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Changes in grain-filling characteristics of single-cross maize hybrids released in China from 1964 to 2014

GAO Xing, LI Yong-xiang, YANG Ming-tao, LI Chun-hui, SONG Yan-chun, WANG Tian-yu, LI Yu, SHI Yun-su

2023, 22 (3): 691-700. DOI: 10.1016/j.jia.2022.08.006

Abstract （221） PDF in ScienceDirect

Grain filling is the physiological process for determining the obtainment of yield in cereal crops. The grain-filling characteristics of 50 maize brand hybrids released from 1964 to 2014 in China were assayed across multiple environments. We found that the grain-filling duration (54.46%) and rate (43.40%) at the effective grain-filling phase greatly contributed to the final performance parameter of 100-kernel weight (HKW). Meanwhile, along with the significant increase in HKW, the accumulated growing degree days (GDDs) for the actual grain-filling period duration (AFPD) among the selected brand hybrids released from the 1960s to the 2010s in China had a decadal increase of 23.41°C d. However, there was a decadal increase of only 19.76°C d for GDDs of the days from sowing to physiological maturity (DPM), which was also demonstrated by a continuous decrease in the ratio between the days from sowing to silking (DS) and DPM (i.e., from 53.24% in the 1960s to 49.78% in the 2010s). In contrast, there were no significant changes in grain-filling rate along with the release years of the selected hybrids. Moreover, the stability of grain-filling characteristics across environments also significantly increased along with the hybrid release years. We also found that the exotic hybrids showed a longer grain-filling duration at the effective grain-filling phase and more stability of the grain-filling characteristics than those of the Chinese local hybrids. According to the results of this study, it is expected that the relatively longer grain-filling duration, shorter DS, higher grain-filling rate, and steady grain-filling characteristics would contribute to the yield improvement of maize hybrids in the future.

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Genome-wide identification and comparative analysis of drought related genes in roots of two maize inbred lines with contrasting drought tolerance by RNA sequencing

HAO Lu-yang, LIU Xu-yang, ZHANG Xiao-jing, SUN Bao-cheng, LIU Cheng, ZHANG Deng-feng, TANG Huai-jun, LI Chun-hui, LI Yong-xiang, SHI Yun-su, XIE Xiao-qing, SONG Yan-chun, WANG Tian-yu, LI Yu

2020, 19 (2): 449-464. DOI: 10.1016/S2095-3119(19)62660-2

Abstract （174） PDF in ScienceDirect

Drought is one of the most important abiotic stresses affecting maize growth and development and therefore resulting in yield loss. Thus it is essential to understand molecular mechanisms of drought stress responses in maize for drought tolerance improvement. The root plays a critical role in plants sensing water deficit. In the present study, two maize inbred lines, H082183, a drought-tolerant line, and Lv28, a drought-sensitive line, were grown in the field and treated with different water conditions (moderate drought, severe drought, and well-watered conditions) during vegetative stage. The transcriptomes of their roots were investigated by RNA sequencing. There were 1 428 and 512 drought-responsive genes (DRGs) in Lv28, 688 and 3 363 DRGs in H082183 under moderate drought and severe drought, respectively. A total of 31 Gene Ontology (GO) terms were significantly over-represented in the two lines, 13 of which were enriched only in the DRGs of H082183. Based on results of Kyoto encyclopedia of genes and genomes (KEGG) enrichment analysis, “plant hormone signal transduction” and “starch and sucrose metabolism” were enriched in both of the two lines, while “phenylpropanoid biosynthesis” was only enriched in H082183. Further analysis revealed the different expression patterns of genes related to abscisic acid (ABA) signal pathway, trehalose biosynthesis, reactive oxygen scavenging, and transcription factors might contribute to drought tolerance in maize. Our results contribute to illustrating drought-responsive molecular mechanisms and providing gene resources for maize drought improvement.

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Transcriptomic profiling of sorghum leaves and roots responsive to drought stress at the seedling stage

ZHANG Deng-feng, ZENG Ting-ru, LIU Xu-yang, GAO Chen-xi, LI Yong-xiang, LI Chun-hui, SONG Yan-chun, SHI Yun-su, WANG Tian-yu, LI Yu

