Comparison of Growth and Development Traits among Crossbreds of Dorset and Local Sheep Varieties in Gansu Province

In order to improve the meat production performance of local sheep varieties in Gansu Province, Dorset was introduced to crossbreed with the local sheep varieties, including Tan sheep, Small Tail Han sheep and Mongolia sheep. The offspring of different crossbreeding combinations were sampled randomly at different growth stages, and their growth and development traits were measured so as to screen out the best crossbreeding mode. The results showed that under the same crossbreeding mode, the growth rate of F3 was higher than that of F2, and of F2 was higher than that of F1. Among the F3 population, the growth rates of Dorset ×Han and Dorset × Mongolia hybrids were higher. Compared with those of Dorset ×Tan F3 hybrids, the body weights of male and female Dorset × Han and Dorset ×Mongolia F3 hybrids were increased by 5.59%, 4.40%, 5.93% and 3.76%, respectively. Among the F2 population, the growth rates of Dorset × Han and Dorset ×Mongolia hybrids were also higher. The body weights of male and female Dorset ×Han and Dorset × Mongolia F2 hybrids were higher than those of Dorset × Tan ×Han F2 hybrids by 5.99%, 3.67%, 9.80% and 5.00%, respectively. In the F1 population, the growth rates of Dorset × Han and Dorset × Mongolia hybrids were higher.Compared with those of Tan × Han F1 hybrids, the body weights of male and female Dorset × Han and Dorset × Mongolia F1 hybrids were increased by 11.32%,5.22%, 7.60% and 7.20%, respectively. Therefore, in the feeding area of Small Tai Han sheep, Mongolia sheep and Tan sheep, Dorset was the best sire for producing hybrid lambs. The economic benefit of crossbred offspring was obvious.

Dynamic Characteristics of Growth and Development of Xiangsha Taro in Jingjiang

The growth and development of Jingjiang Taro [Colocasia esculenta（L.） Schott] were observed, laying foundation for highly-yielding cultivation technology system of Xiangsha taro. The results indicate that germination of the second taro happened from 46 d after sprouting （7-8 leaves）; the first taro began to expand, from 125 d after sprouting （12 leaves） when the the second taro was been formed; the third taro began to form from 141 to 150 d after sprouting （15-16 leaves）. The fresh weight of the second and third taros quickly increased from the time of 15 leaves to harvest. Early September is a transformation term of Xiangsha taro from vegetative body dominant to corm growth dominant.

The Impact of Lead Stress on Growth and Development of Two Varieties of Wheat

[Objective] This study was to explore the impact of lead stress on growth of wheat.[Method]Taking two wheat varieties Ningchun No.13 and Ningchun No.4 as experimental materials,the growth and development of wheat under the stress of different concentration of stress was studied using potting method.[Result]With the increase of externally applied Pb,the plant height of two wheat varieties tested assumed a falling trend.When stressed by low concentration of Pb（lower than 200 mg/kg）,the fresh weight and dry weight of both varieties rose with the increase of Pb concentration;however,once exceeded 200 mg/kg,they totally showed a decline trend.Under a same fertilization level,root-stalk ratios of Pb-stressed-plants of two varieties were lower than that normally grown,of two varieties Ningchun No.13 performed better than Ningchun No.4.Higher concentration of Pb（200-800 mg/kg）severely blocked the physiological-chemical activity of both wheat varieties,which hindered the accumulation of N,P and K.[Conclusion]Our results provided theoretical basis for taking reasonable cultivation countermeasures for the Pb-polluted paddy field.

Studies on hybridization effects of different geographic populations of Chlamys farreri Ⅱ.The medium-term growth and development of Chlamys farreri populations from China and Russia and their reciprocal crosses

Based on the research of juvenile (2, 3, 4 months) growth and survival of three populations of two different geographic areas in Chlamys farreri from Russian and China and their F1 hybrids derived from Chinese cultural population (CC) (?) × Russian population (RW) (?) , Chinese wild population (CW) (?) × Russian population (RW) (?), Russian population (RW) (?) × Chinese wild population (CW) (?) , the study of the medium-term (6, 8, 10, 12 months) growth and development of Chlamys farreri was carried out. The four determined results indicated that there existed different extent heterosis (3% -52%) for the growth in three types of F1 hybrids, and the offspring derived from CC(?) ×R(?) had a stronger heterosis among the crosses at the medium-term; the uptrend among traits are wet weight >shell width>shell length> shell height, Chinese cultural population could be recognized as excellent parent, and seasonal variations influence very much on the daily increment and growth rate of each trait of Chlamys farreri and it is only able to survive and could barely grow in winter (6-8 months), but grows fast in temperate season (10-12 months).

