Upregulation of the glycine-rich protein-encoding gene GhGRPL enhances plant tolerance to abiotic and biotic stressors by promoting secondary cell wall development

Abiotic and biotic stressors adversely affect plant survival,biomass generation,and crop yields.As the global availability of arable land declines and the impacts of global warming intensify,such stressors may have increasingly pronounced effects on agricultural productivity.Currently,researchers face the overarching challenge of comprehensively enhancing plant resilience to abiotic and biotic stressors.The secondary cell wall plays a crucial role in bolstering the stress resistance of plants.To increase plant resistance to stress through genetic manipulation of the secondary cell wall,we cloned a cell wall protein designated glycine-rich protein-like(GhGRPL)from cotton fibers,and found that it is specifically expressed during the period of secondary cell wall biosynthesis.Notably,this protein differs from its Arabidopsis homolog,AtGRP,since its glycine-rich domain is deficient in glycine residues.GhGRPL is involved in secondary cell wall deposition.Upregulation of GhGRPL enhances lignin accumulation and,consequently,the thickness of the secondary cell walls,thereby increasing the plant’s resistance to abiotic stressors,such as drought and salinity,and biotic threats,including Verticillium dahliae infection.Conversely,interference with GhGRPL expression in cotton reduces lignin accumulation and compromises that resistance.Taken together,our findings elucidate the role of GhGRPL in regulating secondary cell wall development through its influence on lignin deposition,which,in turn,reinforces cell wall robustness and impermeability.These findings highlight the promising near-future prospect of adopting GhGRPL as a viable,effective approach for enhancing plant resilience to abiotic and biotic stress factors.

Transcriptomic and metabolomic analysis of changes in grain weight potential induced by water stress in wheat

The sink strength of developing ovaries in wheat determines the grain weight potential.The period from booting to the grain setting stage is critical for ovary growth and development and potential sink capacity determination.However,the underlying regulatory mechanism during this period by which the wheat plant balances and coordinates the floret number and ovary/grain weight under water stress has not been clarified.Therefore,we designed two irrigation treatments of W0(no seasonal irrigation)and W1(additional 75 mm of irrigation at the jointing stage)and analyzed the responses of the ovary/grain weight to water stress at the phenotypic,metabolomic,and transcriptomic levels.The results showed that the W0 irrigation treatment reduced the soil water content,plant height,and green area of the flag leaf,thus reducing grain number,especially for the inferior grains.However,it improved the grain weight of the superior and inferior grains as well as average grain weight at maturity,while the average ovary/grain weight and volume during–3 to 10 days after anthesis(DAA)also increased.Transcriptomic analysis indicated that the genes involved in both sucrose metabolism and phytohormone signal transduction were prominently accelerated by the W0 treatment,accompanied by greater enzymatic activities of soluble acid invertase(SAI)and sucrose synthase(Sus)and elevated abscisic acid(ABA)and indole-3-acetic acid(IAA)levels.Thus,the sucrose content decreased,while the glucose and fructose contents increased.In addition,several TaTPP genes(especially TaTPP-6)were down-regulated and the IAA biosynthesis genes TaTAR1 and TaTAR2 were up-regulated under the W0 treatment before anthesis,which further increased the IAA level.Collectively,water stress reduced the growth of vegetative organs and eliminated most of the inferior grains,but increased the ABA and IAA levels of the surviving ovaries/grains,promoting the enzymatic activity of Sus and degrading sucrose into glucose and fructose.As a result,the strong sucrose utilization ability,the enhanced enzymatic activity of SAI and the ABA-and IAA-mediated signaling jointly increased the weight and volume of the surviving ovaries/grains,and ultimately achieved the tradeoff between ovary/grain weight and number in wheat under water stress.

Effects of nitrogen deposition on the carbon budget and water stress in Central Asia under climate change

Atmospheric deposition of nitrogen(N)plays a significant role in shaping the structure and functioning of various terrestrial ecosystems worldwide.However,the magnitude of N deposition on grassland ecosystems in Central Asia still remains highly uncertain.In this study,a multi-data approach was adopted to analyze the distribution and amplitude of N deposition effects in Central Asia from 1979 to 2014 using a process-based denitrification decomposition(DNDC)model.Results showed that total vegetation carbon(C)in Central Asia was 0.35(±0.09)Pg C/a and the averaged water stress index(WSI)was 0.20(±0.02)for the whole area.Increasing N deposition led to an increase in the vegetation C of 65.56(±83.03)Tg C and slightly decreased water stress in Central Asia.Findings of this study will expand both our understanding and predictive capacity of C characteristics under future increases in N deposition,and also serve as a valuable reference for decision-making regarding water resources management and climate change mitigation in arid and semi-arid areas globally.

