弱光胁迫已成为水稻生产中日趋严重的逆境，然而关于弱光胁迫对华东地区水稻产量和品质的研究报道仍较少；此外，也应探索合理的氮肥施用措施以减轻弱光胁迫对水稻产量和品质的负面效应。本研究旨在明确遮光（无遮光、花后遮光）和穗肥施用量（N_DP，降低穗肥用量；N_MP，正常穗肥用量；N_IP，增加穗肥用量）对水稻产量和品质相关性状的影响。与无遮光相比，遮光处理下水稻减产9.5%-14.8% (P<0.05)，主要是由于较低的结实率和粒重。无遮光处理下，N_MP和N_IP的产量显著高于(P<0.05)N_DP；遮光处理下，不同穗肥施用处理的产量则无显著差异。与N_MP和N_IP相比，N_DP在遮光处理的减产幅度小，这主要是由于其较高的结实率和粒重。与无遮光相比，遮光处理降低了花后叶片光合速率、成熟期干物质、抽穗至成熟期干物质积累量和成熟期茎鞘非结构性碳水化合物(NSC)的积累量。N_DP则提高了遮光处理下的收获指数和NSC运转效率。与无遮光相比，遮光处理降低了稻米糙米率、精米率、整精米率和直链淀粉含量，提高了垩白米率、垩白面积和垩白度以及蛋白质含量。无遮光处理下稻米加工品质以N_MP最优，遮光处理下则以N_DP最优。在无遮光和遮光处理下，N_DP的垩白米率、垩白面积和垩白度均低于N_MP和N_IP。遮光处理下，N_DP的直链淀粉含量和崩解值降低，蛋白质含量和消减值则提高，从而实现了与无遮光处理相近的食味值。本研究结果表明，花后遮光显著恶化水稻产量和稻米品质。遮光处理下，N_DP可促进NSC转运、提高收获指数以及库容充实效率，从而降低产量损失；此外，N_DP可维持遮光处理下稻米加工、外观和蒸煮食味品质。因此，适当降低穗肥施用可减轻弱光胁迫对水稻产量和品质的负面效应。

叶形是影响陆地棉植株冠层结构和产量的重要农艺性状，同时还与光合效率密切相关，是棉花高光效育种研究的重点。陆地棉叶形根据叶裂深度可分为常态叶、亚鸡脚叶、鸡脚叶和超鸡脚叶，主要由D基因组L-D₁位点的等位基因调控，其对陆地棉叶片形态、冠层结构和光合产量的影响尚不清楚。本研究利用病毒诱导基因沉默技术（VIGS）及叶形参数分析发现L-D₁等位基因对叶形的调控具有基因剂量效应；打顶前，鲁棉研22亚鸡脚叶品系叶面积系数比常态叶品系分别减少8.54%和4.91%，打顶后分别减少8.48%和11.19%；中部冠层透光率打顶前后分别增加71.35%和134.88%，下部冠层透光率打顶前后分别增加123.14%和41.81%；鲁棉研28号遗传背景下，亚鸡脚叶系中部冠层透光率打顶前后分别增加38.88和93.10%，下部冠层透光率打顶前后分别增加28.15和118.62%。鲁棉研22亚鸡脚叶系净光合速率在大部分生育期内可提高0.93～12.45%，在鲁棉研28遗传背景下可提高7.12～13.84%。在两种遗传背景下，亚鸡脚叶品系的最终生物量比常态叶对照分别增加9.43和19.35%，产量也分别增加8.6和7.05%，且同时对纤维品质无不良影响。

本研究通过比较基因表达量和有机酸含量，发现了一个P_3A亚家族成员PbPH5基因的表达量与不同梨系统的苹果酸积累呈高度相关，且与白梨系统、西洋梨系统、砂梨系统和秋子梨系统中的相关性分别是0.932**，0.656*，0.900**和0.518*（*P<0.05或** P<0.01）。在梨果实中过表达PbPH5基因后苹果酸含量增加，沉默PbPH5基因后苹果酸含量降低；亚细胞定位结果显示PbPH5定位于液泡膜。此外，系统发育分析结果表明PbPH5基因是PH5的同源基因，与矮牵牛、苹果和柑橘PH5基因归于同一支。综上所述，这些结果表明PbPH5是一个较为保守的基因，而且，梨果实中苹果酸的积累至少部分与PbPH5基因表达量相关。

