Cell Wall Fixation,Translocation,and Vacuolar Detoxification of Cadmium Contribute to Differential Grain Cadmium Accumulation in Two Rice Cultivars

Cadmium(Cd)toxicity in rice is a major concern for human health and the environment,as it can accumulate in rice grains when grown in Cd-contaminated soils.To mitigate the risk of Cd toxicity,it is crucial to cultivate rice varieties with low grain Cd accumulation.In the summers of 2021 and 2022,we conducted Cd analysis on two rice cultivars,Tianyouhuazhan(TYHZ)and Xiushui 14,grown in fields with varying Cd pollution levels.These cultivars were also subjected to hydroponic treatment with or without 1μmol/L Cd for 7 d to assess Cd accumulation,nitric oxide(NO)production。

Analysis on Genetic Diversity of 40 Flowering Cherry Cultivars and Construction of Molecular ID Based on SSR Markers

Studying on the genetic diversity and genetic relationship of flowering cherry cultivars is extremely important for germplasm conservation, cultivar identification and breeding. Flowering cherry is widely cultivated as an important woody ornamental plant in worldwide, especially Japan, China. However, owning to the morphological similarity, many cultivars are distinguished hardly in non-flowering season. Here, we evaluated the genetic diversity and genetic relationship of 40 flowering cherry cultivars, which are mainly cultivated in China. We selected 13 polymorphicprimers to amplify to allele fragments with fluorescent-labeled capillary electrophoresis technology. The population structure analysis results show that these cultivars could be divided into 4 subpopulations. At the population level, Na and Ne were 6.062, 4.326, respectively. Ho and He were 0.458 and 0.670, respectively. The Shannon’s information index (I) was 1.417. The Pop3, which originated from P. serrulata, had the highest Ho, He, and I among the 4 subpopulations. AMOVA showed that only 4% of genetic variation came from populations, the 39% variation came from individuals and 57% (p < 0.05) came from intra-individuals. 5 polymorphic SSR primers were selected to construct molecular ID code system of these cultivars. This analysis on the genetic diversity and relationship of the 40 flowering cherry cultivars will help to insight into the genetic background, relationship of these flowering cherry cultivars and promote to identify similar cultivars.

Effect of Different Mulch Materials on Yield and Nutrition Profile of Common Capsicum (Capsicum annuum) Cultivars in Bangladesh

Capsicum is a nutritious vegetable and its cultivation in farms is getting popular in Bangladesh. Although many efforts have lain to explore better yielding and nutritionally rich cultivars with suitable modern cultivation techniques but still have to find the desired outcome. Thus, it’s necessary to conduct further research to identify the high-yielding and nutritious capsicum cultivars in Bangladesh. An experiment was conducted from July 2021 to June 2022 at the Bangladesh Institute of Research and Training on Applied Nutrition (BIRTAN) research field with three cultivars of capsicum: B0 = California Wonder, B1 = BARI Misti Morich-1 and B2 = BARI Misti Morich-2 and three mulching: T0 = No mulching, T1 = Water hyacinth, T2 = Poly Mulching in randomized complete block design with three replications to identify better quality capsicum cultivar and suitable mulching material. Among cultivars the BARI Misti Morich-2 (B2) showed increased agronomic parameters like number of branches and effective branches per plant, leaves length and width, consequently yield and yield contributing traits were also enhanced like fruits per plant, fruit length, fruit diameter and yield per plant (25.97%, 4.54%, 3.64% and 21.43%, respectively). Poly Mulching (T2) increased agronomic traits, yield traits and yield (0.61 kg) than BARI Misti Morich-1 (T1). The combined effect of B2T2 increased the number of branches per plant, effective branches per plant, leaves length and breadth by 40%, 90%, 15.57% and 26.22%, respectively, hence resulting in an increased yield of 20%. BARI Misti Morich-2 cultivar showed an increase in Fe, Zn and Vitamin-C content of 26.24% and 23.10%, 8.82% and 5.14%, and 6.03% and 5.74% than B0 and B1 cultivars, respectively. Therefore, BARI Misti Morich-2 exhibited the improved agronomic, yield and nutritional traits of capsicum under poly mulching among other cultivars in Bangladesh.