Enhancing Canola Yield and Photosynthesis under Water Stress with Hydrogel Polymers

While Egypt’s canola production per unit area has recently grown,productivity remains low,necessitating increased productivity.Hydrogels are water-absorbent polymer compounds that can optimize irrigation schedules by increasing the soil’s ability to retain water.Accordingly,twofield experiments were conducted to examine hydrogel application to sandy soil on canola growth,biochemical aspects,yield,yield traits,and nutritional quality of yielded seeds grown under water deficit stress conditions.The experiments were conducted by arranging a split-plot layout in a randomized complete block design(RCBD)with three times replications of each treatment.While water stress at 75%or 50%of crop evapotranspiration(ETc)lowered chlorophyll a,chlorophyll b,caro-tenoids,and total pigments content,indole-3-acetic acid,plant development,seed yield,and oil and total carbo-hydrates of seed yield,hydrogel treatment enhanced all of the traits mentioned above.Furthermore,hydrogel enhanced to gather compatible solutes(proline,amino acids,total soluble sugars),phenolics content in leaves,seed protein,and crop water productivity,which increased while the plants were under water stress.The results revealed that the full irrigation(100%ETc)along with hydrogel compared to water-stressed(50%ETc)led to enhanced seed yield(kg ha^(-1)),Oil(%),and Total carbohydrates(%)of rapeseed by 57.1%,11.1%and 15.7%,respectively.Likewise,under water-stressed plots with hydrogel exhibited enhancement by 10.0%,3.2%and 5.1%in seed yield(kg ha^(-1)),oil(%),and total carbohydrates(%)of rapeseed by 57.1%,11.1%and 15.7%,respec-tively compared to control.As a result,the use of hydrogel polymer will be a viable and practical solution for increasing agricultural output under water deficit stress situations.

Hydrogen-rich water alleviates constipation by attenuating oxidative stress through the sirtuin1/nuclear factor-erythroid-2-related factor 2/heme oxygenase-1 signaling pathway

BACKGROUND Constipation,a highly prevalent functional gastrointestinal disorder,induces a significant burden on the quality of patients'life and is associated with substantial healthcare expenditures.Therefore,identifying efficient therapeutic modalities for constipation is of paramount importance.Oxidative stress is a pivotal contributor to colonic dysmotility and is the underlying pathology responsible for constipation symptoms.Consequently,we postulate that hydrogen therapy,an emerging and promising intervention,can serve as a safe and efficacious treatment for constipation.AIM To determine whether hydrogen-rich water(HRW)alleviates constipation and its potential mechanism.METHODS Constipation models were established by orally loperamide to Sprague-Dawley rats.Rats freely consumed HRW,and were recorded their 24 h total stool weight,fecal water content,and charcoal propulsion rate.Fecal samples were subjected to 16S rDNA gene sequencing.Serum non-targeted metabolomic analysis,malondialdehyde,and superoxide dismutase levels were determined.Colonic tissues were stained with hematoxylin and eosin,Alcian blue-periodic acid-Schiff,reactive oxygen species(ROS)immunofluorescence,and immunohistochemistry for cell growth factor receptor kit(c-kit),PGP 9.5,sirtuin1(SIRT1),nuclear factor-erythroid-2-related factor 2(Nrf2),and heme oxygenase-1(HO-1).Quantitative real-time PCR and western blot analysis were conducted to determine the expression level of SIRT1,Nrf2 and HO-1.A rescue experiment was conducted by intraperitoneally injecting the SIRT1 inhibitor,EX527,into constipated rats.NCM460 cells were induced with H2O2 and treated with the metabolites to evaluate ROS and SIRT1 expression.RESULTS HRW alleviated constipation symptoms by improving the total amount of stool over 24 h,fecal water content,charcoal propulsion rate,thickness of the intestinal mucus layer,c-kit expression,and the number of intestinal neurons.HRW modulated intestinal microbiota imbalance and abnormalities in serum metabolism.HRW could also reduce intestinal oxidative stress through the SIRT1/Nrf2/HO-1 signaling pathway.This regulatory effect on oxidative stress was confirmed via an intraperitoneal injection of a SIRT1 inhibitor to constipated rats.The serum metabolites,β-leucine(β-Leu)and traumatic acid,were also found to attenuate H2O2-induced oxidative stress in NCM460 cells by up-regulating SIRT1.CONCLUSION HRW attenuates constipation-associated intestinal oxidative stress via SIRT1/Nrf2/HO-1 signaling pathway,modulating gut microbiota and serum metabolites.β-Leu and traumatic acid are potential metabolites that upregulate SIRT1 expression and reduce oxidative stress.

