Combined application of organic fertilizer and chemical fertilizer alleviates the kernel position effect in summer maize by promoting post-silking nitrogen uptake and dry matter accumulation

Adjusting agronomic measures to alleviate the kernel position effect in maize is important for ensuring high yields.In order to clarify whether the combined application of organic fertilizer and chemical fertilizer(CAOFCF)can alleviate the kernel position effect of summer maize,field experiments were conducted during the 2019 and 2020 growing seasons,and five treatments were assessed:CF,100%chemical fertilizer;OFCF1,15%organic fertilizer+85%chemical fertilizer;OFCF2,30%organic fertilizer+70%chemical fertilizer;OFCF3,45%organic fertilizer+55%chemical fertilizer;and OFCF4,60%organic fertilizer+40%chemical fertilizer.Compared with the CF treatment,the OFCF1 and OFCF2 treatments significantly alleviated the kernel position effect by increasing the weight ratio of inferior kernels to superior kernels and reducing the weight gap between the superior and inferior kernels.These effects were largely due to the improved filling and starch accumulation of inferior kernels.However,there were no obvious differences in the kernel position effect among plants treated with CF,OFCF3,or OFCF4 in most cases.Leaf area indexes,post-silking photosynthetic rates,and net assimilation rates were higher in plants treated with OFCF1 or OFCF2 than in those treated with CF,reflecting an enhanced photosynthetic capacity and improved postsilking dry matter accumulation(DMA)in the plants treated with OFCF1 or OFCF2.Compared with the CF treatment,the OFCF1 and OFCF2 treatments increased post-silking N uptake by 66.3 and 75.5%,respectively,which was the major factor driving post-silking photosynthetic capacity and DMA.Moreover,the increases in root DMA and zeatin riboside content observed following the OFCF1 and OFCF2 treatments resulted in reduced root senescence,which is associated with an increased post-silking N uptake.Analyses showed that post-silking N uptake,DMA,and grain yield in summer maize were negatively correlated with the kernel position effect.In conclusion,the combined application of 15-30%organic fertilizer and 70-85%chemical fertilizer alleviated the kernel position effect in summer maize by improving post-silking N uptake and DMA.These results provide new insights into how CAOFCF can be used to improve maize productivity.

Soil application of Trichoderma asperellum GDFS1009 granules promotes growth and resistance to Fusarium graminearum in maize

Of diseases affecting maize(Zea mays), Fusarium graminearum is one of the most common pathogenic fungi that cause stalk rot. In the present study, the Trichoderma asperellum GDFS1009 strain was shown to be an effective biocontrol agent against stalk rot. In a confrontation culture test, Trichoderma strain displayed an approximately 60% inhibition rate on the mycelial growth of F. graminearum. In pot trials, the application of 2 g/pot of T. asperellum GDFS1009 granules had the best control effect on stalk rot at the seedling stage(up to 53.7%), while the average plant height and fresh weight were also significantly improved. Additionally when fertilizer was added at 8 g/pot, the application of 3 g/pot of Trichoderma granules had the best control effect on maize stalk rot(40.95%). In field trials, when inoculating F. graminearum alone, the disease index for inoculating was 62.45, but only 31.43 after treatment with T. asperellum GDFS1009 granules, suggesting a control efficiency of 49.67%. Furthermore, in a naturally F. graminearum-infected field, Trichoderma granules, when applied for 3 consecutive years, showed significant control of stalk rot and increased yields.

Primary metabolite contents are correlated with seed protein and oil traits in near-isogenic lines of soybean

Soybean(Glycine max[L.]Merr.)is an important source of human dietary protein and vegetable oil.A strong negative correlation between protein and oil contents has hindered efforts to improve soybean seed quality.The metabolic and genetic bases of soybean seed composition remain elusive.We evaluated metabolic diversity in a soybean near-isogenic line(NIL)population derived from parents(JD12 and CMSD)with contrasting seed oil contents.Using GC-TOF/MS,we compared seed primary metabolites of high protein/low oil lines,low protein/high oil lines,and their parents.Principal-components analysis showed that metabolic profiles of all progeny lines could be discriminated based on protein and oil contents.Univariate analysis revealed wide variation and transgressive segregation of metabolites in the population.Twenty-eight annotated metabolites,in particular free asparagine,free 3-cyanoalanine,and L-malic acid,were correlated with seed protein content or seed oil content or seed protein and oil content.These results shed light on the metabolic and genetic basis of soybean seed composition.

