Improved simulation of winter wheat yield in North China Plain by using PRYM-Wheat integrated dry matter distribution coefficient

The accurate simulation of regional-scale winter wheat yield is important for national food security and the balance of grain supply and demand in China.Presently,most remote sensing process models use the“biomass×harvest index(HI)”method to simulate regional-scale winter wheat yield.However,spatiotemporal differences in HI contribute to inaccuracies in yield simulation at the regional scale.Time-series dry matter partition coefficients(Fr)can dynamically reflect the dry matter partition of winter wheat.In this study,Fr equations were fitted for each organ of winter wheat using site-scale data.These equations were then coupled into a process-based and remote sensingdriven crop yield model for wheat(PRYM-Wheat)to improve the regional simulation of winter wheat yield over the North China Plain(NCP).The improved PRYM-Wheat model integrated with the fitted Fr equations(PRYM-Wheat-Fr)was validated using data obtained from provincial yearbooks.A 3-year(2000-2002)averaged validation showed that PRYM-Wheat-Fr had a higher coefficient of determination(R^(2)=0.55)and lower root mean square error(RMSE=0.94 t ha^(-1))than PRYM-Wheat with a stable HI(abbreviated as PRYM-Wheat-HI),which had R^(2) and RMSE values of 0.30 and 1.62 t ha^(-1),respectively.The PRYM-Wheat-Fr model also performed better than PRYM-Wheat-HI for simulating yield in verification years(2013-2015).In conclusion,the PRYM-Wheat-Fr model exhibited a better accuracy than the original PRYM-Wheat model,making it a useful tool for the simulation of regional winter wheat yield.

Effects of Slow-release Nitrogen on Dry Matter Accumulation,Translocation and Yield of Summer Maize

[Objectives]This study was conducted to investigate the effects of slow-release nitrogen fertilizer on dry matter accumulation and translocation of summer maize.[Methods]With Zhoudan 9 as the test variety,six different treatment were set up:blank control(CK1),slow-release urea 75 kg/hm^(2)(C1),slow-release urea 150 kg/hm^(2)(C2),slow-release urea 225 kg/hm^(2)(C3),slow-release urea 300 kg/hm^(2)(C4)and ordinary urea 300 kg/hm^(2)(CK2),to study the change law of dry matter accumulation and translocation in summer maize.[Results]Treatment slow-release urea 225 kg/hm^(2)(C4)showed summer maize yield,dry matter translocation between organs,grain contribution rate and proportion of grain dry matter in the full ripe stage higher than other treatments.Considering the weight loss and cost factors,slow-release urea 225 kg/hm^(2)(C3)could be recommended as the fertilizing amount for summer maize.[Conclusions]This study provides theoretical reference for rational selection of fertilizers for reducing fertilizer application and increasing fertilizer efficiency,and for production of summer maize in Shajiang black soil region.

Combined application of organic fertilizer and chemical fertilizer alleviates the kernel position effect in summer maize by promoting post-silking nitrogen uptake and dry matter accumulation

Adjusting agronomic measures to alleviate the kernel position effect in maize is important for ensuring high yields.In order to clarify whether the combined application of organic fertilizer and chemical fertilizer(CAOFCF)can alleviate the kernel position effect of summer maize,field experiments were conducted during the 2019 and 2020 growing seasons,and five treatments were assessed:CF,100%chemical fertilizer;OFCF1,15%organic fertilizer+85%chemical fertilizer;OFCF2,30%organic fertilizer+70%chemical fertilizer;OFCF3,45%organic fertilizer+55%chemical fertilizer;and OFCF4,60%organic fertilizer+40%chemical fertilizer.Compared with the CF treatment,the OFCF1 and OFCF2 treatments significantly alleviated the kernel position effect by increasing the weight ratio of inferior kernels to superior kernels and reducing the weight gap between the superior and inferior kernels.These effects were largely due to the improved filling and starch accumulation of inferior kernels.However,there were no obvious differences in the kernel position effect among plants treated with CF,OFCF3,or OFCF4 in most cases.Leaf area indexes,post-silking photosynthetic rates,and net assimilation rates were higher in plants treated with OFCF1 or OFCF2 than in those treated with CF,reflecting an enhanced photosynthetic capacity and improved postsilking dry matter accumulation(DMA)in the plants treated with OFCF1 or OFCF2.Compared with the CF treatment,the OFCF1 and OFCF2 treatments increased post-silking N uptake by 66.3 and 75.5%,respectively,which was the major factor driving post-silking photosynthetic capacity and DMA.Moreover,the increases in root DMA and zeatin riboside content observed following the OFCF1 and OFCF2 treatments resulted in reduced root senescence,which is associated with an increased post-silking N uptake.Analyses showed that post-silking N uptake,DMA,and grain yield in summer maize were negatively correlated with the kernel position effect.In conclusion,the combined application of 15-30%organic fertilizer and 70-85%chemical fertilizer alleviated the kernel position effect in summer maize by improving post-silking N uptake and DMA.These results provide new insights into how CAOFCF can be used to improve maize productivity.

