快速、准确地获取大区域、高分辨率的作物类型分布图对农业精准管理与可持续发展具有重要意义。受遥感影像质量和数据处理能力的限制，使用遥感技术进行大尺度的作物分类仍是一项巨大的挑战。本研究的目的是使用Google Earth Engine（GEE）结合Sentinel-1和Sentinel-2影像绘制黑龙江省的作物分布图，首先收集2018年作物生长关键期（5月至9月）覆盖研究区域所有可用的Sentinel-1与Sentinel-2影像，并对影像进行月度合成，然后将月度合成影像的不同反射率波段、植被指数与极化波段作为输入量结合随机森林方法进行作物分类。结果表明使用本研究提出的方法可以准确地获得黑龙江省作物分布图，作物分类总体精度达到89.75%。本研究还发现相比仅使用传统波段（可见光波段和近红外波段）进行作物分类，增加短波红外波段可以显著改善作物分类的准确性，其次是增加红边波段，增加常见植被指数和Sentinel-1数据对作物分类的精度提升不大。本研究还分析了作物分类的时效性，结果表明当7月份的影像可用时，作物分类精度的提升幅度最大，作物分类的总体精度可以达到80%以上。本研究结果为基于遥感的大尺度、高分辨率作物分布图的制作提供支持。

花生病害严重威胁花生生产，而通过种间杂交创制抗病材料是解决这一问题的有效途径。本研究利用花生栽培品种四粒红与野生种Arachis duranensis杂交，通过胚拯救和组织培养获得了种间杂种F₁幼苗，细胞学和分子标记鉴定表明种间杂种F₁为真杂种。进一步对扩繁F1幼苗进行秋水仙素处理，获得了F₁种子，命名为Am1210。通过寡核苷酸荧光原位杂交鉴定、分子标记鉴定、表型鉴定和网斑病鉴定，我们发现：1）Am1210是Slh和ZW55种间杂交异源六倍体花生；2）蔓生、单粒或二粒荚果和红色种皮等性状相对于直立型、多粒荚果和褐色种皮为显性性状；3）Am1210的网斑病抗性与Slh相比显著提高，表明这种抗性来自于A. duranensis。此外，本研究还开发了69个显性和共显性分子标记，可用于种间杂种鉴定及未来A. duranensis染色体片段易位或渗入系的鉴定。

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。

    Plant height (PH) is one of the most important agronomic traits of rice, as it directly affects the lodging resistance and the high yield potential. Meanwhile, PH is often constrained by water supply over the entire growth period. In this study, a recombinant inbred line (RIL) derived from Xiaobaijingzi and Kongyu 131 strains grown under drought stress and with normal irrigation over 2 yr (2013 and 2014), respectively (regarded as four environments), was used to dissect the genetic basis of PH by developmental dynamics QTL analysis combined with QTL×environment interactions. QTLs with net effects excluding the accumulated effects were detected to explore the relationship between gene×gene interactions and gene×environment interactions in specific growth period. A total of 26 additive QTLs (A-QTLs) and 37 epistatic QTLs (E-QTLs) associated with PH were detected by unconditional and conditional mapping over seven growth periods. qPH-2-3, qPH-4-3, qPH-6-1, qPH-7-1, and qPH-12-5 could be detected by both unconditional and conditional analyses. qPH-4-3 and qPH-7-5 were detected in four stages (periods) to be sequentially expressed QTLs controlling PH continuous variation. QTLs with additive effects (A-QTLs) were mostly expressed in the period S3|S2 (the time interval from stages 2 to 3), and QTL×environment interactions performed actively in the first three stages (periods) which could be an important developmental period for rice to undergo external morphogenesis during drought stress. Several QTLs showed high adaptability for drought stress and many QTLs were closely related to the environments such as qPH-3-5, qPH-2-2 and qPH-6-1. 72.5% of the QTLs with a and aa effects detected by conditional analysis were under drought stress, and the PVE of QTLs detected by conditional analysis under drought stress were also much higher than that under normal irrigation. We infer that environments would influence the detection results and sequential expression of genes was highly influenced by environments as well. Many QTLs (qPH-1-2, qPH-3-5, qPH-4-1, qPH-2-3) coincident with previously identified drought resistance genes. The result of this study is helpful to elucidating the genetic mechanism and regulatory network underlying the development of PH in rice and providing references to marker assisted selection.