Study on Growth and Development and Dry Matter Production of Greenhouse Tomato in North China

[Objective] This study aimed to investigate the growth and development and dry matter production and allocation of greenhouse tomato in North China. [Method] With tomato cultivar ＇Jinguo No.l＇ as the experimental material, the ex- periments were conducted in a solar greenhouse located in Taigu, Shanxi （37o25＇ N, 112o25＇ E） from March to July, in 2014 and 2015. [Result] The plant height, leaf number, leaf area and dry matter production of greenhouse tomato increased lin- early with the increased days after transplantation, and their growth rates were 2.74 cm/d, 0.32 leaf/d, 70 cm2/d and 9.4 g/（m2.d）, respectively. The fruit dry weight also showed a linear relationship with the plant dry weight. After fruit setting, the fruit dry weight was increased by about 0.69 g when the plant dry weight was increased by 1 g. The allocation proportions of dry matter in tomato roots, stems and leaves de- clined significantly from plant flowering to fruiting, while the proportion of fruit dry weight in plant dry weight increased significantly, exceeding 60%. There was a strong linear relationship between dry matter production of tomato and effective cu- mulative temperature （sum of temperature higher than 10 ^（3） in the solar green- house, and the dry matter production was increased by about 0.73 g/m2 when the effective cumulative temperature was increased by one unit. The dry matter produc- tion of tomato plant also showed a strong linear relationship with photosynthetic ac- tive radiation （PAR） in the greenhouse, and about 3.4 g of dry matter was synthe- sized per unit （M J） of PAR. [Conclusion] Extending the growing period and improv- ing the temperature and light conditions could increase the dry matter production of tomato.

Sequence Variations in the Bovine IGF-I and IGFBP3 Genes and Their Association with Growth and Development Traits in Chinese Beef Cattle

The objective of this study was to determine the genotype effects of the bovine insulin-like growth factor Ⅰ （IGF-Ⅰ） and its binding protein 3 （IGFBP3） genes on growth and development traits in beef cows, including 130 Chinese Simmental, 42 Nanyang, and 47 Luxi Yellow cattle. Sequence variations in the bovine IGF-Ⅰ and IGFBP3 genes were investigated by single strand conformation polymorphism （SSCP）. SSCPs were detected in 6 fragments, which is the 5＇-flanking region, the 2nd exon, the 5th exon, and the 5th intron of the IGF-1 gene, and the 2nd exon, the 3rd exon of the 1GFBP3 gene. Two polymorphisms, an A-to-G transition in the 2rid exon of the IGF-Ⅰ gene and a T-to-C transition in the 2rid exon of IGFBP3 gene were detected in 3 breeds. The allele frequencies of 2 polymorphisms were 0.0411 （A）, 0.9589 （B）, and 0.7237 （A）, 0.2763 （B）, respectively. These 2 loci were analyzed to associate with body weight, height at withers, body length, heart girth, rump width, and beef production index （BPI） at 0, 6, 12, 24, and 36-month old. The IGFBP3 locus was shown to be associated with rump width, heart girth at 24-month and 36-month. Animals with BB genotype had higher rump width （24.86 ± 0.47） cm at 24-month and （27.50 ± 0.63） em at 36-month. The heart girth was highest for the individuals with BB genotype （171.33 ± 1.84） cm and higher than those with AB genotype （166.68 ± 1.13） cm （P〈 0.05） at 36-month.

Effects of Crop Growth and Development on Land Surface Fluxes

In this study, the Crop Estimation through Resource and Environment Synthesis model （CERES3.0） was coupled into the Biosphere-Atmosphere Transfer Scheme （BATS）, which is called BATS CERES, to represent interactions between the land surface and crop growth processes. The effects of crop growth and development on land surface processes were then studied based on numerical simulations using the land surface models. Six sensitivity experiments by BATS show that the land surface fluxes underwent substantial changes when the leaf area index was changed from 0 to 6 m2 m-2. Numerical experiments for Yucheng and Taoyuan stations reveal that the coupled model could capture not only the responses of crop growth and development to environmental conditions, but also the feedbacks to land surface processes. For quantitative evaluation of the effects of crop growth and development on surface fluxes in China, two numerical experiments were conducted over continental China： one by BATS CERES and one by the original BATS. Comparison of the two runs shows decreases of leaf area index and fractional vegetation cover when incorporating dynamic crops in land surface simulation, which lead to less canopy interception, vegetation transpiration, total evapotranspiration, top soil moisture, and more soil evaporation, surface runoff, and root zone soil moisture. These changes are accompanied by decreasing latent heat flux and increasing sensible heat flux in the cropland region. In addition, the comparison between the simulations and observations proved that incorporating the crop growth and development process into the land surface model could reduce the systematic biases of the simulated leaf area index and top soil moisture, hence improve the simulation of land surface fluxes.