Persistent alterations in gray matter in COVID-19 patients experiencing sleep disturbances:a 3-month longitudinal study

Sleep disturbances are among the most prevalent neuropsychiatric symptoms in individuals who have recovered from severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 infections.Previous studies have demonstrated abnormal brain structures in patients with sleep disturbances who have recovered from coronavirus disease 2019(COVID-19).However,neuroimaging studies on sleep disturbances caused by COVID-19 are scarce,and existing studies have primarily focused on the long-term effects of the virus,with minimal acute phase data.As a result,little is known about the pathophysiology of sleep disturbances in the acute phase of COVID-19.To address this issue,we designed a longitudinal study to investigate whether alterations in brain structure occur during the acute phase of infection,and verified the results using 3-month follow-up data.A total of 26 COVID-19 patients with sleep disturbances(aged 51.5±13.57 years,8 women and 18 men),27 COVID-19 patients without sleep disturbances(aged 47.33±15.98 years,9 women and 18 men),and 31 age-and gender-matched healthy controls(aged 49.19±17.51 years,9 women and 22 men)were included in this study.Eleven COVID-19 patients with sleep disturbances were included in a longitudinal analysis.We found that COVID-19 patients with sleep disturbances exhibited brain structural changes in almost all brain lobes.The cortical thicknesses of the left pars opercularis and left precuneus were significantly negatively correlated with Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index scores.Additionally,we observed changes in the volume of the hippocampus and its subfield regions in COVID-19 patients compared with the healthy controls.The 3-month follow-up data revealed indices of altered cerebral structure(cortical thickness,cortical grey matter volume,and cortical surface area)in the frontal-parietal cortex compared with the baseline in COVID-19 patients with sleep disturbances.Our findings indicate that the sleep disturbances patients had altered morphology in the cortical and hippocampal structures during the acute phase of infection and persistent changes in cortical regions at 3 months post-infection.These data improve our understanding of the pathophysiology of sleep disturbances caused by COVID-19.

Effects of Nitrogen Application Rate, Density and Seedling Age on Dry Matter Accumulation of No-tillage Rape in Seedling Stage

[Objective] The aim of the research was to find the optimal nitrogen application rate, density and seedling age for no-tillage rape in seedling stage. [Method] With the D-optimal quadratic regression design for three factors, the 310 scheme was designed to study the effects of nitrogen application rate, density and seedling age on dry matter accumulation of no-tillage rape in seedling stage. [Result] With the increase of nitrogen application rate, density and seedling age, the dry matter content appeared like a parabola, increasing firstly and then declining. The change of nitrogen application rate caused greater influence than that of density and seedling age; the interaction effects between nitrogen application rate and density were greater than that between nitrogen application rate and seedling age as well as between density and seedling age. [Conclusion] Considered comprehensively, the dry matter content of no-tillage rape in seedling stage reached the highest level (4 768.2 kg/hm2) when the nitrogen application rate, the density and the seedling age were 195 kg/hm2, 93 000 plants/hm2 and 33 d, respectively.

