Natural variation in the cytochrome c oxidase subunit 5B OsCOX5B regulates seed vigor by altering energy production in rice

Seed vigor is a crucial trait for the direct seeding of rice.Here we examined the genetic regulation of seed vigor traits in rice,including germination index(GI)and germination potential(GP),using a genome-wide association study approach.One major quantitative trait locus,qGI6/qGP6,was identified simultaneously for both GI and GP.The candidate gene encoding the cytochrome c oxidase subunit 5B(OsCOX5B)was validated for qGI6/qGP6.The disruption of OsCOX5B caused the vigor traits to be significantly lower in Oscox5b mutants than in the japonica Nipponbare wild type(WT).Gene co-expression analysis revealed that OsCOX5B influences seed vigor mainly by modulating the tricarboxylic acid cycle process.The glucose levels were significantly higher while the pyruvic acid and adenosine triphosphate levels were significantly lower in Oscox5b mutants than in WT during seed germination.The elite haplotype of OsCOX5B facilitates seed vigor by increasing its expression during seed germination.Thus,we propose that OsCOX5B is a potential target for the breeding of rice varieties with enhanced seed vigor for direct seeding.

Relationship between Vegetation Index and Forest Surface Fuel Load in UAV Multispectral Remote Sensing

[Objectives]To explore the relationship between vegetation index and forest surface fuel load.[Methods]UAV multispectral remote sensing was used to obtain large-scale forest images and obtain structural data of forest surface fuel load.This experimental area was located in Gaoming District,Foshan City,Guangdong Province.The average surface fuel load of the experimental area was as high as 39.33 t/ha,and the forest surface fuel load of Pinus elliottii was the highest.[Results]The normalized difference vegetation index(NDVI)and enhanced vegetation index(EVI)had a moderately strong correlation with the forest surface fuel load.The regression model of NDVI(X)and forest surface fuel load(Y)was established:Y=-5.9354X+8.4663,and the regression model of EVI(X)and forest surface fuel load(Y)was established:Y=-5.8485X+6.7271.The study also found that the linear relationship between NDVI and surface fuel load was more significant.[Conclusions]Both NDVI and EVI have moderately strong correlations with forest surface fuel load.NDVI is moderately or strongly correlated with the surface fuel load of Pinus massoniana forest,shrub grassland,broad-leaf forest and bamboo forest,while EVI is only strongly correlated with surface fuel load of broad-leaf forest and bamboo forest.It is expected that the relationship between other vegetation indices and forest surface fuel load can be obtained by the method in this study,so as to find a more universal vegetation index for calculating surface fuel load.

Cross section measurement for the ^(232)Th(n,f)reaction in the 4.50−5.40 MeV region using a time projection chamber

Accurate cross sections of neutron induced fission reactions are required in the design of advanced nuclear systems and the development of fission theory.Time projection chambers(TPCs),with their track reconstruction and particle identification capabilities,are considered the best detectors for high-precision fission cross section measurements.The TPC developed by the back-streaming white neutron source(Back-n)team of the China Spallation Neutron Source(CSNS)was used as the fission fragment detector in measurements.In this study,the cross sections of the ^(232)Th(n,f)reaction at five neutron energies in the 4.50−5.40 MeV region were measured.The fission fragments and α particles were well identified using our TPC,which led to a higher detection efficiency of the fission fragments and smaller uncertainty of the measured cross sections.Ours is the first measurement of the ^(232)Th(n,f)reaction using a TPC for the detection of fission fragments.With uncertainties less than 5%,our cross sections are consistent with the data in different evaluation libraries,including JENDL-4.0,ROSFOND-2010,CENDL-3.2,ENDF/B-VⅢ.0,and BROND-3.1,whose uncertainties can be reduced after future improvement of the measurement.