Temperature and solar radiation utilization of rice for yield formation with different mechanized planting methods in the lower reaches of the Yangtze River,China

Several studies have demonstrated the effect of planting methods on rice yield, but information on the climate resources is limited. This study aims to reveal the effects of planting methods on climate resources associated with rice yield in a rice-wheat rotation system in the lower reaches of the Yangtze River, China. Field experiments were conducted in 2014 and 2015 with two japonica, two indica hybrid, and two japonica-indica hybrid varieties grown under three mechanized planting methods： carpet seedling of mechanical transplanting（CT）, mechanical direct seeding（DS）, and pot-hole seedling of mechanical transplanting（PT）. The rice yield and total dry matter under PT were greater than those under CT and DS methods. Besides, the entire growth duration and daily production showed significant positive relations with rice yield. Compared with CT and DS, the effective accumulated temperature and cumulative solar radiation of rice under PT were higher in phenological phases. In addition, the dry matter/effective accumulated temperature and solar energy utilization of rice under CT and DS were higher during vegetative phase and lower during reproductive and grain filling phases in contrast to PT. The mean daily temperature and mean daily solar radiation in the entire growth duration showed significant positive correlation with rice yield, total dry matter, and harvest index. This study demonstrated that when the mean daily temperature is 〈25.1°C in vegetative phase and 〉20.1°C in grain filling phase, rice yield could be increased by selecting mechanized planting methods. Most varieties under PT method exhibited high yield and climate resources use efficiency compared with CT and DS. In conclusion, the PT method could be a better cultivation measure for high rice yield, accompanied with high temperature and solar radiation use efficiency in a rice-wheat rotation system in the lower reaches of the Yangtze River, China.

Effects of planting methods on yield and quality of different types of japonica rice in northern Jiangsu plain, China

Mechanical transplanting with carpet seedlings(MC) and mechanical direct seeding(MD) are newly developed planting methods, which increase in popularity and planted area each year. Knowing the difference for yield and rice quality under different planting methods is of great importance for the development of high quality and yield cultivation techniques under mechanical conditions. Therefore, three kinds of japonica rice including hybrid japonica rice, inbreed japonica rice, and soft rice were adopted as materials. And the differences in the quality of processing, appearance, cooking and eating quality, nutrition, and the rapid viscosity analyzer(RVA) profile were studied to reveal the effects of planting methods on yield and quality of different types of japonica rice. Results showed that the milled rice and head rice rates under MC was significantly higher than those under MD, and the processing quality of inbreed japonica rice was the most stable. Compared with MC, length/width ratio of rice under MD was significantly increased, and chalkiness rate, size, and degree were significantly decreased. The protein content under MD was lower than that under MC. MC showed higher peak viscosity and breakdown value than MD. The taste value was the greatest for soft rice, followed by inbreed japonica rice, and then by japonica hybrid rice, with no significant differences resulting from planting methods. Compared with MC, MD significantly improved the appearance quality, though processing quality and nutritional quality were decreased. And there was no significant difference in cooking and eating quality between MC and MD. Under different planting methods, the appearance quality of inbreed japonica rice changed the most and the processing quality was the most stable. The nutritional, cooking and eating quality of soft rice changed the least. Therefore, according to the different planting methods and market needs, selecting the appropriate rice varieties can reduce the risks in rice production and achieve good rice quality.

Comparison of yield traits in rice among three mechanized planting methods in a rice-wheat rotation system

