In vitro clonal propagation of Achyranthes aspera L. and Achyranthes bidentata Blume using nodal explants

Objective:To develop the reproducible in vitro propagation protocols for the medicinally important plants viz.,Achyranthes aspera(A.aspera)L.and Achyranthes bidentata(A.bidentata)Blume using nodal segments as explants.Methods:Young shoots of A.aspera and A.bidentata were harvested and washed with running tap water and treated with 0.1%bavistin and rinsed twice with distilled water.Then the explants were surface sterilized with 0.1%(w/v)HgCl_2 solutions for I min.After rinsing with sterile distilled water for 3-4 times,nodal segments were cut into smaller segments(1 cm)and used as the explants.The explants were placed horizontally as well as vertically on solid basal Murashige and Skoog(MS)medium supplemented with 3%sucrose,0.6%(w/v)agar(HiMedia,Mumbai)and different concentration and combination of 6-benzyl amino purine(BAP),kinetin(Kin),naphthalene acetic acid(NAA)and indole acetic acid(IAA)for direct regeneration.Results:Adventitious proliferation was obtained from A.aspera and A.bidentata nodal segments inoculated on MS basal medium with 3%sucrose and augmented with BAP and Kin with varied frequency.MS medium augmented with 3.0 mg/L of BAP showed the highest percentage(93.60±0.71)of shootlets formation for A.aspera and(94.70±0.53)percentages for A.bidentata.Maximum number of shoots/explants(10.60±0.36)for A.aspera and(9.50±0.56)for A.bidentata was observed in MS medium fortified with 5.0 mg/L of BAP.For A.aspera,maximum mean length(5.50±0.34)of shootlets was obtained in MS medium augmented with 3.0 mg/L of Kin and for A.bidentata(5.40±0.61)was observed in the very same concentration.The highest percentage,maximum number of rootlets/shootlet and mean length of rootlets were observed in 1/2 MS medium supplemented with 1.0 mg/L of 1BA.Seventy percentages of plants were successfully established in polycups.Sixty eight percentages of plants were well established in the green house condition.Sixty five percentages of plants were established in the field.Conclusions:The results have shown that use of nodal buds is an alternative reproducible and dependable method for clonal propagation of A.aspera and A.bidentata.The high rate of direct shoot-root multiplication and their high rate of post-hardening survival indicate that this protocol can he easily adopted for commercial large scale cultivation.

A Decision Support System for Selection of Solar Power Plant Locations by Applying Fuzzy AHP and TOPSIS: An Empirical Study

The objective of this research is to propose a decision support system for avoiding flood on solar power plant site selection. Methodologically, the geographic information system (GIS) is used to determine the optimum site for a solar power plant. It is intended to integrate the qualitative and quantitative variables based upon the adoption of the Fuzzy Analytic Hierarchy Process (Fuzzy AHP) and the Technique for Order Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution (TOPSIS) model. These methods are employed to unite the environmental aspects and social needs for electrical power systematically. Regarding a case study of the choice of a solar power plant site in Thailand, it demonstrates that the quantitative and qualitative criteria should be realized prior to analysis in the Fuzzy AHP-TOPSIS model. The fuzzy AHP is employed to determine the weights of qualitative and quantitative criteria that can affect the selection process. The adoption of the fuzzy AHP is aimed to model the linguistic unclear, ambiguous, and incomplete knowledge. Additionally, TOPSIS, which is a ranking multi-criteria decision making method, is employed to rank the alternative sites based upon overall efficiency. The contribution of this paper lies in the evolution of a new approach that is flexible and practical to the decision maker, in providing the guidelines for the solar power plant site choices under stakeholder needs: at the same time, the desirable functions are achieved, in avoiding flood, reducing cost, time and causing less environmental impact. The new approach is assessed in the empirical study during major flooding in Thailand during the fourth quarter of 2011 to 2012. The result analysis and sensitivity analysis are also presented.

