Energy Values of Registered Corn Forage Hybrids in France over the Last 20 Years Rose in a Context of Maintained Yield Increase

The cultivation of corn silage has developed in France since the 1970s to reach 1.5 million of hectares nowadays. Since 1998, a feeding value criterion (namely UFL for “Unité Fourrage Laitière”) has been taken into account to register forage varieties in the French forage maize hybrids catalog in addition to other criteria related to plant agronomical performances such as yield, earliness and lodging resistance. It is frequently stated that the improvement of plant’s agronomic performances would led to a decline in forage energy value. Decline of “Unité Fourrage Laitière” values has been repeatedly reported and the expected increase was not yet visible in 2002. In the present study, a set 47 early and mid-early hybrids commercialized in France between 1958 and 2015 has been cultivated in 3 locations in France. “Unité Fourrage Laitière” values and yield have been estimated in order to shed light on the evolution of feeding value criteria during this period and to conclude on the evolution of “Unité Fourrage Laitière” values since the introduction of this criterion for registration. Results obtained in our study demonstrated a recent rise in “Unité Fourrage Laitière” value in a context of strong yield increase. This increase was not necessarily attributable to high cob proportion in the harvested silage. Breeder’s work since the 2000’s has succeeded to offer hybrids that recover “Unité Fourrage Laitière” values similar to the ones of hybrids from the 1960’s (Royal, 1960, 91 UFL/100 kg DM). We propose to accentuate this effort targeting the enhancement of lignocellulosic cell wall digestibility to breed for future forage maize hybrids.

Spatial Organisation Influences Citrus <i>Pseudocercospora</i>Leaf and Fruit Spot Disease Severity in Cocoa-Based Agroforestry Systems

An investigation to assess the spatial structure and severity of Pseudocercospora leaf and fruit spot disease (PLFSD) on citrus trees in cocoa-based agroforests was carried out in three contrasting ecological zones in southern Cameroon, viz: 1) the humid forest zone, 2) the degraded forest zone, and 3) the forest-savannah transition zone. Two main parameters were investigated viz: 1) the spatial structure of cocoa based agroforests, and 2) the disease severity. In total, the spatial structure of 19 cocoa-based agroforests was analysed using the Ripley K(r) function, meanwhile the collection of epidemiological data that consisted of noting the presence of PLFSD spots on leaves and fruits on 438 citrus trees was used to characterise the severity of the disease. Results showed that, the spatial structure of citrus trees in these agroforests investigated were regular in seven plots, random in nine, and aggregated in three. Aggregated plots presented a significantly higher mean of disease severity on leaves and fruits (28.55 and 30.37 respectively), as compared to randomised (20.91 and 16.32 respectively) and regular plots (16.28 and 14.97 respectively), at P-value < 0.05. These results suggest that the spatial structure of citrus trees in the cocoa-based agroforests studied influences the severity of PFLSD. Proper integrated control measures can therefore be initiated, leading to a considerable reduction of the use of manufactured inputs, and thereby, the cost of production of citrus fruits.

Experimental and Numerical Investigation of the Diffusion of a Confined Wall Jet through a Perforated Plate

When performing numerical modeling of fluid flows where a clear medium is adjacent to a porous medium, a degree of difficulty related to the condition at the interface between the two media, where slip velocity exists, is encountered. A similar situation can be found when a jet flow interacts with a perforated plate. The numerical modeling of a perforated plate by meshing in detail each hole is most often impossible in a practical case (many holes with different shapes). Therefore, perforated plates are often modeled as porous zones with a simplified hypothesis based on pressure losses related to the normal flow through the plate. Nevertheless, previous investigations of flow over permeable walls highlight the impossibility of deducing a universal analytical law governing the slip velocity coefficient since the latter depends on many parameters such as the Reynolds number, porosity, interface structure, design of perforations, and flow direction. This makes the modeling of such a configuration difficult. The present study proposes an original numerical interface law for a perforated plate. It is used to model the turbulent jet flow interacting with a perforated plate considered as a fictitious porous medium without a detailed description of the perforations. It considers the normal and tangential effects of the flow over the plate. Validation of the model is realized through comparison with experimental data.

