Relationship between gene expression and the accumulation of catechin during spring and autumn in tea plants (Camellia sinensis L.)

The tea plant(Camellia sinensis L.)is an important commercial crop with remarkably high catechin concentrations.Tea is popular worldwide given the plant's health benefits.Catechins are the main astringent substance in tea and are synthesized mainly via the phenylpropanoid pathway.In this study,eight cultivars of tea plants harvested both in spring and autumn were used to investigate differences in catechin concentrations by using high-performance liquid chromatography.The expression levels of genes associated with catechin biosynthesis were investigated using reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction.The results indicated that the total catechin(TC)concentrations were significantly higher in tea plants harvested in autumn than in those harvested in spring,based on higher concentrations of epigallocatechin(EGC)in autumn tea(P<0.01).The expression of the genes phenylalanine ammonia-lyase(PAL),flavanone 3-hydroxylase(F3H),flavonoid 3′,5′-hydroxylase(F3′5′H),dihydroflavonol 4-reductase(DFR),and anthocyanidin synthase(ANS)is closely related to the TC content of tea plants in both spring and autumn.Positive correlations between PAL,cinnamate 4-hydroxylase(C4H),F3H,and DFR expression and EGC accumulation in autumn tea were identified,with correlation coefficients of 0.710,0.763,0.884,and 0.707,respectively.A negative correlation between ANS expression level and EGC concentrations in tea plants harvested in spring was noted(r=−0.732).Additionally,negative correlations between F3H and ANS expression levels and the catechin content were identified in spring tea,whereas the correlations were positive in autumn tea.Significant differences in the F3H and ANS expression levels between spring and autumn tea indicate that F3H and ANS are potentially key genes affecting catechin accumulation in tea plants.

CORRIGENDUM:Relationship between gene expression and the accumulation of catechin during spring and autumn in tea plants(Camellia sinensis L.)

Min Liu,Heng-lu Tian,Jian-Hua Wu,Ren-Rong Cao,Run-Xian Wang,Xiao-Hua Qi,Qiang Xu and Xue-Hao Chen.Horticulture Research(2015)2,15023;doi:10.1038/hortres.2015.23;published online13 May2015.Correction to:Horticulture Research(2015)2,11;doi:10.1038/hortres.2015.11;published online 13 May 2015 Since the publication of this article,the authors have noticed an error in the author list.Author“Ren-Rong Cang”should be“Ren-Rong Cao”.The authors apologize for any inconvenience it may have caused.

Variation Characteristics of Low Temperature and Rainy Weather in Guangxi during Spring Sowing Period of Recent 50 Years

[Objective] The research aimed to study the variation characteristics of low temperature and rainy weather in Guangxi during spring sowing period of recent 50 years.[Method] Based on the daily average temperature data from 1961 to 2010 at 88 meteorological stations in Guangxi,yearly days and end date of low temperature and rainy weather during spring sowing period were carried out statistics.The variation characteristics of low temperature and rainy weather in Guangxi during spring sowing period of recent 50 years were analyzed by using linear tendency calculation,phased analysis,Morlet wavelet analysis and correlation analysis.Moreover,the influences of climate warming on days and end date of low temperature and rainy weather in spring sowing period were analyzed.[Result] The average days of low temperature and rainy weather in Guangxi during spring sowing period from 1961 to 2010 was during 3.5-23.2 d.The regional distribution characteristics were that it was more in northeast and mountain zone,and less in southwest and valley.The regional distribution characteristics of end date were that it was late in northeast and mountain zone,and early in southwest and valley.The days of low temperature and rainy weather in Guangxi during spring sowing period of recent 50 years presented slight decrease trend,and the end date presented slight advancing trend.The phased variation characteristics of days and end date of low temperature and rainy weather were obvious.The days of low temperature and rainy weather from the early 1980s to metaphase of 1990s was obviously more,and the end date was obviously later.After the 1990s,the days of low temperature and rainy weather was obviously less,and the end date was obviously earlier.The days of low temperature and rainy weather had periodic oscillation signals of 4,6,8,10-14 years.The end date had periodic oscillation signals of 6,12-14 years.The days and end date of low temperature and rainy weather in Guangxi during spring sowing period significantly related to average temperature from middle dekad of February to first dekad of April.The climate warming made that the days of low temperature and rainy weather tended to decrease,and the end date tended to advance.[Conclusion] The research provided reference for further understanding the occurrence rule of low temperature and rainy weather,going after profits and avoiding disadvantages,reasonably arranging production,carrying out correlated research.