Identification of tolerance to high density and lodging in short petiolate germplasm M657 and the effect of density on yield-related phenotypes of soybean

Soybean yield has traditionally been increased through high planting density,but investigating plant height and petiole traits to select for compact architecture,lodging resistance,and high yield varieties is an underexplored option for further improving yield.We compared the relationships between yield-related traits,lodging resistance,and petioleassociated phenotypes in the short petiole germplasm M657 with three control accessions during 2017–2018 in four locations in the Huang–Huai region,China.The results showed that M657 exhibited stable and high tolerance to high planting density and resistance to lodging,especially at the highest density(8×105 plants ha–1).The regression analysis indicated that a shorter petiole length was significantly associated with increased lodging resistance.The yield analysis showed that M657 achieved higher yields under higher densities,especially in the northern part of the Huang–Huai region.Among the varieties,there were markedly different responses to intra-and inter-row spacing designs with respect to both lodging and yield that were related to location and density.Lodging was positively correlated with planting density,plant height,petiole length,and number of effective branches,but negatively correlated with stem diameter,seed number per plant,and seed weight per plant.The yield of soybean was increased by appropriately increasing the planting density on the basis of the current soybean varieties in the Huang–Huai region.This study provides a valuable new germplasm resource for the introgression of compact architecture traits that are amenable to providing a high yield in high density planting systems,and it establishes a high-yield model of soybean in the Huang–Huai region.

Production profile and comparison analysis of main toxin components of Fusarium oxysporum f.sp.sesami isolates with different pathogenicity levels

Fusarium wilt is a common fungal disease in sesame caused by Fusarium oxysporum f.sp.sesami(FOS).To determine the toxin production profiles of the FOS isolates with different pathogenicity levels under various culture conditions,we assessed the content variation of fusaric acid(FA)and 9,10-dehydrofusaric acid(9,10-DFA)produced by the four representative FOS isolates.Results indicated that the concentration of FA reached to a maximum of 2848.66μg/mL in Czapek medium,while 9,10-DFA was mainly produced in Richard and Lowcarbon Richard medium.The concentration of 9,10-DFA on Richard culture medium varied from 0μg/mL to 716.89μg/mL.Of the five culture media used in this study,Czapek culture medium was the most conductive to produce FA.FA production was significantly affected by culture medium,culture time,and their interactions.Results suggest that there is no correlation between toxin production and pathogenicity level of FOS isolates.These findings provide key information for the mechanism analysis of FOS-sesame interaction and pathogen control.

Ultrasonic Acoustic Emissions from Leaf Xylem of Potted Wheat Subject to a Soil Drought and Rewatering Cycle

Ultrasonic acoustic emissions （AEs） from leaf xylem of both water stressed and well watered potted winter wheat （Triticum aestivum L.） plants during drought and rewatering cycle were investigated with a ‘PCI-2 Based AE System＇ （Physical Acoustics Corp. New Jersey, USA） for estimation of leaf xylem cavitation and embolism. Very few AEs occurred in xylem of wheat leaves in well-watered plant, and also in plant subject to mild and moderate soil water stress conditions over the first 4 d of the drought cycle. Great amounts of AEs have occurred since d 5 of the drought cycle as plant showed obvious leaf curling, indicating significant cavitation in leaf xylem on plant exposed to severe soil water deficit. At this point, relative soil water content （RSWC） and leaf xylem pressure （ψ1） dropped to 24.0-26.5% and -1.92 MPa, respectively, with reductions in leaf stomatal conductance （gs）, leaf transpiration （Tr） and leaf CO2 assimilation rate （A） of as much as 69.8, 60.7 and 46.5%, respectively. The effect of soil water deficit was in the order gs 〉 Tr 〉 A 〉 AE. Waveform physical property parameters such as amplitude, counts, rise time, duration, absolute energy and signal strength were analyzed. These parameters varied within very broad ranges, with frequency distribution of most parameters being well fitted by the exponential function y = yo- A exp （-x/t）. The proportion of stronger AE signals rose as soil dehydrated. While AEs occurrence in water stressed plant remained higher than in well-watered control at the following day after rewatering, waveform signal strength and related physical property parameters dropped immediately to that of control. Difference in AEs occurrence characterization between field-grown and potted wheat leaves was discussed.