《Molecular Plant》文章中文摘要2008年第1卷第6期

(http://mplant.oxfordjoumals.org/content/vol1/issue6/index.dtl) 1 Bosch M,Poulter NS,Vatovec S,Franklin-Tong VE(2008).Initiation of programmed cell death in self-incompatibility: a role for cytoskeleton modifications and several caspase-like activities.Mol Plant,1(6)

Chromosomal aberrations and nucleic acids systems affected by some Egyptian medicinal plants used in treating female pregnant diabetic rats

The influences of medicinal plants Juniperus Phoenicea (Araar), Hyphaene thebaica (Doum), An-astatica hierochuntica (Kafta) and Cleome droserifolia (Sammo) as antidiabetic agents were investigated using female pregnant albino rats. Female rats were injected with 60 mg/kg b.w. alloxan to induce diabe-tes. Diabetic rats treated orally with the methanol extracts of tested plants till the 19 day of gestation. The present studies include the frequencies of chro-mosomal aberrations and nucleic acid system of liver in the female pregnant rats and their embryos. The results showed that injection of alloxan caused highly significant increase in chromosomal aberrations as well as in blood glucose levels as a result of diabetes in pregnant females. It also caused a high incidence of chromosomal deviation in embryos and decreased the liver soluble protein contents of female rats and their embryos. These effects in alloxanized animals were treated and improved by ingestion of the methanol extracts of the tested plants (Araar, Doum, Kafta and Somma) in which under their treatments, the inceased level of blood glu-cose of diabetic rats was deceased. Ingestion with the plants methanolic extracts improved and normalized the effects of diabetes in nucleic acids values of liver tissues. These were accompanied with nucleases (RNAase and DNAase) activities. The inhibited ac-tivities of both DNA ase and RNA ase of pregnant rats and their embryos were stimulated and read-justed around the normal values. Also administration of the plants methanol extracts decreased the per-centage of chromosomal aberrations in the female rats and embryos. It is concluded that there are some biochemical dynamics which might occur in the metabo-lism of glucose, nucleic acids and proteins in order to prevent or to reduce the oxidative stress of diabetes by flavonoides treatment.

An overview on antidiabetic medicinal plants having insulin mimetic property

Diabetes mellitus is one of the common metabolic disorders acquiring around 2.8%of the world's population and is anticipated to cross 5.4%by the year 2025.Since long back herbal medicines have been the highly esteemed source of medicine therefore,they have become a growing part of modern,high-tech medicine.In view of the above aspects the present review provides profiles of plants(65 species) with hypoglycaemic properties,available through literature source from various database with proper categorization according to the parts used,mode of reduction in blood glucose(insulinomimetic or insulin secretagugues activity) and active phyloconsliluents having insulin mimetics activity.From the review it was suggested that,plant showing hypoglycemic potential mainly belongs to the family Leguminoseae,Lamiaceae,Liliaceae,Cucurbitaceae, Asteraceae,Moraceae,Rosaceae and Araliaceae.The most active plants are Allium sativum. Gymnema sylvestre,Citrullus colocynthis,Trigonella foenum greacum,Momordica charantia and Ficuts bengalensis.The review describes some new bioactive drugs and isolated compounds from plants such as roseoside,epigallocatechin gallate,beta-pyrazol-1-ylalanine,cinchonain Ib,leucocyandin 3-O-beta-d-galactosyl cellobioside,leucopelargonidin-3- O-alpha-L rhamuoside,glycyrrhetinic acid,dehydrotrametenolic acid,strictinin,isostrictinin,pedunculagin, epicatechin and christinin-A showing significant insulinomimetic and antidiabetic activity with more efficacy than conventional hypoglycaemic agents.Thus,from the review majorly,the antidiabetic activity of medicinal plants is attributed to the presence of polyphenols,flavonoida, terpenoids,coumarins and other constituents which show reduction in blood glucose levels.The review also discusses the management aspect of diabetes mellitus using these plants and their active principles.

