Seed aging tolerance during storage is generally an important trait for crop production, yet the role of small auxin-up RNA genes in conferring seed aging tolerance is largely unknown in rice.  In this study, one small auxin-up RNA gene, OsSAUR33, was found to be involved in the regulation of seed aging tolerance in rice.  The expression of OsSAUR33 was significantly induced in aged seeds compared with unaged seeds during the seed germination phase.  Accordingly, the disruption of OsSAUR33 significantly reduced seed vigor compared to the wild type (WT) in response to natural storage or artificial aging treatments.  The rice OsSAUR33 gene promotes the vigor of aged seeds by enhancing their reactive oxygen species (ROS) level during seed germination, and the accumulation of ROS was significantly delayed in the aged seeds of Ossaur33 mutants in comparison with WT during seed germination.  Hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂) treatments promoted the vigor of aged seeds in various rice varieties.  Our results provide timely theoretical and technical insights for the trait improvement of seed aging tolerance in rice.

Straw return is a promising strategy for managing soil organic carbon (SOC) and improving yield stability.  However, the optimal straw return strategy for sustainable crop production in the wheat (Triticum aestivum L.)–cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) cropping system remains uncertain.  The objective of this study was to quantify the long-term (10 years) impact of carbon (C) input on SOC sequestration, soil aggregation and crop yields in a wheat–cotton cropping system in the Yangtze River Valley, China.  Five treatments were arranged with a single-factor randomized design as follows: no straw return (Control), return of wheat straw only (Wt), return of cotton straw only (Ct), return of 50% wheat and 50% cotton straw (Wh-Ch) and return of 100% wheat and 100% cotton straw (Wt-Ct).  In comparison to the Control, the SOC content increased by 8.4 to 20.2% under straw return.  A significant linear positive correlation between SOC sequestration and C input (1.42–7.19 Mg ha⁻¹ yr⁻¹) (P<0.05) was detected.  The percentages of aggregates of sizes >2 and 1–2 mm at the 0–20 cm soil depth were also significantly elevated under straw return, with the greatest increase of the aggregate stability in the Wt-Ct treatment (28.1%).  The average wheat yields increased by 12.4–36.0% and cotton yields increased by 29.4–73.7%, and significantly linear positive correlations were also detected between C input and the yields of wheat and cotton.  The average sustainable yield index (SYI) reached a maximum value of 0.69 when the C input was 7.08 Mg ha⁻¹ yr⁻¹, which was close to the maximum value (SYI of 0.69, C input of 7.19 Mg ha⁻¹ yr^–1) in the Wt-Ct treatment.  Overall, the return of both wheat and cotton straw was the best strategy for improving SOC sequestration, soil aggregation, yields and their sustainability in the wheat–cotton rotation system.

The call for agri-food system transformation is urgent in many global development agendas (UN 2023).  Food systems have contributed to economic prosperity and feeding the world, but they are also associated with numerous challenges, including climate change, continued hunger, poor diets and malnutrition, and increasing disparities (Webb et al. 2020; Fanzo et al. 2021).  The vulnerabilities of food systems have been further aggravated by the COVID-19 pandemic, geopolitical disruptions, extreme weather events, and economic uncertainties (IPCC 2023; FAO 2023).  The rapid population growth, urbanization and industrialization have also resulted in significant land and water resource pressures, as well as food safety and security in many developing countries.

Thus, the agri-food systems transformation should shift from addressing singular dimension (e.g., grain supply or grain self-sufficiency) to achieving multiple goals simultaneously, including nutrition, health, inclusion, environmental sustainability and climate change (Fan et al. 2021). 

There are several strategies that can be used for achieving these multiple goals including access to modern technologies such as internet, changing production structure, promoting more stable and resilient income for farmers, implementing social programs to protect vulnerable population, and of course continued technological and productivity improvement .