Sensitivity analysis (SA) is an effective tool for studying crop models; it is an important link in model localization and plays an important role in crop model calibration and application.  The objectives were to (i) determine influential and non-influential parameters with respect to above ground biomass (AGB), canopy cover (CC), and grain yield of winter wheat in the Beijing area based on the AquaCrop model under different water treatments (rainfall, normal irrigation, and over-irrigation); and (ii) generate an AquaCrop model that can be used in the Beijing area by setting non-influential parameters to fixed values and adjusting influential parameters according to the SA results.  In this study, field experiments were conducted during the 2012–2013, 2013–2014, and 2014–2015 winter wheat growing seasons at the National Precision Agriculture Demonstration Research Base in Beijing, China.  The extended Fourier amplitude sensitivity test (EFAST) method was used to perform SA of the AquaCrop model using 42 crop parameters, in order to verify the SA results, data from the 2013–2014 growing season were used to calibrate the AquaCrop model, and data from 2012–2013 and 2014–2015 growing seasons were validated.  For AGB and yield of winter wheat, the total order sensitivity analysis had more sensitive parameters than the first order sensitivity analysis.  For the AGB time-series, parameter sensitivity was changed under different water treatments; in comparison with the non-stressful conditions (normal irrigation and over-irrigation), there were more sensitive parameters under water stress (rainfall), while root development parameters were more sensitive.  For CC with time-series and yield, there were more sensitive parameters under water stress than under no water stress.  Two parameters sets were selected to calibrate the AquaCrop model, one group of parameters were under water stress, and the others were under no water stress, there were two more sensitive parameters (growing degree-days (GDD) from sowing to the maximum rooting depth (root) and the maximum effective rooting depth (rtx)) under water stress than under no water stress.  The results showed that there was higher accuracy under water stress than under no water stress.  This study provides guidelines for AquaCrop model calibration and application in Beijing, China, as well providing guidance to simplify the AquaCrop model and improve its precision, especially when many parameters are used.  

Anthropogenic activities profoundly influence carbon sequestration in the Eurasian Steppe.  In particular, grazing has been identified as having a major effect on carbon sequestration.  However, the extent to which grazing affects regional patterns or carbon sequestration is unknown.  In this study, we evaluated the impact of regional grazing on grassland carbon sequestration using the Boreal Ecosystem Productivity Simulator (BEPS) and the Shiyomi grazing model.  Model performances were validated against the results from field measurements and eddy covariance (EC) sites.  Model outputs showed that in 2008, the regional net primary productivity (NPP) was 79.5 g C m^–2, and the net ecosystem productivity (NEP) was –6.5 g C m^–2, characterizing the region as a weak carbon source.  The Mongol Steppe (MS) was identified as a carbon sink, whereas the Kazakh Steppe (KS) was either carbon neutral or a weak carbon source.  The spatial patterns of grazing density are divergent between the MS and the KS.  In the MS, livestock was mainly distributed in China with relatively good management, while in the KS livestock was mainly concentrated in the southern countries (especially Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan) with harsh environments and poor management.  The consumption percentages of NPP in Turkmenistan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan were 5.3, 3.3 and 1.2%, respectively, whereas the percentages in other countries were lower than 1%.  Correspondingly, grazing consumption contributed to the carbon sources of Turkmenistan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan by 11.6, 6.3 and 4.3%, respectively, while it weakened the carbon sink in Inner Mongolia, China and Mongolia by 1.6 and 0.5%.  This regional pattern should be affected by different sub-regional characteristics, e.g., the continuous degradation of grassland in the southern part of the KS and the restoration of grassland in Inner Mongolia, China.

To optimize both grain yield and quality of low-glutelin rice cultivars under N-fertilizer strategies, two-year field experiments involving three low-glutelin rice cultivars (W1240, W1721, W025) and an ordinary rice cultivar (H9405) with five N treatments were carried out to determine the effects of N application rate and genotype on protein fractions contents and Glutelin/Prolamin ratio (Glu/Pro). The difference of protein fraction concentrations affected by N application rate existed in genotypes. Ordinary rice cultivar had a larger increase in glutlein concentration affected by N application rate than low-glutelin rice cultivars did. Glutelin in H9405 had a increase of 30.6 and 41.0% under the N4 treatment (360 kg N ha–1) when compared with N0 treatment (no fertilizer N) in 2010 and 2011 respectively, while all the low-glutelin rice cultivars showed relatively smaller increases for two years. Variance analysis showed no significant effect of N application rate on glutelin in W1240 and W025 while the effects on albumin, globulin and prolamin were significant in low-glutelin rice. What’s more, N treatment had no significant influence on Glu/Pro ratios in low-glutelin rice cultivars while a significant increase in Glu/Pro ratio was observed in ordinary rice cultivar. So low-gultelin rice cultivars showed a different pattern from ordinary rice cultivars when influenced by N application rate.