Understanding the differences in yield traits of rice among pothole seedling of mechanical transplanting （PSMT）, carpet seedling of mechanical transplanting （CSMT） and mechanical direct seeding （MDS） is of great importance not only for rice scientists but also for rice farmers to develop a high-yield production system under mechanical conditions in a rice-wheat rotation system. However, such traits are yet to be studied among rice varieties ofjaponica-indica hybrid rice （JIHR）,japonica conventional rice （JCR） and indica hybrid rice （IHR）. Field experiments were conducted in 2014 and 2015, where six cultivars of the three rice types JIHR, JCR and IHR were grown individually with PSMT, CSMT and MDS methods, under respective managements for each method to achieve the maximum attainable yield. Results showed that （i） the PSMT significantly increased grain yield of JIHR by 22.0 and 7.1%, of JCR by 15.6 and 3.7% and of I HR by 22.5 and 7.4%, compared to MDS and CSMT on average across the two years, respectively. The highest yield was produced by the combination of JIHR and PSMT; （ii） high yield under PSMT was mainly attributed to large sink capacity and high-efficient dry matter accumulation. With sufficient panicles per hectare, the increase of spikelet number per panicle, especially the increase in spikelet number of the secondary rachis-branches was determined to be the optimal approach for developing a large sink capacity for rice under PSMT. The optimal tillers development, large leaf area index at heading stage, and high leaf area duration, crop growth rate and net assimilation rate during grain-filling phase could be the cause of sufficient dry matter accumulation for rice under PSMT; （iii） moreover, the PSMT favored plant growth as well as enriched the stems plus sheaths during grain-filling phase, as compared with CSMT and MDS. These results suggest that PSMT may be an alternative approach to increasing grain yield in a rice-wheat rotation system in the lower reaches of the Yangtze River in China.

Development of 2BZJ-3/4 Precision Planter for Soybean Narrow-row flatdense Planting Method

Based on the study on cultivation models of soybean narrow-row-flat-dense planting under the conditions of different between-row spacing and inter-plant spacing by using the comparison field experiment, and technical studies of the contour following the seeder unit, the anti-block, the lateral and stratified the deep fertilizing, according to the design ideas of planting units integration and variable between-row spacing from 30 to 45 cm, the 2BZJ-3/4 precision planter matched with 18-32 hp tractors has been developed for the popularization of the narrow-row-flat-dense planting soybean technique by means of Virtual Prototyping （VP） technology.

Performance of Medicinal and Aromatic Chamomile (Matricaria chamomilla L.) under Different Planting, Manure cum Fertilizer Regimes in Kathmandu Valley

New and old genotypes of German chamomile(Matricaria chamomilla Linn.)were experimented under different planting methods,manure and fertilizer combinations first time in Kathmandu valley.The researches aimed at evaluating genotypes performance,identifying suitable planting method and optimum combination of manures and fertilizers.The germplasm evaluation experiment was conducted at the National Agriculture Research Institute(NARI)field,Khumaltar during January-May.Planting method trial was laid out in randomized complete block and manure cum fertilizer trial was in Latin square design(LSD).The results showed good performance of chamomile growth,development and oil content.Major agronomic traits had average figures in all experiments comparable to chamomile growing areas.Most data differed significantly and at par.New genotype produced relatively higher number of branches,leaves and flower heads maintaining more plant density.Growth was higher in row sown and transplanted plots,row sowing found more beneficial.Transplanted plots delayed maturity.Transplanted(0.95%)and broadcasted(0.80%)chamomile gave higher oil percentage,no difference found between genotypes.Significantly(p<0.05)higher and at par branch numbers,flower heads,biomass yield,plant height were recorded in the treatments with higher rate of farm yard manure(FYM)20 t/ha followed by combined application of NPK 60:40:20 kg/ha plus manure 10 t/ha.Oil content was the highest(0.95%)in FYM(20 t/ha)applied plots followed by combined fertilization(0.80%).Despite inferior to treatment N:P:K 60:40:20 kg/ha only to enhance growth and oil production,other results suggested suitable technology and successful cultivation of chamomile in valley conditions are recommended.

New Methods in Genomic Research of Plants

Association mapping(as opposed to population mapping) is becoming more important in establishing associations between a phenotype and a genotype.The major advantage of association mapping,

The Effect of Organ Temperature on Total Yield of Transplanted and Direct-Seeded Rice(Oryza sativa L.)