Regulation of Foliar Application DCPTA on Growth and Development of Maize Seedling Leaves in Heilongjiang Province

DCPTA （2-diethylaminoethyl-3, 4-dichlorophenylether） is a new plant regulator which can be used to regulate growth and development for crops. Experiments on maize seedlings were conducted in the growth chamber to study the effects of foliar applied DCPTA. The plant pots were placed in a completely randomized design with three replicates. The maize seedlings were treated with 0 mg·L-1 （control）, 20 mg·L-1 and 40 mg·L-1 DCPTA solution. The effects of DCPTA on the photosynthetic characteristics （photosynthesis, stomata conductance, intercellular CO2, and transpiration rate）, related physiological characteristics （contents of soluble sugar and starch）, chlorophyll fluorescence parameters （Fo, Fro, Fv/Fm, Fv/Fo, qP, and qN） and the weight of dry matter in maize seedling were studied. The results showed that DCPTA enhanced photosynthesis of maize seedling. In general, photosynthetic rate in leaves was significantly promoted through spraying DCPTA solution, and 40 rag＂ L~ DCPTA was found to be the best concentration for maize. The relationship between stomata conductance and transpiration rate in maize leaves could be described as linear. With regard to the chlorophyll fluorescence parameters, our fmdings showed that 40 mg·L-1 DCPTA in maize seedling caused an increase in Fm, Fv/Fm, Fm/Fo, qP and a decrease in Fo and qN at some time points checked. It is suggested that DCPTA increased photosynthetic rate by raising both the content of chlorophyll and activities of PSII and the contents of sugar and starch. Compared with the control, the treated maize seedling caused an increase in plant height, root length, shoot dry mass, root dry mass, or the total （root plus shoot） dry mass.

Action of ADAMs in Animal Growth and Development

The ADAMs are a family of cell surface glycoproteins,which were discovered and identified in recent years.They contain several function domains and play some important roles in the formation of sexual cell,fertilization,embryogenesis,cell fusion,organogenesis,cell differentiation,etc.The action of ADAMs in growth and development is summarized in this paper.

Overview of Relation between Mineral Nutrient Elements and Growth and Development of Fruit Trees

Mineral nutrition is the material basis for growth and development,yield and quality of fruit trees. It exerts a great effect on the growth and development,fruit quality,yield,and resistance of fruit trees. On the basis of reading a large number of references both at home and abroad,this paper elaborated the relationship between mineral nutrient elements and growth and fruit yield and quality of fruit trees,so as to make proper fertilizer mixing,balance the fertilizer application,promote growth and development of fruit trees,and increase the yield of fruit trees and improve the fruit quality.

Functions of Nitrogen,Phosphorus and Potassium in Energy Status and Their Influences on Rice Growth and Development

Nitrogen(N),phosphorus(P)and potassium(K)are important essential nutrients for plant growth and development,but their functions in energy status remains unclear.Here,we grew Nipponbare rice seedlings in a growth chamber for 20 d at 30℃/24℃day/night)under natural sunlight conditions with different nutrient regimes.The results showed that N had the strongest influence on the plant growth and development,followed by P and K.The highest nonstructural carbohydrate content,dry matter weight,net photosynthetic rate(Pn),ATP content,as well as NADH dehydrogenase,cytochrome oxidase and ATPase activities were found in the plants that received sufficient N,P and K.The lowest values of these parameters were detected in the N-deficient plants.Higher dry matter accumulation was observed in the K-deficient than in the P-deficient treatments,but there was no significant difference in the ratio of respiration rate to Pn between these two treatments,suggesting that differences in energy production efficiency may have accounted for this result.This hypothesis was confirmed by higher ATP contents and activities of NADH dehydrogenase,cytochrome oxidase and ATPase in the K-deficient plants than in the P-deficient plants.We therefore inferred different abilities in energy production efficiency among N,P and K in rice seedlings,which determined rice plant growth and development.

Influences of the Populus deltoids seedlings treated with exogenous methyl jasmonate on the growth and development of Lymantria dispar larvae

Lyantria dispar larvae were fed with the leaves of Populus deltoids seedlings exposed to methyl jasmonate （MeJA） for 24 h. The growth and development of the larvae were investigated, and phenolics contents in treated leaves including pyrocatechol, caffeic acid, coumarin, fernlic acid and benzoic acid were also surveyed by high-pressure liquid chromatography （HPLC）. Results indicated that approximate digestibility, efficiency of conversion of ingested food, efficiency of conversion of digested food, and weight of the larvae were inhibited obviously, especially from the sixth day, which may result from the increase of total phenolics contents in treated leaves. This result provides strong supports for MeJA acting as the airborne signal molecule between woody plants.