Host plant traits play a crucial role in shaping the composition of epiphytic microbiota in the arid desert,Northwest China

Phyllosphere microorganisms are a crucial component of environmental microorganisms,highly influenced by host characteristics,and play a significant role in plant health and productivity.Nonetheless,the impact of host characteristics on shaping phyllosphere microbial communities of plants with different life forms remains ambiguous.Utilizing high-throughput sequencing technology,this study analyzed the diversity and community composition of phyllosphere epiphytic microorganisms(e.g.,bacteria and fungi)of various plant life forms in the hinterland of the Gurbantunggut Desert,Northwest China.Functional annotation of prokaryotic taxa(FAPROTAX)and fungi function guild(FUNGuild)were employed to assess the ecological functions of microorganisms and to investigate the role of stochastic and deterministic processes in shaping phyllosphere microbial communities.Result showed a diverse array of phyllosphere epiphytic microorganisms in the desert plants,with Proteobacteria,Cyanobacteria,and Actinobacteriota dominating bacterial community,while Ascomycota and Basidiomycota were prevalent in fungal community.Comparison across different plant life forms highlighted distinct microbial communities,indicating strong filtering effects by plant characteristics.FAPROTAX prediction identified intracellular parasites(accounting for 27.44%of bacterial community abundance),chemoheterotrophy(10.12%),and phototrophy(17.41%)as the main functions of epiphytic bacteria on leaves of different life form plants.FUNGuild prediction indicated that phyllosphere epiphytic fungi primarily served as Saprotrophs(81.77%),Pathotrophs(17.41%),and Symbiotrophs(0.82%).Co-occurrence network analysis demonstrated a predominance of positive correlations among different microbial taxa.Raup-Crick dissimilarity index analysis revealed that deterministic processes predominantly influenced phyllosphere bacterial and fungal community assembly.Variance partitioning analysis and random forest modeling suggested that plant leaf functional traits significantly impacted both bacterial and fungal community composition,with fungal community composition showing a closer association with leaf nutrients and physiology compared with bacterial community composition.The distinct responses of bacterial and fungal communities to plant traits were attributed to the differing properties of bacteria and fungi,such as bacteria having higher potential dispersal rates and broader ecological niches than fungi.Overall,the results indicate that phyllosphere bacterial and fungal communities undergo similar community assembly processes,with fungi being more influenced by plant characteristics than bacteria.These findings offer novel insights into the ecology of phyllosphere microbial communities of desert plants.

Vacuolar processing enzyme positively modulates plant resistance and cell death in response to Phytophthora parasitica infection

Oomycete, particularly Phytophthora species, causes the most devastating crop diseases, such as potato late blight,and threatens the sustainable crop production worldwide. Our previous studies identified Resistance to Phytophthora parasitica 1(RTP1) as a negative regulator of Arabidopsis resistance to multiple biotrophic pathogens and RTP1 lossof-function plants displayed rapid cell death and reactive oxygen species(ROS) production during early colonization of P. parasitica. In this study, we aim to decipher the mechanism of RTP1-mediated cell death, and identify a member of vaculoar processing enzymes(VPEs), γVPE, playing a role in rtp1-mediated resistance to P. parasitica and cell death occurrence. Our results showed up-regulation of the expression of γVPE as well as increased VPE/caspase 1-like protease activity in P. parasitica-infected rtp1 mutant plants. Besides, we found that the VPE/caspase 1-like protease activity was required for the cell death occurrence in Arabidopsis plants during the infection of P. parasitica as well as rtp1-mediated resistance to P. parasitica. Further pathogenicity assays on either Arabidopsis γvpe mutant plants or leaves of Nicotiana benthamiana with transient overexpression of γVPE demonstrated γVPE could positively affect plant resistance to P. parasitica. Together, our studies suggest that γVPE might function as an important regulator of plant defense and cell death occurrence in response to P. parasitica infection, and VPE/caspase 1-like protease activity is required for rtp1-mediated resistance to P. parasitica.

