糯玉米是主要的鲜食玉米类型之一，waxy基因突变导致了玉米籽粒的糯性。中国糯玉米地方品种丰富，云南及其周边地区被认为是糯玉米的起源中心和遗传多样性中心。已知中国糯玉米waxy等位基因包括wx-D7、wx-D10、wx-Cin4、wx-124、wx-Reina和wx-xuanwei。这些等位基因的突变位点都发生在waxy基因的编码区，而调控区引起waxy基因的突变在玉米中却鲜有报道。本研究以405份云南糯玉米地方品种为材料，通过分子标记检测，鉴定waxy基因上游3.5Kb调控区的大片段插入和缺失。研究发现三类不同的waxy等位基因：wx-PIF/Harbinger、wx-hAT和wx-Elote2。三类等位基因分别属于304bp的PIF/Harbinger家族 MITE类转座子的插入、560bp的hAT家族MITE类转座子的插入和6560bp的LTR-like转座子的插入。此外研究中完成了云南70%以上的糯玉米地方品种waxy等位基因的鉴定，可为糯玉米地方品种的利用提供基础

杂交水稻为世界粮食的供应做出了重大贡献，而骨干亲本在杂交水稻品种选育中发挥着重要作用。为明确水稻骨干亲本蜀恢527（SH527，Oryza sativa）在育种过程中所利用的关键基因组区域，本研究对其进行了基于系谱的全基因组分析。利用高密度单核苷酸多态性（SNP）阵列对包括SH527、6个亲本品种及17个衍生恢复系在内的24个品种进行了扫描，分析了上游亲本对SH527基因组的独特贡献，确定了SH527及其衍生品种中保守的关键基因组区域。同时，利用多年的产量性状数据和SNP 芯片结果进行全基因组关联分析，发现了一些可能的已知或新的产量性状的关联位点。这项研究初步揭示了SH527育种的关键区域，将为后续育种提供参考。杂交水稻为世界粮食的供应做出了重大贡献，而骨干亲本在杂交水稻品种选育中发挥着重要作用。为明确水稻骨干亲本蜀恢527（SH527，Oryza sativa）在育种过程中所利用的关键基因组区域，本研究对其进行了基于系谱的全基因组分析。利用高密度单核苷酸多态性（SNP）阵列对包括SH527、6个亲本品种及17个衍生恢复系在内的24个品种进行了扫描，分析了上游亲本对SH527基因组的独特贡献，确定了SH527及其衍生品种中保守的关键基因组区域。同时，利用多年的产量性状数据和SNP 芯片结果进行全基因组关联分析，发现了一些可能的已知或新的产量性状的关联位点。这项研究初步揭示了SH527育种的关键区域，将为后续育种提供参考。

   Grain number per spike (GNPS) is a major factor in wheat yield breeding.  A new wheat germplasm Pubing 3504 shows superior features in spike traits.  To elucidate the genetic basis of spike and yield related traits in Pubing 3504, 282 F2:3 families were generated from the cross Pubing 3504×Jing 4839, and seven spike and yield related traits, including GNPS, spike length (SL), kernel number per spikelet (KPS), spikelet number per spike (SNS), thousand-grain weight (TGW), spike number per plant (SNP), and plant height (HT) were investigated.  Correlation analysis indicated significant positive correlations between GNPS and spike-related traits, including KPS, SNS, and SL, especially KPS.  A genetic map was constructed using 190 polymorphic simple sequence repeat (SSR), expressed sequence tag (EST)-SSR, and sequence-tagged-site (STS) markers.  For the seven traits measured, a total of 37 quantitative trait loci (QTLs) in a single-environment analysis and 25 QTLs in a joint-environment analysis were detected.  Additive effects of 70.3% (in a single environment) and 57.6% (in a joint environment) of the QTLs were positively contributed by Pubing 3504 alleles.  Five important genomic regions on chromosomes 1A, 4A, 4B, 2D, and 4D could be stably detected in different environments.  Among these regions, the marker interval Xmag834–Xbarc83 on the short arm of chromosome 1A was a novel important genomic region that included QTLs controlling GNPS, KPS, SNS, TGW, and SNP with stable environmental repeatability.  This genomic region can improve the spike trait and may play a key role in improving wheat yield in the future.  We deduced that this genomic region was vital to the high GNPS of Pubing 3504.

