Porcine Breeding Management in a Large-scale Piggery with Microbial Fermentation Bed

[Objective] The behavior of eating, drinking, defecating and peeing of 1 500 pigs in a large-scale microbial fermentation bed-equipped piggery was observed. We hoped to find some simple indicators that could reflect the health status of swinery and to provide experience for the swinery performance management in large-scale microbial fermentation bed-equipped piggery. [Method] The body weight （BW）, daily BW gain, feed intake and other indicators of different-day-old pigs were recorded in details. Based on the recorded data, the models between BW, BW gain, average daily feed intake and feed/gain ratio and growth days （d） were established. In addition, the incidences of pox-like macula （dermatitis）, diarrhea （gastrointestinal disease）, cough （respiratory disease）, stiff pig （malnutrition）, conjunctivitis （eye disease） and foot inflection （trauma） among fattening pigs were also investigated. [Result] The BW range, average BW, daily BW gain, breeding days, daily feed intake range, average daily feed intake, staged feed intake, accumulated feed intake, feed/gain ratio and accumulated feed/gain ratio of different-day-old pigs were studied, respectively. Four dynamic models were established for the growth of pigs： （1） the BW （y）-age （x） mod- el： y=0.758 9x-19.883 （3=0.993 7）; （2） the BW gain （y）-age （x） model： y=1.039 5x05051 （F=0.885 4）; （3） the average daily feed intake （y）-age （x） model： y=0.023 5x-0.334 3 （F=0.991 7）; （4） the feed/gain ratio （y）-age （x） model： y=0.022x＋0.427 8 （P=0.988 5）. Based on these models, the corresponding theoretical growth value of pigs at different growth stage could be predicted. The main diseases occurred among the swinery in the large-scale microbial fermentation bed piggery included pox-like macula （dermatitis）, diarrhea （gastrointestinal disease）, cough （respiratory disease）, stiff pig （mal- nutrition）, conjunctivitis （eye disease） and foot inflection （trauma）. The deadly infec- tious diseases had been not found among the pigs. [Conclusion] When the actual BW, BW gain, average daily feed intake and feed/gain ratio were all lower than the theoretical values predicted by the models, the management should be enhanced. The average daily feed intake of 60 to 65-day-old pigs was lower than the theoretic value, indicating that the pigs could not adapt nicely to the fermentation bed at the very early stage. When the pigs grew up to 70 to 75 d old, the average daily feed intake was higher than the theoretical value, indicating that the pigs had adapted to the fermentation bed. In particularly, average daily feed intake of 75-day-old pigs was higher than the theoretical value by 21%. It was suggested the fermentation bed was conducive to the growth of pigs. Considering the occurrence of diseases among pigs, the overall incidence was relatively low. The incidence of each disease was all lower than 10% with little difficulty in treating. If the management of mattress was strength- ened, such as paying attention to feeding and keeping water clean, many diseases could heal by themselves.

Molecular breakthroughs in modern plant breeding techniques

Advancements in molecular approaches have been utilized to breed crops with a wide range of economically valuable traits to develop superior cultivars.This review provides a concise overview of modern breakthroughs in molecular plant production.Genotyping and high-throughput phenotyping methods for predictive plant breeding are briefly discussed.In this study,we explore contemporary molecular breeding techniques for producing desirable crop varieties.These techniques include cisgenesis,clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeat(CRISPR/Cas9)gene editing,haploid induction,and de novo domestication.We examine the speed breeding approach-a strategy for cultivating plants under controlled conditions.We further highlight the significance of modern breeding technologies in efficiently utilizing agricultural resources for crop production in urban areas.The deciphering of crop genomes has led to the development of extensive DNA markers,quantitative trait loci(QTLs),and pangenomes associated with various desirable crop traits.This shift to the genotypic selection of crops considerably expedites the plant breeding process.Based on the plant population used,the connection between genotypic and phenotypic data provides several genetic elements,including genes,markers,and alleles that can be used in genomic breeding and gene editing.The integration of speed breeding with genomic-assisted breeding and cutting-edge genome editing tools has made it feasible to rapidly manipulate and generate multiple crop cycles and accelerate the plant breeding process.Breakthroughs in molecular techniques have led to substantial improvements in modern breeding methods.

