Quality protein maize (QPM) (Zea mays L.) varieties contain enhanced levels of tryptophan and lysine, exhibiting improved nutritive value for humans and livestock.  However, breeding QPM varieties remains challenging due to the complex process of rebalancing storage protein.  This study conducted transcriptome and proteome analyses to investigate the process of storage proteins rebalancing in opaque2 (o2) and QPM.  We found a weak correlation between the transcriptome and proteome, suggesting a significant modulating effect of post-transcriptional events on non-zein protein abundances in Mo17o2 and QPM.  These results highlight the advantages of proteomics.  Compared with Mo17, 672 differentially expressed proteins (DEPs) were identified both in Mo17o2 and QPM, and several of them were associated with storage protein, starch, and amino acid synthesis.  We identified 178 non-zeins as DEPs in Mo17o2 and QPM kernels.  The up-regulated non-zein DEPs were enriched in lysine, tryptophan, and methionine, which affected the protein quality.  Co-expression network analysis identified regulators of storage protein synthesis in QPM, including O2, PBF1, and several transcription factors.  Our results revealed how storage protein rebalancing occurs and identified non-zein DEPs that may facilitate superior-quality QPM breeding. 

The wheat aphid, Sitobion miscanthi, is one of the most destructive pests of wheat plants in the temperate regions of China.  Little is known about the genetic structure evolution of  the different geographic populations of S. miscanthi with its migration.  In this study, we investigated the population genetic structure and demographic history of S. miscanthi by analysing 18 geographical populations across China using one mitochondrial gene, COI; one nuclear gene, EF-1α; and two endosymbiont Buchnera genes, gnd and trpA.  Analysis of data from the various groups showed high haplotype diversity and low nucleotide variation.  SAMOVA analysis did not find a correlation between genetic distance and geographic distance.  However, areas with high population diversity exhibited high haplotype diversity.  Therefore, we speculate that there are two main natural migration pathways of S. miscanthi in China.  One is from Yunnan to the Sichuan Basin, and the other is from Wuhan, Xinyang and Jiaodong Peninsula areas to the northwest.  Based on this hypothesis, we inferred that these aphid populations appear first in the southwestern and southern regions and spread to the north with the help of the southeastern and southwestern monsoons, which occur in spring and summer.  In autumn, the aphids spread southward with the northeastern and northwestern monsoons.

Farmers’ perceptions, beliefs, adaptive strategies, and barriers regarding climate change are critical to promoting sustainable ecosystems and societal stability.  This paper is based on an extensive survey of 1 500 farmers and their households in Henan Province in China during 2013–2014.  Henan is the largest agricultural province in China with over 51 million farmers.  The survey results showed that approximately 57% of the respondents perceived the direct impact of climate change during the past 10 years, with 70.3% believing that climate change posed a risk to their livelihood.  Not surprisingly, most farmers reported that they have adopted new measures to mitigate the negative impacts of climate change.  The main barriers hindering farmers’ adopting adaptation measures were lack of funds and timely information.  A multinomial logit model revealed that land ownership, knowledge of crop variety and the causes of climate change, as well as the belief of climate change, were all positively related to the likelihood of employing adaptive strategies.  Moreover, the percentage of households engaging in agriculture activity, and years of engaging in farming were both negatively correlated with famer’s likelihood of adopting adaptation strategies.  More importantly, farmers with high incomes were less likely to adopt adaptive strategies and more willing to engage in other business activities.  In conclusion, it is important to communicate climate change related information and government policies in rural areas, promote farmer associations and other educational outreach efforts to assist Chinese farmers to deal with climate change.