Increasing zinc (Zn) concentration in wheat grain is important to minimize human dietary Zn deficiency.  This study aimed to investigate the effect of foliar Zn and soil nitrogen (N) applications on the accumulation and distribution of N and Zn in grain pearling fractions, N remobilization, and the relationships between nutrient concentration in the vegetative tissues and grain or its fractions in two cropping years in the North China Plain.  The results showed a progressive decrease in N and Zn concentrations from the outer to the inner parts of grain, with most of the accumulation in the core endosperm.  Foliar Zn application significantly increased N concentration in the pericarp, and soil N application increased N concentration in each grain fraction.  Both treatments significantly increased core endosperm Zn concentration.  Foliar Zn had no effect on grain N and Zn distribution.  Soil N application made N concentrated in the aleurone, promoted Zn translocation to the core endosperm and also increased N remobilization and its efficiency from the shoot to the grain, but no improved contribution to grain was found.  N concentration in grain and its fractions were positively correlated with N in vegetative organs at anthesis and maturity, while positive correlations were obtained between N concentration in the pericarp and progressive central area of the endosperm and Zn concentration in the core endosperm.  Thus, foliar Zn and soil N applications effectively increased yield and N and Zn concentrations in the wheat grain, particularly in the endosperm, and could be promising strategies to address Zn deficiency.

 

We developed an H5/H7 trivalent inactivated vaccine by using Re-11, Re-12, and H7-Re2 vaccine seed viruses, which were generated by reverse genetics and derived their HA genes from A/duck/Guizhou/S4184/2017(H5N6) (DK/GZ/S4184/17) (a clade 2.3.4.4d virus), A/chicken/Liaoning/SD007/2017(H5N1) (CK/LN/SD007/17) (a clade 2.3.2.1d virus), and A/chicken/Guangxi/SD098/2017(H7N9) (CK/GX/SD098/17), respectively.  The protective efficacy of this novel vaccine and that of the recently used H5/H7 bivalent inactivated vaccine against different H5 and H7N9 viruses was evaluated in chickens.  We found that the H5/H7 bivalent vaccine provided solid protection against the H7N9 virus CK/GX/SD098/17, but only 50–60% protection against different H5 viruses.  In contrast, the novel H5/H7 trivalent vaccine provided complete protection against the H5 and H7 viruses tested.  Our study underscores the importance of timely updating of vaccines for avian influenza control.

The aim of this study was to elucidate the effects of different machine-harvested cotton-planting patterns on defoliation, yield, and fiber quality in cotton and to provide support for improving the quality of machine-harvested cotton.  In the 2015 and 2016 growing seasons, the Xinluzao 45 (XLZ45) and Xinluzao 62 (XLZ62) cultivars, which are primarily cultivated in northern Xinjiang, were used as study materials.  Conventional wide-narrow row (WNR), wide and ultra-narrow row (UNR), wide-row spacing with high density (HWR), and wide-row spacing with low density (LWR) planting patterns were used to assess the effects of planting patterns on defoliation, yield, and fiber quality.  Compared with WNR, the seed cotton yields were significantly decreased by 2.06–5.48% for UNR and by 2.50–6.99% for LWR, respectively.  The main cause of reduced yield was a reduction in bolls per unit area.  The variation in HWR yield was –1.07–1.07% with reduced bolls per unit area and increased boll weight, thus demonstrating stable production.  In terms of fiber quality indicators, the planting patterns only showed significant effects on the micronaire value, with wide-row spacing patterns showing an increase in the micronaire values.  The defoliation and boll-opening results showed that the number of leaves and dried leaves in HWR was the lowest among the four planting patterns.  Prior to the application of defoliating agent and before machine-harvesting, the numbers of leaves per individual plant in HWR were decreased by 14.45 and 25.00% on average, respectively, compared with WNR, while the number of leaves per unit area was decreased by 27.44 and 36.21% on average, respectively.  The rates of boll-opening and defoliation in HWR were the highest.  Specifically, the boll-opening rate before defoliation and machine-harvesting in HWR was 44.54 and 5.94% higher on average than in WNR, while the defoliation rate prior to machine-harvesting was 3.45% higher on average than in WNR.  The numbers of ineffective defoliated leaves and leaf trash in HWR were the lowest, decreased by 33.40 and 32.43%, respectively, compared with WNR.  In conclusion, the HWR planting pattern is associated with a high and stable yield, does not affect fiber quality, promotes early maturation, and can effectively decrease the amount of leaf trash in machine-picked seed cotton, and thus its use is able to improve the quality of machine-harvested cotton.