Large-scale laboratory investigation of pillar-support interaction

Underground mine pillars provide natural stability to the mine area,allowing safe operations for workers and machinery.Extensive prior research has been conducted to understand pillar failure mechanics and design safe pillar layouts.However,limited studies(mostly based on empirical field observation and small-scale laboratory tests)have considered pillar-support interactions under monotonic loading conditions for the design of pillar-support systems.This study used a series of large-scale laboratory compression tests on porous limestone blocks to analyze rock and support behavior at a sufficiently large scale(specimens with edge length of 0.5 m)for incorporation of actual support elements,with consideration of different w/h ratios.Both unsupported and supported(grouted rebar rockbolt and wire mesh)tests were conducted,and the surface deformations of the specimens were monitored using three-dimensional(3D)digital image correlation(DIC).Rockbolts instrumented with distributed fiber optic strain sensors were used to study rockbolt strain distribution,load mobilization,and localized deformation at different w/h ratios.Both axial and bending strains were observed in the rockbolts,which became more prominent in the post-peak region of the stress-strain curve.

Agronomic treatments combined with embryo rescue for rapid generation advancement in tomato speed breeding

Unlike other major crops,little research has been performed on tomato to reduce the generation time for speed breeding.We evaluated several agronomic treatments to reduce the generation time of tomato in the‘M82'(determinate)and‘Moneymaker'(indeterminate)varieties and evaluated the best combination in conjunction with embryo rescue.Five container sizes with volumes of 0.2 L(XS),0.45 L(S),0.8 L(M),1.3 L(L),and6 L(XL),were evaluated in the first experiment under the autumn cycle.We found that plants grown in XL containers exhibited better development and required less time from sowing to anthesis(DSA)and from anthesis to fruit ripening(DAR).In the second experiment,using XL containers in the autumn-winter cycle,we evaluated the effects of cold priming at the cotyledonary stage,water stress,P supplementation,and K supplementation on generation time.Compared to the control,we found that cold priming significantly reduced the number of leaves,plant height to first the inflorescence,and DSA(2.7 d),whereas K supplementation reduced the DAR(8.8 d).In contrast,water stress and P supplementation did not significantly affect any of the measured traits like DAR,DSA or fruit set.To validate these data,in a third experiment with XL containers in the spring-summer cycle,the combination of cold priming and K supplementation was tested,confirming the significant effect of this combination on the reduction of generation time(2.9 d for DSA and 3.9 d for DAR)compared to the control.Embryo rescue during the cell expansion cycle(average of 22.0 d and 23.3 d after anthesis for‘M82'and‘Moneymaker',respectively)allowed the shortening of the generation time by 8.7 d in‘M82'and 11.6 d in‘Moneymaker'compared to the in planta fruit ripening.The combination of agronomic treatments with embryo rescue can effectively increase the number of generations per year from three to four for speed breeding of tomato.

A Two-Layer Encoding Learning Swarm Optimizer Based on Frequent Itemsets for Sparse Large-Scale Multi-Objective Optimization

Traditional large-scale multi-objective optimization algorithms(LSMOEAs)encounter difficulties when dealing with sparse large-scale multi-objective optimization problems(SLM-OPs)where most decision variables are zero.As a result,many algorithms use a two-layer encoding approach to optimize binary variable Mask and real variable Dec separately.Nevertheless,existing optimizers often focus on locating non-zero variable posi-tions to optimize the binary variables Mask.However,approxi-mating the sparse distribution of real Pareto optimal solutions does not necessarily mean that the objective function is optimized.In data mining,it is common to mine frequent itemsets appear-ing together in a dataset to reveal the correlation between data.Inspired by this,we propose a novel two-layer encoding learning swarm optimizer based on frequent itemsets(TELSO)to address these SLMOPs.TELSO mined the frequent terms of multiple particles with better target values to find mask combinations that can obtain better objective values for fast convergence.Experi-mental results on five real-world problems and eight benchmark sets demonstrate that TELSO outperforms existing state-of-the-art sparse large-scale multi-objective evolutionary algorithms(SLMOEAs)in terms of performance and convergence speed.

