Lycium barbarum residue (LBR), a by-product of L. barbarum processing, is packed with bioactive components and can be potentially utilized as a feed additive in animal husbandry.  However, the fundamental understanding of its effectiveness on livestock animals is still lacking, particularly in ruminants.  To explore the effects of LBR on the growth performance, rumen fermentation parameters, ruminal microbes and metabolites of Tan sheep, sixteen fattening rams (aged 4 mon) were fed a basal diet (CON, n=8) or a basal diet supplemented with 5% LBR (LBR, n=8).  The experiment lasted for 70 d, with 10 d adaptation period and 60 d treatment period.  The results showed that the LBR enhanced the average daily feed intake, average daily gain (P<0.05), and ruminal total volatile fatty acids (P<0.01) while decreasing ammonia-nitrogen concentration and rumen pH value (P<0.05).  Additionally, the LBR improved the relative abundances of Prevotella, Succiniclasticum, Ruminococcus, Coprococcus, Selenomonas, and Butyrivibrio (P<0.05) and reduced the relative abundances of Oscillospira and Succinivibrio (P<0.05).  The LBR altered the ruminal metabolome (P<0.01) by increasing the abundances of ruminal metabolites involved in amino acids (e.g., L-proline, L-phenylalanine, L-lysine, and L-tyrosine), pyrimidine metabolism (e.g., uridine, uracil, and thymidine), and microbial protein synthesis (e.g., xanthine and hypoxanthine).  In conclusion, LBR had positive effects on the growth rate of Tan sheep as well as on rumen fermentation parameters, rumen microbiome and rumen metabolome.

Avian infectious bronchitis (IB) is a highly contagious infectious disease caused by infectious bronchitis virus (IBV), which is prevalent in many countries worldwide and causes serious harm to the poultry industry.  At present, many commercial IBV vaccines have been used for the prevention and control of IB; however, IB outbreaks occur frequently.  In this study, two new strains of IBV, SX/2106 and SX/2204, were isolated from two flocks which were immunized with IBV H120 vaccine in central China.  Phylogenetic and recombination analysis indicated that SX/2106, which was clustered into the GI-19 lineage, may be derived from recombination events of the GI-19 and GI-7 strains and the LDT3-A vaccine.  Genetic analysis showed that SX/2204 belongs to the GVI-1 lineage, which may have originated from the recombination of the GI-13 and GVI-1 strains and the H120 vaccine.  The virus cross-neutralization test showed that the antigenicity of SX/2106 and SX/2204 was different from H120.  Animal experiments found that both SX/2106 and SX/2204 could replicate effectively in the lungs and kidneys of chickens and cause disease and death, and H120 immunization could not provide effective protection against the two IBV isolates.  It is noteworthy that the pathogenicity of SX/2204 has significantly increased compared to the GVI-1 strains isolated previously, with a mortality rate up to 60%.  Considering the continuous mutation and recombination of the IBV genome to produce new variant strains, it is important to continuously monitor epidemic strains and develop new vaccines for the prevention and control of IBV epidemics.

The cAMP-dependent protein kinase A (PKA) signaling pathway has long been considered critical for long-term memory (LTM) formation.  Previous studies have mostly focused on the role of PKA signaling in LTM induction by multiple spaced conditioning with less attention to LTM induction by a single conditioning.  Here, we conducted behavioral-pharmacology, enzyme immunoassay and RNA interference experiments to study the role of the PKA signaling pathway in LTM formation in the agricultural pest Bactrocera dorsalis, which has a strong memory capacity allowing it to form a two-day memory even from a single conditioning trial.  We found that either blocking or activating PKA prior to conditioning pretreatment affected multiple spaced LTM, and conversely, they did not affect LTM formed by single conditioning.  This was further confirmed by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and silencing of the protein kinase regulatory subunit 2 and catalytic subunit 1.  Taken together, these results suggest that activating PKA during memory acquisition helps to induce the LTM formed by multiple spaced conditioning but not by a single conditioning.  Our findings challenge the conserved role of PKA signaling in LTM, which provides a basis for the greater diversity of molecular mechanisms underlying LTM formation across species, as well as possible functional and evolutionary implications.

Long-term excessive nitrogen (N) application does not increase or even decreases grain yield and N use efficiency (NUE) of maize, in which the roles of root morphological and physiological characteristics are not clear.  The goal of this study was to explain the mechanism underlying no increment in grain yield under excessive N application from the perspective of root morpho-physiological characteristics.  A 10-year long-term N fertilizer trial was conducted in Jilin Province, Northeast China, growing maize at three N fertilizer levels (zero N, N0; recommended N, N2; and high N level, N4) in 2019, 2020 and 2021.  Two widely planted maize genotypes: ‘Xianyu 335’ (XY335) and ‘Zhengdan 958’ (ZD958) were used.  Grain yield, N content, root morphology and other physiological characteristics were analyzed to further evaluate the relationships between N uptake, N utilization, plant growth, and root systems under different N treatments.  Compared with N0, root biomass, post-silking N uptake and grain yield were significantly improved with increased N input, whereas no significant differences were observed between recommended N and high N.  High N application increased root length and root surface area, but decreased root activity (measured by TTC (2,3,5-triphenyltetrazolium chloride) method), nitrate reductase activity and root activity absorbing area regardless of genotypes.  Root length and root to shoot ratio negatively contributed to N uptake (by -1.2% and -24.6%), while root surface area, root activity, nitrate reductase activity and root activity absorbing area were positively contributed to N uptake.  The interaction effect between cultivar and N application was significant on NUE.  XY335 obtained the highest NUE (11.6%) and N recovery efficiency (18.4%) through higher root surface area (23.6%), root activity (12.5%), nitrate reductase activity (8.3%) and root activity absorbing area (6.9%) compared with other treatments.  Overall, recommended N application promoted Post N uptake, NUE and grain yield by root surface area and root activity, nitrate reductase activity and root activity absorbing area, while high N application did not increase or even decreased NUE by reducing root surface area, root activity, nitrate reductase activity and root activity absorbing area.  Our case study successfully revealed that root surface area, root activity, nitrate reductase activity and root activity absorbing area were the limiting factors of NUE increase under high N application.