Spring and Autumn of the Lü Clan and Yellow Emperor School

To which school Spring and Autumn of the Lü Clan belongs is the base of carrying out the study of its thoughts and philosophy,which has always caused controversy.This question should be answered not from the narrowperspective of a certain school,but from the perspective of academic integration. Spring and Autumn of the Lü Clan is a consummate work of YellowEmperor School. There are four reasons for this conclusion: firstly,it shares the same ideological system and basic thoughts with YellowEmperor School. Secondly,from the perspective of ideological views,it carries on the development trend of thoughts of YellowEmperor School. Thirdly,from the perspective of integration of ideological factors of various schools,it carries on the development trend of YellowEmperor School. Fourthly,it raises the banner of"YellowEmperor",and inherits many words from works of YellowEmperor School.

Spring and autumn living coccolithophores in the Bohai Sea and Yellow Sea,China

The living coccolithophores （LCs） are an important class of calcified taxa of phytoplankton functional groups, and major producers of marine biogenic inorganic carbon, playing an important role in the marine carbon cycle. In this study, we report the two-demensional abundance, composition of LCs and its correlation with the environmental parameters in spring and autumn, in order to understand the ecological role of LCs in the Yellow Sea and the Bohai Sea. In spring, totally 9 taxa belonging to coccolithophyceae were identified using a polarized microscope at the 1 000x magnification. The dominant species were Emiliania huxleyi, Gephyrocapsa oceanica, Helicosphaera carteri, and Calcidiscus leptoporus. The abundance of coccosphores and coccoliths ranged 0-7.72 cells/mL, and 0-216.09 coccoliths/mL, with the average values of 0.21 cells/mL, and 11.36 coccoliths/mL, respectively. The Emiliania huxleyi distribution was similar to Gephyrocapsa oceanica. The highest abundance of coccoliths was observed in the east of Shandong Peninsula in northern Yellow Sea, whereas Helicosphaera carteri distributed more widely. Emiliania huxleyi and Gephyrocapsa oceanica were the two predominant species in LCs with higher abundances. The distribution of LCs was similar to that of coccoliths. In autumn, 14 taxa belonging to coccolithophyceae were identified with dominant species as Emiliania huxleyi, Gephyrocapsa oceanica, Helicosphaera carteri, Calcidiscus leptoporus and Oolithotus fragilis. The abundance of coccosphores and coccoliths ranged 0-24.69 cells/mL, and 0-507.15 coccoliths/mL, with the average values of 1.47 cells/mL, and 55.89 coccoliths/mL, respectively. The highest abundance of coccoliths was located in Qingdao coastal waters and south of the survey area. The distribution of LCs was similar to the coccoliths; in addition, LCs presented large abundance in the east of the central Yellow Sea area.

The Occurrence of Migraine Auras and Possible Triggers

Our aim is to determine the cause(s) of migraine auras. Our understanding of how migraines and migraine auras originate is very imperfect. An important observation is that migraines occur more frequently in women at reproductive age than in men at a similar age. This suggests that gonadal hormones may be relevant triggers. The occurrence of classical (typical auras without headache) auras in one author (WB) has been recorded. Every aura in six years (85) has been noted, studied and analysed statistically. The auras occur predominantly in Spring and Autumn, especially in the longer reproductive season of Spring. This association is supported statistically. The results support the idea of gonadal hormones as relevant triggers, the strongest candidate being estrogen. Basic mechanisms underlying the auras are discussed, especially the phenomenon of cortical spreading depression. We also propose that both auras and migraines depend upon previous injury to the head or to the brain, giving rise to a condition of “deafferentation hypersensitivity”.