The wheat grain number per spike (GNPS) is a major yield-limiting factor in wheat-breeding programs. Germplasms with a high GNPS are therefore valuable for increasing wheat yield potential. To investigate the molecular characteristics of young spike development in large-spike wheat germplasms with high GNPS, we performed gene and protein expression profiling analysis with three high-GNPS wheat lines (Pubing 3228, Pubing 3504 and 4844-12) and one low-GNPS control variety (Fukuho). The phenotypic data for the spikes in two growth seasons showed that the GNPS of the three large-spike wheat lines were significantly higher than that of the Fukuho control line. The Affymetrix wheat chip and isobaric tags for relative and absolute quantitation-tandam mass spectrometry (iTRAQ-MS/MS) technology were employed for gene and protein expression profiling analyses of young spike development, respectively, at the floret primordia differentiation stage. A total of 598 differentially expressed transcripts (270 up-regulated and 328 down-regulated) and 280 proteins (122 up- regulated and 158 down-regulated) were identified in the three high-GNPS lines compared with the control line. We found that the expression of some floral development-related genes, including Wknox1b, the AP2 domain protein kinase and the transcription factor HUA2, were up-regulated in the high-GNPS lines. The expression of the SHEPHERD (SHD) gene was up-regulated at both the transcript and protein levels. Overall, these results suggest that multiple regulatory pathways, including the CLAVATA pathway and the meristem-maintaining KNOX protein pathway, take part in the development of the high-GNPS phenotype in our wheat germplasms.

This experiment was conducted to investigate the energy requirement of Dorper×thin-tailed Han crossbred ewes during non-pregnancy and lactation. Fifteen ewes after parturition were randomly assigned to three treatments: ad libitum (100%) feed intake and 80 or 60% ad libitum intake, and another nine non-pregnant ewes were assigned to a blank control group. Digestibility trials were performed in the non-pregnant ewes and in the lactating ewes on the 20th, 50th, and 80th d of lactation. In parallel with the digestibility trial, a respirometry experiment was conducted to determine the methane and carbon dioxide production with an open-circuit respirometry system that was equipped with respiratory chambers. The net energy (NE) and metabolizable energy (ME) requirements for maintenance and growth were calculated using the carbon and nitrogen balance method. The results revealed that the carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) excretions and energy losses at faeces and urine, as well as the output of methane and CO2, increased significantly with decreasing feed intake (P<0.01). The apparent digestibilities of C in the stages of non-pregnancy and early, middle and late lactation were 55.8–58.3%, 62.5–73.8%, 64.8– 71.3%, and 61.7–65.0%, respectively, and the apparent digestibilities of N were 45.2–51.3%, 73.7–82.7%, 72.8–80.5%, and 73.6–76.5%, respectively. The corresponding energy apparent digestibilities were 52.0–56.3%, 60.7–76.6%, 61.0–68.8%, and 61.4–67.7%, respectively. The ME/DE (digestible energy) values were 79.5–85.9%, 79.4–83.5%, 81.0%–85.3% and 78.6–82.9%, respectively. The maintenance requirements of NE, ME, and the efficiencies of ME utilisation for maintenance during the stages of non-pregnancy and early, middle and late lactation were 215.5, 253.1, 247.7, and 244.7 kJ kg–1 BW0.75 d, and 372.4, 327.1, 320.9, and 362.0 kJ kg–1 BW0.75 d, and 0.58, 0.77, 0.77, and 0.68, respectively. The ME requirement for the growth of non-pregnant ewes was 31.3 MJ kg–1 BW gain.

Grain number per spike (GNPS) is a major factor in wheat yield breeding. The development of high GNPS germplasm is widely emphasized in wheat-yield breeding. This paper reported two high GNPS wheat germplasm lines, Pubing 3228 and Pubing 3504, which had a stable and wide adaptability to different ecological regions. By exploring a nested cross design with reciprocals using Pubing 3228 or Pubing 3504 as a common parent and investigating the GNPS phenotypes of F1 hybrids in 2007-2008 and F2 populations in 2008-2009 of different cross combinations, the narrow-sense GNPS heritability was up to 49.58 and 52.23%, respectively. Genetic model analysis predictions suggested that GNPS in Pubing 3228 and Pubing 3504 was mainly controlled by additive genetic effects. Correlation analysis results between GNPS and 1 000- kernel weight (TKW) of F2 populations showed that TKW was not influenced with the increase of GNPS. The good coordination among three yield components of spike number per plant (SNPP), GNPS, and TKW in the F2 segregating population implied that selection of good candidate individuals in breeding programs would be relatively straightforward. Overall, our results indicated that Pubing 3228 and Pubing 3504 are two potential germplasm lines for yield improvement of GNPS in pedigree selection of wheat breeding.