Carotenoids are an important component of the human diet, and fruit is a primary source of carotenoids.  The synthesis and regulation of carotenoids in fruit are important contributors to the formation of fruit quality.  In China, strawberry is one of the main seasonal fruits grown in the winter.  Previous studies have shown that light has a significant effect on the metabolism of anthocyanins, sugars, and polyphenols in strawberry.  However, the understanding of the role of light in regulating the metabolism of carotenoids in strawberry remains limited.  This study investigated the effects of blue, red, yellow-green, and white light on carotenoid metabolism in strawberry.  Blue light treatment promoted the synthesis of multiple carotenoids, including lutein, compared with the other three treatment groups.  The RNA sequencing data revealed that blue light treatment promoted the expression of lycopene ε-cyclase (LCYE), and the transient overexpression of LCYE in strawberry fruit promoted lutein accumulation in strawberry.  Overall, the results suggest that blue light can promote the synthesis of lutein in strawberry by inducing the expression of LCYE.

With the implementation of the C-strain vaccine, classical swine fever (CSF) has been under control in China, which is currently in a chronic atypical epidemic situation.  African swine fever (ASF) emerged in China in 2018 and spread quickly across the country. It is presently occurring sporadically due to the lack of commercial vaccines and farmers’ increased awareness of biosafety.  Atypical porcine pestivirus (APPV) was first detected in Guangdong Province, China, in 2016, which mainly harms piglets and has a local epidemic situation in southern China.  These three diseases have similar clinical symptoms in pig herds, which cause considerable losses to the pig industry.  They are difficult to be distinguished only by clinical diagnosis.  Therefore, developing an early and accurate simultaneous detection and differential diagnosis of the diseases induced by these viruses is essential.  In this study, three pairs of specific primers and Taq-man probes were designed from highly conserved genomic regions of CSFV (5´ UTR), African swine fever virus (ASFV) (B646L), and APPV (5´ UTR), followed by the optimization of reaction conditions to establish a multiplex real-time PCR detection assay.  The results showed that the method did not cross-react with other swine pathogens (porcine circovirus type 2 (PCV2), porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV), foot-and-mouth disease virus (FMDV), pseudorabies virus (PRV), porcine parvovirus (PPV), and bovine viral diarrhea virus BVDV).  The sensitivity results showed that CSFV, ASFV, and APPV could be detected as low as 1 copy mL^–1; the repeatability results showed that the intra-assay and inter-assay coefficient of variation of ASFV, CSFV, and APPV was less than 1%.  Twenty-two virus samples were detected by the multiplex real-time PCR, compared with national standard diagnostic and patented method assay for CSF (GB/T 27540–2011), ASF (GB/T 18648–2020), and APPV (CN108611442A), respectively.  The sensitivity of this triple real-time PCR for CSFV, ASFV, and APPV was almost the same, and the  compliance results were the same (100%).  A total of 451 clinical samples were detected, and the results showed that the positive rates of CSFV, ASFV, and APPV were 0.22% (1/451), 1.3% (6/451), and 0% (0/451), respectively.  This assay provides a valuale tool for rapid detection and accurate diagnosis of CSFV, ASFV, and APPV.

The pre-mRNA processing factor Prp6 is an essential component of the U4/U6.U5 tri-small nuclear ribonucleoprotein (snRNP).  In a previous study, mutations were identified in the PRP6 ortholog in four suppressors of Fgprp4 that was deleted of the only kinase FgPrp4 among the spliceosome components in the plant pathogenic fungus Fusarium graminearum.  In this study, we identified additional suppressor mutations in FgPrp6 and determined the suppressive effects of selected mutations.  In total, 12 mutations of FgPRP6 were identified in 20 suppressors of Fgprp4 by sequencing analysis.  Whereas three mutation sites are in the linker region of FgPrp6, seven are in the first two HAT repeats.  RNA-seq analysis showed that suppressor mutations on different sites caused different splicing efficiency recovery.  The suppressive effects of E308K and R230H were verified.  Similar to human and fission yeast, the FgPrp6 was phosphorylated by the FgPrp4 kinase.  Interestingly, the conserved Prp4-phosphorylation sites T261, T219&T221, and predicted phosphorylation sites T199&T200 on FgPrp6 were dispensable for the function of FgPrp6 in hyphal growth and sexual reproduction but important in plant infection.  They are required for the infectious growth of F. graminearum in wheat lemma.  RNA-seq analysis of the wheat lemma infected with Fgprp6/FgPRP6^Δ199–221-GFP or Fgprp6/FgPRP6^Δ250–262-GFP showed that 28 and 35% introns had splicing defects, respectively, which may be responsible for their defects in plant infection.    