Migration routes of the endangered Oriental Stork(Ciconia boyciana)from Xingkai Lake,China,and their repeatability as revealed by GPS tracking

The Oriental Stork(Ciconia boyciana)is listed as'Endangered'on the International Union for the Conservation of Nature(IUCN)Red List of Threatened Species and is classified as a first category nationally protected bird species in China.Understanding this species'seasonal movements and migration will facilitate effective conservation to promote its population.We tagged 27 Oriental Stork nestlings at Xingkai Lake on the Sanjiang Plain in Heilongjiang Province,China,used GPS tracking to follow them over the periods of 2014-2017 and 2019-2022,and confirmed their detailed migratory routes using the spatial analysis function of ArcGIS 10.7.We discovered four migration routes during autumn migration:one common long-distance migration route in which the storks migrated along the coastline of Bohai Bay to the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River for wintering,one short-distance migration route in which the storks wintered in Bohai Bay and two other migration routes in which the storks crossed the Bohai Strait around the Yellow River and wintered in South Korea.There were no significant differences in the number of migration days,residence days,migration distances,number of stopovers and average number of days spent at stopover sites between the autumn and spring migrations(P>0.05).However,the storks migrated significantly faster in spring than in autumn(P=0.03).The same individuals did not exhibit a high degree of repetition in their migration timing and route selection in either autumn or spring migration.Even storks from the same nest exhibited considerable between-individual variation in their migration routes.Some important stopover sites were identified,especially in the Bohai Rim Region and on the Songnen Plain,and we further explored the current conservation status at these two important sites.Overall,our results contribute to the understanding of the annual migration,dispersal and protection status of the endangered Oriental Stork and provide a scientific basis for conservation decisions and the development of action plans for this species.

Analysis on the Ecological and Climatic Advantages of Tea Production in Western Guizhou

The ecological and climatic conditions in the main tea areas of western Guizhou were analyzed,and the comparison with Meitan,Duyun and Leishan tea areas in Guizhou Province was conducted. The results showed that spring,summer and autumn tea can be picked in western Guizhou Province;spring tea can be picked for about 100 d,and summer and autumn tea can be picked for about 50 d. The average content of amino acids in tea from western Guizhou was 0.9%-2.9% higher than the national average,and the average content of polyphenols was 10.9% lower than the national average maximum,while the average content of caffeine was 1.4% lower than the national average maximum. In the first ten days of February,the temperature in the western tea area began to rise,which was earlier than Meitan,Duyun,Leishan tea areas and had a larger warming range,which was conducive to the germination of tea trees. The average temperature of ten days in the western tea area from middle May to early July was lower than that of Meitan,Duyun and Leishan tea areas,and the temperature rise was not violent,which was conducive to the growth of summer shoots and vigorous growth of tea buds. The ten-day average temperature of the western tea area from the first ten days of August to the last ten days of September was lower than Meitan,Duyun and Leishan tea areas,and its precipitation was more than Meitan,Duyun and Leishan tea areas,and the number of rainy and foggy days was more. The climate conditions are favorable for the formation of tea quality.

Effects of Fulvic Acid on Agronomic Traits and Yield of Autumn Potato

[Objective] This study was to investigate the effects of fulvic acid on agronomic traits and yield of autumn potato. [Method] The effects of fulvic acid on growth period, plant morphology, tuber, net photosynthetic rate, chlorophyll content, leaf area index （LAI） and yield of autumn potato were investigated. [Result] The application of fulvic acid prolonged the growth period and increased the plant height, stem diameter, leaf chlorophyll content, LAI, net photosynthetic rate, tuber number per plant, tuber weight per plant and marketable tuber rate of autumn potato, thus increasing the yield. Applying fulvic acid prolonged the growth period of autumn potato by 1-3 d and significantly increased the plant height, net photosynthetic rate, tuber weight per plant and yield of autumn potato （P〈0.05, P〈0.01）. When the application amount of compound fertilizer was reduced by half, applying fulvic acid almost showed the same seedling emergence stage, mature stage, growth period and net photosynthetic rate with applying full amount of compound fertilizer. In particular, no significant difference was found in the yield of autumn potato between fullamount and half-amount compound fertilizer treatment groups in the premise of solid- liquid fulvic acid combined application. [Conclusion] In the premise of unchanged yield, applying fulvic acid can reduce the application of chemical fertilizers and reduce the non-point source pollution of chemical fertilizers.