Under this context, this special focus of the Journal of Integrative Agriculture is to provide empirical evidence on multiple win strategies to achieve agri-food systems transformation.  The issue comprises nine papers covering a wide array of topics aimed at improved nutrition, sustainability inclusion and continued efficiency or productivity improvement within the food system.  We trust that these papers will enhance readers’ comprehension of how food system transformation can contribute to multiple dimensions of the food system’s goals.

Using scanner data on the consumption of packaged liquid beverages by Chinese urban households, we estimated the price elasticity of various beverages and compared the effects of volume-based versus sugar-content-based taxation strategies on consumer welfare.  Compared to the volume-based tax, the sugar-content-based beverage tax was predicted to cost less in compensating variation under the same amount of sugar reduced, indicating that taxation based on sugar content may be more efficient in preserving consumer welfare.  Further comparison across different socioeconomic groups reveals that, given current beverage consumption status in China, the efficiency advantage of the sugar-content-based taxation strategy is more pronounced than that of the volume-based taxation.  Our conclusions can provide insights for the food industry and the government to reduce the sugar content in beverages.

Although wastewater irrigation in agriculture could be a potential adaptation to water scarcity, its effect on crop yield varies in the literature, making it difficult to evaluate its role in global food security comprehensively.  Using agronomic experiment data from 62 studies between 1987 and 2021, we employ a meta-analysis to analyze the factors contributing to the heterogeneous effects of wastewater irrigation on crop yield.  Our findings can be summarized as (1) the mean yield growth effect of wastewater irrigation is 19.7%; (2) domestic and breeding wastewater irrigation could significantly increase crop yield, while industrial wastewater has a negative effect although not significant; (3) high nutrients concentration of domestic wastewater is significantly positively correlated with crop yield; (4) agronomic experiment designs in terms of field experiment, experiment times, and fertilizer use could contribute to the divergent crop yield effects across the studies; (5) there is a publication bias of the research results between the English and Chinese literature; (6) the literature mainly sheds light on the short-run effect, and the long-run impact shall be an important research question in the future.

The circulating avian influenza viruses in wild birds have a high possibility of spillover into domestic birds or mammals at the wild bird-domestic bird or bird-mammal interface. H8N4 viruses primarily circulate in migratory wild waterfowl and have rarely been identified in domestic birds. In this study, we summarized the spatial and temporal distribution of global H8 viruses, specified their natural reservoirs, and performed detailed evolutionary analysis on the dominant H8N4 viruses. Here, we also reported a novel H8N4 virus isolated from a Eurasian coot sample from a wetland in eastern China in 2022. Animal infection studies indicated that the wild bird-originated H8N4 virus can replicate and transmit efficiently in ducks but has not adapted to chickens. Additionally, this naturally isolated H8N4 virus can replicate in mice without prior adaptation. These results indicate that H8 viruses exist mainly in the wild duck reservoir and pose a high infection risk to domestic ducks. Therefore, the active surveillance of influenza viruses at the wild and domestic waterfowl interface will contribute to monitoring the circulation of these viruses.

The circulating avian influenza viruses in wild birds have a high possibility of spillover into domestic birds or mammals at the wild bird-domestic bird or bird-mammal interface. H8N4 viruses primarily circulate in migratory wild waterfowl and have rarely been identified in domestic birds. In this study, we summarized the spatial and temporal distribution of global H8 viruses, specified their natural reservoirs, and performed detailed evolutionary analysis on the dominant H8N4 viruses. Here, we also reported a novel H8N4 virus isolated from a Eurasian coot sample from a wetland in eastern China in 2022. Animal infection studies indicated that the wild bird-originated H8N4 virus can replicate and transmit efficiently in ducks but has not adapted to chickens. Additionally, this naturally isolated H8N4 virus can replicate in mice without prior adaptation. These results indicate that H8 viruses exist mainly in the wild duck reservoir and pose a high infection risk to domestic ducks. Therefore, the active surveillance of influenza viruses at the wild and domestic waterfowl interface will contribute to monitoring the circulation of these viruses.