Study on Germplasm Resources of Peach Cultivars

[Objectives]To study the germplasm resources of excellent peach cultivars.[Methods]Five peach cultivars were introduced,in-cluding‘Jinxiu’peach,‘Jinxiang’peach,‘Chunxiao’peach,‘Hujingmilu’peach and‘018 nectarine’peach.Then,these five cultivars were used to study the biological characteristics of peach trees,namely,as phenology,fruit quality,heat resistance,cold resistance and other resistance.[Results]Five cultivars of peach plants grew fast and robust,among which‘018 nectarine’had very crisp fruit,‘Jinxiu’,‘Jinxiang’,‘Chunxiao’and‘Hujingmilu’had very sweet fruitꎻthe peach trees of these five cultivars have good water resistance,heat resist-ance and cold resistance.[Conclusions]The results of this study can not only provide a reference for the introduction of peach trees,but also provide a practical basis for the large-scale planting of peach trees.

Skim resequencing finely maps the downy mildew resistance loci RPF2 and RPF3 in spinach cultivars whale and Lazio

Commercial production of spinach(Spinacia oleracea L.)is centered in California and Arizona in the US,where downy mildew caused by Peronospora effusa is the most destructive disease.Nineteen typical races of P.effusa have been reported to infect spinach,with 16 identified after 1990.The regular appearance of new pathogen races breaks the resistance gene introgressed in spinach.We attempted to map and delineate the RPF2 locus at a finer resolution,identify linked single nucleotide polymorphism(SNP)markers,and report candidate downy mildew resistance(R)genes.Progeny populations segregating for RPF2 locus derived from resistant differential cultivar Lazio were infected using race 5 of P.effusa and were used to study for genetic transmission and mapping analysis in this study.Association analysis performed with low coverage whole genome resequencing-generated SNP markers mapped the RPF2 locus between 0.47 to 1.46 Mb of chromosome 3 with peak SNP(Chr3_1,221,009)showing a LOD value of 61.6 in the GLM model in TASSEL,which was within 1.08 Kb from Spo12821,a gene that encodes CC-NBS-LRR plant disease resistance protein.In addition,a combined analysis of progeny panels of Lazio and Whale segregating for RPF2 and RPF3 loci delineated the resistance section in chromosome 3 between 1.18–1.23 and 1.75–1.76 Mb.This study provides valuable information on the RPF2 resistance region in the spinach cultivar Lazio compared to RPF3 loci in the cultivar Whale.The RPF2 and RPF3 specific SNP markers,plus the resistant genes reported here,could add value to breeding efforts to develop downy mildew resistant cultivars in the future.

Gene expression pattern of K transporter GhHAK5 gene of potassium efficient and in-efficient cotton cultivars based on morphological physiognomies as affected by potassium nutrition and reduced irrigation

Background Under K deficiency the uptake and distribution pattern in plant cells is mediated through different transport proteins and channels which were controlled by specific gene family.Therefore,a hydroponic experiment was conducted under control condition for testing the gene expression pattern of the K transporter under adequate and low K supply levels.After that,a 2-year field experiment was conducted to evaluate five selected cotton cultivars(four K-efficient cultivars,viz.,CIM-554,CYTO-124,FH-142,IUB-2013,and one K non-efficient,BH-212) screened from the initial hydroponics culture experiment and two levels of potassium(0 K_(2)O kg·ha^(-1) and 50 K_(2)O kg·ha^(-1)) were tested under reduced irrigation(50% available water content;50 AWC) and normal irrigation conditions(100% available water content;100 AWC).Result Results revealed that the transcript levels of GhHAK5aD in roots were significantly higher in K^(+) efficient cultivars than that in K^(+) non-efficient cultivars.The GhHAK5aD expression upon K^(+) deficiency was higher in roots but lower in shoots,indicating that GhHAK5aD could have a role in K^(+) uptake in roots,instead of transport of K^(+) from root to shoot.Similarly,under field conditions the cultivar FH-142 showed an increase of 22.3%,4.9%,2.4%,and 1.4% as compared with BH-212,IUB-2013,CYTO-124,and CIM-554,respectively,in seed cotton yield(SCY) with K application under reduced irrigation conditions.With applied K,the FH-142 showed an increase in net photosynthetic rate by 57.3% as compared with the rest of the cultivars under reduced irrigation over K control.However,the overall performance indicators of K-efficient cultivars like FH-142,CYTO-124,CIM-554,and IUB-2013 were better than BH-212(K in-efficient) under reduced irrigation conditions with applied K at 50 kg·ha^(-1).Fiber quality trait improved significantly with K application under water deficit.The increase in micronaire was 3.6%,4.7%,7.8%,3.4%,and 6.7% in BH-212,IUB-2013,CIM-554,CYTO-124,and FH-142,respectively,with K application at 50 kg·ha^(-1) over without K application under reduced irrigation conditions during the cotton growing season.Similarly,the cultivars FH-142 increased by 12% with K application under reduced irrigation as compared with other cultivars.The performance of K-efficient cultivars under reduced irrigation conditions was 30% better in SCY and quality traits with the application of K at 50 kg·ha^(-1) as compared with K-non-efficient cultivars.Similarly,water use efficiency(WUE)(40.1%) and potassium use efficiency(KUE)(20.2%) were also noted higher in case of FH-142 as compared with other cultivar with K application under reduced conditions.Conclusion Higher expression of GhHAK5aD gene was observed in K-efficient cultivars as compared with K-nonefficient cultivars in roots indicates that GhHAK5aD may be contributing to genotypic differences for K^(+) efficiency in cotton.K-efficient cotton cultivars can be used for the low-K environments and can also be recommended for general cultivars.