The additions of straw and biochar have been suggested to increase soil fertility, carbon sequestration, and crop productivity of agricultural lands.  To our knowledge, there is little information on the effects of straw and biochar addition on soil nitrogen form, carbon storage, and super rice yield in cold waterlogged paddy soils.  We performed field trials with four treatments including conventional fertilization system (CK), straw amendment 6 t ha^–1 (S), biochar amendment 2 t ha^–1 (C1), and biochar amendment 40 t ha^–1 (C2).  The super japonica rice variety, Shennong 265, was selected as the test crop.  The results showed that the straw and biochar amendments improved total nitrogen and organic carbon content of the soil, reduced N₂O emissions, and had little influence on nitrogen retention, nitrogen density, and CO₂ emissions.  The S and C1 increased NH₄⁺-N content, and C2 increased NO₃^–-N content.  Both S and C1 had little influence on soil organic carbon density (SOCD) and C/N ratio.  However, C2 greatly increased SOCD and C/N ratio.  C1 and C2 significantly improved the soil carbon sequestration (SCS) by 62.9 and 214.0% (P<0.05), respectively, while S had no influence on SCS.  C1 and C2 maintained the stability of super rice yield, and significantly reduced CH₄ emissions, global warming potential (GWP), and greenhouse gas intensity (GHGI), whereas S had the opposite and negative effects.  In summary, the biochar amendments in cold waterlogged paddy soils of North China increased soil nitrogen and carbon content, improved soil carbon sequestration, and reduced GHG emission without affecting the yield of super rice.

Effect of salicylic acid (SA) on chilling injury (CI) of sponge gourd during storage (9 days, 9°C) plus shelf life (2 days, 20°C) was evaluated in this study.  SA treatment at the concentration of 1.5 mmol L^–1 significantly reduced postharvest CI of sponge gourds.  Besides, the application of SA could effectively decrease the electrolyte leakage, reduce the accumulation of malondialdehyde (MDA) and total phenolics, enhance the activities of antioxidant enzymes such as superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT) and ascorbate peroxidase (APX), and inhibit the activities of phenylalanine ammonia-lyase (PAL) and polyphenol oxidase (PPO).  The beneficial effects of SA could be attributed to preserved membrane integrity, inhibited membrane peroxidation, enhanced antioxidant system and suppressed activities of browning related enzymes.  In a sense, SA as a postharvest tool may be commercially used in alleviating CI of sponge gourd.

    Myostatin, a member of the transforming growth factor beta (TGF-β) superfamily, is a dominant inhibitor that acts to limit skeletal muscle growth and development. In this study, we generated transgenic mice that express porcine myostatin containg mutations at its cleavage site (RSRR) to evaluate its effect on muscle mass. Results showed that the weight of four skeletal muscles including gastrocnemius, rectus femoris, tibialis anterior, and pectoralis increased by 17.83 and 28.39%, 21.76 and 28.70%, 34.31 and 41.62%, 53.21 and 27.54% in transgenic male and female mice, respectively, compared to their corresponding non-transgenic control mice. Measurement of muscle fiber size and number indicated that the mean myofiber size increased by 50.73 and 61.30% in transgenic male and female mice respectively compared to the non-transgenic controls. However, there was no difference in the number of myofiber between transgenic and non-transgenic male mice. These results clearly demonstrated that the increase in skeletal muscle mass in transgenic mice is caused by hypertrophy instead of hyperplasia.

The antifungal activity of chitosan on a common fungal phytopathogen, Sclerotinia sclerotiorum, and the control effect on sclerotinia rot of carrot were investigated. Mycelial growth and fungal biomass were strongly inhibited by chitosan. Using propidium iodide stain combined with fluorescent microscopy, the plasma membrane of chitosan-treated S. sclerotiorum mycelia was observed to be markedly damaged. Concomitantly, protein leakage and lipid peroxidation was also found to be significantly higher in chitosan-treated mycelia compared to the control. Chitosan provided an effective control of sclerotinia rot of carrot, with induction of activity of defense-related enzymes including polyphenoloxidase and peroxidase. These data suggest that the effects of chitosan on sclerotinia rot of carrot may be associated with the direct damage to the plasma membrane and lipid peroxidation of S. sclerotiorum, and the elicitation of defense response in carrot.