Drought caused by extreme climate change has become more severe and unpredictable, causing imperceptible effects on leaf photosynthesis in foxtail millet.  To investigate the damage, we performed light drought (LD) and heavy drought (HD) treatments at both the elongation (Y) and booting stages to obtain a comprehensive understanding of the morphological, anatomical, physiological, transcriptome, and metabolome levels.  Under drought stress, the length and area of leaves decreased, especially during the HD treatment at the booting stage.  The number of mesophyll cells and the area of large vascular bundles were both decreased under LD and HD treatments at the booting stage, as well as with more blurring vascular bundle structure and Kranz anatomy.  However, these numbers decreased but with no significance under Y-LD and Y-HD treatments at the elongation stage.  The net photosynthetic rate, stomatal conductivity, transpiration rate, and intercellular CO₂ concentration significantly decreased at the booting stage.  In addition, the efficiency of electron transfers in photosystem II (PS II) decreased.  Conjunction analyses of the transcriptome and metabolome were utilized to uncover the underlying mechanism at the booting stage.  The results showed that there was no common differentially enriched pathway in the transcriptome and metabolome under LD treatment but thirty-two pathways were enriched in both the transcript and metabolome under HD treatment.  Among these, three pathways arginine, proline metabolism, tyrosine metabolism, ubiquinone, and other terpenoid-quinone biosynthesis pathways were differentially enriched in both the transcript and metabolome.  The accumulation of Homogentisate, Salidroside, Homoprotocatechuate, L-DOPA, Tyramine, and L-Tyrosine increased under drought stress.  Although genes related to PSII and the Calvin cycle were slightly up-regulated under LD conditions, they were down-regulated under HD condition.  The metabolites of Ribose-5P, Glycerate-3P, D-Fructosel 1,6P₂, and D-Fructose-6P were all decreased in both the LD and HD treatments, especially D-Fructose-6P, confirming that drought stress had a negative effect on the Calvin cycle.  The results revealed that regardless of the severity of drought, photosynthetic function was compromised not only at the morphological and anatomical levels but also in terms of impaired ATP synthase and inhibited photosynthetic CO₂ assimilation.

Influenza A viruses (IAVs) possess variable pathogenic potency causing great economic losses in the poultry industry worldwide and threatening public health. The control of IAV epidemics desperately necessitates an efficient platform for screening antiviral compounds and evaluating vaccine efficacy. In this study, we utilized the H9N2 subtype IAV as the working model. An 11-amino-acid HiBiT tag, derived from NanoLuc luciferase, was incorporated into the flexible linker region of the NS1 protein. Subsequently, the recombinant HiBiT-tagged virus was rescued. The recombinant virus exhibited high genetic stability and similar virological characteristics to the parental virus, both in vitro and in vivo. Of particular significance, the replication profile of the HiBiT-tagged virus can be easily measured using the Nano-Glo assay system, achieving an efficient screening platform. Based on this platform, we have developed assays with both convenience and efficiency for screening antiviral reagents, evaluating immunization efficacy, and measuring neutralizing antibodies.

