High day and night temperatures impact on cotton yield and quality——current status and future research direction

Heat waves,and an increased number of warm days and nights,have become more prevalent in major agricultural regions of the world.Although well adapted to semi-arid regions,cotton is vulnerable to high temperatures,particularly during flowering and boll development.To maintain lint yield potential without compromising its quality under high-temperature stress,it is essential to understand the effects of heat stress on various stages of plant growth and development,and associated tolerance mechanisms.Despite ongoing efforts to gather data on the effects of heat stress on cotton growth and development,there remains a critical gap in understanding the distinct influence of high temperatures during the day and night on cotton yield and quality.Also,identifying mechanisms and target traits that induce greater high day and night temperature tolerance is essential for breeding climate-resilient cotton for future uncertain climates.To bridge these knowledge gaps,we embarked on a rigorous and comprehensive review of published literature,delving into the impact of heat stress on cotton yields and the consequential losses in fiber quality.This review encompasses information on the effects of heat stress on growth,physiological,and biochemical responses,fertilization,cotton yield,and quality.Additionally,we discuss management options for minimizing heat stress-induced damage,and the benefits of integrating conventional and genomics-assisted breeding for developing heat-tolerant cotton cultivars.Finally,future research areas that need to be addressed to develop heat-resilient cotton are proposed.

Rice Cultivation under Film Mulching Can Improve Soil Environment and Be Beneficial for Rice Production in China

Rice cultivation under film mulching is an integrated management technology that can conserve water, increase soil temperature, improve yield, and enhance water and nitrogen use efficiencies. Despite these advantages, the system does have its drawbacks, such as soil organic matter reduction and microplastic pollution, which impede the widespread adoption of film mulching cultivation in China. Nonetheless, the advent of degradable film, controlled-release fertilizer, organic fertilizer, and film mulching machinery is promoting the development of rice film mulching cultivation. This review outlines the impact of rice cultivation under film mulching on soil moisture, soil temperature, soil fertility, greenhouse gas emissions, weed control, and disease and pest management. It also elucidates the mechanism of changes in rice growth, yield and quality, water use efficiency, and nitrogen use efficiency. This paper incorporates a review of published research articles and discusses some uncertainties and shortcomings associated with rice cultivation under film mulching. Consequently, prospective research directions for the technology of rice film mulching cultivation are outlined, and recommendations for future research into rice cultivation under film mulching are proposed.

Effects of Vermicompost on Agronomic Characters and Yield and Quality of Flue-cured Tobacco

The effects of vermicompost on the agronomic characters and yield and quality of flue-cured tobacco were investigated. The results showed that, the field growth periods of various treatments were 117-118 d, 1-2 days longer than that of the CK. The numbers of effective leaves of the treatments applied with vermicompost were 0.1-0.3 leaf more than the CK. The highest yield and the highest proportion of high-grade tobacco occurred in treatment 3 as 2 095.5 kg/m^2 and 49%, respectively, which were higher than those in the CK by 6.58 kg and 5.3%. In conclusion, the treatment with the application of vermicompost at 7 500-10 500 kg/hm^2 was the best.

Effects of Spraying KCl Solution on Photosynthate and Grain Yield and Quality of Oilseed Rape(Brassica napus L.)

[Objective] In order to seek the way of high quality and high yield of oilseed rape.[Method] Soil culture experiment was used in this research.1% （mass fraction） KCl solution was sprayed to the stems and leaves of oilseed rape in full blooming stage while 1.17% （mass fraction） K2SO4 solution and clear water were used for comparison,sampling in initial silique stage and harvest stage were conducted to detect photosynthate,soluble sugar and free amino acids content.[Result] The results showed that compared with spraying clear water,spraying KCl solution increased the contents of chlorophyll a in functional leaves,the contents of free amino acids and soluble sugar in leaves,stems and silique,and the total amounts of them all in initial silique stage but decreased the contents of free amino acids and soluble sugar in leaves and stems,and the total amounts of them all in harvesting stage,increased the average grain yield 10.20%,increased the average contents of oil,oleinic acid and linoleic acid in rapeseed 4.40%,10.60% and 11.40% respectively,decreased the content of protein,erucic acid and glucosinolate in rapeseed 5.10%,9.70% and 3.70% respectively.No significant difference between spraying K2SO4 solution and spraying clear water,significant difference between them all and spraying KCl solution.[Conclusion] The experimental results provided theoretical basis for increasing oilseed rape yield and quality researches.