Research Progress on Economic Forest Water Stress Based on Bibliometrics and Knowledge Graph

This study employed the bibliometric software CiteSpace 6.1.R6 to analyze the correlation between thermal infrared,spectral remote sensing technology,and the estimation of economic forest water stress.It aimed to review the development and current status of this field,as well as to identify future research trends.A search was conducted on the China National Knowledge Infrastructure(CNKI)database using the keyword“water stress”for relevant studies from 2003 to 2023.The visual analysis function of CNKI was used to generate the distribution of annual publication volume,and CiteSpace 6.1.R6 was utilized to create network maps illustrating collaboration among authors and institutions.The study also analyzed the hotspots and frontiers of economic forest water stress.As a result,a total of 6664 academic journal articles related to water stress were retrieved.Considerable collaboration networks were observed among scholars and institutions,with a focus on using crown temperature monitoring to diagnose crop water stress.Based on the research findings,it was evident that the primary research trend involved the use of thermal infrared and spectral remote sensing technology for estimating water stress,making it a future research hotspot.

The influences of canopy temperature measuring on the derived crop water stress index

Crop water stress index(CWSI)is widely used for efficient irrigation management.Precise canopy temperature(T_(c))measurement is necessary to derive a reliable CWSI.The objective of this research was to investigate the influences of atmospheric conditions,settled height,view angle of infrared thermography,and investigating time of temperature measuring on the performance of the CWSI.Three irrigation treatments were used to create different soil water conditions during the 2020-2021 and 2021-2022 winter wheat-growing seasons.The CWSI was calculated using the CWSI-E(an empirical approach)and CWSI-T(a theoretical approach)based on the T_(c).Weather conditions were recorded continuously throughout the experimental period.The results showed that atmospheric conditions influenced the estimation of the CWSI;when the vapor pressure deficit(VPD)was>2000 Pa,the estimated CWSI was related to soil water conditions.The height of the installed infrared thermograph influenced the T_(c)values,and the differences among the T_(c)values measured at height of 3,5,and 10 m was smaller in the afternoon than in the morning.However,the lens of the thermometer facing south recorded a higher T_(c)than those facing east or north,especially at a low height,indicating that the direction of the thermometer had a significant influence on T_(c).There was a large variation in CWSI derived at different times of the day,and the midday measurements(12:00-15:00)were the most reliable for estimating CWSI.Negative linear relationships were found between the transpiration rate and CWSI-E(R^(2)of 0.3646-0.5725)and CWSI-T(R^(2)of 0.5407-0.7213).The relations between fraction of available soil water(FASW)with CWSI-T was higher than that with CWSI-E,indicating CWSI-T was more accurate for predicting crop water status.In addition,The R^(2)between CWSI-T and FASW at 14:00 was higher than that at other times,indicating that 14:00 was the optimal time for using the CWSI for crop water status monitoring.Relative higher yield of winter wheat was obtained with average seasonal values of CWSI-E and CWSI-T around 0.23 and 0.25-0.26,respectively.The CWSI-E values were more easily influenced by meteorological factors and the timing of the measurements,and using the theoretical approach to derive the CWSI was recommended for precise irrigation water management.