The Simultaneous Repression Of CCR and CAD, Two Enzymes of the Lignin Biosynthetic Pathway, Results in Sterility and Dwarfism in Arabidopsis thaliana

Cinnamoyl CoA reductase （CCR） and cinnamyl alcohol dehydrogenase （CAD） catalyze the last steps of mono- lignol biosynthesis. In Arabidopsis, one CCR gene （CCR1, Atlg15950） and two CAD genes （CAD C At3g19450 and CAD D At4g34230） are involved in this pathway. A triple cad c cad d ccrl mutant, named ccc, was obtained. This mutant displays a severe dwarf phenotype and male sterility. The lignin content in ccc mature stems is reduced to 50% of the wild-type level. In addition, stem lignin structure is severely affected, as shown by the dramatic enrichment in resistant inter-unit bonds and incorporation into the polymer of monolignol precursors such as coniferaldehyde, sinapaldehyde, and ferulic acid. Male sterility is due to the lack of lignification in the anther endothecium, which causes the failure of anther de- hiscence and of pollen release. The cc~ hypolignified stems accumulate higher amounts of flavonol glycosides, sinapoyl malate and feruloyl malate, which suggests a redirection of the phenolic pathway. Therefore, the absence of CAD and CCR, key enzymes of the monolignol pathway, has more severe consequences on the phenotype than the individual absence of each of them. Induction of another CCR （CCR2, Atlg80820） and another CAD （CAD1, At4g39330） does not compensate the absence of the main CCR and CAD activities. This lack of CCR and CAD activities not only impacts lignification, but also severely affects the development of the plants. These consequences must be carefully considered when trying to reduce the lignin content of plants in order to facilitate the lignocellulose-to-bioethanol conversion process.

Dynamics of Strigolactone Function and Shoot Branching Responses in Pisum sativum

Strigolactones （SLs）, or their metabolites, were recently identified as endogenous inhibitors of shoot branch- ing. However, certain key features and dynamics of SL action remained to be physiologically characterized. Here we show that successive direct application of SL to axillary buds at every node along the stem can fully inhibit branching. The SL inhibition of early outgrowth did not require inhibitory signals from other growing buds or the shoot tip. In add- ition to this very early or initial suppression of outgrowth, we also found SL to be effective, up to a point, at moderating the continuing growth of axillary branches. The effectiveness of SL at affecting bud and branch growth correlated with the ability of SL to regulate expression of PsBRC1. PsBRC1 is a transcription factor that is expressed strongly in axillary buds and is required for SL inhibition of shoot branching. Consistent with a dynamic role of the hormone, SL inhibition of bud growth did not prevent buds from later responding to a decapitation treatment, even though SL treatment immediately after decapitation inhibits the outgrowth response. Also, as expected from the hypothesized branching control network in plants, treatment of exogenous SL caused feedback down-regulation of SL biosynthesis genes within 2 h. Altogether, these results reveal new insights into the dynamics of SL function and support the premise that SLs or SL-derived metabolites function dynamically as a shoot branching hormone and that they act directly in axillary buds.

Altered Lignin Biosynthesis Improves Cellulosic Bioethanol Production in Transgenic Maize Plants Down-Regulated for Cinnamyl Alcohol Dehydrogenase

Cinnamyl alcohol dehydrogenase （CAD） is a key enzyme involved in the last step of monolignol biosynthesis. The effect of CAD down-regulation on lignin production was investigated through a transgenic approach in maize. Trans- genic CAD-RNAi plants show a different degree of enzymatic reduction depending on the analyzed tissue and show alter- ations in cell wall composition. Cell walls of CAD-RNAi stems contain a lignin polymer with a slight reduction in the S-to-G ratio without affecting the total lignin content. In addition, these cell walls accumulate higher levels of cellulose and ara- binoxylans. In contrast, cell walls of CAD-RNAi midribs present a reduction in the total lignin content and of cell wall polysaccharides. In vitro degradability assays showed that, although to a different extent, the changes induced by the repression of CAD activity produced midribs and stems more degradable than wild-type plants. CAD-RNAi plants grown in the field presented a wild-type phenotype and produced higher amounts of dry biomass. Cellulosic bioethanol assays revealed that CAD-RNAi biomass produced higher levels of ethanol compared to wild-type, making CAD a good target to improve both the nutritional and energetic values of maize lignocellulosic biomass.