Responses of Phosphorus Use Efficiency, Grain Yield, and Quality to Phosphorus Application Amount of Weak-Gluten Wheat

Phosphorus （P） is one of the most widely occurring nutrients for development and growth of wheat. In this study, the effects of P application amount on grain yield, protein content, and phosphorus use efficiency （PUE） were studied by agronomic management of P fertilizer on spring weak-gluten wheat （Triticum aestivum L.） grown under field conditions for 2 yr. The experiments were performed at five levels of P205 application amount, including 0, 72, 108, 144, and 180 kg ha-1. As a result, with increase in P fertilizer, grain yield, and P agricultural efficiency （AEp） increased in a quadratic equitation, but partial factor productivity of P （PFPp） decreased in a logarithmic eq. When 108 kg ha-1 P2Os was applied, the grain yield reached the highest level, but the protein content in gain was lower than 11.5%, a threshold for the protein content to evaluate weak-gluten wheat suitable for production of cake and biscuit. Yangmai 13 and Ningmai 9 could tolerate to higher P level of soils than Yangmai 9 that had more loss in grain yield when P fertilizer was over-applied. AEp had a concomitant relationship with grain yield and was a better descriptor for P use efficiency in the wheat. A high P use efficiency resulted in leaf area index （LAI）, increased chlorophyll content and photosynthetic rate, and stable acid phophatase （APase） activity to accumulate more dry matter after anthesis, which explained that the optimum P fertilizer increased grain yield and improved grain quality of weak-gluten wheat.

Effect of Combined Application of Organic Fertilizer and Chemical Fertilizer in Different Ratios on Growth,Yield and Quality of Fluecured Tobacco

The effect of different ratio of organic and inorganic fertilizers on the growth and the yield and quality of flue-cured tobacco was studied.Using randomized blocks design,the data of the test materials K326 were analyzed by using variance analysis,significance test and other methods.The release efficiency of organic fertilizer in the soil was slower,and the effect of organic fertilizer on the growth of tobacco plants was worse than that of chemical fertilizers,and under 25% organic fertilizer + 75% chemical fertilizer treatment,the quality of the fluecured tobacco was good.Under the treatment of 50% organic fertilizer + 50% chemical fertilizer,the production of flue-cured tobacco was high and the ratio of first-class tobacco was high.It is suggested that the organic fertilizer application ratio should be 25%-50% in the agricultural production.

Expression Profiling Identifies Candidate Genes for Fiber Yield and Quality

Gene expression profiling at early stages(0～2 DPA) of fiber development in Gossypium hirsutum identified a number of transcription factors which were down regulated in fiberless mutants relative to wild type controls and which could play a role in controlling early fiber development.Chief among these was GhMYB25,a Mixta-like MYB gene.Transgenic GhMYB25-silenced cotton

Effect of Combined Application of Boron and Molybdenum Microelement Fertilizer on Cowpea Yield and Quality

Through field plot experiment,we research the influencing factors of cowpea yield and quality after applying boron and molybdenum microelement fertilizer. Results show that the application of boron and molybdenum microelement fertilizer can significantly increase the yield and improve the quality of cowpea. Compared with the control,yield per mu increases by 5. 08- 18. 86%; N content increases by 4. 27%-11. 28%; P content increases by 2. 13%- 13. 57%; K content increases by 2. 00%- 18. 48%; crude protein increases by 4. 16%-19. 94%; vitamin C increases by 2. 71%- 11. 79%; nitrate content decreases by 5%- 15%. Besides,it is better to combine boron with molybdenum than to use each of them separately.