Effects of Nitrogen,Phosphorus and Potassium Application on Growth and Dry Matter Accumulation in Mulberry

In this paper, the effect of different fertilizer treatments on the main indexes of growth and development and dry matter accumulation of perennial mulberry, which is cut and pruned in summer, were studied with ‘3414’ field experiment design. The results showed that N, P, and K at proper amounts could promote mulberry growth and development, improve its dry matter content, increase its dry matter accumulation. The effects of N, P, K on leaf yield per plant were respectively expressed as follows： N2 N3 N1 N0 , P2 P1 P3 P0 , K2 K1 K3 K0 . It can be concluded that the recommended fertilizer amounts of dry matter accumulations in mulberry leaf were 694.36 kg/hm2 of N, 198.15 kg/hm2 of P, and 274.26 kg/hm2 of K and the dry matter achieved the maximum at 8 045.04 kg/hm2 . The recommended fertilizer amounts of accumulated dry matter in branch were 1 000.05 kg/hm2 of N, 242.04 kg/hm2 of P, and 218.01 kg/hm 2 of K, and the dry matter achieved the maximum at 5 969.05 kg/hm2 . The recommended fertilizer amount in young shoots were 883.76 kg/hm2 of N, 204.48 kg/hm2 of P and 426.59 kg/hm2 of K and dry matter achieved the maximum at 1 410.24 kg/hm2 . This paper could provide reference for the construction of highly-qualified mulberry field in Sichuan hilly area.

Effects of Application Modes of Potassium Fertilizer on Sorghum Grain Yield and Dry Matter Accumulation

[Objective] This study was conducted to investigate the effects of application modes of potassium fertilizer on sorghum grain yield and dry matter accumulation. [Method] Sorghum hybrids Jiza 305 and Jiza 87 were used as materials, and four treatments were designed （Ko： applying potassium at 0 kg/hm^2, K1： applying potassium as base fertilizer at 120 kg/hm^2, K2： applying potassium as base fertilizer at 90 kg/hm^2 and as additional fertilizer at 30 kg/hm^2, and K3： applying potassium as base fertilizer at 60 kg/hm^2 and as additional fertilizer at 60 kg/hm^2） to investigate the effects of application modes of potassium fertilizer on dry matter accumulation and grain yield, so as to determine the best application mode of potassium fertilizer. [Result] The results showed that after the application of potassium, the leaf area, dry matter accumulation, grain starch content, yield and economic coefficient of sorghum plants were improved. The leaf area values of the two sorghum cultivars showed the order of K0〈K1〈K2〈K3. The economic coefficients were in order of K0〈 K3〈K2〈K1. The amounts of dry matter accumulation, grain starch contents and grain yields showed the order of K0〈K3〈K1〈K2. For Jiza 305, the grain yields of K1, K2 and K3 were higher than that of Ko by 9.3%, 15.6% and 9.3%, respectively. As to Jiza 87, the grain yields of K1, K2 and K3 were higher than that of K0 by 8.1%, 12.5% and 8.1%, respectively. [Conclusion] Comprehensively, the best application method was 90 kg of potassium as base fertilizer and 30 kg of potassium as additional fertilizer per hectare.

Effects of Mechanical Sowing and Transplanting on Characteristics of Dry Matter Production in Middle-season Hybrid Rice

To clarify the effects of mechanical sowing and transplanting on dry mat- ter production of middle-season hybrid rice, a two-factor split plot design was used to study the effects of different sowing and transplanting methods and their interac- tion with the seedling number per hill or seeding time on dry matter accumulation, distribution and transformation of F You 498, a middle-season hybrid rice variety, under field conditions in 2012 and 2013. The results showed that there was a marked effect of the sowing and transplanting methods and their interaction with the seedling number per hill or seeding time on dry matter accumulation, distribution and transformation. The total population dry matter accumulation of the treatments with mechanical direct seeding （MDS） and machine-based transplanting （MT） was lower than that of the treatment with traditional manual transplanting （TMT）. How- ever, MDS had higher dry matter accumulation and accumulating rate in the joint- ing-earing stage,and maintained higher stem-sheath exportation, export rate and transformation than MT and TMT; MT had higher dry matter accumulation and ac- cumulating rate in the heading-maturity period than MDS and TMT. Moreover, the treatments with low seedling number per hill or early seeding enhanced the assimi- lation of dry matter after heading,the ratio of dry matter accumulation after earing to biomass yield and the contribution rate of dry matter accumulation after earing, and a reasonable early sowing was favorable to increase the harvest index of middle- season hybrid rice under mechanical sowing and transplanting conditions.