Study on Weather Forecast Indicators during Mowing Grass Periods in Inner Mongolia

Based on ground observation and remote sensing monitoring data,regions appropriate for mowing herbage in the dog days and autumn were predicted and assessed quantitatively,and regions appropriate for mowing herbage were divided into comparatively suitable,suitable and optimum areas for mowing herbage. Servicing products can be spread to agricultural and pastoral areas via short message service,broadcasting,radio and network in time,and good service effect can be obtained. However,under the effect of precision rate of medium-term prediction areas,the prediction of some rainfall areas deviates from the actual rainfall areas. After timely correction of weather prediction in 24 and 48 hours,pastoral weather forecast service in mowing herbage regions is improved obviously. Herbage mowed in the dog days is rich in nutrients,but it is rainy in the period,which brings certain difficulties to herbage mowing and airing. Therefore,herdsmen in various regions should pay more attention to local weather prediction and regulate mowing herbage periods in time,and autumn herbage can be mowed if the weather is not suitable for mowing herbage in the dog days.

High-grade Cocoon Filament Silkworm Chuanshan ×Shushui for Spring and Autumn Rearing

Chuanshan × Shushui is a highgrade cocoon filament silkworm variety for spring and autumn rearing bred by Nanchong Silkworm Eggs Farmthrough systematic breeding method. The characteristics of stock seed and F1 hybrid of silkworm variety Chuanshan × Shushui and their breeding technical points and precautions were introduced in the paper. Laboratory identification and rural breeding results showed that Chuanshan × Shushui wascharacterized by physical strength, high cocoon weight, good cocoon quality and superior neatness, and the cocoons produced could reel 5A6A classraw silk. The variety was suitable for breeding in silkworm areas in Sichuan, Yunnan and Shaanxi provinces. The variety was approved by Sichuansilkworm breeding committee in 2005, and more than one million boxes of silkworm eggs have been cumulatively bred in silkworm areas in Sichuan,Yunnan, Shaanxi and Hainan provinces.

Influence of Transplantation in Different Stage on Growth and Yield of Spring Maize in Shanxi Early Mature Area

In order to explore a new mulch-free maize planting mode and the best seedling age for maize transplantation in Shanxi early mature area,a field experiment was carried out using completely randomized block design.Taking mulch-based direct sowing as the control group,effects of transplantation in different stage on maize growing process,plant height,three-ear leaf area in mature period,and yield and composition factors of maize were studied.Results indicate that growing process of maize seedlings transplanted in every stage is slightly slower than the control group.Transplantation has effect of reducing plant height and three-ear leaf area in mature period.There was no significant difference between the yield of maize transplanted on May 1st and the control group,and the yield declined only by 7% compared with mulch-based direct sowing(CK).Damages to maize seedlings by the local late frost must be noticed when maize is planted by the method of mulch-free transplantation in early mature area.Transplanting the seedlings earlier after the late frost is deemed as an appropriate period in this area.

Remote Sensing Inversion of Nitrogen Nutrition Status of Apple Tree Leaves during Stopping Period of Spring Shoots

The nutrient inversion model of apple leaves was established by spectral analysis technology to provide technical support for the fine management of apple trees.In Shuangquan Town,Changqing District,Jinan City,Shandong Province,the Fuji apple trees with stopping period of spring shoots were taken as research objects.The spectral reflectance and nitrogen content of apple leaves were measured by ASD Field Spec 4 portable ground object spectrometer.Analyzed the correlation between leaf nitrogen content and spectral reflectance.The sensitive wavelengths with high correlation coefficient were select by fractional differential algorithm,and the optimal vegetation index was constructed and screened out.Partial Least Square Regression(PLSR),Support Vector Machine(SVM)and Random Forests(RF)method were used to construct an inversion model of leaf nitrogen content.The results show that the RF model based on fractional differential second-order treatment is the best inversion model for the nitrogen content of leaves during stopping period of spring shoots.The modeling accuracy determination coefficient R2 reached 0.891,RMSE was 0.0841,and RPD was 2.1396.The determination coefficient R2 of the fitting results of the verification set was 0.617,RMSE was 0.1251,and RPD was 1.7105.The inversion model established by RF method is effective in monitoring the nitrogen content in apple leaves,which provides a theoretical basis for monitoring the growth of apple by hyperspectral technology.