Effects of Warming Seedling Cultivation Technology on Growth, Yield and Quality of Fluecured Tobaccos

An experiment of seedling nursing which used film mulching technology in greenhouse to increase temperature was carried out in the south of Hunan province in 2014. The results showed that the average surface temperature of seedling tray and the average water temperature of nursing pool at 10：00 and 16：00 in treatment1 which used film mulching technology in a greenhouse were higher than that of CK（no film mulching）, suggesting the warming effect of mulching film in a greenhouse is obvious. The growth potential of tobacco seedling is stronger in treatment1 than CK, and tobacco seedling quality index including the fresh and dry weight of stem, leaves and roots increased. Plant height, stem girth and leaves area of the treatment 1 were higher and more than that of CK after transplanting. Squaring,topping and maturity period were slightly earlier in the treatment 1, compared with that of CK. Average yield of treatment 1 was 2 308.8 kg/hm^2, which increased by6.03% and was significantly higher than that of CK,and the output value of the treatment 1 was 50 184.75 yuan/hm^2, which increased by 5.61%.

Effects of Amount of Green Manure Returned to Field on Yield and Quality of Flue-cured Tobacco

The effects of amount of green manure returned to field on yield and quality of flue-cured tobacco were studied by field experiment. The results showed that significant positive correlation existed between tobacco leaf yield and small or moderate amount of green manure returned to field. Path analysis showed that moderate amount of green manure returned to field affected yield and quality of tobacco leaves, small green manure returned to field mainly affected leaf yield, while large amount of green manure returned to field mainly affected leaf quality. Therefore, the effect of moderate amount of green manure returned to field on yield and quality of tobacco leaves was best, and moderate amount of green manure returned to field was recommended in production of flue-cured tobacco.

Individual and interactive influences of elevated air temperature and soil drought at the flowering and boll-forming stage on cottonseed yield and nutritional quality

As the main byproduct of cotton production,cottonseed yields edible vegetable oil,ruminant feed,and industrial products.We evaluated the individual and interactive effects of elevated air temperature and soil drought on cottonseed yield and nutritional quality using two cotton cultivars,Sumian 15(heat-susceptible)and PHY370 WR(heat-tolerant).The experiment was conducted under three levels of soil relative water content(SRWC):(75±5)%,(60±5)%and(45±5)%and two temperature regimes:ambient temperature(AT,31.0/26.4℃,mean daytime/night temperature)and elevated temperature(ET,33.4/28.9℃).Cottonseed yield,boll number,seed number,and single-seed weight were lower under combined ET and SRWC(45±5)%than either individual stress or combined stresses in comparison with the control treatment(SRWC(75±5)%under AT).Drought tended to increase oil content and reduce protein content,whereas ET showed almost the opposite effects.Under the combination of ET and soil drought,oil content was still higher than under control,although ET weakened the beneficial effects of drought.For protein,ET offset the negative impacts of mild drought on protein content,but protein content was not increased under SRWC(45±5)%.Each stress or combined stress reduced oil and protein yields under all treatments,owing to declines in cottonseed yields.The combined stress reduced unsaturated fatty acid(UFA)/saturated fatty acid(SFA)and essential amino acid(EAA)/non-essential amino acid(NAA).Compared with PHY370 WR,the sensitivity of Sumian 15 to the combined factors was evidenced in the following ways:(1)seed yield,yield components,oil and protein yields were decreased more for Sumian 15 than PHY370 WR compared with the control treatment;(2)the combined stresses caused lower oil content,UFA,and UFA/SFA in Sumian 15 than PHY370 WR;(3)interaction effects of the combined factors on protein content and EAA/NAA were detected only in Sumian 15.

Effect of Reducing Application of Chemical Fertilizers and Chemical Pesticides on Physiological Traits,Yield and Quality of Radish

This paper studied the effect of reducing application of chemical fertilizer,increasing application of functional organic fertilizer and trace elements and fully using biological pesticides on physiological traits,yield and quality of radish. The results showed that applying functional organic fertilizer and trace elements and fully using biological pesticides could help to significantly improve the radish fleshy root yield,increase soluble sugar and vitamin C content,reduce crude fiber and nitrate content,but had no significant influence on radish moisture content,glucosinolates and chlorpyrifos content in organophosphorus pesticides.