Rice Heat Tolerance Breeding: A Comprehensive Review and Forward Gaze

The yield potential of rice is seriously affected by heat stress due to climate change. Since rice is a staple food globally, it is imperative to develop heat-resistant rice varieties. Thus, a thorough understanding of the complex molecular mechanisms underlying heat tolerance and the impact of high temperatures on various critical stages of the crop is needed. Adoption of both conventional and innovative breeding strategies offers a long-term advantage over other methods, such as agronomic practices, to counter heat stress. In this review, we summarize the effects of heat stress, regulatory pathways for heat tolerance, phenotyping strategies, and various breeding methods available for developing heat-tolerant rice. We offer perspectives and knowledge to guide future research endeavors aimed at enhancing the ability of rice to withstand heat stress and ultimately benefit humanity.

Corrigendum to“Migration pattern of a population of Barn Swallows(Hirundo rustica)breeding in East Asian tropical region”[Avian Res.15(2024)100192]

The authors regret that the caption of Fig.4 should be replaced as below.

Assessment of Wet Season Precipitation in the Central United States by the Regional Climate Simulation of the WRFG Member in NARCCAP and Its Relationship with Large-Scale Circulation Biases

Assessment of past-climate simulations of regional climate models(RCMs)is important for understanding the reliability of RCMs when used to project future regional climate.Here,we assess the performance and discuss possible causes of biases in a WRF-based RCM with a grid spacing of 50 km,named WRFG,from the North American Regional Climate Change Assessment Program(NARCCAP)in simulating wet season precipitation over the Central United States for a period when observational data are available.The RCM reproduces key features of the precipitation distribution characteristics during late spring to early summer,although it tends to underestimate the magnitude of precipitation.This dry bias is partially due to the model’s lack of skill in simulating nocturnal precipitation related to the lack of eastward propagating convective systems in the simulation.Inaccuracy in reproducing large-scale circulation and environmental conditions is another contributing factor.The too weak simulated pressure gradient between the Rocky Mountains and the Gulf of Mexico results in weaker southerly winds in between,leading to a reduction of warm moist air transport from the Gulf to the Central Great Plains.The simulated low-level horizontal convergence fields are less favorable for upward motion than in the NARR and hence,for the development of moist convection as well.Therefore,a careful examination of an RCM’s deficiencies and the identification of the source of errors are important when using the RCM to project precipitation changes in future climate scenarios.

Creating large EMS populations for functional genomics and breeding in wheat

Wheat germplasm is a fundamental resource for basic research,applied studies,and wheat breeding,which can be enriched normally by several paths,such as collecting natural lines,accumulating breeding lines,and introducing mutagenesis materials.Ethyl methane sulfonate(EMS)is an alkylating agent that can effectively introduce genetic variations in a wide variety of plant species.In this study,we created a million-scale EMS population(MEP)that started with the Chinese wheat cultivars‘Luyan 128’,‘Jimai 38’,‘Jimai 44’,and‘Shannong 30’.In the M1 generation,the MEP had numerous phenotypical variations,such as>3,000 chlorophyll-deficient mutants,2,519 compact spikes,and 1,692 male sterile spikes.There were also rare mutations,including 30 independent tillers each with double heads.Some M1 variations of chlorophyll-deficiency and compact spikes were inheritable,appearing in the M2 or M3 generations.To advance the entire MEP to higher generations,we adopted a single-seed descendent(SSD)approach.All other seed composites of M2 were used to screen other agronomically important traits,such as the tolerance to herbicide quizalofop-P-methyl.The MEP is available for collaborative projects,and provides a valuable toolbox for wheat genetics and breeding for sustainable agriculture.