Food Basin from the State of Xi Spring and Autumn Period (770-476 B.C.)

The State of Xi was a small kingdom in ancient times located between the Yangtze River and Huaihe River. It was overturned by leaders from the State of Chu in 680 B.C. This bronze basin, the only unearthed relic from the State of Xi, is 21 centimeters in girth, has a lid with a bugle-shaped handle and two symmetrical handles on the sides. The bottom of the basin is engraved with the characters meaning "Xing, the king of the State Xi has this as his food basin."

Orbit determination and prediction for Beidou GEO satellites at the time of the spring/autumn equinox

Geostationary(GEO) satellites form an indispensable component of the constellation of Beidou navigation system(BDS). The ephemerides, or predicted orbits of these GEO satellites(GEOs), are broadcast to positioning, navigation, and timing users. User equivalent ranging error(UERE) based on broadcast message is better than 1.5 m(root formal errors: RMS) for GEO satellites. However, monitoring of UERE indicates that the orbital prediction precision is significantly degraded when the Sun is close to the Earth's equatorial plane(or near spring or autumn Equinox). Error source analysis shows that the complicated solar radiation pressure on satellite buses and the simple box-wing model maybe the major contributor to the deterioration of orbital precision. With the aid of BDS' two-way frequency and time transfer between the GEOs and Beidou time(BDT, that is maintained at the master control station), we propose a new orbit determination strategy, namely three-step approach of the multi-satellite precise orbit determination(MPOD). Pseudo-range(carrier phase) data are transformed to geometric range(biased geometric range) data without clock offsets; and reasonable empirical acceleration parameters are estimated along with orbital elements to account for the error in solar radiation pressure modeling. Experiments with Beidou data show that using the proposed approach, the GEOs' UERE when near the autumn Equinox of 2012 can be improved to 1.3 m from 2.5 m(RMS), and the probability of user equivalent range error(UERE)<2.0 m can be improved from 50% to above 85%.

Impacts of Climate Change on Growth Period and Planting Boundaries of Spring Wheat in China under RCP4.5 Scenario

This article contributes to research on how climate change will impact crops in China by moving from ex-post empirical analysis to forecasting. We construct a multiple regression model, using agricultural observations and meteorological simulations by GCMs, to simulate the possible planting boundaries and suitable planting re- gions of spring wheat under RCP4.5 scenario for the base period 2040s and 2070s. We find that the south bound- ary of possible planting region for spring wheat spreads along the belt： south Shandong-north Jiangsu-north Anhui-central Henan-north Hubei-southeast Sichuan-north Yunnan provinces, and will likely move northward under RCP4.5 scenario in 2040s and 2070s, resulting in the decrease of possible planting area in China. Moreover, the sowing and harvest date of spring wheat in the base period shows a gradually delayed phenomenon from the belt： south Xinjiang - Gansu, to the Tibet Plateau. As a result, the growth period of spring wheat in China will shorten because of the impacts of climate change. These results imply that a variety of adaptations measures should be set up in response to changing climatic conditions, including developing the planting base for spring wheat, restricting the planting area of spring wheat in sub-suitable areas at risk while expanding the planting area of optimal crops.