Dynamic Accumulation of β-carotene and Dry Matter in Orange-fleshed Sweetpotato [Ipomoea batatas(L.) Lam] and Their Correlation Analysis

Using three orange-fleshed sweetpotato varieties as experimental materials,16 economic traits at 60 d,75 d,90 d,105 d,120 d and 135 d after planting were measured,so as to revealing the dynamic variations of β-carotene and dry matter accumulation in roots and their relationships with economic traits in orangefleshed sweetpotato.The results showed that the dynamic variations of β-carotene accumulation in tubers varied hugely among different varieties.Interesting,the βcarotene content of all three varieties showed a significant decrease after 120 d,while the dry matter content of them performed a similar ＂fluctuation-type＂.Correlation analysis indicated that β-carotene content of three orange-fleshed sweetpotato varieties had no significant correlation with dry matter content and photosynthetic parameters,but the correlation with other economic traits also varied among varieties.

Effects of Planting and Irrigation Patterns on Water Consumption Characteristics and Dry Matter Production in Winter Wheat

[Objective] This study aimed to investigate the effects of different planting and irrigation patterns on water consumption characteristics and dry matter produc- tion and allocation of winter wheat. [Method] With high-yield winter wheat cultivar Jimai 22 as the experimental material, field experiment was conducted during 2008- 2010. A total of 3 planting patterns were designed, uniform row, wide-narrow row and furrow. Under each planting pattern, total four irrigation patterns were designed, no irrigation （Wo）, irrigation at jointing state （Wl）, irrigation at jointing and anthesis stages （W2） and irrigation at jointing, anthesis and milking stages （W3）, and the irri- gation amount per treatment was all 60 mm. [Result] Under the three planting pat- terns, with the increased irrigation amount, the total water consumption of the exper- imental field increased; the proportion of irrigation in the total water consumption in- creased, and that of soil water consumption in the total water consumption de- creased significantly. Compared with W0 treatment, various irrigation treatments sig- nificantly increased the post-anthesis dry matter accumulation in wheat plants; with the increased irrigation amount, the grain yield under the three planting patterns all increased, while the water use efficiency （WUE） decreased. Under the same irriga- tion conditions, compared with other two planting patterns, furrow planting increased the total water consumption of the experimental field, increased the proportion of soil water consumption in the total water consumption, and improved the WUE and wheat grain yield. [Conclusion] Under the experimental conditions, considering both wheat grain yield and WUE, furrow planting with moderately deficit irrigation at joint- ing and anthesis stages is more suitable for the winter wheat production in North China Plain.

Study on Growth and Development and Dry Matter Production of Greenhouse Tomato in North China

[Objective] This study aimed to investigate the growth and development and dry matter production and allocation of greenhouse tomato in North China. [Method] With tomato cultivar ＇Jinguo No.l＇ as the experimental material, the ex- periments were conducted in a solar greenhouse located in Taigu, Shanxi （37o25＇ N, 112o25＇ E） from March to July, in 2014 and 2015. [Result] The plant height, leaf number, leaf area and dry matter production of greenhouse tomato increased lin- early with the increased days after transplantation, and their growth rates were 2.74 cm/d, 0.32 leaf/d, 70 cm2/d and 9.4 g/（m2.d）, respectively. The fruit dry weight also showed a linear relationship with the plant dry weight. After fruit setting, the fruit dry weight was increased by about 0.69 g when the plant dry weight was increased by 1 g. The allocation proportions of dry matter in tomato roots, stems and leaves de- clined significantly from plant flowering to fruiting, while the proportion of fruit dry weight in plant dry weight increased significantly, exceeding 60%. There was a strong linear relationship between dry matter production of tomato and effective cu- mulative temperature （sum of temperature higher than 10 ^（3） in the solar green- house, and the dry matter production was increased by about 0.73 g/m2 when the effective cumulative temperature was increased by one unit. The dry matter produc- tion of tomato plant also showed a strong linear relationship with photosynthetic ac- tive radiation （PAR） in the greenhouse, and about 3.4 g of dry matter was synthe- sized per unit （M J） of PAR. [Conclusion] Extending the growing period and improv- ing the temperature and light conditions could increase the dry matter production of tomato.

