771891)the Chinese University Scientific Fund(2015ZH001)
文摘Plant height is one of the most important agronomic traits associated with yield in maize.In this study,a gibberellins(GA)-insensitive dwarf mutant,m34,was screened from inbred line Ye478 by treatment with the chemical mutagen ethylmethanesulfonate(EMS).Compared to Ye478,m34 showed a dwarf phenotype with shorter internodes,and smaller leaf length and width,but with similar leaf number.Furthermore,m34 exhibited smaller guard cells in internodes than Ye478,suggesting that smaller cells might contribute to its dwarf phenotype.Genetic analysis indicated that the m34 dwarf phenotype was controlled by a recessive nuclear gene.An F2 population derived from a cross between m34 and B73 was used for mutational gene cloning and this gene was mapped to a chromosome region between umc2189 and umc1553 in chromosome 1 bin1.10,which harbored a previously identified dwarf gene Zm VP8.Sequencing analysis showed a nucleotide substitution(G1606 to A1606)in the sixth exon of ZmVP8,which resulted in an amino acid change(E531 to K531)from Ye478 to m34.This amino acid change resulted in anα-helix changing to aβ-sheet in the secondary protein structure and the‘SPEC’domain changed to a‘BOT1NT’domain in the tertiary protein structure.Taken together,these results suggested that m34 is a novel allelic mutant originally derived from Ye478 that is useful for further ZmVP8 functional analysis in maize.
基金financially supported by the National 863 Program of China(2012AA100306)the National 973 Program of China(2011CB100305)+1 种基金the National Natural Science Foundation of China(30971863,31121062)the Ministry of Agriculture of China(2011ZX08003-005)
文摘Aldehyde dehydrogenases(ALDHs) represent a large protein family, which includes several members that catalyze the oxidation of an aldehyde to its corresponding carboxylic acid in plants. Genes encoding members of the ALDH7 subfamily have been suggested to play important roles in various stress adaptations in plants. In this study, quantitative RT-PCR analysis revealed that a maize ALDH7 subfamily member(ZmALDH7B6) was constitutively expressed in various organs, including roots, leaves, immature ears, tassels, and developing seeds. The abundance of ZmALDH7B6 mRNA transcripts in maize roots was increased by ammonium, NaCl, and mannitol treatments. To further analyze tissue-specific and stress-induced expression patterns, the 1.5-kb 5′-flanking ZmALDH7B6 promoter region was fused to the β-glucuronidase(GUS) reporter gene and introduced into maize plants. In roots of independent transgenic lines, there was significant induction of GUS activity in response to ammonium supply, confirming ammonium-dependent expression of ZmALDH7B6 at the transcript level. Histochemical staining showed that GUS activity driven by the ZmALDH7B6 promoter was mainly localized in the vascular tissues of maize roots. These results suggested that ZmALDH7B6 is induced by multiple environmental stresses in maize roots, and may play a role in detoxifying aldehydes, particularly in vascular tissue.
基金financially supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(31471934 and 30971863)the Major Project of China on New Varieties of GMO Cultivation(2016ZX08003-005)。
文摘In maize,two root epidermis-expressed ammonium transporters ZmAMT1;1a and ZmAMT1;3 play major roles in highaffinity ammonium uptake.However,the transcriptional regulation of ZmAMT1s in roots for ensuring optimal ammonium acquisition remains largely unknown.Here,using a split root system we showed that ZmAMT1;1a and ZmAMT1;3transcript levels were induced by localized ammonium supply to nitrogen-deficient roots.This enhanced expression of Zm AMT1s correlated with increases in ^(15)NH_(4)^(+)influx rates and tissue glutamine concentrations in roots.When ammonium was supplied together with methionine sulfoximine,an inhibitor of glutamine synthase,ammonium-induced expression of ZmAMT1s disappeared,suggesting that glutamine rather than ammonium itself regulated ZmAMT1s expression.When glutamine was supplied to nitrogen-deficient roots,expression levels of ZmAMT1s were enhanced,and negative feedback regulation could subsequently occur by supply of glutamine at a high level.Thus,our results indicated an ammonium-dependent regulation of ZmAMT1s at transcript levels,and a dual role of glutamine was suggested in the regulation of ammonium uptake in maize roots.