Effect of Irrigation Method and Non-Uniformity of Irrigation on Potato Performance and Quality

Potato growth, yield, and quality under improved irrigation methods and non-uniformity of their irrigation applications are important to enhance water management in arid regions. A field experiment was conducted in 2014 spring and fall growing seasons using potato (Solanum tuberosum) grown in northern Egypt at Shibin El Kom, Menofia, Egypt to evaluate potato response to furrow or trickle irrigation. A Randomized Split-Plot Design with irrigation method randomly distributed and non-uniformity of irrigation applications evaluated along either irrigation furrow or trickle lateral as dependent variables measured at the 3rd, 13th, 23rd, 33rd, 43rd and 53rd m along the 55 m irrigation line. Traditional (TF) and partial (PF) furrows as well as trickle point (TP) and line (TL) sources were used as irrigation methods. Each treatment was repeated three times. For a 33rd m treatment, seasonal optimum water use by potato was 328, 234, 269 and 292 mm over 118 days in spring and 200, 164, 178 and 186 mm over 122 days in fall under TF, PF, TP and TL irrigation methods, respectively. Potato tuber yield and quality were significantly affected by growing season (S), irrigation method (I) and non-uniformity of irrigation application (U). Tuber yield, total soluble solid (TSS) and leaf area index (LAI) were significantly affected by I and U, and their interaction I * U;harvest index (HI) was not affected by I but U. Except for TSS by S * I and HI by U * I and S * I, results showed no significant differences. Moreover, tuber weight, number and marketable yield were significantly affected by S, I, U and I * U interaction, except medium tuber size and culls by S. A given 33rd treatment under partial furrow and trickle irrigation, relative to that of traditional furrow, enhanced tuber yield and improved quality in both growing seasons. In non-un- iform irrigation application over two growing seasons, potato crop response was developed under varied irrigation methods. Tuber yields were significantly affected in a linear relationship (r2 ≥ 0.75) by either water deficit or excessive water under irrigation methods.

Effect of Regulated Deficit Irrigation on Productivity,Quality and Water Use in Olive cv“Manzanilla”

The objective of this experiment was to determine the effect of different regulated deficit irrigation (RDI) strategies on productivity, oil quality and water-use efficiency on olive grown in the Sonoran Desert. The experiments were carried out in 2009 and 2010, and in a ten years old traditional (10 × 5 m) “Manzanilla” olive orchard. The control treatment was irrigated at 100% ETc during the whole season while RDI treatments were applied at 75% ETc or 50% ETc. The two RDI were applied during two phenological stages: at postharvest to evaluate the effect on table olive or from pit hardening to harvest to evaluate the effect on oil olive. Our results indicated that RDI applying 50% ETc during postharvest period reduced significantly fruit set and table olive yield, while applied during pit hardening to harvest period, it decreased oil yield but increased oil content. The RDI applying an ETc of 75% during the postharvest period gave similar table olive yield to the control, and applied form of pit hardening to harvest also gave similar oil yield to the control. The RDI using an ETc of 75% resulted in the highest water-use efficiency for oil or table olive production.

Short-Term Impact of Elemental Sulfur on Cranberry Nutrition and Crop Performance