Mixing trait-based corn(Zea mays L.)cultivars increases yield through pollination synchronization and increased cross-fertilization

Abiotic stress such as high temperature at flowering is one of many conditions reducing yield of corn(Zea mays L.).Mixing corn cultivars with diverse functional traits increases within-crop diversity and provides a potential means of mitigating yield losses under stress conditions.We conducted a three-year field study to investigate the effects of cultivar mixtures on kernel setting rate,pollen sources,and yield.This study consisted of six treatments,including two high temperature-tolerant(HTT)monocrops of WK702 and DH701,two high temperature-sensitive(HTS)monocrops of DH605 and DH662,and two HTT–HTS mixtures of WK702-DH605 and DH701-DH662.The anthesis–silking interval(ASI)was 0.9–1.6 days shorter in mixtures than in monocrops.Kernel setting rate was increased in mixtures(86.4%–88.7%)compared with those in monocrops(74.7%–84.1%)as a result of synchrony and complementarity of pollination.Grain yields of the HTT–HTS mixtures increased by 13.3%–18.7%,equivalent to 1169 to1605 kg ha^(-1),in comparison with HTS corn monocrops.The results of SSR markers showed that crossfertilization percentage in corn cultivar mixtures ranged from 29.3%to 47.8%,partially explaining yield improvement.Land equivalent ratio(LER)was 1.12 for corn mixtures and the partial land equivalent ratio(e.g.,>0.5)showed the complementary benefits in corn mixtures.The results indicated that mixing corn cultivars with diverse flowering and drought-tolerance traits increased yields via pollination synchrony.

Stay-Green Panicle Branches Improve Processing Quality of Elite Rice Cultivars

Rice panicle branches are key routes for transportation of photo synthetic products to grains.Branch senescence is an important trait that the breeders considered when breeding elite rice cultivars in South China.However,little is known about the mechanisms underlying the contributions of stay-green panicle branches to rice yield and quality.Here,we reported stay-green branches that continuously maintained transportation function and provided carbohydrates for basal grain development at the late stages of rice development.This ensured the coordination of development between apical and basal grains,and further improved the processing quality of elite rice.These findings provided strategies for improving the fullness and quality of rice grains and presented an important basis for cultivating elite rice.

Genetic diversity, population structure, and genome-wide association analysis of ginkgo cultivars

Ginkgo biloba is an economically valuable tree worldwide.The species has nearly become extinct during the Quaternary,which has likely resulted in reduction of its genetic variability.The genetic variability is now conserved in few natural populations in China and a number of cultivars that are,however,derived from a few ancient trees,helping the species survive in China through medieval times.Despite the recent interest in ginkgo,however,detailed knowledge of its genetic diversity,conserved in cultivated trees and cultivars,has remained poor.This limits efficient conservation of its diversity as well as efficient use of the existing germplasm resources.Here we performed genotyping-by-sequencing(GBS)on 102 cultivated germplasms of ginkgo collected to explore their genetic structure,kinship,and inbreeding prediction.For the first time in ginkgo,a genome-wide association analysis study(GWAS)was used to attempt gene mapping of seed traits.The results showed that most of the germplasms did not show any obvious genetic relationship.The size of the ginkgo germplasm population expanded significantly around 1500 years ago during the Sui and Tang dynasties.Classification of seed cultivars based on a phylogenetic perspective does not support the current classification criteria based on phenotype.Twenty-four candidate genes were localized after performing GWAS on the seed traits.Overall,this study reveals the genetic basis of ginkgo seed traits and provides insights into its cultivation history.These findings will facilitate the conservation and utilization of the domesticated germplasms of this living fossil plant.

