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Note: The papers published below will continue to be available from this page until they are assigned to an issue. To see an article, click its [PDF] link. To review many abstracts, check the boxes to the left of the titles you want, and click the 'Selected articles' button. To see one abstract at a time, click its [Abstract] link. Please wait a minute... For Selected: Download Citations EndNote Ris BibTeX Toggle Thumbnails Select Evaluation of safety and immunogenicity of a genetically modified rabies virus for use as an oral vaccine in several non-target species Xijun Wang, Hong Huo, Lei Shuai, Jinying Ge, Liyan Peng, Jinming Wang, Shuang Xiao, Weiye Chen, Zhiyuan Wen, Jinliang Wang, Zhigao Bu DOI: 10.1016/j.jia.2024.07.031 Online: 23 July 2024 Abstract （9）      PDF in ScienceDirect       Oral immunization is an alternative or supplementary approach that can significantly improve dog vaccination coverage, especially for free-roaming dogs. Safe and effective oral rabies vaccines for dogs are still being sought. In our previous studies, we generated a genetically modified rabies virus (RABV) ERA strain, rERAG333E, containing a mutation from arginine (Arg, R) to glutamic acid (Glu, E) at residue 333 of the G protein (G333E). Our previous results demonstrated that rERAG333E was safe for adult mice and dogs, and oral vaccination with rERAG333E induced a strong and long-lasting protective immune response in dogs. Here, we further investigated the safety and immunogenicity of rERAG333E in non-target species, including suckling mice, rhesus monkeys, foxes, raccoon dogs, piglets, goats, and sheep. Suckling mice studies demonstrated that the G333E mutation significantly reduced the virulence of the ERA strain. All of the suckling mice aged 10 days and above survived and showed no apparent signs of disease after intracerebral inoculation with rERAG333E. Animal studies demonstrated that rERAG333E was safe in rhesus monkeys, foxes, raccoon dogs, piglets, goats, and sheep. None of those animals inoculated orally with 10 times the intended field dose of rERAG333E showed abnormal clinical signs before and after the booster immunization with Rabvac 3, an inactivated rabies vaccine. Meanwhile, oral inoculation with rERAG333E induced strong neutralizing antibody (NA) responses to RABV in rhesus monkeys, foxes, raccoon dogs, and piglets. These results demonstrated that rERAG333E has the potential to serve as a safe oral rabies vaccine for dogs. Reference | Related Articles | Metrics Select Delayed photosynthesis response causes carbon assimilation reduction in soybean under fluctuating light Jing Gao, Shenglan Li, Yi Lei, Qi Wang, Zili Ning, Zhaohong Lu, Xianming Tan, Mei Xu, Feng Yang, Wenyu Yang DOI: 10.1016/j.jia.2024.07.032 Online: 23 July 2024 Abstract （7）      PDF in ScienceDirect       Plants experience dynamic light environments in the field, and the mechanisms for physiological and biochemical acclimation to fluctuating light (FL) vary among species.  How soybean (Glycine max (L.) Merr.) integrates multiple physiological changes to acclimate to FL remains unclear.  This study evaluated the impact of FL conditions on soybean morphology and photosynthetic characteristics by analyzing changes in photosynthetic gas exchange parameters and chlorophyll (Chl) a fluorescence parameters under alternating high and low light conditions.  Results showed that soybeans subjected to FL conditions had low dry matter mass, small and thin leaves, and a low Chl a to Chl b ratio, resembling the traits of soybeans grown in low-light environments.  However, their photosynthetic gas exchange rates and photosynthetic capacity remained constant, which was not the case under consistent low-light conditions.  The adaptation processes for fluctuating and lowlight conditions are distinct.  Correlation analyses indicated that the drop in carbon assimilation under FL primarily resulted from two aspects: the speed of recovery in stomatal conductance when transitioning to bright light and the slow relief of nonphotochemical quenching as light levels decreased.  Thus, the decrease in carbon assimilation under FL conditions cannot be ascribed to adjustments during low-light phases but is due to a lag in photosynthetic response. Reference | Related Articles | Metrics Select Non-linear responses of the plant phosphorus pool and soil available phosphorus to short-term nitrogen addition in an alpine meadow Bing Han, Yicheng He, Jun Zhou, Yufei Wang, Lina Shi, Zhenrong Lin, Lu Yu, Wantong Zhang, Yiyi Geng, Xinqing Shao DOI: 10.1016/j.jia.2024.07.033 Online: 23 July 2024 Abstract （6）      PDF in ScienceDirect       Nitrogen (N) enrichment is expected to induce a greater phosphorus (P) limitation, despite the acceleration of soil P cycling. However, the changing patterns in plant P and soil available P after N enrichment, and their regulatory mechanisms, remain poorly understood in alpine meadows. Here, we conducted a field experiment with four N addition rates (0, 5, 10, and 15 g N m-2 yr-1) in an alpine meadow, and investigated the P in plants, microorganisms, and soil to determine their patterns of change after short-term N addition. Our results showed that N addition significantly increased plant biomass, and the plant P pool showed a non-linear response to the N addition gradient. Soil available P initially increased and then declined with increasing N addition, whereas the occluded inorganic P decreased markedly. The critical factors for soil available P varied with different N addition rates. At lower N addition levels (0 and 5 g N m-2 yr-1), soil acidification facilitated the mobilization of occluded inorganic P to increase soil available P. Conversely, at higher N addition levels (10 and 15 g N m-2 yr-1), the elevated soil microbial biomass P intensified the competition with plants for soil P, leading to a decline in soil available P. This study highlights the non-linear responses of the plant P pool and soil available P concentration to N addition rates. These responses suggest the need for developing ecosystem models to assess different effects of increasing N rates, which would enable more accurate predictions of the plant P supply and soil P cycling under N enrichment. Reference | Related Articles | Metrics Select Temporal stability responses to nitrogen addition in Xizang alpine grasslands: A community composition perspective Ning Zong, Peili Shi DOI: 10.1016/j.jia.2024.07.034 Online: 23 July 2024 Abstract （8）      PDF in ScienceDirect       Plant community composition typically undergoes progressive changes along environmental gradients. However, most experimental studies have focused on individual communities, so it remains unclear how exogenous nutrient inputs affect the stability of plant communities along environmental gradients. Along a rainfall gradient on the northern Xizang Plateau, we conducted an 8-year nitrogen (N) addition experiment in four alpine grasslands (alpine desert steppe, ADS; alpine steppe, AS; alpine meadow steppe, AMS; and alpine meadow, AM) and used two-way ANOVA to examine the effects of N addition on the temporal stability of these different alpine grasslands. We found that community aboveground biomass showed saturation trends in AM and AMS with increasing N gradients, while there was no change in AS and a gradual increase in ADS. The temporal stability showed different patterns of gradual decreases in ADS and AM, and a unimodal trend in AMS with increasing N gradients. However, N addition had no effect on the temporal stability of AS. Dominant species stability was the controlling factor for alpine grasslands along the transect, while the effect of asynchrony gradually increased with decreasing precipitation. These findings highlight that community composition, especially the dominant species, along the environmental gradient can mediate the effects of N inputs on community temporal stability. Thus, the conservation and restoration of the dominant species are particularly important under future scenarios of increased atmospheric N deposition. Reference | Related Articles | Metrics Select The communities of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi established by different winter green manures in paddy fields promote post-cropping rice production Mengyan Cao, Shaoping Ye, Cheng Jin, Junkang Cheng, Yao Xiang, Yu Song, Guorong Xin, Chuntao He DOI: 10.1016/j.jia.2024.07.035 Online: 23 July 2024 Abstract （15）      PDF in ScienceDirect       Winter planting green manures in southern China effectively improve soil properties and rice production through microbial community construction. However, the effects of soil communities of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) from different winter planting green manures on the soil properties and post-cropping rice production remain unclear. In this study, the soil AMF communities of three common winter planting patterns in Southern China, winter fallow, winter ryegrass (Lolium multiflorum L.), and winter Chinese milk vetch (Astragalus sinicus L.), were explored and their effects on post-cropping rice production were investigated. Compared with winter fallow, the winter ryegrass and winter Chinese milk vetch patterns could alleviate soil acidification, significantly increase soil AMF spore density, and improve the soil AMF community structure. Based on sterilized soil, rice production indicators such as thousand-seed weight, theoretical yield, and the grain amylose and total sugar contents of rice inoculated with AMF spores from winter Chinese milk vetch soil were 6.68-53.57% higher than those without AMF inoculation. Rice panicle weight, seed setting rate, and theoretical yield were 15.38-22.71% higher in the treatment with AMF spores from winter ryegrass soil than in the treatments with no AMF inoculation. In addition, the protein, amylose, and total sugar contents of rice grains were 14.92, 104.82, and 802.23 mg kg-1, respectively, which were 31.31, 14.25 and 34.47% higher than those without AMF inoculation. The