Early Growth and Development of Boer Goats from Embryo Transplant

[ Objective] To study the growth-development of Boer goats from embryo transplant. [ Method] With Boer goats from embryo transplant as the tested animals and natural breeding Boer goats born in the same period as CK, the weight of Boer goats at birth and at the age of 1,3 and 6 months as well as the body size at the age of 3 and 6 months were investigated in this study, while their health conditions were also observed and recorded. [ Result] Under the normal feeding conditions, Boer goats from embryo transplant developed well at early stage, and their meat-using body type were also obvious. The average birth weight of bucks was （4.25±0.95） kg, and that of does was （3.74±0.10） kg. The average weight of bucks at the age of 6 months was （31.90 ±0.74） kg and that of was （25.90 ±0.67） kg. The daily gains of bucks and ewes from birth to 6 months of age were 153.64 and 123.11 g respectively, while their body length, body height and chest circumference increased obviously, and there was no significant difference in body weight or body size between them and natural breeding goats. [ Condusioa] The study lays a foundation for further studies on the breedinq and utilization of Boer noats from embryo transplant at early staae.

Functions of Phytochrome in Rice Growth and Development

Phytochrome family mainly senses red and far-red light to regulate a range of developmental processes throughout the life cycle of plants. Rice phytochrome gene family is composed of three members known as PHYA, PHYB and PHYC. It has been elucidated that individual phytochromes display both unique and overlapping roles in rice photomorphogenesis by characterization of all rice phytochrome mutants including single mutants, all combinations of double mutants as well as triple mutants. Based on the published data and authors’ ongoing studies, current knowledge of rice phytochrome functions in regulating seedling de-etiolation, root gravitropic response and elongation, plant architecture, flowering time and fertility is summarized. Additionally, the important issues in the field of rice phytochromes are proposed.

Effects of Plant Secondary Metabolite Nicotine on Growth and Development of Frankliniella occidentalis

[Objective] The paper was to explore the chemical and molecular mechanisms of Frankliniella occidentalis, an important quarantine pest, against toxic substances. [Method] F. occidentalis were evaluated after continuous exposure to artificial diets containing nicotine from the 2^（nd） and the 3^（rd）instars for five generations, to determine the larval weight, pupal weight, and larval development duration. [Result] The larval development delayed and nicotine treatment significantly inhibited the weight gain of larvae. Compared to the control, the inhibition rates of larval weight and pupal weight were declined from 45% to 20% and from 25% to 4% respectively after feeding the 2^（nd）instars with nicotine for five generations.Nicotine delayed the larval growth and prolonged the generation duration of F. occidentalis. Nicotine showed more significant inhibitory effect on the lower instar larvae. With the increasing generations of secondary culture, the inhibitory effect of nicotine on larval weight and pupal weight was weakened. The developmental period of larvae was shortened, and the generation duration of F. occidentalis was shortened. [Conclusion] Nicotine affects the growth and development of F. occidentalis. F. occidentalis will gradually increase the adaptability to nicotine toxic substances after selfregulation for a few generations, and relieve the inhibitory effect of toxic substances.

Effects of Different Phosphorus Application Rate on the Growth and Development, Yield and Quality of Tobacco in Yongzhou Area

In order to explore the optimal phosphorus application rate of tobacco in Yongzhou area and provide scientific basis for the rational application of phosphorus fertilizer in tobacco production,field plot experiments with 4 phosphorus application rates were conducted to study the effects of different phosphorus application rate on the growth period,agronomic characters and economic characters of tobacco.The results showed that when the nitrogen fertilizer,phosphorus fertilizer and potassium fertilizer was 135,135 and 418.5 kg/hm2,respectively,namely the ratio of 1∶1∶3.1,the field growth period was the shortest,only 107 d;the agronomic characters and physical indexes showed good results in their performance;the ratio of superior tobacco leaves,average price and output value were 49.36%、26.04 yuan/kg and 56064.12 yuan/hm2 respectively,significantly higher than that of other treatments.Therefore,the suitable phosphorus application in Yongzhou tobacco area was 135 kg/hm2.In conclusion,rational phosphorus application rate was conducive to accelerating the growth and development of tobacco plant and early harvest;it could also effectively increase the output value and yield of tobacco leaves and was more conducive to the formation of high-quality tobacco leaves.