An Overview of the Use of Medicinal Plants in Regenerative Dentistry

Aim: The oral cavity has the particularity to host multiple hard and soft tissues, in this paper, we will discuss the current therapies that lead to cell differentiation by regenerative therapies and the future alternatives proposed by medicinal plants and all the regenerative potential of these different tissues. Material and Methods: A detailed review of the literature through the various search engines: Scopus, PubMed, google scholar, Cochrane, etc., uses the selected keywords to explore the effect of the regenerative potential of several medicinal plants. Results: Through our research, we have proceeded to sort different medicinal plants, according to their repairing and regenerative potential on the different tissues of the oral cavity. Conclusion: Future studies are conceivable to explore the opportunities and potential provided by medicinal plants in the field of regenerative dentistry.

Aging Mongolian pine plantations face high risks of drought-induced growth decline:evidence from both individual tree and forest stand measurements

Discerning vulnerability differences among different aged trees to drought-driven growth decline or to mortality is critical to implement age-specific countermeasures for forest management in water-limited areas.An important species for afforestation in dry environments of northern China,Mongolian pine(Pinus sylvestris var.mongolica Litv.)has recently exhibited growth decline and dieback on many sites,particularly pronounced in old-growth plantations.However,changes in response to drought stress by this species with age as well as the underlying mechanisms are poorly understood.In this study,tree-ring data and remotely sensed vegetation data were combined to investigate variations in growth at individual tree and stand scales for young(9-13 years)and aging(35-52 years)plantations of Mongolian pine in a water-limited area of northern China.A recent decline in tree-ring width in the older plantation also had lower values in satellited-derived normalized difference vegetation indices and normalized difference water indices relative to the younger plantations.In addition,all measured growth-related metrics were strongly correlated with the self-calibrating Palmer drought severity index during the growing season in the older plantation.Sensitivity of growth to drought of the older plantation might be attributed to more severe hydraulic limitations,as reflected by their lower sapwood-and leaf-specific hydraulic conductivities.Our study presents a comprehensive view on changes of growth with age by integrating multiple methods and provides an explanation from the perspective of plant hydraulics for growth decline with age.The results indicate that old-growth Mongolian pine plantations in water-limited environments may face increased growth declines under the context of climate warming and drying.

Large-scale interplant exchange of macromolecules between soybean and dodder under nutrient stresses

Parasitic plants and their hosts communicate through haustorial connections.Nutrient deficiency is a common stress for plants,yet little is known about whether and how host plants and parasites communicate during adaptation to such nutrient stresses.In this study,we used transcriptomics and proteomics to analyze how soybean(Glycine max)and its parasitizing dodder(Cuscuta australis)respond to nitrate and phosphate deficiency(-N and-P).After-N and-P treatment,the soybean and dodder plants exhibited substantial changes of transcriptome and proteome,although soybean plants showed very few transcriptional responses to-P and dodder did not show any transcriptional changes to either-N or-P.Importantly,large-scale interplant transport of mRNAs and proteins was detected.Although the mobile mRNAs only comprised at most 0.2%of the transcriptomes,the foreign mobile proteins could reach 6.8%of the total proteins,suggesting that proteins may be the major forms of interplant communications.Furthermore,the interplant mobility of macromolecules was specifically affected by the nutrient regimes and the transport of these macromolecules was very likely independently regulated.This study provides new insight into the communication between host plants and parasites under stress conditions.

Tree species identity and interaction determine vertical forest structure in young planted forests measured by terrestrial laser scanning

Vertical forest structure is closely linked to multiple ecosystem characteristics,such as biodiversity,habitat,and productivity.Mixing tree species in planted forests has the potential to create diverse vertical forest structures due to the different physiological and morphological traits of the composing tree species.However,the relative importance of species richness,species identity and species interactions for the variation in vertical forest structure remains unclear,mainly because traditional forest inventories do not observe vertical stand structure in detail.Terrestrial laser scanning(TLS),however,allows to study vertical forest structure in an unprecedented way.Therefore,we used TLS single scan data from 126 plots across three experimental planted forests of a largescale tree diversity experiment in Belgium to study the drivers of vertical forest structure.These plots were 9–11years old young pure and mixed forests,characterized by four levels of tree species richness ranging from monocultures to four-species mixtures,across twenty composition levels.We generated vertical plant profiles from the TLS data and derived six stand structural variables.Linear mixed models were used to test the effect of species richness on structural variables.Employing a hierarchical diversity interaction modelling framework,we further assessed species identity effect and various species interaction effects on the six stand structural variables.Our results showed that species richness did not significantly influence most of the stand structure variables,except for canopy height and foliage height diversity.Species identity on the other hand exhibited a significant impact on vertical forest structure across all sites.Species interaction effects were observed to be site-dependent due to varying site conditions and species pools,and rapidly growing tree species tend to dominate these interactions.Overall,our results highlighted the importance of considering both species identity and interaction effects in choosing suitable species combinations for forest management practices aimed at enhancing vertical forest structure.