Effects of the Fhb1 gene on Fusarium head blight resistance and agronomic traits of winter wheat

The gene Fhb1 has been used in many countries to improve wheat Fusarium head blight(FHB) resistance. To make better use of this gene in the Yellow-Huai River Valleys Winter Wheat Zone(YHWZ), the most important wheat-producing region of China, it is desirable to elucidate its effects on FHB resistance and agronomic traits in different genetic backgrounds. Based on a diagnostic marker for Fhb1, six BC2 populations were developed by crossing dwarf-male-sterile(DMS)-Zhoumai 16 to three Fhb1 donors(Ningmai 9, Ningmai 13, and Jianyang 84) and backcrossing to Zhoumai 16 and Zhoumai16’s derivative cultivars(Lunxuan 136 and Lunxuan 13) using marker-assisted backcross breeding. The progenies were assessed for FHB resistance and major agronomic traits.The Fhb1 alleles were identified using the gene-specific molecular marker. The plants with the Fhb1-resistant genotype(Fhb1-R) in these populations showed significantly fewer infected spikelets than those with the Fhb1-susceptible genotype(Fhb1-S). When Lunxuan 136 was used as the recurrent parent, Fhb1-R plants showed significantly fewer infected spikelets per spike than Fhb1-R plants produced using Lunxuan 13 as the recurrent parent, indicating that the genetic backgrounds of Fhb1 influence the expression of FHB resistance. Fhb1-R plants from the DMS-Zhoumai 16/Ningmai 9//Zhoumai 16/3/Lunxuan 136 population showed the highest FHB resistance among the six populations and a significantly higher level of FHB resistance than the moderately susceptible control Huaimai 20. No significant phenotypic differences between Fhb1-R and Fhb1-S plants were observed for the eight agronomic traits investigated. These results suggest that it is feasible to improve FHB resistance of winter wheat withoutreducing yield potential by introgressing Fhb1 resistance allele into FHB-susceptible cultivars in the YHWZ.

Screening of antagonistic Trichoderma strains and their application for controlling stalk rot in maize

Maize is one of the major crops in China, but maize stalk rot occurs nationwide and has become one of the major challenges in maize production in China. In order to find an environment-friendly and feasible technology to control this disease, a Trichoderma-based biocontrol agent was selected. Forty-eight strains with various inhibition activities to Fusarium graminearum, and Fusarium verticillioides were tested. A group of Trichoderma strains(DLY31, SG3403, DLY1303 and GDFS1009) were found to provide an inhibition rate to pathogen growth in vitro of over 70%. These strains also prevented pathogen infection over 65% and promoted the maize seedling growth for the main root in vivo by over 50%. Due to its advantage in antifungal activity against pathogens and promotion activity to maize, Trichoderma asperellum GDSF1009 was selected as the most promising strain of the biocontrol agent in the Trichoderma spectrum. Pot experiments showed that the Trichoderma agent at 2–3 g/pot could achieve the best control of seedling stalk rot and promotion of maize seedling growth. In the field experiments, 8–10 g/hole was able to achieve over 65% control to stalk rot, and yield increased by 2–11%. In the case of natural morbidity, the control efficiency ranged from 27.23 to 48.84%, and the rate of yield increase reached 11.70%, with a dosage of Trichoderma granules at 75 kg ha^-1. Based on these results, we concluded that the Trichoderma agent is a promising biocontrol approach to stalk rot in maize.