The canopy temperature of rice is an important index that directly reflects the growth and physiological state of rice,and affects the yield of rice plants to a great extent.The correlation between the temperatures of different rice organs and canopy in different growth stages and the grain yield is complex.The stability and universality of these correlations must be verified.We conducted a pot experiment using two rice varieties and two temperature treatments(high temperature treatment was carried out at the beginning of heading stage for 10 days).We measured rice organ temperature during seven stages of growth using a high-precision infrared thermal imager.Results showed that the optimal observation period for the rice canopy temperature was 13:00.Although the rice variety did not significantly impact the canopy or organ temperature(p>0.05),the different organs and canopy exhibited significantly different temperatures(p<0.05).The correlations between the leaf,stem,panicle,canopy–air temperature differences and seed setting rate,theoretical and actual yields were the strongest during the milk stage.Among them,the correlation coefficient betweenΔT_(s) and theoretical and actual yields was the highest,the relationship between theoretical yield(Y)andΔT_(s)(X)was Y=−5.6965X+27.778,R^(2)=0.9155.Compared withΔT_(l),ΔT_(p) andΔTc,ΔT_(s) was closely related to the main traits of plants.ΔT_(s) could better reflect the growth characteristics of rice thanΔT_(c),such as dry matter accumulation(r=−0.931),SPAD(r=0.699),N concentration(r=0.714),transpiration rate(r=−0.722).In conclusion,stem temperature was more important indicator than canopy temperature.Stem temperature is a better screening index for rice breeding and cultivation management in the future.

Rapid and efficient method for isolating plant high molecular weight(HMW)DNA with high purity

PREPARATION of HMW DNA (Megabase-size) is the basis for construction of genomic library with large DNA inserts such as bacterial artificial chromosome (BAC) and yeast artificial chromosome (YAC), and for long-range physical mapping. It can also be used for the macro-study of repeat sequences. Since HMW DNA during preparation is inclined to be sheared physically and digested by internal nucleases, it is very difficult to prepare the HMW DNA. Initially, plant HMW DNA was prepared by embedding protoplasts in the low melting-point (LMP) agarose; however, it had several disadvantages: (ⅰ) Culture of protoplasts was time-consuming, costly and tedious. ( ⅱ ) It was only used successfully for limited

Rhus coriaria L. increases serum apolipoprotein-A1 and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels： a double-blind placebo-controlled randomized clinical trial

Background： Lipid-lowering effect ofRhus coriaria L. （Rhus） has been investigated in multiple animal stud- ies with promising results. Nonetheless, its clinical efficacy has not been adequately examined. Objective： The aim of this study was to evaluate the lipid-lowering effects of Rhus among patients with hyperlipidemia. Design, setting, participants and interventions： The study was designed as a two-arm, double-blind placebo-controlled randomized clinical trial, using a parallel design. Eighty patients with primary hyper- lipidemia were randomly assigned to receive Rhus capsules or placebo for 6 weeks. Main outcome measures： The serum lipid levels, apolipoprotein-A1 （Apo-A1） and apolipoprotein-B （Apo-B） were measured. Results： Mean serum high-density lipoprotein cholesterol （HDL-C） and Apo-Al levels were significantly increased in the Rhus group, compared with the placebo group, after 6 weeks of intervention （P= 0.001）. The analysis of covariance test including age, gender, body mass index （BMI）, and smoking as co-variables revealed that the increase in HDL-C and Apo-A1 levels remained significant, and increases in HDL-C were dependent on the increase in Apo-A1 levels. No significant difference was observed between Rhus and placebo groups in terms of mean reductions in total cholesterol, low-density lipopro- tein cholesterol and triglyceride levels; however, more significant improvement was observed among obese patients （BMI≥ 30 kg/m^2）. Conclusion： The study showed significant increases in HDL-C and Apo-Al levels in response to Rhus sup- plementation in patients with hyperlipidemia. Trial registration： ClinicalTrials.gov ID： NCT02295293.