Cranberry (Vaccinium macrocarpon Ait.) is an ammophilous plant grown on acid soils (pH 4.0 - 5.5). Elemental sulfur is commonly applied at a recommended rate of 1120 kg S ha−1 per pH unit to acidify cranberry soils, potentially impacting the plant mineral nutrition. The general recommendation may not fit all conditions encountered in the field. Our objective was to develop an equation to predict the sulfur requirement to reach pHwater of 4.2 to tackle nitrification in acidic cranberry soils varying in initial pH values, and to measure the effect of elemental sulfur on the mineral nutrition and the performance of cranberry crops. A 3-yr experiment was designed to test the effect of elemental sulfur on soil and tissue tests and on berry yield and quality. Four S treatments (0, 250, 500 and 1000 kg S ha−1) were established on three duplicated sites during two consecutive years. We ran soil, foliar tissue, berry tissue tests, and measured berry yield, size, anthocyanin content (TAcy), Brix, and firmness. Nutrients were expressed as centered log ratios to reflect nutrient interactions. Results were analyzed using a mixed model. Soil Ca decreased while soil Mn and S increased significantly (p ≤ 0.05). Sulfur showed no significant effects on nutrient balances in uprights. The S impacted negatively berry B balance, and positively berry Mn and S balances. A linear regression model relating pH change to S dosage and elapsed time (R2 = 0.53) showed that to reach pHwater of 4.2 two years after S application, 250 - 1000 kg S ha−1 could be applied depending on initial soil pH value. The stratification of surface-applied elemental S in the soil profile should be further examined in relation to plant rooting and nutrient leaching.

Discussion on Action and Potential of Fenlong Megascience in the Symbiosis between Human and Nature

The fourth new farming model Fenlong is identified as megascience for the first time. Fenlong can be directly applied to farming of farmland, remoulding of mortar black soil and saline alkali land and development of degraded grassland. Deep loosening can create huge soil reservoirs, reduce fertilization, promote indi- rectly the improvement of river water fisheries and water sources and the upgrading of shaping and hydropower industry, thus making a new round of mobilization and pooling of natural resources. As a result, the nature is able to produce good food needed by human, the spatial dimension of the land is increased, the natural pre- cipitation storage is increased, the flood and drought disasters are reduced, the eco-environment is improved, and the economic benefits are increased. Fenlong is not restricted to global application by ecological region and crop variety and is not subject to the time-space constraints for a hundred thousand years. On the basis of utilizing the heaven and earth resources, it brings about a huge effect of mega- science. Compare with traditional farming, the depth under the mode of Fenlong is increased by 2-3 times, the contents of nutrient, water, oxygen and microorganism in the soil are increased by 10%-200%, the content of pale salt is increased by 20%-40%, the temperature is increased by 2-4 ~C, and the photosynthetic efficiency of crops is improved by 10%. Under the cultivation mode of Fenlong, the yield of crop applied with no fertilizers is increased by more than 10%, crop yield is still in- creased by more than 5% when the application amount of chemical fertilizer is re- duced by 10%-20%. Under the farming mode of Fenlong combined with no in- crease in fertilization, the crop yield, crop quality, farming efficiency, natural precipi- tation storage and air humidity are increased by 10%-50%, 5%, 15%, 100% and 5%, respectively, and the emissions of methane and other gases are reduced by more than 5%. Even in mortar black soil, saline alkali land and degraded grassland, the yield is still increased by 15%-50%. These improvement effects can last for many years, helping achieve the real harmonious coexistence between human and nature.

Orchestrating seed storage protein and starch accumulation toward overcoming yield–quality trade-off in cereal crops

Achieving high yield and good quality in crops is essential for human food security and health.However,there is usually disharmony between yield and quality.Seed storage protein(SSP)and starch,the predominant components in cereal grains,determine yield and quality,and their coupled synthesis causes a yield–quality trade-off.Therefore,dissection of the underlying regulatory mechanism facilitates simultaneous improvement of yield and quality.Here,we summarize current findings about the synergistic molecular machinery underpinning SSP and starch synthesis in the leading staple cereal crops,including maize,rice and wheat.We further evaluate the functional conservation and differentiation of key regulators and specify feasible research approaches to identify additional regulators and expand insights.We also present major strategies to leverage resultant information for simultaneous improvement of yield and quality by molecular breeding.Finally,future perspectives on major challenges are proposed.

