深播是包括玉米在内的作物躲避干旱的一种重要策略，候选基因的克隆是进行玉米耐深播分子机理研究的基础工作。本研究中，我们利用包含386份玉米自交系的关联分析群体对10厘米和20厘米播种深度条件下的四个性状进行鉴定。利用50万SNP标记进行关联分析发现了273个耐深播性状显著关联的SNP。对两组不同的处理进行RNA测序分析分别发现1944和2098个差异基因，其中包含281个共同的差异基因。通过比较273个SNP和281个差异基因的位置发现了7个可能与耐深播相关的候选基因，其中GRMZM2G119769编码一个SNF1激酶互作的蛋白。由于GRMZM2G119769在其他植物中的同源基因跟器官伸长、生长素和光响应有关。同时，候选基因关联分析表明GRMZM2G119769基因的自然变异与玉米的中胚轴长度有关。另外，基因表达分析表明GRMZM2G119769在耐深播材料中表达量高。这些研究结果都支持GRMZM2G119769是玉米耐深播性状的候选基因。本研究不但评价了玉米资源的耐深播特性，还鉴定出一些可能对未来玉米耐深播研究有参考价值的候选基因。

Auxin regulates cell division and elongation of the primordial cells through its concentration and then shaped the plant architecture.  Cell division and elongation form the internode of soybean and result in different plant heights and lodging resistance.  Yet the mechanisms behind are unclear in soybean.  To elucidate the mechanism of the concentration difference of auxin related to stem development in soybean, samples of apical shoot, elongation zone, and mature zone from the developing stems of soybean seedlings, Charleston, were harvested and measured for auxin concentration distributions and metabolites to identify the common underlying mechanisms responsible for concentration difference of auxin.  Distribution of indole-3-acetic acid (IAA), indole-3-butyric acid (IBA), and methylindole-3-acetic acid (Me-IAA) were determined and auxin concentration distributions were found to have a complex regulation mechanism.  The concentrations of IAA and Me-IAA in apical shoot were significantly different between elongation zone and mature zone resulting in an IAA gradient.  Tryptophan dependent pathway from tryptamine directly to IAA or through indole-3-acetonitrile to IAA and from indole-3-propionic acid (IPA) to IAA were three primary IAA synthesis pathways.  Moreover, some plant metabolites from flavonoid and phenylpropanoid synthesis pathways showed similar or reverse gradient and should involve in auxin homeostasis and concentration difference.  All the data give the first insight in the concentration difference and homeostasis of auxin in soybean seedlings and facilitate a deeper understanding of the molecular mechanism of stem development and growth.  The gathered information also helps to elucidate how plant height is formed in soybean and what strategy should be adopted to regulate the lodging resistance in soybean.

The additions of straw and biochar have been suggested to increase soil fertility, carbon sequestration, and crop productivity of agricultural lands.  To our knowledge, there is little information on the effects of straw and biochar addition on soil nitrogen form, carbon storage, and super rice yield in cold waterlogged paddy soils.  We performed field trials with four treatments including conventional fertilization system (CK), straw amendment 6 t ha^–1 (S), biochar amendment 2 t ha^–1 (C1), and biochar amendment 40 t ha^–1 (C2).  The super japonica rice variety, Shennong 265, was selected as the test crop.  The results showed that the straw and biochar amendments improved total nitrogen and organic carbon content of the soil, reduced N₂O emissions, and had little influence on nitrogen retention, nitrogen density, and CO₂ emissions.  The S and C1 increased NH₄⁺-N content, and C2 increased NO₃^–-N content.  Both S and C1 had little influence on soil organic carbon density (SOCD) and C/N ratio.  However, C2 greatly increased SOCD and C/N ratio.  C1 and C2 significantly improved the soil carbon sequestration (SCS) by 62.9 and 214.0% (P<0.05), respectively, while S had no influence on SCS.  C1 and C2 maintained the stability of super rice yield, and significantly reduced CH₄ emissions, global warming potential (GWP), and greenhouse gas intensity (GHGI), whereas S had the opposite and negative effects.  In summary, the biochar amendments in cold waterlogged paddy soils of North China increased soil nitrogen and carbon content, improved soil carbon sequestration, and reduced GHG emission without affecting the yield of super rice.

   Leaves play a key role in photosynthesis in rice plants. The premature senescence of such plants directly reduces the accumulation of photosynthetic products and also affects yield and grain quality significantly and negatively. A novel premature senescence mutant, mps1 (mid-late stage premature senescence 1), was identified from a mutant library consisting of ethyl methane sulfonate (EMS) induced descendants of Jinhui 10, an elite indica restorer line of rice. The mutant allele, mps1, caused no phenotypic differences from the wild type (WT), Jinhui 10, but drove the leaves to turn yellow when mutant plants grew to the tillering stage, and accelerated leaf senescence from the filling stage to final maturation. We characterized the agronomic traits, content of photosynthetic pigments and photosynthetic efficiency of mps1 and WT, and fine-mapped MPS1. The results showed that the MPS1-drove premature phenotype appeared initially on the leaf tips at the late tillering stage and extended to the middle of leaves during the maturing stage. Compared to the WT, significant differences were observed among traits of the number of grains per panicle (–31.7%) and effective number of grains per panicle (–38.5%) of mps1 individuals. Chlorophyll contents among the first leaf from the top (Top 1st), the second leaf from the top (Top 2nd) and the third leaf from the top (Top 3rd) of mps1 were significantly lower than those of WT (P<0.05), and the levels of photosynthetic efficiency from Top 1st to the forth leaf from the top (Top 4th) of mps1 were significantly lower than those of WT (P<0.01). Results from the genetic analysis indicated that the premature senescence of mps1 is controlled by a recessive nuclear gene, and this locus, MPS1 is located in a 37.4-kb physical interval between the markers Indel145 and Indel149 on chromosome 6. Genomic annotation suggested eight open reading frames (ORFs) within this physical region. All of these results will provide informative references for the further researches involving functional analyses and molecular mechanism exploring of MPS1 in rice.

Powdery mildew, caused by Blumeria graminis f. sp. tritici, is one of the most devastating wheat diseases. Wild emmer wheat (Triticum turgidum ssp. dicoccoides) is a promising source of disease resistance for wheat. A powdery mildew resistance gene conferring resistance to B. graminis f. sp. tritici isolate E09, originating from wild emmer wheat, has been transferred into the hexaploid wheat line WE4 through crossing and backcrossing. Genetic analyses indicated that the powdery mildew resistance was controlled by a single dominant gene, temporarily designated MlWE4. By mean of comparative genomics and bulked segregant analysis, a genetic linkage map of MlWE4 was constructed, and MlWE4 was mapped on the distal region of chromosome arm 5BL. Comparative genetic linkage maps showed that genes MlWE4, Pm36 and Ml3D232 were co-segregated with markers XBD37670 and XBD37680, indicating they are likely the same gene or alleles in the same locus. The co-segregated markers provide a starting point for chromosome landing and map-based cloning of MlWE4, Pm36 and Ml3D232.

The computer swine disease diagnosis is an important tool for swine farming industry, but the traditional expert system cannot meet the requirement of practical application. To improve the situation, a swine disease ontology is constructed, which can model the knowledge of swine disease diagnosis into a concept system, and a mechanism that can save the ontology into relational database is established, further more a computer system is developed to implement ontologybased swine disease diagnosis, so make the diagnosis results extended and more precise.