Dosage Effects of Fadrozole on Growth and Development of Sex-Reversed Genetic Female Chickens

Fadrozole, an aromatase inhibitor, can masculinize genetic female chickens and high-dose decreases the hatchability. Therefore, it is important to study the growth and development of sex-reversed females after hatch. Chick embryos from a population of CAU3 egg-type were treated with different concentrations of Fadrozole prior to the sexual differentiation at E3.0 （st18）. At hatch, the phenotypic sex and genetic sex were identified by vent sexing and genetic diagnosis with CHD1, respectively. Body weight and shank length of sex reversal were tested at 8 and 20 wk, respectively. Testicular development, oviduct and ovarian degeneration were observed and serum concentration of estradiol and testosterone were tested with radioimmunoassay （RIA） at 30 wk. The results showed that body weight and shank length of sex- reversed females were not significantly different between low-dose groups （0.1, 0.3, and 0.5 mg for F1, F2, and F3, respectively） and high-dose groups （1.0 and 1.3 mg for F4 and F5, respectively） （P〉0.05）. Left and right testes or ovotestes in F2, F3, F4, and F5 groups were heavier than that of in F1 group （P〈0.05）. While the gonad weight of treatment groups were less than that in male control （P〈0.05）, oviduct weight in F2, F3, F4, and F5 groups were significant differences compared with female control and F1 group （P〈0.05）. Egg number from onset of laying egg to 30 wk in F4 and F5 groups were less than in female control, F1 and F2 groups （P〈0.05）. Serum testosterone level in F5 group was significant higher compared with female control, F1, F2, F3, and F4 groups （P〈0.05）, but significant lower compared with male control （P〈0.05）. While concentration of serum estradiol in F5 group was significant lower compared with female control, F1, F2, and F4 groups （P〈0.05）. In conclusion, the concentration of Fadrozole do not affect postnatal growth of sex-reversed female chicken and the degree of sex-reversed females elevate with the increase of Fadrozole concentration at sex maturity.

mTOR Signaling Pathway and Its Regulation on Growth and Development

The mammalian target of rapamycin （mTOR） signaling pathway is evolutionarily conserved, mTOR can integrate and converge a wide range of signals, including intracellular and extracellular nutrients, growth factors, energy and stress conditions, and has a crucial role in the vertebrate growth control. This review analyzed the main components and regulated factors of TOR signaling pathway, explained functions and mechanisms of roTOR during the individual growth, the development and its dynamic role, revealed its additional functions beyond the cell growth control, and finally reviewed the tissue specificity and time specificity of mTOR signaling pathway, and its regulation on sexual differentiation, tissue differentiation and organogenesis in the individual development.

Effect of Fertilization on Growth and Development of Red Clover

[Objective] To investigate the effects of fertilization on growth and development of rod clover. [Method] American red clover ＂Agivasion＂ was used as tested materials. In field, four treatments were used, including no fertilization （CK）, application with N fertilizer, application with NP fertilizer, and application with NPK fertilizer. And the effects of fertilization on growth and development of red clover were analyzed. [ Result] After fertilization, plant height was increased, particularly in application with NP fertilizer. Branching was promoted, particularly in application with NPK fertilizer. Rhizome became thicker, particularly in application with NP or NPK fertilizer. The fertilization promoted accumulation of dry matter in stems and leaves and increased yield per plant significantly at the 0. 01 level. This promoting effect became weaker in such order： NPK fertilizer 〉 NP fertilizer ≈ N fertilizer 〉 CK. [ Conclusion] Rational fertilization can promote growth and development of red clover.

Growth and Development Regularity of Holstein Cows

[ Objective ] The paper was to study growth and physical structure of Holstein cows at specific phase under intensive rearing conditions in the South China. [ Method] The body sizes of 279 Holstein cows including 49 calves, 35 young cows and 195 adult cows in the experimental farm of Yangzhou University were measured. The raw data were processed by computer to obtain body size index at various physiological stages. The body size indexes were analyzed by SPSS 15.0 software to reflect changes in different physiological stages and various parities of cows. Body size indexes such as body height, body length and heart girth of young cows and calves were fitted by scatter plot. [ Result] The eider the cows were, the longer their bodies were. Calves had a stable growth and development. The body size of young cow at different month-ages was imbalanced. The physical structure of adult cows showed no regularity at different parities, so the specific feeding for growth and development of bone should be strengthened in multiparous cows. [ Conclusion] The study provides reference for keeping management of calves, breeding and keeping management of young cows as well as selection and assortative mating of adult cows.