Our previous studies showed that the anti-inflammatory effects of Paeonia lactiflora roots extract may be mediated, at least in part, through its gallic acid content, and this effect may be regulated in part by an inhibition on cAMP-phosphodiesterase (PDE). To explore the anti-inflammatory effect and mechanism, the influence of gallic acid on neutrophils PDE4 activity and expression, TNF-α and IL-6 content and rat arthritis model were further studied. PDE4 activity and gene express were calculated respectively by substrate cAMP change examined with HPLC and real-time RT-PCR. The concentration of IL-6 and TNF-α in supernatant were assayed by ELISA method. Model of rat arthritis was caused by complete Freund’s adjuvant. Results showed that gallic acid had a dose-dependent restraint on PDE4 activity of neutrophils in vitro, promoted significantly PDE4A expression (P<0.01), and had no influence on the expressions of PDE4B and 4D. However, PDE4C expression was not detected. Gallic acid could promote IL-6 release (P<0.05), and inhibit TNF-α release of neutrophils (P<0.05). The experiment in vivo showed that gallic acid had obvious restraint on local inflammation of animal model (P<0.05). Therefore, the anti-inflammatory effect of gallic acid may be mediated in part through an inhibition on PDE4 activity and further an increase of IL-6 and a decrease of TNF-α of neutrophils, and this effect seemed to have no relationship with PDE4 expression.

Excessive nitrogen (N) fertilization in intensive agricultural areas such as the plain region of South China has resulted in low nitrogen use efficiency and serious environmental problems. To determine the optimum N application rate, grain yield, apparent nitrogen recovery efficiency (ANRE), apparent N loss, and ammonium (NH3) volatilization under different N application rates in the three years from 2012 to 2014 were studied. The results showed that the relationship between grain yields and N application rate in the three years were well fitted by quadratic equations. When N application rate reached 197 kg ha–1 in 2012, 199 kg ha–1 in 2013 and 196 kg ha–1 in 2014, the plateau of the grain yields appeared. With the increase of N application rate, the ANRE for rice decreased which could be expressed with sigmoidal equation; when N application rate was 305 kg ha–1 in 2012, 275 kg ha–1 in 2013 and 312 kg ha–1 in 2014, the curves of ANRE appeared turing points. Besides, the relationship between soil Nresidual and N application rate was fitted by the quadratic equation and the maximums of soil Nresidual were reached in the three years with the N application rate of 206, 244 and 170 kg ha–1, respectively. Statistical analysis indicated that NH3 volatilization and apparent N loss in three years all increased with the increasing N application rate. When the amount of NH3 volatilization increased to 11.6 kg N ha–1 in 2012, 40.5 kg N ha–1 in 2013 and 57.0 kg N ha–1 in 2014, the apparent N loss in the three years had obvious increase. To determine the optimum N application rate, the average N application on the plateau of the grain yield was considered as the lower limit while the average N application rate at the turning points of ANRE, the residual N in soil and apparent N loss was taken as the upper limit. According to the results in three years, the optimum N application rate for rice in Zhejiang was 197–255 kg ha–1.

The objective of the present study was to evaluate potential adverse effects of diacylglycerol microemulsion (DAGM) inrats/mice. Acute safety evaluation was carried out by giving intragastrically with 20 mL 25% DAG kg-1 body weight ofDAGM or water with two groups of mice. Chronic safety evaluation with 40 male and 40 female Sprague-Dawley rats wascarried out by setting a control group and 3 different dose groups (n=10 male+10 female) administered with DAGM with6.7, 10 and 20 mL kg-1 body weight per day. Relevant parameters of liver and kidney function and biochemistry weredetermined by standard methods at end point. Acute toxicity study revealed the maximum tolerated dose (MTD) ofDAGM was 20 mL kg-1 body weight in mice. No death was observed at the dose of 20 mL kg-1 body weight per day. Chronicsafety evaluation did not show significant changes on hematological, histopathologic, clinical, and biochemical testswhen administered at levels of 6.7, 10 and 20 mL kg-1 body weight per day to rats for 30 d. No significant body weightchanges were observed in different dosages in both male and female rats. Our results suggested that acute and chronicadverse effects were not observed in histology and clinical parameters in both mice and rats. The results suggested thatDAGM is safe at the experimental levels.