Effects of deep vertical rotary tillage on the grain yield and resource use efficiency of winter wheat in the Huang-Huai-Hai Plain of China

Tillage represents an important practice that is used to dynamically regulate soil properties,and affects the grain production process and resource use efficiency of crops.The objectives of this 3-year field study carried out in the Huang-Huai-Hai(HHH) Plain of China were to compare the effects of a new deep vertical rotary tillage (DVRT) with the conventional shallow rotary tillage (CT) on soil properties,winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) grain yield and water and nitrogen use efficiency at different productivity levels,and to identify a comprehensive management that optimizes both grain yield and resource use efficiency in the HHH Plain.A split-plot design was adopted in field experiments in the winter wheat growing seasons of 2016–2017 (S1),2017–2018 (S2) and 2018–2019 (S3),with DVRT (conducted once in June 2016) and CT performed in the main plots.Subplots were treated with one of four targeted productivity level treatments (SH,the super high productivity level;HH,the high productivity and high efficiency productivity level;FP,the farmer productivity level;ISP,the inherent soil productivity level).The results showed that the soil bulk density was reduced and the soil water content at the anthesis stage was increased in all three years,which were due to the significant effects of DVRT.Compared with CT,grain yields,partial factor productivity of nitrogen (PFP_(N)),and water use efficiency (WUE) under DVRT were increased by 22.0,14.5 and 19.0%.Path analysis and direct correlation decomposition uncovered that grain yield variation of winter wheat was mostly contributed by the spike numbers per area under different tillage modes.General line model analysis revealed that tillage mode played a significant role on grain yield,PFP_(N) and WUE not only as a single factor,but also along with other factors(year and productivity level) in interaction manners.In addition,PFP_(N) and WUE were the highest in HH under DVRT in all three growth seasons.These results provided a theoretical basis and technical support for coordinating the high yield with high resource use efficiency of winter wheat in the resource-restricted region in the HHH Plain of China.

Development and identification of a dwarf wheat-Leymus mollis double substitution line with resistance to yellow rust and Fusarium head blight

Leymus mollis (Trin.) Pilger (2n = 4x = 28, NsNsXmXm,), a wild relative of common wheat, possesses many potentially valuable traits for genetic improvement of wheat, including strong, short stems, long spikes with numerous spikelets, tolerance to drought and cold stresses, and resistance to many fungal and bacterial diseases. In the present study, a wheat-L. mollis double substitution line DM96 was selected from a F6 progeny of a cross between M842-16 (an octoploid Tritileymus line) and D4286 (a Triticum durum line) using genomic in situ hybridization (GISH), simple sequence repeat (SSR) markers, and expressed sequence tagged sequence site (EST-STS) markers. Chromosome analysis at mitosis and meiosis showed that DM96 had a chromosome constitution of 2n = 42 = 21II. GISH analysis indicated that DM96 carried 38 chromosomes from wheat and two homologous pairs of Ns chromosomes from L. mollis. Fluorescent in situ hybridization (FISH) showed that chromosomes 2Ns and 3Ns from L. mollis had replaced wheat chromosomes 2D and 3D in DM96, which was confirmed by SSR and STS markers. The newly developed substitution line DM96 has shorter height, longer spikes and more kernels than its parents and showed high resistance to stripe rust and Fusarium head blight (FHB). Thus, this line is a new bridge material for the production of useful translocation lines for wheat genetic research and genetic improvement of wheat yield and disease resistance in breeding programs.

Meta-analysis of QTL for Fusarium head blight resistance in Chinese wheat landraces

Epidemics of Fusarium head blight(FHB), incited by Fusarium graminearum Schwabe, in wheat cause significant reductions in grain yield and quality. Numerous quantitative trait loci(QTL) for FHB resistance have been reported from Chinese sources. However, the relationships among QTL from different landraces have not been characterized. We earlier mapped QTL for FHB resistance using low-density maps developed from five recombinant inbred line(RIL) populations involving Chinese landraces ‘Haiyanzhong’(HYZ),‘Wangshuibai’(WSB), ‘Baishanyuehuang’(BSYH), ‘Huangfangzhu’(HFZ), and‘Huangcandou’(HCD) as FHB resistant parents. In this study, we used maps of single nucleotide polymorphisms(SNP) developed from the five populations and identified 31 QTL on 16 chromosomes;10 QTL were new. We constructed a consensus map and identified six meta-QTL(MQTL) and SNP within the MQTL regions using meta-analysis. Two of the MQTL were on chromosome 3 BS(3 BSd and 3 BSc), and one on each of chromosomes 3A, 2D, 3D,and 4D. Twenty-two SNP closely linked to MQTL were converted into breeder friendly Kompetitive Allele Specific Polymerase Chain Reaction(KASP) assays, which should be useful for marker-assisted selection in breeding programs.