Characterization of wheat monogenic lines with known Sr genes and wheat cultivars for resistance to three new races of Puccinia graminis f. sp. tritici in China

Wheat stem rust, caused by Puccinia graminis f. sp. tritici(Pgt), is a potentially devastating fungal disease of wheat worldwide. The present study was to evaluate the resistance of 42 wheat monogenic lines with known stem rust resistance(Sr) genes and 69 wheat cultivars to three new Pgt races(34C0MRGQM, 34C3MKGQM, and 34C6MTGSM)identified from aeciospores at the seedling and adult-plant stages. The phenotyping results revealed that monogenic lines harboring resistance genes Sr9e, Sr17, Sr21, Sr22, Sr26, Sr30, Sr31, Sr33, Sr35, Sr36, Sr37, Sr38, Sr47, SrTmp,and SrTt3 were effectively resistant to all three Pgt races at the seedling and adult-plant stages. In contrast, monogenic lines containing Sr5, Sr6, Sr7b, Sr9a, Sr9d, Sr9f, Sr9g, Sr9b, Sr16, Sr24, Sr28, and Sr39 were highly susceptible to these races at both seedling and adult-plant stages. The other lines with Sr8a, Sr10, Sr11, Sr13, Sr14, Sr15, Sr18, Sr20,Sr19, Sr23, Sr25, Sr27, Sr29, Sr32, and Sr34, displayed variable levels of resistance to one or two of the tested races.Seedling infection types(ITs) and adult-plant infection responses(IRs) indicated that 41(59.4%) of the wheat cultivars showed high resistance to all the three races. Molecular marker analysis showed that four wheat culitvars likely carried Sr2, 20 wheat culitvars likely carried Sr31, 9 wheat culitvars likely carried Sr38, and none of the cultivars carried Sr24,Sr25, and Sr26. Our results provide a scientific basis for rational utilization of the tested Sr genes and wheat cultivars against these novel Pgt races.

A telomere-to-telomere genome assembly of Hongyingzi,a sorghum cultivar used for Chinese Baijiu production

Sorghum(Sorghum bicolor(L.)Moench)is a world cereal crop used in China for producing Baijiu,a distilled spirit.We report a telomere-to-telomere genome assembly of the Baijiu cultivar Hongyingzi,HYZ-T2T,using ultralong reads.The 10 chromosome pairs contained 33,462 genes,of which 93%were functionally annotated.The 20 telomeres and 10 centromeric regions on the HYZ-T2T chromosomes were predicted and two consecutive large inversions on chromosome 2 were characterized.A 65-gene reconstruction of the metabolic pathway of tannins,the flavor substances in Baijiu,was performed and may advance the breeding of sorghum cultivars for Baijiu production.

Variation of grain Cd and Zn concentrations of 110 hybrid rice cultivars grown in a low-Cd paddy soil

Enhanced Cd uptake and Zn depletion in rice grains and high potential for food Cd exposure by the high-yielding hybrid cultivars of China had been addressed. A field experiment was conducted in 2006 to determine the difference in grain Cd and Zn between cultivars. Total 110 cultivars including super rice and common hybrid rice cultivars were grown on a single paddy soil （Entic Haplaquept） with a neutral reaction and low total Cd content. Grain Cd and Zn concentrations were determined with graphite atomic adsorption spectrophotometer （GFAAS） and flame atomic adsorption spectrophotometer （AAS） respectively. Wide variation of Cd content in grain was found in a range of 0.004-0.057 mg/kg, while the Zn content in a range of 10.25-30.06 mg/kg among the cultivars. Higher Cd but lower Zn concentration in grains of super rice cultivars was observed compared to the common hybrid ones. A highly significant positive linear correlation of grain Cd/Zn with grain Cd was found for super rice and common hybrid cultivars, meanwhile much higher slope for these hybrid cultivars than the reported non-hybrid cultivars was also observed. Using the limit value of the Chinese chemical guidelines for foods （MOHC and SSC, 2005）, calculated potential risk of food Cd exposure with ＂Zn hungry＂ through diet intake was prominent with all the studied 110 hybrid rice cultivars, possessing high potential health problems for rice production in South China using the super rice cultivars. Breeding of genotypes of rice cultivars with low grain Cd and low Cd/Zn ratio is needed for rice production in acidic red soils where Cd bioavailability is prevalently high.