Drought-Tolerant Rice at Molecular Breeding Eras:An Emerging Reality

Rice(Oryza sativa L.)stands as the most significantly influential food crop in the developing world,with its total production and yield stability affected by environmental stress.Drought stress impacts about 45%of the world’s rice area,affecting plants at molecular,biochemical,physiological,and phenotypic levels.The conventional breeding method,predominantly employing single pedigree selection,has been widely utilized in breeding numerous drought-tolerant rice varieties since the Green Revolution.With rapid progress in plant molecular biology,hundreds of drought-tolerant QTLs/genes have been identified and tested in rice crops under both indoor and field conditions.Several genes have been introgressed into elite germplasm to develop commercially accepted drought-tolerant varieties,resulting in the development of several drought-tolerant rice varieties through marker-assisted selection and genetically engineered approaches.This review provides up-to-date information on proof-of-concept genes and breeding methods in the molecular breeding era,offering guidance for rice breeders to develop drought-tolerant rice varieties.

Enhancing Evolutionary Algorithms With Pattern Mining for Sparse Large-Scale Multi-Objective Optimization Problems

Sparse large-scale multi-objective optimization problems(SLMOPs)are common in science and engineering.However,the large-scale problem represents the high dimensionality of the decision space,requiring algorithms to traverse vast expanse with limited computational resources.Furthermore,in the context of sparse,most variables in Pareto optimal solutions are zero,making it difficult for algorithms to identify non-zero variables efficiently.This paper is dedicated to addressing the challenges posed by SLMOPs.To start,we introduce innovative objective functions customized to mine maximum and minimum candidate sets.This substantial enhancement dramatically improves the efficacy of frequent pattern mining.In this way,selecting candidate sets is no longer based on the quantity of nonzero variables they contain but on a higher proportion of nonzero variables within specific dimensions.Additionally,we unveil a novel approach to association rule mining,which delves into the intricate relationships between non-zero variables.This novel methodology aids in identifying sparse distributions that can potentially expedite reductions in the objective function value.We extensively tested our algorithm across eight benchmark problems and four real-world SLMOPs.The results demonstrate that our approach achieves competitive solutions across various challenges.

Recent advances in keratinase production via protein engineering,breeding,and fermentation

The gene editing and synthetic biological tools have led to the implementation of diverse metabolic engineering approaches to enhance the production of specific enzymes.Microbial keratinases can convert keratin wastes into valuable compounds for mankind.Since the market for keratinases cannot be satisfied by production from wild hosts,it is obligatory to develop hosts with high keratinase yields.The intention of this review is to evaluate microbial keratinase advancement through protein engineering,breeding techniques,and fermentation optimization.The main aim of protein engineering is to improve the heat resistance ability and catalytic activity of keratinases by employing mutagenesis methods.Moreover,modifying the expression elements and host engineering are also two unique ways to augment the keratinase yield.Intending to accelerate the production of modified keratinase,this review attempts to highlight the optimization of expression elements,such as promoter engineering,UTR,signal peptide,and codon optimization.Moreover,the approaches of host engineering including strengthening precursor supply,membrane surface engineering,and optimization of secretion pathways were also explained here.Furthermore,it is also essential to optimize the medium composition and fermentation condition for high keratinase yield.This review also addressed the present advancements,difficulties,and tendencies in the field of microbial keratinase production,along with its potential.

Karachi provides a good opportunity for low-cost generation advancement of cotton for breeding and seed purity

Cotton is said to be the backbone of Pakistan's economy.Cotton production is facing many challenges such as climate change,pests and diseases,and competition from food crops(Ali et al.,2019).One of the major issues faced by cotton production is seed purity,as cotton is often cross-pollinated,therefore breeders are hard to maintain seed purity.For example,non-Bt cotton varieties are often contaminated with Bt seeds which is an important limiting factor.Another important consideration in cotton breeding is rapid generation advancement.