Effects of water stress on quality and sugar metabolism in'Gala'apple fruit

Sugar plays an important role in apple fruit development,appearance and quality as well as contributing to a plant’s water stress response.Trehalose and the trehalose biosynthetic metabolic pathways are part of the sugar signaling system in plants,which are important regulator of water stress response in apple.The effect of water stress treatments applied to apple trees and the corresponding effects of ABA on developmental fruit quality were examined for indicators of fruit quality during fruit development.The results indicated that the severe water stress treatment(W2)occurring after the last stage of fruit cell division caused a decrease in the color and size of fruit.The moderate water stress(W1)occurring after the last stage of fruit cell enlargement(S2)caused an increase in the content of fructose and sorbitol while the apple fruit shape was not affected.These changes in sugar are related to the activity of sugar metabolic enzymes.While the enzymatic activity of vacuolar acid invertase(vAINV)was higher,that of sucrose-phosphate synthase(SPS)was lower in water stress treated fruit throughout the developmental period.This indicates that enhanced sucrose degradation and reduced sucrose synthesis leads to an overall reduced sucrose content during times of drought.Thus,water stress reduced sucrose content.Whereas the content of endogenous trehalose and ABA were the highest in water stress treated fruit.A moderate water stress(W1)imposed on apple trees via water restriction(60%–65%of field capacity)after the fruit cell enlargement phase of fruit development yielded sweeter fruit of higher economic value.

Rapid testing and prediction of soil–water characteristic curve of subgrade soils considering stress state and degree of compaction

The subgrade soil is generally in saturated or unsaturated condition. To analyze complex thermo-hydro-mechanical-chemical (THMC) behaviors of subgrade, it is essential to determine the soil–water characteristic curve (SWCC) that represents the relationship between matric suction and moisture content. In this study, a full-automatic rapid stress-dependent SWCC pressure-plate extractor was developed. Then, the influences of overburden stress and degree of compaction on the SWCC of subgrade soil such as high liquid limit silt (MH) and low liquid limit clay (CL) were analyzed. Accordingly, a new model taking into account the influences of overburden stress and degree of compaction based on the well-known Van Genuchten (VG) SWCC fitting model was presented and validated. The results show that with the increase of the degree of compaction and overburden stress, the saturated moisture content of subgrade soil decreases, while the air-entry value increases and the transition section curve becomes flat. The influences of the degree of compaction and overburden stress on the SWCC of MH is greater than that of CL. Meanwhile, there was a satisfactory agreement between the prediction and measurement, indicating a good performance of the new model for predicting the SWCC.

Effects of water stress on growth phenology photosynthesis and leaf water potential in Stipagrostis ciliata(Desf.)De Winter in North Africa

Stipagrostis ciliata(Desf.)De Winter is a pastoral C4 grass grown in arid regions.This research work focused on assessing the growth of S.ciliata accessions derived from two different climate regions(a wet arid region in the Bou Hedma National Park in the central and southern part of Tunisia(coded as WA),and a dry arid region from the Matmata Mountain in the south of Tunisia(coded as DA))under water stress conditions.Specifically,the study aimed to investigate the phenological and physiological responses of potted S.ciliata seedlings under different water treatments:T_(1)(200 mm/a),T_(2)(150 mm/a),T_(3)(100 mm/a)and T_(4)(50 mm/a).Growth phenology,net photosynthesis(Pn),stomatal conductance(gs),midday leaf water potential(Ψmd),predawn leaf water potential(Ψpd),soil water content(SWC)and soil water potential(Ψs)were observed during the water stress cycle(from December 2016 to November 2017).The obtained results showed that the highest growth potential of the two accessions(WA and DA)was recorded under treatment T_(1).The two accessions responded differently and significantly to water stress.Photosynthetic parameters,such as Pn and gs,decreased sharply under treatments T_(2),T_(3)and T_(4)compared to treatment T_(1).The higher water stress increased the R/S ratio(the ratio of root dry biomass to shoot dry biomass),with values of 1.29 and 2.74 under treatment T_(4)for accessions WA and DA,respectively.Principal component analysis(PCA)was applied,and the separation of S.ciliata accessions on the first two axes of PCA(PC1 and PC2)suggested that accession DA was detected in the negative extremity of PC1 and PC2 under treatments T_(1)and T_(2).This accession was characterized by a high number of spikes.For treatments T_(3)and T_(4),both accessions were detected in the negative extremity of PC1 and PC2.They were characterized by a high root dry biomass.Therefore,S.ciliata accessions responded to water stress by displaying significant changes in their behaviours.Accession WA from the Bou Hedma National Park(wet arid region)showed higher drought tolerance than accession DA from the Matmata Mountain(dry arid region).S.ciliata exhibits a significant adaptation capacity for water limitation and may be an important species for ecosystem restoration.