Isoprenoids are a functionally and structurally diverse class of natural organic chemicals. The universal precursors of all isoprenoids, isopentenyl diphosphate and dimethylallyl diphosphate are synthesized through the mevalonate and 2C-methyl- D-erythritol 4-phosphate (MEP) pathways, respectively. Many isoprenoids produced through the MEP pathway play an important role in plant acclimation to different light environments. Eupatorium adenophorum, an invasive weed in China, presents a remarkable capacity to acclimate to various light environments, which constitutes its solid foundation of being a successful invasive species. Thus we aimed at gaining a deeper insight into the regulation of MEP pathway in E. adenophorum to further understand the invasive mechanism. 2C-Methyl-D-erythritol 2,4-cyclodiphosphate synthase (IspF or MCS) is an essential enzyme in the MEP pathway. In this paper, a novel IspF gene was cloned and characterized from E. adenophorum. Tissue-specific expression assays revealed a higher expression of EaIspF1 in leaves than in stems and roots. The expression of EaIspF1 was responsive to different light conditions. Some up-regulation of EaIspF1 expression was also found after the treatments with signal compounds and after wounding stress. Interestingly, the over-expression of EaIspF1 in Arabidopsis led to increase carotenoids contents, resulting in an enhanced tolerance to high light. Taken together, these results indicate that the EaIspF1-derived enzyme participates in isoprenoid metabolism and among others, the expression of this gene in E. adenophorum is involved in the regulation of plastidial isoprenoids, which play an important role in acclimation to various light environments.

Erect milkvetch (Astragalus adsurgens Pall.), a leguminous grass, is a major source of fuel and forage, and has an important role in the restoration of the degraded ecosystems in central and northeastern China. The objective of this work was to investigate how erect milkvetch planting would affect the physical and chemical properties of soil in degraded arable lands. Soil samples at the depths of 0-20 and 20-40 cm were collected from erect milkvetch planting fileds at ages of 0, 1, 2 and 3 yr. Changes in soil bulk density, soil porosity, total N and P, organic matter content, available P, hydrolysable N and available K were measured. The results showed that root biomass and above-ground plant biomass were both significantly increased with plantation age. The significant increase in root nodule biomass was not observed in the first two years. However, it was significantly increased after three years. Root growth of erect milkvetch improved soil structure, and hence, decreased soil bulk density and increased soil porosity. Furthermore, the nitrogen fixation by erect milkvetch and return of erect milkvetch plant to soil increased the soil total N, hydrolysable N and organic matter content of the soil. Low concentrations of P in the soil with erect milkvetch planting could be ascribed to high plant uptakes and possibly to high sequestrations of P in plant biomass. Concentrations of K significantly increased during the first two years of erect milkvetch planting. The high accumulation of K under erect milkvetch cultivation in the first two years could partly be attributed to low plant uptake, and partly to relatively quick recycling within plant-soil systems. Three years after erect milkvetch plantingr, K accumulation at 0-20 cm soil layer was significantly lower than that from non-vegetated field sites, which could be attributed to high plant uptake. These parameters, except for soil bulk density, were all decreased with increasing soil depth. Soil total N, organic matter, porosity and available K in the 20-40 cm layer all showed linear increase trends, and soil bulk density, total P and available P in the depth 0-20 cm layer soil were decreased with increasing planting age. Erect milkvetch establishment could be an effective and applicable measure to improve soil nutrients, and prevent further soil degradation and erosion.

The dominant genic male sterility (DGMS) gene CDMs399-3 derived from a spontaneous mutation in the line 79-399-3 of spring cabbage (Brassica oleracea var. capitata L.), has been successfully applied in hybrid seed production of several cabbage cultivars in China. During the development of dominant male sterility lines in cabbage, the conventional identification of homozygous male-sterile plants (CDMs399-3/CDMs399-3) is a laborious and time-consuming process. For marker-assisted selection (MAS) of the gene CDMs399-3 transferred into key spring cabbage line 397, expressed sequence tag-simple sequence repeats (EST-SSR) and SSR technology were used to identify markers that were linked to CDMs399-3 based on method of bulked segregant analysis (BSA). By screening a set of 978 EST-SSRs and 395 SSRs, a marker BoE332 linked to the CDMs399-3 at a distance of 3.6 cM in the genetic background of cabbage line 397 were identified. 7 homozygous male-sterile plants in population P1170 with 20 plants were obtained finally via MAS of BoE332. Thus, BoE332 will greatly facilitate the transferring of the gene CDMs399-3 into the key spring cabbage line 397 and improve the application of DGMS in cabbage hybrid breeding.