Effects of Replacing Maize Silage with Silage Sweet Sorghum on Milk Production and Blood Biochemical Indexes of Dairy Cows

In order to study the effects of replacing different proportions of silage maize with silage sweet sorghum treated by different fermentation methods on the production performance and blood biochemical indexes of dairy cows,25 Chinese Holstein lactating cows were randomly divided into 5 groups,5 in each group.The control check (CK) was fed the basal diet;for the experimental group 1 and the experimental group 2,50% of the silage maize in the basal diet was replaced with the additive silage sweet sorghum and the conventional silage sweet sorghum,respectively;and as to the experimental group 3 and the experimental group 4,all the silage maize in the basal diet was replaced with additive silage sweet sorghum and conventional silage sweet sorghum,respectively.The preliminary trial period was 7 d,and the trial period was 35 d.The results showed that the experimental group 1 and the experimental group 3 had the dry matter intake significantly higher than that of the experimental group 2,the experimental group 4 and the CK ( P <0.05).The daily milk yields of the experimental group 1 and the experimental group 2 were significantly lower than that of the CK ( P <0.05),and the experimental group 3 and the experimental group 4 were significantly lower than the experimental group 1 and the experimental group 2 ( P <0.05).The milk protein percentage of the experimental group 2 was extremely significantly higher than that of the experimental group 4 ( P <0.01).The experimental group 1,the experimental group 2 and the experimental group 3 showed the blood glucose levels extremely significantly higher than that in the CK ( P <0.01).The blood urea nitrogen contents in the experimental group 2 and the experimental group 4 were significantly higher than those in the experimental group 1 and the CK ( P <0.01).There were no significant differences in other blood biochemical indexes between various groups ( P >0.05).It is feasible to use silage sweet sorghum to feed dairy cows,but the proportion should not be too large,and attention should be paid to the energy and nitrogen balance of the diet.

Evaluation of allergenic protein profiles in three Chinese high-oleic acid peanut cultivars using NanoLC-Orbitrap mass spectrometry

High oleic-acid peanuts are known for their pre-longed shelf-life and health benefit due to high content of oleic fatty acid.However,the allergenicity and allergenic protein profiles in Chinese high-oleic peanuts have yet to be studied.For this purpose,an Orbitrap Fusion mass spectrometry(MS)-based method that is feasible for identification of putative allergenic protein as well as semi-quantitation of five major allergen protein in three different Chinese high-oleic peanut cultivars(JH 13,JH 16 and JH 18)have been reported.Results show that three Chinese high-oleic acid peanut cultivars selected all contained highly allergenic proteins Ara h1,Ara h 2,Ara h 3 and Ara h 6.The allergenic protein profiles of Chinese high-oleic acid peanut cultivars were very similar to that of conventional peanuts,but the allergenic protein subunits varied greatly among higholeic peanuts.Additionally,a comprehensive peptide-filtering pipeline had been developed for identification of potential peptide markers in peanut allergen proteins.Through the peptide-filtering pipeline,three novel peptide markers,IVQIEAKPNTLVLPK,SSNPDIYNPQAGSLR and AQSENYEYLAFK surrogate to Ara h 1,Ara h 3 with high abundance,good MS response and highly reliability were identified,which can be used as candidate peptide markers for the detection of peanut allergens in different food matrices.

Characterization of a new hexaploid triticale 6D(6A) substitution line with increased grain weight and decreased spikelet number

Hexaploid triticale(×Triticosecale,AABBRR)is an important forage crop and a promising energy plant.Transferring D-genome chromosomes or segments from common wheat(Triticum aestivum)into hexaploid triticale is attractive in improving its economically important traits.Here,a hexaploid triticale 6D(6A)substitution line Lin 456 derived from the cross between the octoploid triticale line H400 and the hexaploid wheat Lin 56 was identified and analyzed by genomic in situ hybridization(GISH),fluorescence in situ hybridization(FISH),and molecular markers.The GISH analysis showed that Lin 456 is a hexaploid triticalewith 14 rye(Secale cereale)chromosomes and 28 wheat chromosomes,whereas non-denaturing fluorescence in situ hybridization(ND-FISH)and molecular marker analysis revealed that it is a 6D(6A)substitution line.In contrast to previous studies,the signal of Oligo-pSc119.2 was observed at the distal end of 6DL in Lin 456.The wheat chromosome 6D was associatedwith increased grain weight and decreased spikelet number using the genotypic data combined with the phenotypes of the F2 population in the three environments.The thousand-grain weight and grain width in the substitution individuals were significantly higher than those in the non-substitution individuals in the F2 population across the three environments.We propose that the hexaploid triticale 6D(6A)substitution line Lin 456 can be a valuable and promising donor stock for genetic improvement during triticale breeding.