An Automatic Classification Grading of Spinach Seedlings Water Stress Based on N-MobileNetXt

To solve inefficient water stress classification of spinach seedlings under complex background,this study proposed an automatic classification method for the water stress level of spinach seedlings based on the N-MobileNetXt(NCAM+MobileNetXt)network.Firstly,this study recon-structed the Sandglass Block to effectively increase the model accuracy;secondly,this study introduced the group convolution module and a two-dimensional adaptive average pool,which can significantly compress the model parameters and enhance the model robustness separately;finally,this study innovatively proposed the Normalization-based Channel Attention Module(NCAM)to enhance the image features obviously.The experimental results showed that the classification accuracy of N-MobileNetXt model for spinach seedlings under the natural environment reached 90.35%,and the number of parameters was decreased by 66%compared with the original MobileNetXt model.The N-MobileNetXt model was superior to other net-work models such as ShuffleNet and GhostNet in terms of parameters and accuracy of identification.It can provide a theoretical basis and technical support for automatic irrigation.

Water Stress Early Detection of Eggplant Plants by Hyperspectral Fluorescence Spectroscopy

Water stress early detection is essential for precision farming to improve crop productivity and product quality. The methods usually used are destructive, long and expensive. In this work, we used hyperspectral chlorophyll fluorescence technology as a rapid, non-destructive approach to detect the water deficiency of eggplant plants using their spectral footprint. So, an experiment was made on 54 eggplant plants subjected to three water treatments: normal irrigation (T100), intermediate irrigation (T50) and no irrigation (T0). The fluorescence spectra were acquired in vivo and in situ using a USB4000 spectrometer from Ocean optics. For the classification of the plants subjected to three water treatments, we used three pretreatments of the raw hyperspectral data in order to suppress the non-informative variability present in these spectra and to obtain robust models. These are the Savitzky-Golay smoothing (SG), the standard normal variable (SNV) and the first derivative of Savitzky-Golay (SG-D1). The preprocessed data were then subjected to two partial least squares discriminant analyses (PLS-DA): Hard PLS-DA and Soft PLS-DA. These statistical approaches are suitable for large samples as it reduces the dimensionality of the data but improves the accuracy of the prediction. The SG-D1 combined with the Soft PLS-DA gave the best discrimination of plants with scores of sensitivity, specificity and total efficiency respectively of 97.33%, 94% and 95% for calibration, 6 days after hydric stress induction. For the plants used for the prediction, the scores are 86%, 91% and 90% respectively. This study shows that hyperspectral chlorophyll fluorescence spectroscopy is a fast and non-destructive technology allowing early detection of water stress in eggplant plants.

Physiological Response Mechanism and Drought Resistance Evaluation of Passiflora edulis Sims under Drought Stress

In order to explore the response mechanism of Passiflora edulis Sims to drought stress,the changes in morpho-logical and physiological traits of Passiflora edulis Sims under different drought conditions were studied.A total of 7 germplasm resources of Passiflora edulis Sims were selected and tested under drought stress by the pot culture method under 4 treatment levels:75%–80%(Control,CK)of maximumfield water capacity,55%–60%(Light Drought,LD)of maximumfield water capacity,i.e.,mild drought,40%–45%(Moderate Drought,MD)of max-imumfield water capacity,i.e.,moderate drought and 30%–35%(Severe Drought,SD)of maximumfield water capacity,i.e.,severe drought.On the 40th day of drought treatment,13 indices,including seedling growth mor-phology,physiology,and biochemistry,were measured.The results showed that under drought stress,the height and ground diameter of P.edulis Sims gradually decreased with increasing drought stress,and there were signifi-cant differences in seedling height and ground diameter among the treatments.Drought stress significantly inhib-ited the growth of seven P.edulis Sims varieties.The contents of soluble sugar(SS),soluble protein(SP),proline(Pro),and other substances in P.edulis Sims basically increased with increasing drought stress.With the aggrava-tion of drought stress,the malondialdehyde(MDA)content of P.edulis Sims tended to increase to different degrees,the superoxide dismutase(SOD)activity and peroxidase(POD)activity both tended to increase atfirst and then decrease,and the change in catalase(CAT)activity mostly showed a gradual increasing trend.The con-tents of endogenous hormones in P.edulis Sims significantly differed under different degrees of drought stress.With the aggravation of drought stress,the abscisic acid(ABA)content of P.edulis Sims tended to increase,whereas the contents of gibberellin(GA),indoleacetic acid(IAA),and zeatin nucleoside(ZR)exhibited a down-ward trend.A comprehensive evaluation of the drought resistance of seven P.edulis Sims varieties was conducted based on the principal component analysis method,and the results showed that the drought resistance decreased in the order XH-BL>XH-TWZ>TN1>GH1>ZJ-MT>LP-LZ>DH-JW.