AMF community dominated by Glomus and Acaulospora in winter Chinese milk vetch had a more positive effect on the improvement of rice yield, while the AMF community dominated by Glomus in winter ryegrass soil was more conducive to rice quality improvement. These findings have revealed the critical role of AMF communities from green manure in rice production, which lays the theoretical basis for a promising strategy to promote the sustainable development of southern winter agriculture. Reference | Related Articles | Metrics Select Unbalanced lipid metabolism in anther, especially the disorder of the alpha-linolenic acid metabolism pathway, leads to cotton male sterility Lihong Ma, Pengtao Wang, Qian-Hao Zhu, Xinqi Cheng, Tao Zhang, Xinyu Zhang, Huaguo Zhu, Zuoren Yang, Jie Sun, Feng Liu DOI: 10.1016/j.jia.2024.07.036 Online: 23 July 2024 Abstract （9）      PDF in ScienceDirect       Recent studies have shown that lipid metabolism is a key factor affecting anther development and male fertility. However, how plants regulating the metabolic balance of multiple lipids to ensure proper anther development and male fertility remains unclear. Analyzing lipid molecules related to anther fertility and genes responsible for their biosynthesis is crucial for understanding the physiological significance of lipid metabolism in crop fertility. In this study, we compared the transcriptome and the composition and content of lipids in anthers of two Upland cotton (Gossypium hirsutum) materials, Shida 98 (WT) and its nearly-isogenic male sterile line Shida 98A (MS). Transcriptomics analysis identified many differentially expressed genes between the two materials, with the genes of the alpha-linolenic acid metabolism pathway being the most significantly associated with the male sterility phenotype. Investigations on lipids revealed that the MS anthers over-accumulated free fatty acids (FFAs), phosphatidic acid (PA), mono- and di-galactosyldiacylglycerol (MGDG and DGDG), and had a decreased content of triacylglycerol (TAG), which was closely related to the abnormal metabolism of alpha-linolenic acid (C18:3); therefore, the major lipids containing C18:3-acyl chains, such as PA, MGDG, DGDG and TAG, are proposed to play a major role in cotton anther development. We also showed that an excessive level of MGDG and DGDG caused JA overaccumulation in MS anthers, which in turn inhibited the expression of GhFAD3 and consequently reduced the C18:3 content, presumably via a feedback regulation mechanism, ultimately affecting plant fertility. Together, our results revealed the importance of a balanced lipid metabolism in regulating the development of cotton anther and pollen and consequently male fertility. Reference | Related Articles | Metrics Select Multi-scale keypoints detection and motion features extraction in dairy cows using ResNet101-ASPP network Saisai Wu, Shuqing Han, Jing Zhang, Guodong Cheng, Yali Wang, Kai Zhang, Mingming Han, Jianzhai Wu DOI: 10.1016/j.jia.2024.07.023 Online: 19 July 2024 Abstract （13）      PDF in ScienceDirect       Detecting Keypoints in dairy cows aims to locate and track the motion trajectories of the body’s joints, which plays a crucial role in behavior analysis and lameness detection. However, real farming scenarios, characterized by occlusions and large variations in object scale may result in poor detection results. Therefore we introduce the atrous spatial pyramid pooling (ASPP) module into the shallow network of ResNet101, designed to improve the multi-scale feature extraction capability of the model. The ASPP module enhances the robustness of recognition for different dimensional sizes and occluded keypoints using different dilatation rates in the parallel atrous convolutional layers to expand the model’s receptive field. Furthermore, seven types of motion features, including tracking up, gait symmetry, step height balance, motion speed variability, head swing amplitude, head-neck slope and back curvature are extracted simultaneously by monitoring and tracking the motion trajectory of distinct keypoints. Several of these features represent innovative extraction models and attributes, first proposed in this study. Multiple models are trained and tested on datasets containing 2385 frames for ablation experiments. The experiments show that, in comparison with the ResNet50, MobileNet_v2_1.0, and EfficientNet-b0 backbone networks, the training error and test error of ResNet101 improve by 4.04–30.12 pixels and 3.81–28.14 pixels. Therefore, ResNet101 is used as the benchmark for subsequent model improvement by adding the ASPP module. The training error and test error of the ResNet101-ASPP network are improved by 0.27 and 0.24 pixels, respectively, compared to the benchmark network. The prediction confidence improves by 1.65-2.50% at three different dairy cow object scales, In addition, the keypoints under different occlusion conditions improve considerably, especially for small-scale keypoints, demonstrating the capability of the ASPP module for multi-scale