Nutritional evaluation of different cultivars of potatoes(Solanum tuberosum L.) from China by grey relational analysis(GRA) and its application in potato steamed bread making

Chemical composition(moisture,protein,starch,ash,fiber,fat),vitamins(vitamin C,vitamin B1,vitamin B2),total polyphenol content,antioxidant capacity,minerals,and amino acid of 14 potato cultivars in China were evaluated.The results indicated that all parameters varied significantly among different potato cultivars.The total starch,crude protein and fat content ranged between 57.42–67.83%,10.88–14.10% and 0.10–0.73% dry weight(DW),respectively.Moreover,the consumption of potato increased remarkably the dietary intake of vitamins,K,Mn and Cu.In addition,the chemical score of amino acid varied considerably between different cultivars,which ranged from 54(Neida 3 and Neida 41) to 71(Neida 34).Grey relational analysis(GRA) indicated that Neida 26 exhibited the most comprehensive nutritional values among potato cultivars,followed by Neida 42.Different potato flours had a significant effect on the quality parameters of potato steamed bread(PSB),Neida 26 and Neida 34 were more suitable for making PSB.

RAPD-PCR Analysis on Genetic Relationships Between Cultivars of Tree Peony

Random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) was used to analyze genetic polymophism of 35 Tree Peony cultivars with 7 different color groups. Thirty four primers amplified 418 DNA fragments and 337 polymorphic bands (80.6%), including specific DNA markers for 18 cultivars that could be used to differentiate cultivars. The UPCMA method was used to analyze the genetic relationship among cultivars. The results showed that 35 Peony cultivars could be divided into 2 cluster groups when using similarity criteria of 1.5, and into 4 cluster groups when using similarity criteria of 1.0. The result confirmed that the flower color has no relation to the genetic clusters and the Tree Peony cultivars originated from the same area has close genetic relationship. Therefore, genetic background has no large effect on the genetic relationship. The sequence based on polymorphic rate from high to low was Blue groups > Yellow groups > Bark red groups > Blake groups > White groups>Green groups>Red groups.

High potassium to magnesium ratio affected the growth and magnesium uptake of three tomato(Solanum lycopersicum L.) cultivars

Potassium(K) and magnesium(Mg) levels and their balances are two factors affecting the growth of plant. However, the responses of different crop cultivars to K/Mg ratios are less clear. This study was aimed at assessing the different responses of tomato(Solanum Lycopersicum L.) cultivars to the different K/Mg supply ratios. Three tomato cultivars(Zhongza 9(ZZ), Gailiangmaofen(MF), and Jinpengchaoguan(JP)) were grown in pots with three different K+/Mg2+ratios(4:0, 4:1 and 8:1, represented by K/Mg4:0, K/Mg4:1, and K/Mg8:1, respectively). Compared with K/Mg4:1treatment, the leaf chlorophyll content, net photosynthetic rate, and total biomass of tomato seedlings under K/Mg4:0treatments were decreased by 69.7, 89.1, and 53.1%, respectively. The Mg deficiency symptoms were observed when the Mg content in shoot became lower than 4 mg g–1DW. Compared with K/Mg4:1treatment, total biomass of tomato seedlings of K/Mg8:1treatment was decreased by 21.6%; the shoot and root Mg contents were decreased by 10.4 and 21.8%, respectively; and Mg uptake of tomato was reduced by 34.1%. There were significant differences in biomass and Mg uptake for the three cultivars between the different K+/Mg2+treatments. The Mg uptake of the three different cultivars ranked as ZZ>JP>MF under Mg deficiency and high K condition. In conclusion, the growth and Mg uptake and allocation of tomato were influenced significantly by imbalance K and Mg supply. JP and ZZ were the cultivars with the highest efficiency in Mg uptake.

Postulation of Seedlings Resistance Genes to Yellow Rust in Commercial Wheat Cultivars from Yunnan Province in China

The objective of this study was to characterize yellow （stripe） rust resistance gene（s） in 52 commercial wheat cultivars from Yunnan Province in China, and to provide information for their rational deployment in field. Seedlings of wheat cultivars were inoculated with 25 differential isolates ofPuccinia striiformis from foreign and home to postulate resistance genes to yellow rust, and then validated by pedigree. There were 10 probable resistance genes characterized in these cultivars, in which, Yr9 was most commonly postulated to be present in thirteen cultivars. Yr21, the second, was present in four cultivars. Yr8, the third, were present in three cultivars. Yr6, Yrl 7 and Yr26, the fourth, was present in two cultivars respectively. The other gene（s） such as, Yr2＋YrA, Yr7 and Yr27, were only present in single cultivar（s）; unknown gene（s） or gene（s） combination（s） were present in 22 cultivars. One cultivar （Yunmai 42） had no resistance gene tested in this study. Cultivars such as Yunmai 52, Mian 1971-98, Kunmai 4, and Yunmai 56 carried effective genes and can be popularized mainly; Yr9 should be planted with other Yr genes. In the meantime other effective genes should be introduced to realize gene diversity for controlling wheat yellow rust. Yunmai 42 should be reduced to avoid rust breakout. Unknown gene cultivars should be utilized and be researched deeply.