The IDD Transcription Factors:Their Functions in Plant Development and Environmental Response

INDETERMINATE-DOMAIN proteins(IDDs)are a plant-specific transcription factor family characterized by a conserved ID domain with four zinc finger motifs.Previous studies have demonstrated that IDDs coordinate a diversity of physiological processes and functions in plant growth and development,including floral transition,plant architecture,seed and root development,and hormone signaling.In this review,we especially summarized the latest knowledge on the functions and working models of IDD members in Arabidopsis,rice,and maize,particularly focusing on their role in the regulatory network of biotic and abiotic environmental responses,such as gravity,temperature,water,and pathogens.Understanding these mechanisms underlying the function of IDD proteins in these processes is important for improving crop yields by manipulating their activity.Overall,the review offers valuable insights into the functions and mechanisms of IDD proteins in plants,providing a foundation for further research and potential applications in agriculture.

Industrial Poverty Alleviation Model in Southwestern High-altitude Mountainous Areas of China——A Case Study of Industrial Poverty Alleviation of Xueshan Township in Luquan County of Yunnan Province through Planting Codonopsis pilosula

Due to the severe restrictions of natural conditions and ecological environment,high-altitude mountainous areas usually become the " hard bones" in the battle against poverty. Xueshan Township,Luquan Yi and Miao Autonomous County of Yunnan Province,located in the alpine valley of Jinsha River,is a major township with wide and deep poverty,and the incidence of poverty is up to 45. 00%. In recent years,Xueshan Township has insisted on the battle against poverty,made effort to develop the Codonopsis pilosula industry,and successfully developed a road to poverty alleviation through C. pilosula industry,and formed a unique industrial poverty alleviation model by the end of 2018,the incidence of poverty dropped to 0. 74%. Based on field survey and interview,this paper analyzes and summarizes the specific practices,main results,practical experience and promotion and application measures of the poverty alleviation model of C. pilosula planting industry in Xueshan Township,in the hope of providing certain reference for the targeted poverty alleviation in similar areas in Yunnan Province and other provinces of China.

Effects of variations in culture media and hormonal treatments upon callus induction potential in endosperm explant of Barringtonia racemosa L.

Objective: To induce callus from the medicinally valuable species, Barringtonia racemosa L.(B. racemosa) whereby the formation of callus is essential for micropropagation studies and in vitro plant secondary metabolites production.Methods: The callus induction potential in B. racemosa was assessed from endosperm explant cultured on different culture media and plant hormonal treatments. Lloyd and Mc Cown's woody plant medium and Murashige and Skoog's medium were used in the study as culture media. On the other hand, various concentrations and combinations of2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid(1.0–2.0 mg/L) and kinetin(0.5–2.5 mg/L) had been incorporated in the culture media to exert the effects of auxin and cytokinin on callus induction.Results: From the present study, it was found that the profuse [(1.681 ± 0.770) g fresh weight,(0.239 ± 0.239) g dry weight] and friable callus formation was optimally produced with desirable morphology and considerable percentage of callus induction(56.70%) in endosperm explants cultured on 1.0 mg/L 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid and 1.5 mg/L kinetin in Murashige and Skoog's medium.Conclusions: A reliable protocol for inducing callus formation of profuse and friable morphology in endosperm explant of B. racemosa had therefore been successfully established.