Variable chlorophyll fluorescence in response to water plus heat stress treatments in three coniferous tree seedlings

Effects of water and heat stress treatments on chlorophyll fluorescence of Chinese fir (Cunninghamia lanceolata), Masson pine (Pinus massoniana) and western redcedar (Thuja plicata D. Don)_seedlings were monitored during a three-cycle stress period. It was shown that ratio of variable to maximal chlorophyll fluorescence (Fv/Fm) of these three species responded differently to water stress treatments. The Fv/Fm ratio of western redcedar decreased dramatically after water stress, while that of Chinese fir had only a slight reduction and that of Masson pine had no significant change. The experiment also showed that the Fv/Fm ratio of all three species differed significantly under heat stress treatments. Concerning three different water plus heat stress cycles, it was found that the Fv/Fm ratios of Chinese fir and Masson pine measured at the end of each water plus heat stress cycle were not significantly different. However, the Fv/Fm ratio of western redcedar was diminished significantly in response to an increase of stress time. Keywords Chinese fir - Chlorophyll fluorescence - Heat stress - Masson pine - Water stress - Western redcedar CLC number Q945.17 - S791.248 Document code A Biography: Yu Fang-yuan (1965-), male, Ph. Doctor. Associate professor in College of Forest Resources and Environment, Nanjing, Forestry University, Nanjing 210037, P. R. China.Responsible editor: Zhu Hong

Studies on the Secretion of Organic Acids from Roots of Two-year-old Larix olgensis under Nutrient and Water Stress

[Objective] This study aimed to investigate the effects of nutrient and water stress on the secretion of organic acids from roots of two-year-old Larix olgensis. [Method] Different nutrient and water stress conditions were designed to investi- gate the types and quantities of organic acids secreted from roots of two-year-old L. olgensis. [Result] Under nutrient and water stress, the types of organic acids secreted from roots of two-year-old L. olgensis increased, which varied with different stress levels. In addition, nutrient and water stress also increased the secretory vol- ume of organic acids from roots of two-year-old L. olgensis. The increment in total amount of organic acids reached the maximum under Level 1 （high stress）. Among different types of organic acids, the increment in secretory volume of citric acid reached the maximum, followed by malic acid, while oxalic acid presented relatively small increment. Furthermore, the increment in secretory volume of these three organic acids all reached the maximum under Level 1. [Conclusion] The proportion of the secretory volume of each organic acid accounting for the total amount of organic acids varied slightly, but the overall order was unchanged.

Stability Analysis of Landfills Contained by Retaining Walls Using Continuous Stress Method

An analytical method for determining the stresses and deformations of landfills contained by retaining walls is proposed in this paper.In the proposedmethod,the sliding resisting normal and tangential stresses of the retaining wall and the stress field of the sliding body are obtained considering the differential stress equilibrium equations,boundary conditions,and macroscopic forces and moments applied to the system,assuming continuous stresses at the interface between the sliding body and the retaining wall.The solutions to determine stresses and deformations of landfills contained by retaining walls are obtained using the Duncan-Chang and Hooke constitutive models.A case study of a landfill in the Hubei Province in China is used to validate the proposed method.The theoretical stress results for a slope with a retaining wall are compared with FEMresults,and the proposed theoreticalmethod is found appropriate for calculating the stress field of a slope with a retaining wall.