2´-5´-Oligoadenylate synthetase like protein (OASL) plays a key role in response to viral infections through selectively activating the OAS/RNase L or OASL/RIG-I signaling pathway.  Although classic pathway of OASL is well-known, its regulated genes or co-actors are largely unknown.  To study the possible molecular mechanism of duck OASL (dOASL), we performed RNA-sequencing (RNA-seq) and immunoprecipitation and mass spectrometry (IP-MS) at the level of mRNA and protein, respectively.  For RNA-seq, we used DF1 cell lines (DF1^dOASL+/+, DF1^{cOASL–/–,} and DF1) with or without the CK/0513 H5N1 virus (A/chicken/huabei/0513/2007) infection.  1 737 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified as candidate target genes regulated by dOASL.  Gene Ontology (GO), Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) analysis and Weighted Correlation Network Analysis (WGCNA) were performed.  We identified one important yellow co-expression module correlated with antiviral immune response.  In this module, Ankyrin repeat and FYVE domain containing 1 (ANKFY1), harboring a BTB domain similar to the methyl CpG-binding protein 1 (MBD1) which bound to OASL in human, was regulated by dOASL.  At protein level, 133 host proteins were detected.  Interestingly, ANKFY1 was one of them binding to dOASL protein.  Further phylogenomic and chromosomal syntenic analysis demonstrated MBD1 was absent in birds, while mammals retained.  It is suggested that OASL-ANKFY1 interaction might act as a compensatory mechanism to regulate gene expression in birds.  Our findings will provide a useful resource for the molecular mechanism research of dOASL.

Single spore isolation is a fundamental approach in plant pathology and mycology to isolate and identify plant fungal pathogens from diseased samples.  However, routine single spore isolation procedure is time-consuming and has a high risk of contamination by other microorganisms.  In this study, we developed a rapid approach for isolating a single spore of the fungal pathogen, Pyricularia oryzae, from rice blast diseased leaves in the paddy field with low potential of contamination.  First, rice blast leaves with single lesions were selected in the paddy field, and a single lesion was cut out and pressed and dragged gently across the surface of water agar.  Next, a germinated single spore with a barely visible piece of agar was cut out of water agar with a dissecting needle under a stereomicroscope at approximately 120-fold magnification.  Last, the germinated single spore with water agar was transferred onto oatmeal tomato agar for growth and preservation.  Based on our experience, a skilled technician or student can successfully isolate single spore from over 150 independent diseased samples with nearly no contaminations in a single working day.  This approach is also suitable for isolating single spore from other fungal disease samples that produce abundant aerial conidia.

 

Stem lignin content (SLC) in common wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) contributes to lodging resistance.  Caffeic acid 3-O-methyltransferase (COMT) is a key enzyme involved in lignin biosynthesis.  Characterization of TaCOMT genes and development of gene-specific markers could enable marker-assisted selection in wheat breeding.  In the present study, the full-length genomic DNA (gDNA) sequences of TaCOMT genes located on chromosomes 3A, 3B, and 3D were cloned by homologous cloning.  Two allelic variants, TaCOMT-3Ba and TaCOMT-3Bb, were identified and differed by a 222-bp insertion/deletion (InDel) in the 3´-untranslated region (3´-UTR).  A co-dominant gene-specific marker based on this InDel was developed and designated as TaCOMT-3BM.  A total of 157 wheat cultivars and advanced lines grown in four environments were used to validate the associations between allelic patterns and SLC.  The SLC of cultivars with TaCOMT-3Ba was significantly (P<0.01) higher than that of those with TaCOMT-3Bb, and the marker TaCOMT-3BM could be effectively used in wheat breeding.