Agent Orange Chemical Plant Locations in the United States and Canada: Environmental and Human Health Impacts

During the Vietnam War, millions of liters of six tactical herbicides were sprayed on the southern Vietnam landscape to defoliate forests, to clear military perimeters and to destroy enemy food supplies. The environmental and human health impacts of spraying these herbicides, especially Agent Orange and those formulated with mixtures that included 2,4,5-trichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4,5-T) which was contaminated with 2,3,7,8-tetracholorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD) have been documented over the last 60 years. The dioxin TCDD clean-up efforts at former military bases and other Vietnam hotspots are ongoing. However, the lesser-told story was the environmental and human health impacts on the communities and chemical plant workers who manufactured Agent Orange and other herbicides that became contaminated with dioxin TCDD in the manufacturing processes at seven locations in the United States and one site in Canada. The pollution at these chemical plant sites, adjacent rivers and groundwater is well known within each affected state or province but not widely recognized beyond their localities. In this paper we assess the national long-term effects on land, groundwater and river resources where Agent Orange and other agricultural herbicides containing 2,4,5-T with unknown amounts of dioxin TCDD were manufactured, transported, and temporarily stored. The sites where residual tactical herbicides with contaminated by-products were applied to public lands or disposed of by military and civilian workers within the United States and Canada are identified. After 60 years, these communities are still paying the price for the U.S. Government, DOD and USDA decisions to provide and use agricultural herbicides as tactical chemical weapons during the Vietnam War (1962-1971). There have been human health issues associated with the chemical manufacture, transport, storage and disposal of these herbicides related to workers who moved these chemical weapons from United States and Canada to SE Asia. Most of these dioxin contaminated tactical herbicides were transported via railroads to ports at Mobile, Alabama and Gulfport, Mississippi. They were then loaded on ocean-going ships and transported via the Panama Canal for use during the Vietnam War. The objective of this study is to document the environmental and human consequences of the manufacture of tactical herbicides with dioxin TCDD and arsenic on the chemical plant, transportation, application, storage and disposal workers. The costs of cleanup of these North America chemical plant sites, transportation corridors, temporary and long-term storage areas, supply chain storage facilities with residual tactical herbicide, application, and disposal sites to date, is in the billions of dollars. Billions have been spent on hazardous waste incineration to destroy the dioxin TCDD or bury it in certified landfills. Government mandated environmental covenants are on titles of properties still contaminated with high levels of dioxin TCDD. If landowners attempt to rescind land use restrictions, many more billions of dollars will be needed to finish the environmental cleanup and restore natural resources. These cost estimates do not include the billions of dollars needed to treat the effects of dioxin TCDD exposure of U.S. and Canadian civilian workers who manufactured and handled these contaminated herbicides during the Vietnam War as well as address human health issues of their offspring.

Regulation of 2-acetyl-1-pyrroline and grain quality in early-season indica fragrant rice by nitrogen and silicon fertilization under different plantation methods

