In this study, lambda-cyhalothrin (LC) loaded polyurea microcapsules (MCs) with different particle sizes were fabricated.  All of the MCs showed varying degrees of physical collapse, which was more obvious among those with smaller particle sizes.  MCs with particle sizes of 1.38 μm (MC-S), 5.13 μm (MC-M) and 10.05 μm (MC-L) had shell thicknesses of 39.6, 50.3 and 150.1 nm, respectively.  MCs with smaller particles tended to have significantly faster release profiles, and the MC-S group had much higher bioactivity against Agrotis ipsilon and better foliar affinity on the peanut leaves (indicated by rainfastness) than MC-M and MC-L.  All of the MCs exhibited light-enhanced release profiles and had much slower degradation compared with the emulsifiable concentrate (EC) group, among which MC-L had the slowest degradation.  To generate MCs with both favorable quick efficacy and long-lasting efficacy, binary mixtures of MC-S, MC-M and MC-L were produced by mixing them in pairs at ratios of 2:1, 1:1 and 1:2.  The mixture of MC-S:MC-L at 1:2 showed the best comprehensive efficacy in the peanut foliar spray scenario among the nine tested combinations, and its effective duration was three times longer than that of EC.  Overall, the precise combination of MCs with different particle sizes can regulate the efficacy of pesticide control and serve as a strategy for the better utilization of pesticides.

In agricultural production, temperature and moisture are important factors affecting grain yield and quality.  Although moderate drought at the grain-filling stage can effectively alleviate the damage caused by high temperature, the specific regulatory mechanism driving the effect of moderate drought at the high temperature on starch synthesis is still unclear.  To explore the effects and mechanisms of high temperature and moderate drought on rice starch synthesis at the grain-filling stage, the activities of enzymes and expression levels of the genes involved in starch synthesis under four different treatments involving high temperature and/or water stress (CK, HT, WS, and HT+WS) were investigated in this study.  The starch synthesis of a japonica inbred rice was measured under the four treatments during the grain filling.  The results show that the effects of high temperature and moderate drought on grain filling mainly occur in the inferior grains of rice.  Through the regulation of enzymes involved in starch synthesis and the expression levels of their main genes, the synthesis of rice starch can be affected.  Therefore, the high temperature and moderate drought were antagonistic, and moderate drought can alleviate the damage to grain quality at a high temperature by improving the starch synthesis of inferior grains in japonica rice.  This study provides a basis for stress-resistance cultivation and breeding strategies of rice with high temperature tolerance.

Many animal feed grains contain high β-glucan in the cell wall. Pigs do not secret β-glucanase to degrade the β-glucan in their feed. The indigestible β-glucan not only blocks the release of nutrients from the grain cell wall, but also increases the digesta viscosity in the gastrointestinal tract of pigs. Therefore, dietary β-glucan significantly inhibits nutrient digestion and absorption in pigs. Transgenic expression of β-glucanase in the digestive tract of pigs may offer a solution to solve this problem. In the current study, four arti?cial codon-optimized β-glucanases genes was prepared and expressed in porcine cells. Only pBgA and pEgx showed high activity in transfected pig kidney cells. To improve the pH range and pH stability of β-glucanase, the two β-glucanases, pBgA and pEgx, were co-expressed in pig kidney cells and salivary gland cells by Linker A3 or 2A peptide. The resulting dual enzymes of pBgA3pEg and pBg2ApEg showed significantly enlarged pH range and significantly increased pH stability, as compared to parental enzymes. These results provide useful data for future study on increasing the feed digestibility of pigs by transgenic expression of β-glucanase in their salivary glands.