Wheat Elongator subunit 4 is required for epigenetic regulation of host immune response to Rhizoctonia cerealis

Wheat(Triticum aestivum)is necessary for global food security.The necrotrophic fungus Rhizoctonia cerealis is the causal agent of sharp eyespot,a devastating disease of wheat.Although the Elongator complex,composed of six subunits,has been implicated in growth,development,and innate immunity in Arabidopsis,little is known about its functions in wheat or the involvement of Elongator subunit 4 in histone acetylation.In this study,we identified the Elongator subunit 4-encoding gene Ta ELP4 in wheat resistance response to R.cerealis,and verified that Ta ELP4 increased histone acetylation in regions of defenseassociated genes and regulated immune response to R.cerealis.Ta ELP4 was more highly expressed in resistant than in susceptible wheat cultivars and was induced in resistant wheat after infection by R.cerealis.Silencing of Ta ELP4 in wheat not only impaired resistance to R.cerealis,but also repressed both histone acetylation levels and the expression of a subset of defense-associated genes,including Ta AGC1,Ta CPK7-D,Ta PAL5,Defensin,and Chitinase2.Ectopic expression of Ta ELP4 in Arabidopsis increased histone acetylation levels in coding and promoter regions of defense genes and increased their transcription,leading to increased resistance to infection by the pathogen Botrytis cinerea.These results suggest that Ta ELP4 positively regulates innate immune responses of wheat and Arabidopsis to R.cerealis and B.cinerea by increasing histone acetylation levels of defense-associated genes and increasing their transcription.This study has shed light on the involvement of Ta ELP4 in histone acetylation and resistance response against R.cerealis.Ta ELP4 may potentially be used to improve wheat resistance against sharp eyespot.

Characterization of the petiole length in soybean compact architecture mutant M657 and the breeding of new lines

Phenotypic screening of soybean germplasm suitable for high planting density is currently the most viable strategy to increase yield. Previous studies have shown that soybean varieties with dwarf features and a short petiole often exhibit a compact plant architecture which could improve yield through increased planting density, although previously reported short petiole accessions were ultimately not usable for breeding in practice. Here, we established a method to assess petiole length and identified an elite mutant line, M657, that exhibits high photosynthetic efficiency. The agronomic traits of M657 were evaluated under field conditions, and appeared to be stable for short petiole across seven locations in northern, Huang–Huai, and southern China from 2017 to 2018. Compared with the Jihuang 13 wild type, the mutant M657 was shorter in both petiole length and plant height, exhibited lower total area of leaf, seed weight per plant and 100-seed weight, but had an increased number of effective branches and the growth period was prolonged by 2–7 days. Using M657 as a parental line for crosses with four other elite lines, we obtained four lines with desirable plant architecture and yield traits, thus demonstrating the feasibility of adopting M657 in breeding programs for soybean cultivars of high density and high yield.

Study on Compositions of Grain Starch and SGP-1 Protein in Black Grain Wheat

In view of the lack of wheat genetic resources with high amylose and high resistant starch contents in the present world,the grain starch components and SGP-1 (SGP-A1,SGP-B1 and SGP-D1) protein composition of 43 black-kernel wheat genetic resources such as Jizi 439 were identified by SDS-PAGE electrophoresis detection.The results showed that 11 materials were lack of SGP-A1,and no materials had SGP-B1 and SGP-D1 deletion.Seven materials were identified to have an amylose content more than 30% of the total starch.A total of 12 materials were selected for the determination of resistant starch content,and five materials were found to have a high resistant starch content.The above results lay a foundation for wheat breeding for high resistant starch content.