Fragrant rice has a high market value,and it is a popular rice type among consumers owing to its pleasant flavor.Plantation methods,nitrogen(N)fertilizers,and silicon(Si)fertilizers can affect the grain yield and fragrance of fragrant rice.However,the core commercial rice production attributes,namely the head rice yield(HRY)and 2-acetyl-1-pyrroline(2-AP)content of fragrant rice,under various nitrogen and silicon(N-Si)fertilization levels and different plantation methods remain unknown.The field experiment in this study was performed in the early seasons of 2018 and 2019 with two popular indica fragrant rice cultivars(Yuxiangyouzhan and Xiangyaxiangzhan).They were grown under six N-Si fertilization treatments(combinations of two levels of Si fertilizer,0 kg Si ha^(−1)(Si0)and 150 kg Si ha^(−1)(Si1),and three levels of N fertilizer,0 kg N ha^(−1)(N0),150 kg N ha^(−1)(N1),and 220 kg N ha^(−1)(N2))and three plantation methods(artificial transplanting(AT),mechanical transplanting(MT),and mechanical direct-seeding(MD)).The results showed that the N-Si fertilization treatments and all the plantation methods significantly affected the HRY and 2-AP content and related parameters of the two different fragrant rice cultivars.Compared with the Si0N0 treatment,the N-Si fertilization treatments resulted in higher HRY and 2-AP contents.The rates of brown rice,milled rice,head rice,and chalky rice of the fragrant rice also improved with the N-Si fertilization treatments.The N-Si fertilization treatments increased the activities of N metabolism enzymes and the accumulation of N and Si in various parts of the fragrant rice,and affected their antioxidant response parameters.The key parameters for the HRY and 2-AP content were assessed by redundancy analysis.Furthermore,the structural equation model revealed that the Si and N accumulation levels indirectly affected the HRY by affecting the N metabolism enzyme activity,N use efficiency,and grain quality of fragrant rice.Moreover,high N and Si accumulation directly promoted the 2-AP content or affected the antioxidant response parameters and indirectly regulated 2-AP synthesis.The interactions of the MT method with the N-Si fertilization treatments varied in the fragrant rice cultivars in terms of the HRY and 2-AP content,whereas the MD method was beneficial to the 2-AP content in both fragrant rice cultivars under the N-Si fertilization treatments.

Grain yield and N uptake of maize in response to increased plant density under reduced water and nitrogen supply conditions

The development of modern agriculture requires the reduction of water and chemical N fertilizer inputs.Increasing the planting density can maintain higher yields,but also consumes more of these restrictive resources.However,whether an increased maize density can compensate for the negative effects of reduced water and N supply on grain yield and N uptake in the arid irrigated areas remains unknown.This study is part of a long-term positioning trial that started in 2016.A split-split plot field experiment of maize was implemented in the arid irrigated area of northwestern China in 2020 to 2021.The treatments included two irrigation levels:local conventional irrigation reduced by 20%(W1,3,240 m^(3)ha^(-1))and local conventional irrigation(W2,4,050 m^(3)ha^(-1));two N application rates:local conventional N reduced by 25%(N1,270 kg ha^(-1))and local conventional N(360 kg ha^(-1));and three planting densities:local conventional density(D1,75,000 plants ha^(-1)),density increased by 30%(D2,97,500 plants ha-1),and density increased by 60%(D3,120,000 plants ha^(-1)).Our results showed that the grain yield and aboveground N accumulation of maize were lower under the reduced water and N inputs,but increasing the maize density by 30% can compensate for the reductions of grain yield and aboveground N accumulation caused by the reduced water and N supply.When water was reduced while the N application rate remained unchanged,increasing the planting density by 30% enhanced grain yield by 13.9% and aboveground N accumulation by 15.3%.Under reduced water and N inputs,increasing the maize density by 30% enhanced N uptake efficiency and N partial factor productivity,and it also compensated for the N harvest index and N metabolic related enzyme activities.Compared with W2N2D1,the N uptake efficiency and N partial factor productivity increased by 28.6 and 17.6%under W1N1D2.W1N2D2 had 8.4% higher N uptake efficiency and 13.9% higher N partial factor productivity than W2N2D1.W1N2D2 improved urease activity and nitrate reductase activity by 5.4% at the R2(blister)stage and 19.6% at the V6(6th leaf)stage,and increased net income and the benefit:cost ratio by 22.1 and 16.7%,respectively.W1N1D2 and W1N2D2 reduced the nitrate nitrogen and ammoniacal nitrogen contents at the R6 stage in the 40-100 cm soil layer,compared with W2N2D1.In summary,increasing the planting density by 30% can compensate for the loss of grain yield and aboveground N accumulation under reduced water and N inputs.Meanwhile,increasing the maize density by 30% improved grain yield and aboveground N accumulation when water was reduced by 20% while the N application rate remained constant in arid irrigation areas.