Comparison of Different Cultivars of Blueberry Overwintering Ability in Qingdao of China

In order to select severe overwintering abilitied blueberry cultivars for cold resistance of annual branches, promoting breeding high quality cultivars, a study had been conducted into field-planting shoots overwintering ability and the relative conductivity, MDA content, SOD of 7 different kinds of blueberries under artificial cooling process. According to survey results, under field conditions, Different cultivars of blueberries showed significantly difference, ranging from 56.67% of Bluegold to 12.80% of Darrow. With the temperature decreasing, changes of relative conductivity, MDA content and SOD in annual branches had a strong regularity and the hardiness of these cultivars is: Northland > Chippewa > Coville > Bluecroup > Darrow > Bluegold > Powderblue.

Physicochemical Characteristics of Orange Juice Samples From Seven Cultivars

Some physicochemical parameters of orange juice from seven orange varieties （Pineapple orange, Hamlin, Trovita, Jincheng, 1232 Tangor, Olinda Valencia, and Delta Valencia） were analyzed, special attention was paid to the level of sugars, organic acids, free amino acids, mineral composition, and color parameters. The results showed that total soluble solids （TSS）, TSS/titratable acidity （TA） ratios, sugars, and organic acids were kept within a proper range for juice processing except that Jincheng had lower TSS than the others. Sucrose was the most dominant sugar in the orange cultivars, followed by fructose and glucose, while citric acid was the principal organic acid. Serine and proline were the principal amino acids. Potassium was the most abundant mineral in all of the juice samples, followed by magnesium and calcium. The sodium content of most varieties was under 10 mg kg^-1. Though all of the samples had orange colour, Olinda Valencia and Delta Valencia had deeper red colour than the others. Statistically significant differences （P〈 0.05） were found between the samples in most of the characteristics. The results provided important information on the physicochemical characteristics of the varieties and on how to make the best use of orange cultivars for different purposes, which is of significance for both technological research and processing practice.

Changes in Sugar Metabolism and Fruit Quality of Different Pear Cultivars During Cold Storage

This study evaluated the changes in sugar metabolism and fruit quality of diff erent pear cultivars during cold storage using seven major commercial pear cultivars belonging to diff erent Pyrus species, such as P. bretschneideri Rehd.("Huangguan,""Yali"), P. pyrifolia Nakai.("Wonhwang,""Hosui"), P. ussuriensis Maxim.("Jingbai,""Nanguo"), and P. communis L.("Bartlett"). The fi rmness, respiration rate, titratable acidity, total soluble solids, sugar content, and enzyme activity of the seven pear cultivars were investigated. SPSS was used for analyzing the signifi cance of diff erent indexes. Results showed that fructose was the dominant sugar, accounting for > 60% of total sugars, followed by glucose and sucrose. The respiration peak of almost all cultivars appeared within 60 days. The levels of fructose, glucose, sucrose, and total soluble solids increased within 90 days and then generally decreased. Acid invertase showed the highest activity among all pear cultivars, followed by neutral invertase, sucrose synthetase, and sucrose phosphate synthetase during storage.

Yield and quality of maize stover: Variation among cultivars and effects of N fertilization

Biomass yields and concentrations of crude protein（CP）, ether extract（EE）, neutral detergent fiber（NDF）, acid detergent fiber（ADF）, and crude fiber（CF） were analyzed for five cultivars of summer-sown maize（Zea mays L.） stover grown in field trials at three rates of N fertilization, and sampled immediately after grain harvest.The results revealed differences in yields and concentrations of nutrients according to stalk height and hence harvest portion among the cultivars.N application greatly increased biomass yield and CP, especially in upper stalks and to a lesser extent, EE.Concentrations of NDF and ADF decreased as N rate increased.The results show that stovers from all local popular maize cultivars are suitable as animal fodder and that moderate N application improves feed quality of stover.