Effects of irrigation and planting geometry on cotton(Gossypium hirsutum L.)fiber quality and seed composition

Background:Cotton fiber quality and seed composition play vital roles in the economics of cotton production systems and the cottonseed meal industry.This research aimed to examine the effects of different irrigation levels and planting geometries on fiber quality and seed composition of cotton(Gossypium hirsutum L.).We conducted a 2-year study in 2018 and 2019 in a warm,humid area in the Southeast United States on Dundee silt loam soil.There were three irrigation treatments in the study.The treatments included irrigating every furrow,or full irrigation(FI),every alternate furrow,or half irrigation(HI),and no irrigation,or rain-fed(RF).Planting geometries were on ridges spaced 102 cm apart and either a single-row(SR)or twin-rows(TR).Results:The results of high-volume instrument(HVI),advanced fiber information systems(AFIS)and near-infrared reflectance spectroscopy(NIRS)showed that irrigation and planting treatments played a significant role in fiber quality and seed composition.Across irrigation treatments,significant differences were seen in fiber properties,including fineness,maturity ratio,micronaire,neps,short fiber,strength,uniformity,upper half mean length(UHML),upper quartile length by weight(UQLw),and yellowness(+b).Irrigation and planting geometry(PG)had a significant effect on micronaire,strength,and UHML while their interaction was significant only for micronaire.The micronaire was negatively affected by irrigation as FI-SR,FI-TR,HI-SR,and HI-TR recorded 11%~12%lower over the RF-SR and TR treatments.The PG played a minor role in determining fiber quality traits like micronaire and nep count.Irrigation treatments produced significantly lower(3%~4%)protein content than rain-fed,while oil content increased significantly(6%~10%).Conclusions:The study results indicate a potential for improving cotton fiber and seed qualities by managing irrigation and planting geometries in cotton production systems in the Mississippi(MS)Delta region.The HI-TR system appears promising for lint and seed quality.

Genome-wide Scan for Seed Composition Provides Insights into Soybean Quality Improvement and the Impacts of Domestication and Breeding

The complex genetic architecture of quality traits has hindered efforts to modify seed nutrients in soybean. Genome-wide association studies were conducted for seed composition, including protein, oil, fatty acids, and amino acids, using 313 diverse soybean germplasm accessions genotyped with a high-density SNP array. A total of 87 chromosomal regions were identified to be associated with seed composition, explain- ing 8%-89% of genetic variances. The candidate genes GmSAT1, AK-HSDH, SACPD-C, and FAD3A of known function, and putative MtN21 nodulin, FATB, and steroid-5-^-reductase involved in N2 fixation, amino acid biosynthesis, and fatty acid metabolism were found at the major-effect loci. Further analysis of additional germplasm accessions indicated that these major-effect loci had been subjected to domes- tication or modern breeding selection, and the allelic variants and distributions were relevant to geographic regions. We also revealed that amino acid concentrations related to seed weight and to total protein had a different genetic basis. This helps uncover the in-depth genetic mechanism of the intricate relationships among the seed compounds. Thus, our study not only provides valuable genes and markers for soybean nutrient improvement, both quantitatively and qualitatively, but also offers insights into the alteration of soybean quality during domestication and breeding.

Ultraviolet-B Radiation Alters Soybean Growth and Seed Quality

Research on the effects of ultraviolet-B (UV-B) radiation on soybean seed quality is limited. The objective of this study was to quantify UV-B doses, 0, 5, 10 & 15 kJ•m–2•d–1, on soybean growth and seed quality. The experiment was conducted in the Soil-Plant-Atmosphere-Research (SPAR) facility. Chambers located at the R.R. Foil Plant Science Research Facility of Mississippi State University, Mississippi, USA, were used. Each SPAR chamber consists of a steel soil bin to accommodate the root system, a Plexiglas chamber to accommodate plant canopy and a heating, and cooling system connected to air ducts that pass conditioned air to cause leaf flutter through the plant canopy. The SPAR units, supported by an environmental monitoring and control systems, are networked to provide automatic acquisition and storage of the data, monitored every 10 seconds throughout the day and night. Soybean cultivar Pioneer 93Y92 (maturity group IV, Roundup Ready) was used in the study. The desired UV-B radiation was supplied by square-wave UV-B supplementation systems under near ambient PAR and delivered to plants for eight hours, each day, from 08:00 to 16:00 h by eight fluorescent UV-313 lamps. The results showed that increased UV-B did not influence many of the growth parameters because the treatments were imposed at mid-fruiting period. Seed quality parameters that are important for seed industry and human and animal nutrition were all affected by UV-B. Protein and palmitic and oleic acids declined linearly, while oil and linoleic and linolenic acid contents increased with increased UV-B. Sucrose, stachyose, and stearic acid contents showed quadratic trends, increased to about 4 - 5 kJ of UV-B and declined at higher doses. Thus, both current and projected UV-B radiation levels can modify soybean growth and seed quality. The functional algorithms developed in this study could be useful to develop UV-B- specific sub-models for soybean farm management and in policy decision areas.