Effects of 12% Chlorothalonil and 12% Procymidone Smoke Agents on Physiology and Yield of Quinoa in Greenhouse

[Objectives]To study the effects of 12%chlorothalonil and 12%procymidone smoke agent on physiology and yield of quinoa in greenhouse.[Methods]The chlorophyll content and photosynthesis rate of quinoa were determined by using the conventional application method of smoke agent at the dosage of 3 kg/ha.Finally,the total yield and increased yield of quinoa were calculated.[Results]The chlorophyll content and photosynthesis rate of leaves were all increased by two kinds of smoke agents,and the photosynthesis rate was also increased significantly.[Conclusions]These two smoke agents can promote the growth of quinoa,including the increase of chlorophyll and the enhancement of photosynthesis,and its further mechanism needs to be further discussed.

Fine mapping of a major QTL qHYF_B06 for peanut yield

High yield is a major objective for peanut(Arachis hypogaea L.) breeding worldwide. However, fewer yield-related quantitative trait loci(QTL) have been reported in peanut than in other staple food crops such as rice(Oryza sativa), wheat(Triticum aestivum), and maize(Zea mays). This study aimed to identify stable major-effect QTL associated with pod yield per plant, hundred-pod weight for double-seeded pods,hundred-seed weight, shelling percentage, and pod number per plant, allowing us to predict candidate genes by means of transcriptome and genome sequencing. To this end, we used a population of recombinant inbred lines comprising 192 F9:11families derived from a JH6 × KX01-6 cross to construct a highresolution genetic map(1705.7 c M) consisting of 2273 polymorphic SNPs, with 0.75 c M(on average)between adjacent SNPs. We identified two high-confidence, yield-related QTL, qHYF_A08 and qHYF_B06, explaining 5.78%–31.40% of phenotypic variation and with LOD values of 5.10–24.48, in six environments. qHYF_A08 mainly explained the variation in shelling percentage, whereas qHYF_B06explained variation in hundred-pod weight and hundred-seed weight and accounted for 8.77%–31.40%of the variation in effective pod number per plant, pod number per plant, and shelling percentage. We narrowed down qHYF_B06 to an 890-kb interval using an advanced mapping population.Transcriptome and genome analyses revealed that only Arahy.129FS0 and Arahy.3R9A5K in the candidate mapping interval were differentially expressed between JH6 and KX01-6, with substantial structural variations in their promoter and coding regions. Genotypes of 208 peanut accessions determined using a diagnostic CAPS marker suggested that the two haplotypes of Arahy.3R9A5K were highly associated with hundred-seed weight and hundred-pod weight;this diagnostic CAPs marker could therefore be useful for selecting high-yielding lines during peanut breeding. Overall, our results provide valuable information for cloning alleles with favorable effects on peanut yield.

Genomic prediction of yield performance among single-cross maize hybrids using a partial diallel cross design

Genomic prediction(GP)in plant breeding has the potential to predict and identify the best-performing hybrids based on the genotypes of their parental lines.In a GP experiment,34 elite inbred lines were selected to make 285 single-cross hybrids in a partial-diallel cross design.These lines represented a mini-core collection of Chinese maize germplasm and comprised 18 inbred lines from the Stiff Stalk heterotic group and 16 inbred lines from the Non-Stiff Stalk heterotic group.The parents were genotyped by sequencing and the 285 hybrids were phenotyped for nine yield and yield-related traits at two locations in the summer sowing area(SUS)and three locations in the spring sowing area(SPS)in the main maizeproducing regions of China.Multiple GP models were employed to assess the accuracy of trait prediction in the hybrids.By ten-fold cross-validation,the prediction accuracies of yield performance of the hybrids estimated by the genomic best linear unbiased prediction(GBLUP)model in SUS and SPS were 0.51 and 0.46,respectively.The prediction accuracies of the remaining yield-related traits estimated with GBLUP ranged from 0.49 to 0.86 and from 0.53 to 0.89 in SUS and SPS,respectively.When additive,dominance,epistasis effects,genotype-by-environment interaction,and multi-trait effects were incorporated into the prediction model,the prediction accuracy of hybrid yield performance was improved.The ratio of training to testing population and size of training population optimal for yield prediction were determined.Multiple prediction models can improve prediction accuracy in hybrid breeding.