    Interspecific hybridization is an important approach to improve cultivated peanut varieties. Cytological markers such as tandem repeats will facilitate alien gene introgression in peanut. Telomeric repeats have also been frequently used in chromosome research. Most plant telomeric repeats are (TTTAGGG)_n that are mainly distributed at the chromosome ends, although interstitial telomeric repeats (ITRs) are also commonly identified. In this study, the telomeric repeat was chromosomally localized in 10 Arachis species through sequential GISH (genomic in situ hybridization) and FISH (fluorescence in situ hybridization) combined with 4’,6-diamidino-2-phenylindole (DAPI) staining. Six ITRs were identified such as in the centromeric region of chromosome Bⁱ5 in Arachis ipaënsis, pericentromeric regions of chromosomes A^s5 in A. stenosperma, B^ho7 in A. hoehnei and A^v5 in A. villosa, nucleolar organizer regions of chromosomes A^s3 in A. stenosperma and A^di3 in A. diogoi, subtelomeric regions of chromosomes B^ho9 in A. hoehnei and A^du7 in A. duranensis, and telomeric region of chromosome E^s7 in A. stenophylla. The distributions of the telomeric repeat, 5S rDNA, 45S rDNA and DAPI staining pattern provided not only ways of distinguishing different chromosomes, but also karyotypes with a higher resolution that could be used in evolutionary genome research. The distribution of telomeric repeats, 5S rDNA and 45S rDNA sites in this study, along with inversions detected on the long arms of chromosomes K^b10 and B^ho10, indicated frequent chromosomal rearrangements during evolution of Arachis species.

Rice ragged stunt virus (RRSV) is a serious rice disease in Asia, causing serious yield losses on rice. The capsid protein (CP) gene of the major outer capsid protein of RRSV was expressed in Escherichia coli BL21 (DE3) using the pMAL-C2X expression vector. The recombinant protein was used as the immunogen to immunize BALB/c mice. A hybridoma cell line 8A12 secreting monoclonal antibody (MAb) against RRSV was obtained by fusing mouse myeloma cells (Sp 2/0) with spleen cells from the immunized BALB/c mice. Western blot analysis showed that the MAb 8A12 can specifically react with RRSV CP. Using the MAb, an antigen-coated-plate enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ACP-ELISA), a dot enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (dot-ELISA), and immunocapture-RT-PCR (IC-RT-PCR) assay were developed to detect RRSV. The established ACP-ELISA, dot-blot ELISA and IC-RT-PCR methods could detect RRSV in infected rice tissue crude extracts with dilutions of 1:40 960, 1:1280 and 1:655360 (w/v, g mL-1), respectively. The ACP-ELISA and dot-blot ELISA methods could detect RRSV in infected insect vector crude extracts with dilutions of 1:12800 and 1:1600 (an individual planthopper μL-1), respectively. The field survey revealed that Rice ragged stunt disease occurs on rice in Hainan, Yunnan, Guangxi, Sichuan, Guizhou, Fujian, Hunan, Jiangxi and Zhejiang in China.

Soil organic carbon (SOC), soil microbial biomass carbon (SMBC) and SMBC quotient (SMBC/SOC, qSMBC) are key indexes of soil biological fertility because of the relationship to soil nutrition supply capacity. Yet it remains unknown how these three indexes change, which limits our understanding about how soil respond to different fertilization practices. Based on a 22-yr (1990-2011) long-term fertilization experiment in northwest China, we investigated the dynamics of SMBC and qSMBC during the growing period of winter wheat, the relationships between the SMBC, qSMBC, soil organic carbon (SOC) concentrations, the carbon input and grain yield of wheat as well. Fertilization treatments were 1) nonfertilization (control); 2) chemical nitrogen plus phosphate plus potassium (NPK); 3) NPK plus animal manure (NPKM); 4) double NPKM (hNPKM) and 5) NPK plus straw (NPKS). Results showed that the SMBC and qSMBC were significantly different among returning, jointing, flowering and harvest stages of wheat under long-term fertilization. And the largest values were observed in the flowering stage. Values for SMBC and qSMBC ranged from 37.5 to 106.0 mg kg-1 and 0.41 to 0.61%, respectively. The mean value rank of SMBC during the whole growing period of wheat was hNPKM>NPKM>NPKS>CK>NPK. But there were no statistically significant differences between hNPKM and NPKM, or between CK and NPK. The order for qSMBC was NPKS>NPKM>CK>hNPKM>NPK. These results indicated that NPKS significantly increased the ratio of SMBC to SOC, i.e., qSMBC, compared with NPK fertilizer or other two NPKM fertilizations. Significant linear relationships were observed between the annual carbon input and SOC (P<0.01) or SMBC (P<0.05), and between the relative grain yield of wheat and the SOC content as well (P<0.05). But the qSMBC was not correlated with the annual carbon input. It is thus obvious that the combination of manure, straw with mineral fertilizer may be benefit to increase SOC and improve soil quality than using only mineral fertilizer.