基于WOFOST模型的吉林省中西部春玉米灌溉模拟

利用1961-2015年吉林省中、西部气象站资料,采用Peman-Monteith公式计算主要种植区春玉米生长季蒸散量,并确认生育期内有效降水量,得到研究区域春玉米净灌溉量和各生育期灌溉需求指数,据此确定关键灌溉期;再利用WOFOST作物模型模拟代表站点在不同降水年型下各灌溉方案的产量情况,通过模拟产量的结果选取春玉米较优灌溉方案。结果表明:吉林省中西部有效降水量占春玉米需水量的69%左右,乳熟-成熟期、播种-出苗期和出苗-拔节期的灌溉需求指数较高,这3个生育期为春玉米灌溉关键期;吉林省中西部春玉米乳熟-成熟期灌溉效率最高,其次为播种-出苗期,可根据条件加强关键生育期灌溉。

Climate warming shifts the time interval between flowering and leaf unfolding depending on the warming period

The timing of flowering(FL)and leaf unfolding(LU)determine plants’reproduction and vegetative growth.Global warming has substantially advanced FL and LU of temperate and boreal plants,but their responses to warming differ,which may influence the time interval between FL and LU(ΔLU-FL),thereby impacting plant fitness and intraspecific physiological processes.Based on twigs collected from two flowering-first tree species,Populus tomentosa and Amygdalus triloba,we conducted a manipulative experiment to investigate the effects of winter chilling,spring warming and photoperiod on theΔLU-FL.We found that photoperiod did not affect theΔLU-FL of Amygdalus triloba,but shortenedΔLU-FL by 5.1 d of Populus tomentosa.Interestingly,spring warming and winter chilling oppositely affected theΔLU-FL of both species.Specifically,low chilling accumulation extended theΔLU-FL by 3.8 and 9.4 d for Populus tomentosa and Amygdalus triloba,but spring warming shortened theΔLU-FL by 4.1 and 0.2 d℃^(-1).Our results indicate that climate warming will decrease or increase theΔLU-FL depending on the warming periods,i.e.,spring or winter.The shifted time interval between flowering and leaf unfolding may have ecological effects including affecting pollen transfer efficiency and alter the structure and functioning of terrestrial ecosystem.

澳大利亚Alice Springs造山带北缘构造变形序列与伟晶岩成矿

澳大利亚北领地南部具有近平行展布的线性沉积盆地及隆起的变质地层相间排列的特征。这种独特构造格局的形成与新元古代晚期到古生代中期的两次板内造山事件有关。研究区主要受第二次板内造山事件,即Alice Springs造山活动影响。对研究区进行地质调查和填图工作后得到以下认识:1)区域经历了3个期次的构造活动,前两期活动伴随着花岗伟晶岩的侵位;2)变形深度逐渐变浅,主应力轴分别为前两期的近南北向和第三期的北西—南东向;3)研究区的花岗伟晶岩主要由常见的造岩矿物构成,呈平缓的席状侵位特征,并未发育与围岩相同的剪切面理,也没有出现由结晶分异导致的分带现象,因此推测其成矿潜力较小。

Experimental Study on Water Saving of Large-scale Mechanized Paddy Field Production Process in Heilongjiang Province

In order to clarify the water-saving technologies and standards in large-scale mechanized production of paddy fields, the water-saving effects and cost-benefit situations of paddy field steeping, seedling transplanting and different land preparation methods were studied. The results showed that the suitable water layer height for the closing period of mechanized operation was 10 cm, which could save water, facilitate weed control, and lead to better effect and the highest yield. The treatment with a water layer height of 1 cm(Huadashui) for the seedling planting operation achieved better quality of seedling transplanting, lower vacancy rate and higher yield and was water-saving. From the perspective of saving water and taking into account the cost of land preparation, the method of steeping and beating the field was better than the method of plowing in autumn and rotary tillage and harrowing in spring, but it was very prone to lodging. From the perspective of high yield creation, the method of plowing in autumn and rotary tillage and harrowing in spring was significantly better than the method of steeping and beating the field. In order to reduce the cost of land preparation, it is recommended to change the way of plowing in autumn and rotary tillage and hallowing in spring to plowing in autumn and rotary tillage in spring or plowing and hallowing in spring to reduce the cost of one time of rotary tillage, and to simultaneously realize deeper plough layer, which is conducive to preventing lodging and obtaining high yield.