Leguminous crops play a vital role in enhancing crop yield and improving soil fertility.  Therefore, it can be used as an organic N source for improving soil fertility.  The purpose of this study was to (i) quantify the amounts of N derived from rhizodeposition, root and above-ground biomass of peanut residue in comparison with wheat and (ii) estimate the effect of the residual N on the wheat-growing season in the subsequent year.  The plants of peanut and wheat were stem fed with ¹⁵N urea using the cotton-wick method at the Wuqiao Station of China Agricultural University in 2014.  The experiment consisted of four residue-returning strategies in a randomized complete-block design: (i) no return of crop residue (CR0); (ii) return of above-ground biomass of peanut crop (CR1); (iii) return of peanut root biomass (CR2); and (iv) return of all residue of the whole peanut plant (CR3).  The 31.5 and 21% of the labeled ¹⁵N isotope were accumulated in the above-ground tissues (leaves and stems) of peanuts and wheat, respectively.  N rhizodeposition of peanuts and wheat accounted for 14.91 and 3.61% of the BG15N, respectively.  The ¹⁵N from the below-ground ¹⁵N -labeled of peanuts were supplied 11.3, 5.9, 13.5, and 6.1% of in the CR0, CR1, CR2, and CR3 treatments, respectively.  Peanut straw contributes a significant proportion of N to the soil through the decomposition of plant residues and N rhizodeposition.  With the current production level on the NCP, it is estimated that peanut straw can potentially replace 104 500 tons of synthetic N fertilizer per year.  The inclusion of peanut in rotation with cereal can significantly reduce the use of N fertilizer and enhance the system sustainability.

 

Understanding of moisture changes in fresh ear corn (Zea mays L.) during storage is imperative for maintaining fresh corn quality.  The changes of moisture distribution and migration in fresh ear corn during storage were investigated using low-field nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).  Water loss was greater than water migration in fresh ear corn within the first hour of storage; thereafter, water loss was weaker than water migration.  With the extension of storage time, the signal intensity of MRI in different parts of sliced fresh corn with cob showed a downward trend, and the rate of signal intensity reduction was higher in the peripheral area than at the central part of sliced fresh corn with cob.  The relative proportion of bound water increased with a concomitant drop in that of free water, when the total water content reduced in fresh ear corn under storage.  In conclusion, NMR and MRI are useful and non-destructive tools for real-time monitoring of moisture distribution, migration, and loss in fresh ear corn during storage to assess its quality.  These results can be used for future design of the preserving and processing conditions for fresh ear corn.

Synonymous codon usage pattern presumably reflects gene expression optimization as a result of molecular evolution.  Though much attention has been paid to various model organisms ranging from prokaryotes to eukaryotes, codon usage has yet been extensively investigated for model legume Medicago truncatula.  In present study, 39 531 available coding sequences (CDSs) from M. truncatula were examined for codon usage bias (CUB).  Based on analyses including neutrality plots, effective number of codons plots, and correlations between optimal codons frequency and codon adaptation index, we conclude that natural selection is a major driving force in M. truncatula CUB.  We have identified 30 optimal codons encoding 18 amino acids based on relative synonymous codon usage.  These optimal codons characteristically end with A or T, except for AGG and TTG encoding arginine and leucine respectively.  Optimal codon usage is positively correlated with the GC content at three nucleotide positions of codons and the GC content of CDSs.  The abundance of expressed sequence tag is a proxy for gene expression intensity in the legume, but has no relatedness with either CDS length or GC content.  Collectively, we unravel the synonymous codon usage pattern in M. truncatula, which may serve as the valuable information on genetic engineering of the model legume and forage crop.