Classical swine fever caused by Classical swine fever virus (CSFV) is a serious problem for swine industries in developing countries, which successful control of the disease have been relying on vaccination. However, classical swine fever still occurs in some immunized swine herds for various reasons. In this study, we conducted animal experiments to examine the influence of single or mixed infection with Porcine parvo virus (PPV), Pseudorabies virus (PRV) and Porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV) on the protective immunity induced by the Lapinized hog cholera virus (HCLV) vaccine and the pathogenicity of CSFV. In experiment 1, pigs were first inoculated with PPV, PRV or PRRSV, then immunized with HCLV, and finally challenged with a highly virulent CSFV Shimen strain. All of the pigs immunized with HCLV survived after the challenge, while all of the pigs in the non-immunized control group died after the challenge. The pigs in the group immunized with HCLV did not show any clinical symptoms of classical swine fever and were negative with CSFV after the challenge. The pigs infected with the non-CSFV before HCLV immunization did not display any clinical symptoms after the challenge with CSFV Shiman strain, but 11 of the 12 pigs were positive with CSFV. In experiment 2, pre-infections with PPV, PRV, and PRRSV were followed by inoculation with a low-virulence CSFV strain (CSFV 39), and then the pigs were challenged with the CSFV Shimen strain. Infections by either PPV, PRV or PRRSV did not enhance the virulence of CSFV-39, but pigs infected by a mixture of the 3 viruses developed clinical symptoms after inoculation with CSFV-39. The mixed infection also increased mortality caused by the challenge with the CSFV Shimen strain. Together, these results showed PPV, PRV and PRRSV infections in pigs can reduce the efficacy of the HCLV vaccine and enhance the pathogenicity of CSFV, which may partly explain the immunization failure against CSFV in some swine herds.

To understand genetic structure and diversity of parental cultivars involved in China Mainland sugarcane breeding programs, 92 elite parents and 4 wild relatives were genotyped with 18 microsatellite DNA markers. The genetic similarity (GS) values among the cultivars ranged from 0.346 to 0.960 with an average of 0.533. Among the introduced cultivars, India accessions had the closest genetic distance to China Mainland accessions (0.447), while Australia accessions have the furthest distance (0.503). A comparison of allelic diversity among geographical origins showed that there were 22 China Mainland specific alleles, of which 28% were derived from native S. spontaneaum germplasm in China. Model-based genetic structure, clustering, and principal components analyses consistently revealed there were five groups within the 96 accessions. Groups 1, 2, 4, and 5 consisted of all cultivars and group 3 only contained wild germplasm. Group 2 was characterized as the Introduction group with 46 cultivars predominantly introduced from Australia, Taiwan of China, India, and USA. Groups 1, 4, and 5 consisted of cultivars mostly originated from China Mainland, defined as the Complex group, Yacheng lines group, and F134/CP72-1210 group, respectively, upon their pedigree. By understanding the genetic relationships among the parental cultivars, breeders can gain a rational basis for expanding the gene pool and select the best parental accessions for crossing.

The no-till seeders of various soil opener configurations have been shown to produce various soil physical responses in relation to soil and climate conditions, thus affecting crop performance in permanent raised beds (PRB) systems. This is particularly important in arid Northwest China where large volumes of residue are retained on the soil surface after harvest. In Zhangye, Gansu Province, China, a field trial assessed the effects of three typical (powered-chopper, powered-cutter and powered-disc) PRB no-till seeders and one traditional seeder on soil disturbance, residue cover index, bulk density, fuel consumption, plant growth, and subsequent yield. In general, seedbed conditions and crop performance for PRB notill seeders seeded plots were better than for traditional seeded plots. In PRB cropping system, the powered-chopper seeder decreased mean soil disturbance and increased residue cover index compared to powered-disc and -cutter seeders. However, the results indicated that soil bulk density was 2.3-4.8% higher, soil temperature was 0.2-0.6°C lower, and spring wheat emergence was 3.2-4.7% less. This was attributed to greater levels of residue cover and firmer seedbeds. Spring maize and wheat performance in the powered-cutter and -disc treatments was better (non-significant) than poweredchopper treatment. So powered disc no-till seeder, which generally provided the best planting condition and the highest yield, appeared to be the suitable seeder in heavy residue cover conditions. Considering the precision requirements for soil disturbance and residue cover, the powered strip-chopping no-till seeder could be a suitable option for PRB cropping system in Northwest China. Although these results are preliminary, they are still valuable for the design and selection of no-till seeders for PRB cropping systems in arid Northwest China.

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.