Soil compaction has become a seriously limitation for further increasing grain yield of maize (Zea mays L.) in the North China Plain (NCP).  However, considerable variability exists among maize hybrids in their grain yield response to soil compaction.  To understand the physiological processes relate to the variation of responses to various soil compactions among maize hybrids, a two-year field experiment was conducted with 17 maize hybrids and three soil compaction treatments (NC, no compaction, SBD, soil bulk density=1.0-1.3 g cm^-3; MC, moderate compaction, SBD=1.4-1.5 g cm^-3, and HC, heavy compaction, SBD>1.6 g cm^-3) to examine the root and shoot morphological traits, dry matter accumulation, and grain yield.  Compared to NC, MC and HC significantly decreased maize yield by 0.9-26.7% and 5.9-41.1% across hybrids and years, respectively.  High compaction tolerance (H) had greater grain yield than hybrids of middle compaction tolerance (M) and low compaction tolerance (L), particularly under HC.  Yield benefits obtained from H hybrid were enhanced due to better root and shoot growth under HC condition.  Greater root length, root surface area, and root weight, as well as root activity, absorption capacity, and antioxidant capacity for H hybrid were found under HC condition, and then maintained increased leaf area index and dry matter accumulation.  Moreover, the increases of root growth indices for H hybrid were greater than that of shoot growth, particularly under HC condition, leading to an increased root/shoot ratio.  We conclude that soil compaction impacts maize root and shoot growth differently depending on genotype, and root growth advantages of H hybrid were more obviously than shoot growth, which enhanced the yield benefits from H hybrid under heavy compaction condition.

Transient receptor potential (TRP) channels are a class of ion channel proteins that are closely related to thermosensation in insects. They are involved in detecting the ambient temperature and play vital roles in insect survival and reproduction. In this study, we identified and cloned two variants of the TRPA subfamily gene in Myzus persicae, MperTRPA1(A) and MperTRPA1(B), and analyzed their tissue expression by real-time quantitative PCR. Subsequently, these two variants of MperTRPA1 were expressed in the Xenopus oocyte system, and their functions were investigated using the two-electrode voltage clamp technique. The role of the MperTRPA1 gene in temperature adaptation of M. persicae was further determined by RNA interference and a behavioral choice assay to evaluate responses to temperature gradients. The results showed that the MperTRPA1 gene is widely expressed in tissues of M. persicae, with MperTRPA1(A) highly expressed in the mouthparts and MperTRPA1(B) mainly expressed in the antennae. The functional characterization results showed that both variants of MperTRPA1 could be activated and were not desensitized when the temperature increased from 20 to 45°C. The current value and thermal sensitivity (coefficient Q10 value) of MperTRPA1(B) were significantly higher than those of MperTRPA1(A). When the MperTRPA1 gene was knocked down, the behavioral preference of M. persicae for the optimal temperature was reduced and tended to be at a higher temperature, showing a shift in the temperature adaptation range compared to both the wild type and dsGFP-treated M. persicae. In summary, our results elucidated the molecular mechanism of adaptive temperature perception in M. persicae mediated by the thermal sensor MperTRPA1.

Mating behavior is crucial for most insects, as it is closely tied to reproduction and population growth and relies heavily on chemical communication via cuticular hydrocarbons (CHCs) between individuals. However, little is known about the mating behavior of Eupeodes corollae, a natural enemy insect, and how CHCs help it communicate. In this study, we performed a behavioral assay of the mating process of hoverfly E. corollae. The cuticular hydrocarbons of both male and female hoverflies were identified by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). The electrophysiological activities of these compounds on the antennae of hoverflies were further determined by gas chromatography coupled with electroantennogram detection (GC-EAD) and electroantennogram (EAG). The effects of these compounds on the behavioral selection and mating of hoverflies were also determined. The results showed that the mating process of hoverflies was divided into five stages: orientation, approaching, wing fanning, mounting, and copulation. Fifth-aged individuals exhibited the highest copulation and mating success rates, the shortest male latency, and stable mating duration. The results of the determination of cuticular compounds showed that the CHCs of male and female hoverflies exhibited sexually monomorphic chemical profiles, and two compounds (Z)-9-tricosene and n-tricosane could cause significant electrophysiological responses in both male and female hoverflies. Behavioral bioassay results showed that (Z)-9-tricosene can significantly induce the attraction response of male and female E. corollae and can effectively regulate the courtship behavior of male E. corollae. This finding provides a new perspective for a deeper understanding of hoverflies’ chemical communication mechanism and a valuable scientific basis and potential application prospect for developing a pheromone-based behavior strategy to control pests.