Layering Precision Land Leveling and Furrow Irrigated Raised Bed Planting: Productivity and Input Use Efficiency of Irrigated Bread Wheat in Indo-Gangetic Plains

Stagnating yield and declining input use efficiency in irrigated wheat of the Indo-Gangetic Plain (IGP) coupled with diminishing availability of water for agriculture is a major concern of food security in South Asia. The objective of our study was to establish an understanding of how wheat yield and input use efficiency can be improved and how land leveling and crop establishment practices can be modified to be more efficient in water use through layering of precision-conservation crop management techniques. The “precision land leveling with raised bed” planting can be used to improve crop yield, water and nutrient use efficiency over the existing “traditional land leveling with flat” planting practices. We conducted a field experiment during 2002-2004 at Modipuram, India to quantify the benefits of alternate land leveling (precision land leveling) and crop establishment (furrow irrigated raised bed planting) techniques alone or in combination (layering precision-conservation) in terms of crop yield, water savings, and nutrient use efficiency of wheat production in IGP. The wheat yield was about 16.6% higher with nearly 50% less irrigation water with layering precision land leveling and raised bed planting compared to traditional practices (traditional land leveling with flat planting). The agronomic (AE) and uptake efficiency (UE) of N, P and K were significantly improved under precision land leveling with raised bed planting technique compared to other practices.

Effect of diets supplemented with linseed alone or combined with vitamin E and selenium or with plant extracts,on Longissimus thoracis transcriptome in growing-finishing Italian Large White pigs

Background: Supplementing farm animals diet with functional ingredients may improve the nutritional quality of meat products.Diet composition has been also demonstrated to influence the gene expression with effect on biological processes and pathways.However,the knowledge on the effect of nutrients at the molecular level is scant.In particular,studies on the effects of antioxidants and polyphenols dietary supplementation have been investigated mainly in rodents,and only scarcely in farm animals so far.RNA-Seq with next-generation sequencing is increasingly the method of choice for studying changes in the transcriptome and it has been recently employed also in pig nutrigenomics studies to identify diet-induced changes in gene expression.The present study aimed to investigate the effect of diets enriched with functional ingredients(linseed,vitamin E and plant extracts) on the transcriptome of pig Longissimus thoracis to elucidate the role of these compounds in influencing genes involved in muscle physiology and metabolism compared to a standard diet.Results: Eight hundred ninety-three significant differentially expressed genes(DEGs)(FDR adjusted P-value ≤ 0.05)were detected by RNA-Seq analysis in the three diet comparisons(D2-D1,D3-D1,D4-D1).The functional analysis of DEGs showed that the diet enriched with n-3 PUFA from linseed(D2) mostly downregulated genes in pathways and biological processes(BPs) related to muscle development,contraction,and glycogen metabolism compared to the standard diet.The diet supplemented with linseed and vitamin E/Selenium(D3) showed to mostly downregulate genes linked to oxidative phosphorylation.Only few genes involved in extracellular matrix(ECM)organization were upregulated by the D3.Finally,the comparison D4-D1 showed that the diet supplemented with linseed and plant extracts(D4) upregulated the majority of genes compared to D1 that were involved in a complex network of pathways and BPs all connected by hub genes.In particular,IGF2 was a hub gene connecting protein metabolism,ECM organization,immune system and lipid biosynthesis pathways.Conclusion: The supplementation of pig diet with n-3 PUFA from linseed,antioxidants and plant-derived polyphenols can influence the expression of a relevant number of genes in Longissimus thoracis muscle that are involved in a variety of biochemical pathways linked to muscle function and metabolism.

Dependence of the Yield of Alfalfa on Plant Density and Diet

In this study, under conditions of enclosed soil, experiments were conducted on the dependence of the yield (weight of green mass) of alfalfa (Medicago) on plant density and diet. The experiments were carried out in five variants, in different values of the integrated density of plants and lasted 89 days. As a feed, specially prepared bio fertilizer was used and added with the calculation of 1 kg per 1 m2 of area. In the corresponding control variants, bio fertilizer was not used. Analysis of the experimental results showed that the feeding regime made it possible to obtain a maximum yield at higher integral density. At the same time, the increase in the weight of green mass when using bio fertilizers was about 36%.