Effects of Transplanting Nutrient Soil on Growth and Dry Matter Accumulation of Tobacco Seedlings

In order to select the suitable soil for transplanting tobacco in Hunan to- bacco growing areas, pot experiment was conducted to study the effects of different transplanting nutdent soils on the growth and dry matter accumulation of tobacco. The results indicated that the treatments of transplanting with nutrition soils were better than the control group. For the underground part, transplanting nutrient soil could effectively improve the root activity of tobacco plants, and increase root volume, root surface area, total root length, as well as the number of root tips and the number of root branches. For the aboveground part, transplanting nutrient soil could remarkably improve the plant height, stem girth, leaf number and maximum leaf area, and could simultaneously significantly increase the dry matter accumulation. By comparison, peat ＋ mushroom residue ＋ saw dust ＋ straw powder ＋ bicchar ＋ root promoting nutrient solution was the most effective treatment, and the effect of sole application of nutrient solution was limited. In conclusion, transplanting with nutrition soil could effectively promote the growth and dry matter accumulation of tobacco.

Effects of Intercropping Patterns on Dry Matter Accumulation and Transportation of Maize(Zea mays L.) and Soybean[Glycine max(L.) Merrill]

[Objective] The aim was to discuss the group dry matter accumulation and economic benefits under the patterns of intercropping maize （Zea mays L.） with soy-bean [Glycine max （L.） Merril ]. [Methods] Zhengdan-958 and Luhuang-1 were used as the testing breeds to study the effects of intercropping patterns on dry matter accumulation and transportation of maize and soybean in Huang-huai-hai. [Results] For maize, the dry matter accumulation amounts per hectare of intercropping was significant higher than that of the monoculture patterns, especial y after silking, when it reached extremely level; while for soybean, the dry matter accumulation amounts before flowering and after flowering of monocropping were al significantly higher than that of the intercropping patterns. For both maize and soybean, the transfer amounts of monocropping were al significantly or extremely significantly higher than that of intercropping; and the transfer ratio of maize intercropping was 0.59% higher than that of maize monocropping, while for soybean, it was 4.74% higher. Fitted dry matter accumulation with Logistic equation, it showed that the difference in maximum dry matter accumulation rate between maize monocropping and intercropping reached significant level, while for soybean, the maximum dry matter accumulation rate and its appearance time as wel as duration time between intercropping and monocropping were al reached significant level. The total land equivalent ratio of intercropping was 1.30. From yield and output value, the total yield of intercropping were 10.97 t/hm2, 0.64% and 326.85% higher than monocropping of maize and soy-bean, respectively. The total output value of intercropping was 25 796.23 yuan/hm2, respectively 12.67% and 104.68% higher than of maize and soybean monocropping. [Conclusion] The study lays a basis for improving grain yield and economic benefits.

Effects of Atmospheric CO_2 Enrichment, Applied Nitrogen and Soil Moisture on Dry Matter Accumulation and Nitrogen Uptake in Spring Wheat

Spring wheat (Triticum aestivum L. cv. Dingxi No. 8654) was treated with twoconcentrations of atmospheric CO_2 (350 and 700 μmol mol^(-1)), two levels of soil moisture(well-watered and drought) and five rates of nitrogen fertilizer (0, 50, 100, 150, and 200 mgkg^(-1) soil) to study the atmospheric CO_2 concentration effect on dry matter accumulation and Nuptake of spring wheat. The effects of CO_2 enrichment on the shoot and total mass depended largelyon soil nitrogen level, and the shoot and total mass increased significantly in the moderate to highN treatments but did not increase significantly in the low N treatment. Enriched CO_2 concentrationdid not increase more shoot and total mass in the drought treatment than in the well-wateredtreatment. Thus, elevated CO_2 did not ameliorate the depressive effects of drought and nitrogenstress. In addition, root mass decreased slightly and root/shoot ratio decreased significantly dueto CO_2 enrichment in no N treatment under well-watered condition. Enriched CO_2 decreased shoot Ncontent and shoot and total N uptake; but it reduced root N content and uptake slightly. Shootcritical N concentration was lower for spring wheat grown at 700 μmol mol^(-1) CO_2 than at 350μmol mol^(-1) CO_2 in both well-watered and drought treatments. The critical N concentrations were16 and 19 g kg^(-1) for the well-watered treatment and drought treatment at elevated CO_2 and 21 and26 g kg^(-1) at ambient CO_2, respectively. The reductions in the movement of nutrients to theplant roots through mass flow due to the enhancement in WUE (water use efficiency) and the increasein N use efficiency at elevated CO_2 could elucidate the reduction of shoot and root Nconcentrations.