Effects of Nitrogen Application and Plant Spacing on Photosynthesis

Taking the flue-cured tobacco variety K326 as material, the research conducted field experiment to study the effects of quantity of nitrogen fertilizer and plant spacing on tobacco photosynthesis, dry matter accumulation, yield and quality. The results showed that the CO2 concentration in the intercellular space was the highest in M2N2, and was the lowest M1N1, with extremely significant differences. The net photosynthetic rate was the highest in M2N2 and the lowest in M3N3. In resettling and squaring stages, with the same spacing, the weights of root dry matter were growing in different treatments upon nitrogen quantity; the weight of dry matter in stem showed irregularity; the dry matter of leaf accumulation kept slow in early and end stages, but fast in middle stage. In the same growth stage, dry matter accumulation of leaf was higher than those of stem and root, and the proportion of tobacco leaf to the whole plant was decreasing though always kept above 50%. In general, it can be concluded from yield, quality and output value that M2N2 performed the best.

Breeding Potential of Some Exotic Tomato Lines:A Combined Study of Morphological Variability,Genetic Divergence,and Association of Traits

Tomato(Solanum lycopersicum L.)is called‘the poor man’s orange’due to its low price and improved nutritional values.An experiment was conducted to study the breeding potential of some exotic tomato lines by assessing various qualitative and quantitative traits conferring yield and quality attributes.Among the qualitative traits,greater variability was observed for growth type,stem hairiness,and fruit shape and size.A determinate growth habit was observed in the genotype AVTO9802 while the genotype AVTO0102 produced yellow color fruits.A significant(p≤0.01)variation was also observed for the studied quantitative traits.Based on yield and traits attributed to yield,the genotypes AVTO0314,GPB0107,GPB0120 and AVTO9802 were selected as promising genotypes.The differences between the genotypic and phenotypic coefficients of variation(GCV and PCV)of the studied quantitative traits were very low.This suggests that the apparent variation was mainly due to the genotypes.The higher GCVand PCV values were observed for the number of primary branches plant^(−1)(NPB),number of fruits cluster^(−1)(NFC),individual fruit weight(IFW)and total soluble solids(TSS).High heritability was recorded for all quantitative traits in a broad sense.However,the individual fruit diameter showed the highest heritability(99.56).The highest(102.75)genetic advance(GA)was observed for the number of fruits plant^(−1)(NFP).High heritability coupled with high GA as percentage of mean were recorded for the traits NFP,NFC,fruit yield plant^(−1)(FYP)and IFW.FYP showed a significant positive correlation with NFC(0.714^(***))and a negative correlation with days to the first harvest(−0.539^(***))and plant height(−0.492**).Principal component analysis revealed that the first four components explained 78.5%of the total variation among the genotypes.Thus,the promising genotypes(AVTO0314,GPB0107,GPB0120,AVTO9802 and AVTO0102)isolated from this study can be used for developing high-yielding and high-quality tomato varieties.

Fenlong Tillage System by the Theory of “Natural Forces” and Possibility of “Fenlong Agriculture” Establishment

"Natural forces" ——core theory of Fenlong technique is explored in this paper. We break through key core technique of farming and agriculture,and invent new method of Fenlong tillage. Broad-spectrum Fenlong tillage technique system based on "full-layer and bottom-layer superdeep tillage without disturbance of soil layer" is established,which provides the possibility for establishing "modern Fenlong agriculture". When applied in 35 kinds of crops in 24 provinces of China,yield could be increased by 10%-50%,and even 1 times. In the transformation of severe saline-alkali land,corn yield could increase by 73. 0%,and Na,Cl and Mg ions in grain decrease by 20. 81%,1. 47%,and 9. 36% respectively. The newly developed "scarification tillage( reclamation) in the bottom area" could cover "bottom tillage" of dryland,paddy field,degraded grassland,perennial sugarcane,forest and fruit land,traditional Chinese medicine land,and ecological reconstruction of desertification land. It is point out that if Fenlong technique is used in 666 666. 67 km2 of farmland,200 000 km2 of saline-alkali land,666 666. 67 km2 of degraded grassland,and fisheries in rivers and offshore waters are used,trillion yuan of Fenlong economy could be formed,and the nationals will walk towards a healthier new era.Fenlong technique involves agriculture,forestry,water,grass,environment and other aspects,and its global promotion could improve eco-environment and change world development pattern.