Effects of Different Water Stresses on Eco-physiological Characteristics of Hippophae rhamnoides Seedlings

In order to examine the effects of the decrease of future precipitation on the eco-physiological characteristics of sea buckthorn (Hippophae rhamnoides Linn.) in Huangfuchuan Watershed in Nei Mongol, a water gradient experiment was conducted based on the four specially designed water supply levels, including normal precipitation, slight drought, drought and extreme drought. Results of ANOVE showed that different water gradients had a significant effect on (1) microhabitat factors, such as soil water content and soil temperature; (2) gas exchange, such as net photosynthetic rate, stomatal conductance and transpiration rate; (3) resource use efficiency; and (4) leaf water potential. Water use efficiency of H rhamnoides could increase under moderate water stress, i.e. drought condition, while its net photosynthetic rate and transpiration rate decreased. All kinds of eco-physiological characteristics proved H. rhamnoides seedlings under all water supplies were affected by water stress more or less and that mechanism of intrinsic physiological regulation in seedlings under the extreme drought conditions had the appearance of turbulence to a certain extent. Therefore, H rhamnoides seedlings in Huangfuchuan Watershed could not acclimate to extreme drought conditions.

Simulation on flow, heat transfer and stress characteristics of large-diameter thick-walled gas cylinders in quenching process under different water spray volumes

Cooling strength is one of the important factors affecting microstructure and properties of gas cylinders during quenching process,and reasonable water spray volume can effectively improve the quality of gas cylinders and reduce production costs.To find the optimal water spray parameters,a fluid-solid coupling model with three-phase flow was established in consideration of water-vapor conversion.The inner and outer walls of gas cylinder with the dimensions of d914 mm×38 mm×12000 mm were quenched using multi-nozzle water spray system.The internal pressure,average heat transfer coefficient(have)and stress of the gas cylinder under different water spray volumes during quenching process were studied.Finally,the mathematical model was experimentally verified.The results show that both the internal pressure and have increase along with the increase of spray volume.The internal pressure increases slowly first and then rapidly,but have increases rapidly first and then slowly.To satisfy hardenability of gas cylinders,the minimum spray volume should not be less than 40 m^3/(h·m).The results of stress indicate that water spray quenching will not cause deformation of bottle body in the range of water volume from 40 to 290 m^3/(h·m).

Numerical Simulation of Thermal Stress Field of Water-cooled-wall Pulverized-coal Gasifiers

A local thermal stress model of water-cooled-wall pulverized-coal gasifier was built, and ANSYS was used to simulate the stress field in the gasifier operation to research the damage of refractories and slag layer caused by the thermal stress. The results reveal that:（1） the maximum stress of water-cooled-wall gasifier appears at the interface between anchor nails and refractories as well as the interface between refractories and the slag layer, and the maximum stress of slag layer appears on the surface of the slag layer;（2） the increase of slag layer thickness can significantly reduce the thermal stress at the interface between anchor nails and refractories, but increase the thermal stress between slag layer and refractories;（3） when the therma I conductivity is 2-6 W · m-1 · K-1, the thermal stress increases rapidly with the increase of the thermal conductivity, but when the thermal conductivity is 6-10 W · m-1 · K-1, the thermal stress is basically stable;（4） the higher the cooling rate, the faster the decreasing speed of the temperature and thermal stress.

Effects of Water Stress on Photosynthesis and Fluorescence Characteristics in Peony

[ Objective] Study on the photosynthesis and fluorescence characteristics in peony under water stress. [ Method ] The two peony varieties Huhong and Luoyanghong were treated by different water stress for determining the photosynthesis and fluorescence characteristics. [ Result ] With the aggravation of water stress, the net photosynthetic rate （Pn） and stomatal conductance （Gs） decreased, while the intercellular CO2 concentration （Ci） increased. Drought could decrease Pn, constrain gas exchange and change the daily photosynthesis. Fo of peony leaf increased and Fv/Fm decreased under water stress especially water logging, causing the inactivation of the PS II reaction center, and the chlorophyll fluorescence characters gradually recovered until afternoon. [ Conclusion] The 75% soil relative water content （SRWC） is the best condition for growth of peony. Compared with drought, water logging is more unfit for the growth of peony. For the two varieties, Huhong assumed more tolerance to drought, accordingly more adaptability.