Effects on Sucrose Metabolism,Dry Matter Distribution and Fruit Quality of Tomato Under Water Deficit

Four irrigation treatments were designed with 2,4,6 and 8 d intervals to irrigate, respectively. Watering was stopped when the reading of the moisture tension sensor reached zero. The results indicated that glucose and fructose content of tomato's fruit were increased but sucrose content was decreased with fruit growth and development. In different stages, carbohydrate content of tomato fruit in the treatment 3 was the highest, in the treatment 2 was higher, and in the other treatments was the lowest. SS(sucrose synthase)activity was decreased but SPS(sucrose phosphate synthase)activity was increased with development of tomato. SS and SPS activity were increased but acid invertase and neutral invertase activity of ripe stage were decreased under deficit irrigation. Glucose and fructose content were increased in leaves of tomato under water deficit. Soluble sugars, organic acid and the ratio of sugar/acid in tomato fruits were increased and dry matter accumulation of plant was enhanced under water deficit. But the growth of fruits upside the plant and its dry matter accumulation were badly affected under water stress.

Influence of High Temperature Stress on Net Photosynthesis, Dry Matter Partitioning and Rice Grain Yield at Flowering and Grain Filling Stages

Climate change is recognized to increase the frequency and severity of extreme temperature events. At flowering and grain filling stages, risk of high temperature stress （HTS） on rice might increase, and lead to declining grain yields. A regulated cabinet experiment was carried out to investigate effects of high temperature stress on rice growth at flowering and grain- filling stages. Results showed that no obvious decrease pattern in net photosynthesis appeared along with the temperature rising, but the dry matter allocation in leaf, leaf sheath, culm, and panicle all changed. Dry weight of panicle decreased, and ratio of straw to total above ground crop dry weight increased 6-34% from CK, which might have great effects on carbon cycling and green house gas emission. Grain yield decreased significantly across all treatments on average from 15 to 73%. Occurrence of HTS at flowering stage showed more serious influence on grain yield than at grain filling stage. High temperature stress showed negative effects on harvest index. It might be helpful to provide valuable information for crop simulation models to capture the effects of high temperature stress on rice, and evaluate the high temperature risk.

Analysis on Dry Matter Production Characteristics of Super Hybrid Rice

Six middle-season indica hybrid rice combinations, including five super hybrid rice combinations with the high yield about 10.5 t/ha and a check hybrid rice combination Shanyou 63 with a yield potential about 9.5 t/ha, were used as materials to study the dry matter production characteristics. The super hybrid rice showed a high ability in dry matter production and accumulation and its yield enhanced with the increase of dry matter accumulation. The advantage period of dry matter production in the super hybrid rice was mainly at the middle and late growth stages compared with the check. The grain yield had no significant correlation with the dry matter accumulation before the elongation stage while had a significantly positive correlation with the dry matter accumulation from the elongation to maturity stages in super hybrid rice. There were more dry matter in vegetative organs at the heading stage in the super hybrid rice but its contribution to yield （apparent conversion percentage） was averagely 4.3 percent points lower than that in the check. For crop growth rate （CGR）, the comparative advantage of super hybrid rice was at the middle and late stages, especially after flowering. Moreover, as the rising of leaf area index （LAI） and leaf area duration （LAD）, CGR enhanced. The total LAD and the mean of lAD per day of super hybrid rice was about 14.79% and 10.31% higher than those of the check, respectively. The results indicate that the high yield of super hybrid rice mostly comes from the products of photosynthesis after heading, which is shown by the increased CGR at middle and later stages. It is suggested that LAD character might be used to better explain the advantage in the dry matter production of super hybrid rice than LAI.