Ketosis, a common metabolic disease during early lactation, is associated with high circulating levels of β-hydroxybutyrate (BHB). A portion of BHB that reaches the mammary gland is utilized as precursor for synthesis of fatty acids. Recent findings from nonruminant studies revealed that long chain fatty acyl-CoA ligase 4 (ACSL4) could play a role in the regulation of cellular fatty acid metabolism, but the mechanisms by which ACSL4 mediates cellular lipid metabolism in response to BHB remains unclear. To achieve the aims, we conducted in vivo or in vitro analyses using bovine mammary gland biopsies and the immortalized mammary epithelial cell line (MAC-T). The in vivo study (n = 6 cows group^-1) involved healthy cows (plasma BHB < 0.60 mmol L^-1) or ketotic cows (plasma BHB > 2.0 mmol L^-1) from which mammary gland tissue was biopsied. In vitro, MAC-T cells were challenged with 0, 0.3, 0.6, 1.2, or 2.4 mmol L^-1 BHB for 24 h to determine an optimal dose. Subsequently, MAC-T were incubated with 1.2 mmol L^-1 BHB for 0, 3, 6, 12, 24, or 48 h. Furthermore, MAC-T cells were treated with small interfering ACSL4 (siACSL4) for 24 h or ACSL4 overexpression plasmid (pcACSL4) for 36 h followed by a challenge with 1.2 mmol L^-1 BHB for 24 h. Results showed that increased mRNA and protein abundance of lipogenic genes were linked to both mammary gland and in vitro challenge with BHB. BHB increased fatty acid content by activating ACSL4 expression, whereas inhibition of ACSL4 reduced BHB-induced reactive oxygen species (ROS) overproduction, enhancement of mitochondrial membrane potential, increase in fatty acid content, and lipid droplet accumulation. Furthermore, we also elevated ACSL4 expression with an overexpression plasmid to clarify its molecular role in response to BHB challenge. ACSL4 overexpression enhances BHB-induced lipid droplet accumulation by increased fatty acid content. Overall, the information showed that ACSL4 is crucial for the process of producing fatty acids from exogenous BHB. Reduced ACSL4 decreased fatty acid content and lipid droplet accumulation, improved mitochondrial function, directed more fatty acids towards oxidation. Thus, ACSL4 plays an important role in determining the fate of intracellular fatty acids and BHB in BMECs.

As a main causal agent of wheat crown rot, Fusarium pseudograminearum secrets numerous proteins to host during the infection process to regulate host immune responses or contribute to virulence of F. pseudograminearum. In this study, a secreted protein Fp00392 from F. pseudograminearum was found to trigger cell death in Nicotiana benthamiana. Purified Fp00392 protein can activate ROS burst, callose deposition, and upregulation of defense-related genes in N. benthamiana. Moreover, VIGS assay in N. benthamiana shows that Fp00392-triggered cell death is independent on BAK1 and SOBIR1. Furthermore, the transcript level of Fp00392 was significantly induced during F. pseudograminearum infection. Knockout of Fp00392 significantly attenuates pathogenicity of F. pseudograminearum on wheat coleoptile. Deletion of Fp00392 affected the sensitivity of F. pseudograminearum to H₂O₂ and Congo Red. Overall, these results indicate that Fp00392 can not only induce plant immune response as PAMP, but promote F. pseudograminearum infection as a virulence factor. 

To evaluate the impact of climate change on maize production, it is critical to accurately measure the radiation use efficiency (RUE) for maize. In this study, we focused on three maize cultivars in Jilin Province, China: Zhengdan 958 (ZD958), Xianyu 335 (XY335), and Liangyu 99 (LY99).  Under the optimal growing conditions for high density (9 plants m^-2), we investigated the maize RUE during the vegetative and reproductive phases, and the entire growth period.  The results showed that the canopy light interception for maize peaked during anthesis.  After anthesis, maize plant biomass continued to accumulate.  Based on the absorbed photosynthetically active radiation (APAR), we calculated maize RUE.  During the entire growth period, maize RUE averaged 5.71 g MJ^-1 APAR among the three cultivars, with a high-to-low order of ZD958 (5.85 g MJ^-1 APAR)>XY335 (5.64 g MJ^-1 APAR)>LY99 (5.07 g MJ^-1 APAR).  Within the vegetative and reproductive growth periods, maize RUE averaged 6.85 and 5.64 g MJ^-1 APAR, respectively.  When utilizing maize models, such as APSIM, that depend on radiation use efficiency (RUE) to predict aboveground biomass accumulation, we observed that the current RUE value of 3.6 g MJ^-1 APAR is considerably lower than the measured value obtained under high-density optimal growing conditions.  Consequently, to derive the optimal potential yield for maize in such planting conditions, we recommend adjusting the RUE to a range of 5.07-5.85 g MJ^-1 APAR.