Large-scale model testing of high-pressure grouting reinforcement for bedding slope with rapid-setting polyurethane

Bedding slope is a typical heterogeneous slope consisting of different soil/rock layers and is likely to slide along the weakest interface.Conventional slope protection methods for bedding slopes,such as retaining walls,stabilizing piles,and anchors,are time-consuming and labor-and energy-intensive.This study proposes an innovative polymer grout method to improve the bearing capacity and reduce the displacement of bedding slopes.A series of large-scale model tests were carried out to verify the effectiveness of polymer grout in protecting bedding slopes.Specifically,load-displacement relationships and failure patterns were analyzed for different testing slopes with various dosages of polymer.Results show the great potential of polymer grout in improving bearing capacity,reducing settlement,and protecting slopes from being crushed under shearing.The polymer-treated slopes remained structurally intact,while the untreated slope exhibited considerable damage when subjected to loads surpassing the bearing capacity.It is also found that polymer-cemented soils concentrate around the injection pipe,forming a fan-shaped sheet-like structure.This study proves the improvement of polymer grouting for bedding slope treatment and will contribute to the development of a fast method to protect bedding slopes from landslides.

Topgrafting as a tool in operational Scots pine breeding

Effective breeding requires multiplying desired genotypes,keeping them at a convenient location to perform crosses more efficiently,and building orchards to generate material for reforestation.While some of these aims can be achieved by conventional grafting involving only rootstock and scion,topgrafting is known to deliver all in a shorter time span.In this study,Scots pine scions were grafted onto the upper and lower tree crowns in two clonal archives with the aim of inducing early female and male strobili produc-tion,respectively.Their survival rates and strobili production were analyzed with generalized linear mixed models.Sur-vival was low(14%)to moderate(41%),and mainly affected by the topgraft genotype,interstock genotype,crown posi-tion and weather conditions in connection with the grafting procedure.Survival was not affected by the cardinal position in the crown(south or north).Male flowering was ample three years after grafting and reached 56%in the first year among live scions,increasing to 62 and 59%in consecutive years.Female flowering was scarce and was 9%at first,later increasing to 26 and 20%of living scions but was strongly affected by the topgraft genotype.In one subset of scions,female flowering was observed 1 year after grafting.Overall,flowering success was mainly affected by the topgraft and interstock genotypes,and secondary growth of scions.This is one of few reports on topgrafting in functional Scots pine clonal archives.

Efficient Breeding of Early-Maturing Rice Cultivar by Editing Hd6 via CRISPR/Cas9

Rice heading date,or flowering time,is important for yield optimization and regional adaptation.While many genes controlling this trait in rice are known,breeders often need only slight adjustments.Our study used the CRISPR/Cas9 method to edit the Hd6 gene in the early-maturing,late-season japonica rice cultivar Nanjing 46(NJ46),creating three mutants with reduced flowering times of 9-12 d under natural conditions in Nanjing city,Jiangsu Province,China.These mutants showed higher Hd3a and RFT1 expression levels without compromising yield or eating and cooking quality,demonstrating that Hd6 gene editing is an effective precision breeding tool for shortening heading date without laborious traditional methods.

Online identification and extraction method of regional large-scale adjustable load-aggregation characteristics

This article introduces the concept of load aggregation,which involves a comprehensive analysis of loads to acquire their external characteristics for the purpose of modeling and analyzing power systems.The online identification method is a computer-involved approach for data collection,processing,and system identification,commonly used for adaptive control and prediction.This paper proposes a method for dynamically aggregating large-scale adjustable loads to support high proportions of new energy integration,aiming to study the aggregation characteristics of regional large-scale adjustable loads using online identification techniques and feature extraction methods.The experiment selected 300 central air conditioners as the research subject and analyzed their regulation characteristics,economic efficiency,and comfort.The experimental results show that as the adjustment time of the air conditioner increases from 5 minutes to 35 minutes,the stable adjustment quantity during the adjustment period decreases from 28.46 to 3.57,indicating that air conditioning loads can be controlled over a long period and have better adjustment effects in the short term.Overall,the experimental results of this paper demonstrate that analyzing the aggregation characteristics of regional large-scale adjustable loads using online identification techniques and feature extraction algorithms is effective.