Effects of Soil pH on Growth and Dry Matter Accumulation of Tobacco Plants

In order to clarify the relationships between soil pH and flue-cured tobacco growth and dry matter accumulation, effects of soil pH on root morphology and vigor, aboveground agronomic traits and dry matter accumulation of flue-cured tobacco were investigated by pot experiment. The results showed that on the whole, the intensity of soil pH on flue-cured tobacco growth and dry matter accumulation ranked as pH=6＇s 〉 pH=7＇s 〉 pH=5＇s 〉 pH=4＇s 〉 pH=8＇s. Acidic soil （pH=4） was not conducive to the early growth of tobacco plants, reduced root vigor and affected dry matter accumulation; and alkaline soil （pH=8） was not conducive to the growth of tobacco roots and shoot, reduced root vigor and affected dry matter accumulation. In conclusion, the suitable pH of soil for growth of flue-cured tobacco in Xiangxi is 5-7, but weakly acidic soil is the best.

Weakened carbon and nitrogen metabolisms under post-silking heat stress reduce the yield and dry matter accumulation in waxy maize

Post-silking high temperature is one of the abiotic factors that affects waxy maize(Zea mays L. sinensis Kulesh) growth in southern China. We conducted a pot trial in 2016–2017 to study the effects of post-silking daytime heat stress(35°C) on the activities of enzymes involved in leaf carbon and nitrogen metabolisms and leaf reactive oxygen species(ROS) and water contents. This study could improve our understanding on dry matter accumulation and translocation and grain yield production. Results indicated that decreased grain number and weight under heat stress led to yield loss, which decreased by 20.8 and 20.0% in 2016 and 2017, respectively. High temperature reduced post-silking dry matter accumulation(16.1 and 29.5% in 2016 and 2017, respectively) and promoted translocation of pre-silking photoassimilates stored in vegetative organs, especially in leaf. The lower leaf water content and chlorophyll SPAD value, and higher ROS(H2O2 and O2^-·) content under heat stress conditions indicated accelerated senescent rate. The weak activities of phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase(PEPCase), Ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase(Ru BPCase), nitrate reductase(NR), and glutamine synthase(GS) indicated that leaf carbon and nitrogen metabolisms were suppressed when the plants suffered from a high temperature during grain filling. Correlation analysis results indicated that the reduced grain yield was mainly caused by the decreased leaf water content, weakened NR activity, and increased H2O2 content. The increased accumulation of grain weight and post-silking dry matter and the reduced translocation amount in leaf was mainly due to the increased chlorophyll SPAD value and NR activity. Reduced PEPCase and Ru BPCase activities did not affect dry matter accumulation and translocation and grain yield. In conclusion, post-silking heat stress down-regulated the leaf NR and GS activities, increased the leafwater loss rate, increased ROS generation, and induced pre-silking carbohydrate translocation. However, it reduced the post-silking direct photoassimilate deposition, ultimately, leading to grain yield loss.

Dry Matter Partitioning and Harvest Index Differ in Rice Genotypes with Variable Rates of Phosphorus and Zinc Nutrition

Phosphorus （P） and zinc （Zn） deficiencies are the major problems that decrease crop productivity under rice-wheat cropping system. Field experiments were conducted to investigate impacts of P （0, 40, 80 and 120 kg/hm^2） and Zn levels （0, 5, 10 and 15 kg/hm^2） on dry matter （DM） accumulation and partitioning, and harvest index of three rice genotypes ＇fine （Bamati-385） vs. coarse （F-Malakand and Pukhraj）＇ at various growth stages （tiliering, heading and physiological maturity）. The experiments were conducted at farmers＇ field at Batkhela in Northwestern Pakistan for two years in summer 2011 and 2012. The two year pooled data reveled that there were no differences in percent of DM partitioning into leaves and culms with application of different P and Zn levels, and genotypes at tillering. The highest P level （120 kg/hm^2） partitioned more DM into panicles than leaves and culms at heading and physiological maturity stages. The highest Zn level （15 kg/hm^2） accumulated more DM and partitioned more DM into panicles than leaves and culms at heading and physiological maturity stages. The hybrid rice （Pukhraj） produced and partitioned more DM into panicles than F-Malakand and Bamati-385 at heading and physiological maturity stages. Higher DM accumulation and greater amounts of partitioning into panicles at heading and physiological maturity stages was noticed with increase in P and Zn levels, and the increase was significantly higher in the coarse rice genotypes than fine. We concluded that the growing hybrid rice with application of 120 kg/hm^2 P ＋ 15 kg/hm^2 Zn not only increases total DM accumulation and partitioned greater amounts into the reproductive plant parts （panicles） but also results in higher harvest index.