Potential Mineralization of Various Organic Pollutants During Composting

The objectives of this work were to determine the potential mineralization of various organic pollutants that are likely found in compostable materials during composting, and to evaluate the participation of the microflora of the thermophilic and maturation composting phases in pollutant mineralization. Four composts were used： a biowaste compost （BioW）, a municipal solid waste compost （MSW）, a green waste compost （GW） and a co-compost of green waste and sludge （GW＋S）. In each composting plant, two samples were withdrawn： one in the thermophilic phase （fresh compost） and one in the maturation phase （mature compost） to have the microflora of thermophilic and maturation phases active, respectively. The mineralization of 5 organic pollutants, 3 polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons （PAHs） （i.e., phenanthrene, fluoranthene and benzo（a）pyrene）, 1 herbicide （dicamba） and 1 polychlorinated biphenyl （PCB, congener 52）, was measured in a laboratory setting during incubations at 60 ~C in fresh composts and at 28 ~C in mature composts. All molecules were 14C-labeled, which allowed the mineralization of the molecules to be measured by trapping of produced 14CO2 in NaOH. Their volatilization was also measured by trapping molecules on glass wool impregnated with paraffin oil. Mineralization of the organic molecules was only observed when the maturation microflora was present in the mature composts or when it was inoculated into the fresh compost. Phenanthrene mineralization of up to 60% in the fresh GW^S compost was the only exception. Mineralization of PAH decreased when the complexity of the PAH molecules increased. Mineralization of phenanthrene and fluoranthene reached 50%-70% in all mature composts. Benzo（a）pyrene was mineralized （30%） only in the MSW mature compost. Dicamba was moderately mineralized （30%-40%）. Finally, no PCB mineralization was detected, but 20% of the PCB had volatilized after 12 d at 60 ℃. No clear difference was observed in the degrading capacity of the different composts, and the major difference was the larger mineralizing capacity of the maturation microflora compared with the thermophilic microflora.

The Polycomb Complex PRC1:Composition and Function in Plants

Polycomb group（PcG） proteins are crucial epigenetic regulators conferring transcriptional memory to cell lineages.They assemble into multi-protein complexes,e.g.,Polycomb Repressive Complex 1 and 2（PRC1,PRC2）,which are thought to act in a sequential manner to stably maintain gene repression.PRC2 induces histone H3 lysine 27（H3K27） trimethylation（H3K27me3）,which is subsequently read by PRCl that further catalyzes H2A monoubiquitination（H2Aub1）,creating a transcriptional silent chromatin conformation.PRC2 components are conserved in plants and have been extensively characterized in Arabidopsis.In contrast,PRCl composition and function are more diverged between animals and plants.Only more recently,PRC1 existence in plants has been documented.Here we review the aspects of plant specific and conserved PRC1 and highlight critical roles of PRC1 components in seed embryonic trait determinacy,shoot stem cell fate determinacy,and flower development in Arabidopsis.

Can soil microbial diversity influence plant metabolites and life history traits of a rhizophagous insect？ A demonstration in oilseed rape

Interactions between plants and phytophagous insects play an important part in shaping the biochemical composition of plants. Reciprocally plant metabolites can influ- ence major life history traits in these insects and largely contribute to their fitness. Plant rhizospheric microorganisms are an important biotic factor modulating plant metabolites and adaptation to stress. While plant-insects or plant-microorganisms interactions and their consequences on the plant metabolite signature are well-documented, the impact of soil microbial communities on plant defenses against phytophagous insects remains poorly known. In this study, we used oilseed rape （Brassica napus） and the cabbage root fly （Delia radicum） as biological models to tackle this question. Even though D. radicum is a belowground herbivore as a larva, its adult life history traits depend on aboveground signals. We therefore tested whether soil microbial diversity influenced emergence rate and fitness but also fly oviposition behavior, and tried to link possible effects to modifications in leaf and root metabolites. Through a removal-recolonization experiment, 3 soil microbial modalities （＂high,＂ ＂medium,＂ ＂low＂） were established and assessed through amplicon sequencing of 16S and 18S ribosomal RNA genes. The ＂medium＂ modality in the rhizosphere significantly improved insect development traits. Plant-microorganism interactions were marginally associated to modulations of root metabolites profiles, which could partly explain these results. We highlighted the potential role of plant-microbial interaction in plant defenses against Delia radicum. Rhizospheric microbial communities must be taken into account when analyzing plant defenses against herbivores, being either below or aboveground.

Disruption of the Sugar Transporters AtSWEET11 and AtSWEET12 Affects Vascular Development and Freezing Tolerance in Arabidopsis

Dear Editor, In plants, the transport of sugars from the site of biosynthesis to the site of utilization or storage relies on sugar transporters located in different subcellular compartments and different vascular cell types. The SWEET sugar transporter family is one such class and is represented by 17 members in Arabidopsis. AtSWEET1 was the first plant SWEET transporter to be characterized; it acts as a glucose uniporter in multiple systems （Chen et al., 2010）.