2019, 18 (9): 1980-1995. DOI: 10.1016/S2095-3119(18)62119-7

Abstract （145） PDF in ScienceDirect

Drought stress affects the growth and productivity of crop plants including sorghum. To study the molecular basis of drought tolerance in sorghum, we conducted the transcriptomic profiling of sorghum leaves and roots under drought stress using RNA-Seq method. A total of 510, 559, and 3 687 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in leaves, 3 368, 5 093, and 4 635 DEGs in roots responding to mild drought, severe drought, and re-watering treatments were identified, respectively. Among them, 190 common DEGs in leaves and 1 644 common DEGs in roots were responsive to mild drought, severe drought, and re-watering environment. Gene Ontology (GO) enrichment analysis revealed that the GO categories related to drought tolerance include terms related to response to stimulus especially response to water deprivation, abscisic acid stimulus, and reactive oxygen species. The major transcription factor genes responsive to drought stress include heat stress transcription factor (HSF), ethylene-responsive transcription factor (ERF), Petunia NAM, Arabidopsis ATAF1/2 and CUC2 (NAC), WRKY transcription factor (WRKY), homeodomain leucine zipper transcription factor (HD-ZIP), basic helix-loop-helix transcription factor (bHLH), and V-myb myeloblastosis viral oncogene homolog transcription facotr (MYB). Functional protein genes for heat shock protein (HSPs), late-embryogenesis-abundant protein (LEAs), chaperones, aquaporins, and expansins might play important roles in sorghum drought tolerance. Moreover, the genomic regions enriched with HSP, expansin, and aquaporin genes responsive to drought stress could be used as powerful targets for improvement of drought tolerance in sorghum and other cereals. Overall, our results provide a genome-wide analysis of DEGs in sorghum leaves and roots under mild drought, severe drought, and re-watering environments. This study contributes to a better understanding of the molecular basis of drought tolerance of sorghum and can be useful for crop improvement.

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Beneficial effects of silicon on photosynthesis of tomato seedlings under water stress

ZHANG Yi, SHI Yu, GONG Hai-jun, ZHAO Hai-liang, LI Huan-li, HU Yan-hong, WANG Yi-chao

2018, 17 (10): 2151-2159. DOI: 10.1016/S2095-3119(18)62038-6

Abstract （694） PDF （930KB）（1005）

Silicon can improve drought tolerance of plants, but the mechanism still remains unclear. Previous studies have mainly concentrated on silicon-accumulating plants, whereas less work has been conducted in silicon-excluding plants, such as tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.). In this study, we investigated the effects of exogenous silicon (2.5 mmol L^–1) on the chlorophyll fluorescence and expression of photosynthesis-related genes in tomato seedlings (Zhongza 9) under water stress induced by 10% (w/v) polyethylene glycol (PEG-6000). The results showed that under water stress, the growth of shoot and root was inhibited, and the chlorophyll and carotenoid concentrations were decreased, while silicon addition improved the plant growth and increased the concentrations of chlorophyll and carotenoid. Under water sterss, chlorophyll fluorescence parameters such as PSII maximum photochemical efficiency (F_v/F_m), effective quantum efficiency, actual photochemical quantum efficiency (Ф_PSII), photosynthetic electron transport rate (ETR), and photochemical quenching coefficient (q_P) were decreased; while these changes were reversed in the presence of added silicon. The expressions of some photosynthesis-related genes including PetE, PetF, PsbP, PsbQ, PsbW, and Psb28 were down-regulated under water stress, and exogenous Si could partially up-regulate their expressions. These results suggest that silicon plays a role in the alleviation of water stress by modulating some photosynthesis-related genes and regulating the photochemical process, and thus promoting photosynthesis.

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Simple nonlinear model for the relationship between maize yield and cumulative water amount

LIU Cheng SUN Bao-cheng, TANG Huai-jun, WANG Tian-yu LI Yu, ZHANG Deng-feng, XIE Xiao-qing, SHI Yun-su, SONG Yan-chun, YANG Xiao-hong, LI Jian-sheng

2017, 16 (04): 858-866. DOI: 10.1016/S2095-3119(16)61493-4

Abstract （794） PDF in ScienceDirect

Both the additive and multiplicative models of crop yield and water supply are polynomial equations, and the number of parameters increases linearly when the growing period is specified. However, interactions among multiple parameters occasionally lead to unreasonable estimations of certain parameters, which were water sensitivity coefficients but with negative value. Additionally, evapotranspiration must be measured as a model input. To facilitate the application of these models and overcome the aforementioned shortcomings, a simple model with only three parameters was derived in this paper based on certain general quantitative relations of crop yield (Y) and water supply (W). The new model, Y/Y_m–W^k/(W^k+w_h^k), fits an S or a saturated curve of crop yield with the cumulative amount of water. Three parameters are related to biological factors: the yield potential (Y_m), the water requirement to achieve half of the yield potential (half-yield water requirement, w_h), and the water sensitivity coefficient (k). The model was validated with data from 24 maize lines obtained in the present study and 17 maize hybrids published by other authors. The results showed that the model was well fit to the data, and the normal root of the mean square error (NRMSE) values were 2.8 to 17.8% (average 7.2%) for the 24 maize lines and 2.7 to 12.7% (average 7.4%) for the 17 maize varieties. According to the present model, the maize water-sensitive stages in descending order were pollen shedding and silking, tasselling, jointing, initial grain ?lling, germination, middle grain ?lling, late grain ?lling, and end of grain ?lling. This sequence was consistent with actual observations in the maize field. The present model may be easily used to analyse the water use efficiency and drought tolerance of maize at specific stages.