Necrotrophic fungi, being the largest class of fungal plant pathogens, pose a serious economic problem to crop production. Nitric oxide (NO) is an essential regulatory molecule in plant immunity in synergy with reactive oxygen species (ROS). Most experimental data available on the roles of NO and ROS during plant-pathogen interactions are from studies of infections by potential biotrophic pathogens, including bacteria and viruses. However, there are several arguments about the role of ROS in defense responses during plants and necrotrophic pathogens interaction and little is known about the role of NO as a counterpart of ROS in disease resistance to necrotrophic pathogens. This review focuses on the recent knowledge about the role of oxidative burst in plant defense response to necrotrophic fungi.

A pot experiment was conducted to investigate the effect of different arsenic (As) levels on maize (Zea mays L.) growth and As accumulation and species in different parts of maize plants, as a guideline for production of maize in As-polluted areas with the objective of preventing As from entering the food chain, and improving understanding of the mechanisms of effect of As on plant. Zhengdan 958 was grown at five As levels added to soil (0, 12.5, 25, 50, and 100 mg kg-1 As). As concentration in maize tissues increased in the order of grain<stalk<leaf<<root. The As concentration in maize grain exceeded the maximum permissible concentration of 0.7 mg kg-1 in China at levels of 50 and 100 mg kg-1. As species were presented in root, stalk, and grain, but organic As was the major As species identified in the grain. Maize plants were able to reduce arsenate to arsenite. Low As levels of 12.5 and 25 mg kg-1 improved maize growth and grain nutrition quality, while high levels of As 50 or 100 mg kg-1 inhibited them. Yield reduction at high As levels resulted mainly from reduced ear length, kernel number per row, and kernel weight.

The experimental knowledge on efficacy, possible modes of action and aspects of application of Chinese herbs as feedadditives for animal production are reviewed in this article. Chinese herbs commonly contain protein, carbohydrate, fat,vitamins, and mineral which are necessary nutrients to the growth of animal. Polysaccharide, organic acid, alkaloids, andessential oils involved in Chinese herbs can improve the immune function of livestock. Currently, numerous studies havedemonstrated anti-oxidative and anti-microbial efficacy and the assumption that Chinese herbs may improve the flavor ofmeat, which has been confirmed by some observations, but the mode of this action is still unclear. Moreover, severalobservations support the hypothesis that herbal feed additives may favorably affect gut functions (e.g., enzyme activity,microbial eubiosis) in vitro. Such effects may explain a considerable number of practical studies with livestock reportingimproved production performance after providing herbal feed additives. In summary, available evidence indicates thatherbal feed additives may have the potential to add to the set of non-antibiotic growth promoters for use in livestock, suchas organic acids and probiotics. However, a systematic approach toward the efficacy, mode of action and safety of herbalcompounds used as feed additives for animal production seems to be required in the future.

The beet armyworm, Spodoptera exigua (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae), is an economically important pest of crops worldwide,attacking plants from over 20 families including trans-continental agricultural cotton, corn and citrus crops. In this study,performance and subsequent enzyme activity of beet armyworm reared on host plants from five families were investigated.Significant differences were found in development, fecundity and enzyme activity on different host plants. Survival ratewas the highest (42.8%) on asparagus lettuce (Lactuca sativar var. asparagina) and the lowest (17.0%) on sweet pepper(Capsicum annuum). Larval duration was the shortest on asparagus lettuce (12.0 d), and was 43.4% longer on sweetpeppers (21.2 d). The activity of acetylcholine esterase (AChE) and carboxylesterase (CarE) in 3rd instar larvae, andsoluble carbohydrate and crude protein contents in different host plants were determined. AChE activity was the highestin the larvae feeding on Chinese cabbage (Brassica rapa), but declined by nearly 60% on maize (Zea mays) seedlings. Theratio of soluble carbohydrate content to crude protein content in host plants was found to have a positive effect onoviposition and a negative correlation with larval duration and life time (from larval to adult stages) of the insect.