Breeding and Seed Reproduction Techniques of a New Tetraploid Common Buckwheat Variety‘Pintianqiao 3’

[Objectives]This study was conducted to actively carry out the breeding of new tetraploid common buckwheat varieties and its supporting breeding techniques.[Methods]Pintianqiao 3 is a new tetraploid common buckwheat variety developed by College of Agriculture of Shanxi Agricultural University and Agricultural Genetic Resources Center of Shanxi Agricultural University,using‘Pintianqiao 1’as the parent,through mutation treatment with 0.2%colchicine aqueous solution,grain selection,plant selection,isolation and identification,variety comparison,regional test and field investigation.The variety has chromosomes 2n=4X=32,and shows a spring sowing period of 101 d and a summer sowing period of 80 d,large flowers and seeds(with a 1000-grain weight of 41.4 g),and good resistance to lodging.[Results]From 2021 to 2022,Pintianqiao 3 participated in the independent joint regional test of common buckwheat varieties in Shanxi Province,and the average yield in 10 test positions was 1.8 kg,equivalent to 1800 kg/hm^(2),which was 8.4%higher than the control.It passed the field investigation conducted by Shanxi provincial expert group for identification of non-major crop varieties in Dongyang and Kelan experimental sites on September 2-3,2022.On January 4,2024,it passed the preliminary examination of Shanxi Provincial Crop Variety Approval Committee.The seed reproduction technique of Pintianqiao 3 including land selection,preparation before sowing,sowing,field management and timely harvesting has been developed.[Conclusions]This study provides technical support for the demonstration and popularization of this new variety.

A semantic vector map-based approach for aircraft positioning in GNSS/GPS denied large-scale environment

Accurate positioning is one of the essential requirements for numerous applications of remote sensing data,especially in the event of a noisy or unreliable satellite signal.Toward this end,we present a novel framework for aircraft geo-localization in a large range that only requires a downward-facing monocular camera,an altimeter,a compass,and an open-source Vector Map(VMAP).The algorithm combines the matching and particle filter methods.Shape vector and correlation between two building contour vectors are defined,and a coarse-to-fine building vector matching(CFBVM)method is proposed in the matching stage,for which the original matching results are described by the Gaussian mixture model(GMM).Subsequently,an improved resampling strategy is designed to reduce computing expenses with a huge number of initial particles,and a credibility indicator is designed to avoid location mistakes in the particle filter stage.An experimental evaluation of the approach based on flight data is provided.On a flight at a height of 0.2 km over a flight distance of 2 km,the aircraft is geo-localized in a reference map of 11,025 km~2using 0.09 km~2aerial images without any prior information.The absolute localization error is less than 10 m.

Artificial selection of the Green Revolution gene Semidwarf 1 is implicated in upland rice breeding

Semidwarf breeding has boosted crop production and is a well-known outcome from the first Green Revolution. The Green Revolution gene Semidwarf 1(SD1), which modulates gibberellic acid(GA) biosynthesis, plays a principal role in determining rice plant height. Mutations in SD1 reduce rice plant height and promote lodging resistance and fertilizer tolerance to increase grain production. The plant height mediated by SD1 also favors grain yield under certain conditions. However, it is not yet known whether the function of SD1 in upland rice promotes adaptation and grain production. In this study, the plant height and grain yield of irrigated and upland rice were comparatively analyzed under paddy and dryland conditions. In response to dryland environments, rice requires a reduction in plant height to cope with water deficits. Upland rice accessions had greater plant heights than their irrigated counterparts under both paddy and dryland conditions, and appropriately reducing plant height could improve adaptability to dryland environments and maintain high grain yield formation. Moreover, upland rice cultivars with thicker stem diameters had stronger lodging resistance, which addresses the lodging problem. Knockout of SD1 in the upland rice cultivar IRAT104 reduced the plant height and grain yield, demonstrating that the adjustment of plant height mediated by SD1 could increase grain production in dryland fields. In addition, an SD1 genetic diversity analysis verified that haplotype variation causes phenotypic variation in plant height. During the breeding history of rice, SD1 allelic mutations were selected from landraces to improve the grain yield of irrigated rice cultivars, and this selection was accompanied by a reduction in plant height. Thus, five known mutant alleles were analyzed to verify that functional SD1 is required for upland rice production. All these results suggest that SD1 might have undergone artificial positive selection in upland rice, which provides further insights concerning greater plant height in upland rice breeding.