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Framework of SAGI Agriculture Remote Sensing and Its Perspectives in Supporting National Food Security

SHI Yun, JI Shun-ping, SHAO Xiao-wei, TANG Hua-jun, WU Wen-bin, YANG Peng, ZHANG , Yong-jun , Shibasaki Ryosuke

2014, 13 (7): 1443-1450. DOI: 10.1016/S2095-3119(14)60818-2

Abstract （1806） PDF in ScienceDirect

Remote sensing, in particular satellite imagery, has been widely used to map cropland, analyze cropping systems, monitor crop changes, and estimate yield and production. However, although satellite imagery is useful within large scale agriculture applications (such as on a national or provincial scale), it may not supply sufficient information with adequate resolution, accurate geo-referencing, and specialized biological parameters for use in relation to the rapid developments being made in modern agriculture. Information that is more sophisticated and accurate is required to support reliable decision-making, thereby guaranteeing agricultural sustainability and national food security. To achieve this, strong integration of information is needed from multi-sources, multi-sensors, and multi-scales. In this paper, we propose a new framework of satellite, aerial, and groundintegrated (SAGI) agricultural remote sensing for use in comprehensive agricultural monitoring, modeling, and management. The prototypes of SAGI agriculture remote sensing are first described, followed by a discussion of the key techniques used in joint data processing, image sequence registration and data assimilation. Finally, the possible applications of the SAGI system in supporting national food security are discussed.

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Effects of Tillage Practices on Water Consumption, Water Use Efficiency and Grain Yield in Wheat Field

ZHENG Cheng-yan, YU Zhen-wen, SHI Yu, CUI Shi-ming, WANG Dong, ZHANG Yong-li, ZHAO Jun-ye

2014, 13 (11): 2378-2388. DOI: 10.1016/S2095-3119(13)60733-9

Abstract （1606） PDF in ScienceDirect

Water shortage is a serious issue threatening the sustainable development of agriculture in the North China Plain, with the winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) as its largest water-consuming crop. The effects of tillage practices on the water consumption and water use efficiency (WUE) of wheat under high-yield conditions using supplemental irrigation based on testing soil moisture dynamic change were examined in this study. This experiment was conducted from 2007 to 2010, with five tillage practice treatments, namely, strip rotary tillage (SR), strip rotary tillage after subsoiling (SRS), rotary tillage (R), rotary tillage after subsoiling (RS), and plowing tillage (P). The results showed that in the SRS and RS treatments the total water and soil water consumptions were 11.81, 25.18% and 12.16, 14.75% higher than those in SR and R treatments, respectively. The lowest ratio of irrigation consumption to total water consumption in the SRS treatment was 18.53 and 21.88% for the 2008-2009 and 2009- 2010 growing seasons, respectively. However, the highest percentage of water consumption was found in the SRS treatment from anthesis to maturity. No significant difference was found between the WUE of the flag leaf at the later filling stage in the SRS and RS treatments, but the flag leaf WUE at these stages were higher than those of other treatments. The SRS and RS treatments exhibited the highest grain yield (9 573.76 and 9 507.49 kg ha-1 for 3-yr average) with no significant difference between the two treatments, followed by P, R and SR treatments. But the SRS treatment had the highest WUE. Thus, the 1-yr subsoiling tillage, plus 2 yr of strip rotary planting operation may be an efficient measure to increase wheat yield and WUE.

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A missense mutation in the Sin3 subunit of Rpd3 histone deacetylase complex bypasses the requirement for FNG1 in wheat scab fungus

Xu Huai-jian, Jiang Ruo-xuan, Fu Xian-hui, Wang Qin-hu, Shi Yu-tong, Zhao Xiao-fei, Jiang Cong, Jiang Hang

DOI: 10.1016/j.jia.2024.01.006 Online: 01 February 2024

Abstract （57） PDF in ScienceDirect

The Rpd3 histone deacetylase complex is a multiple-subunit complex that mediates the regulation of chromatin accessibility and gene expression. Sin3, the largest subunit of Rpd3 complex, is conserved in a broad range of eukaryotes. Despite being a molecular scaffold for complex assembly, the functional sites and mechanism of action of Sin3 remain unexplored. In this study, we functionally characterized a glutamate residue (E810) in FgSin3, the ortholog of yeast Sin3 in Fusarium graminearum (known as wheat scab fungus). Our findings indicate that E810 was important for the functions of FgSin3 in regulating vegetative growth, sexual reproduction, wheat infection, and DON biosynthesis. Furthermore, the E810K missense mutation restored the reduced H4 acetylation caused by the deletion of FNG1, the ortholog of the human inhibitor of growth (ING1) gene in F. graminearum. Correspondingly, the defects of the fng1 mutant were also partially rescued by the E810K mutation in FgSin3. Sequence alignment and evolutionary analysis revealed that E810 residue is well-conserved in fungi, animals, and plants. Based on Alphafold2 structure modeling, E810 localized on the FgRpd3-FgSin3 interface for the formation of a hydrogen bond with FgRpd3. Mutation of E810 disrupts the hydrogen bond and likely affects the FgRpd3-FgSin3 interaction. Taken together, E810 of FgSin3 is functionally associated with Fng1 in the regulation of H4 acetylation and related biological processes, probably by affecting the assembly of the Rpd3 complex.

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