feature extraction. By analyzing the distribution between the seven features and health, mild lameness, and severe lameness in dairy cows, it is shown that all the different features play an important role in distinguishing between different levels of lameness. Reference | Related Articles | Metrics Select Rabies virus-based oral and inactivated vaccines protect minks against SARS-CoV-2 infection and transmission Hong Huo, Shuang Xiao, Jinming Wang, Xijun Wang, Jinying Ge, Gongxun Zhong, Zhiyuan Wen, Chong Wang, Jinliang Wang, Han Wang, Xijun He, Lei Shuai, Zhigao Bu DOI: 10.1016/j.jia.2024.07.024 Online: 19 July 2024 Abstract （10）      PDF in ScienceDirect       Minks are highly susceptible to SARS-CoV-2, and have transmitted SARS-CoV-2 to humans. Oral immunization is one of the most promising strategies to prevent SARS-CoV-2 infection and transmission in minks. Here, we generated three recombinant rabies viruses (RABV), rERAG333E/S6P, rERAG333E/DS6P and rERAG333E/BA2S6P, expressing the prefusion-stabilized SARS-CoV-2 spike protein of wild-type (S6P), δ (DS6P) or BA.2 (BA2S6P) strain based on an oral rabies vaccine candidate (rERAG333E). Oral or inactivated immunization of the three RABVs monovalent or trivalent were safe, and induced robust RABV neutralizing antibody and cross-antibody responses against the three SARS-CoV-2 in mice and minks. The challenge tests showed that two doses of rERAG333E-S6P as an oral or inactivated vaccine completely protected mice against mouse-adapted SARS-CoV-2 infection in the upper and lower respiratory tracts, and largely prevented viral replication and lung damage caused by wild-type SARS-CoV-2 infection in minks. Notably, we also confirmed that two doses of rERAG333E-S6P as an oral or inactivated vaccine can largely protect minks against wild-type SARS-CoV-2 transmission via respiratory droplets. Our findings suggest that rERAG333E-based COVID-19 vaccines appear to be suitable oral candidates to protect minks from SARS-CoV-2 infection and transmission, and may serve as inactivated vaccines for further investigation in humans. Reference | Related Articles | Metrics Select Multi-trait genome-wide association studies reveal novel pleiotropic loci associated with yield and yield-related traits in rice Chunhai Liu, Chao Wu, Zheming Yuan, Bingchuan Tian, Peiyi Yu, Deze Xu, Xingfei Zheng, Lanzhi Li DOI: 10.1016/j.jia.2024.07.026 Online: 19 July 2024 Abstract （12）      PDF in ScienceDirect       Rice yield is a complex trait affected by many related traits.  Traditional single-trait genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have limitations when studying complex traits, as they cannot account for the genetic relationships among multiple traits.  Multi-trait GWAS, which can consider the relationships among multiple traits and identify pleiotropic loci, is more suitable for complex traits such as rice yield than single-trait GWAS.  In this study, we conducted a multi-trait GWAS on 11 two-trait combinations of yield and yield-related traits with 575 hybrid rice varieties across two environments.  All of these yield-related traits showed significant genetic correlation with yield (YD), including filled grains per panicle (FGPP), kilo-grain weight (KGW), tillers per plant (TP), primary branch number (PB), secondary branch number (SB) and main panicle length (MPL).  In total we identified 44 pleiotropic quantitative trait loci (pQTLs), including 29 new pQTLs not found in single-trait GWAS.  We then screened 23 pQTLs showing common effects in two traits as key pQTLs.  These key pQTLs were subsequently analyzed for haplotype analysis and identified 13 pleiotropic candidate genes.  Finally, we identified two optimal yield-enhancing allele combinations by pyraming superior haplotypes: GS3-GL3.1-OsCIPK17 for the YD-KGW combination and GNP12 for the YD-FGPP and YD-SB combinations.  This study provides pleiotropic candidate genes and allele combinations that exhibit superior differences in both yield and yield-related traits, offering valuable information for future high-yielding rice breeding. Reference | Related Articles | Metrics Select Exploring strategies for agricultural sustainability in super hybrid rice using the food-carbon-nitrogen-water-energy-profit nexus framework Jun Deng, Ke Liu, Xiangqian Feng, Jiayu Ye, Matthew Tom Harrison, Peter de Voil, Tajamul Hussain, Liying Huang, Xiaohai Tian, Meixue Zhou, Yunbo Zhang DOI: 10.1016/j.jia.2024.07.025 Online: 19 July 2024 Abstract （9）      PDF in ScienceDirect       The breakthrough in super hybrid rice yield has significantly contributed to China's and global food security.  However, the inherent conflict between high productivity and environmentally sustainable agriculture poses challenges. Issues like water scarcity, energy crises, escalating greenhouse gas emissions, and diminishing farm profitability all threaten agricultural sustainability.  In response to these challenges, we applied a holistic food-carbon-nitrogen-water-energy-profit (FCNWEP) nexus framework to comprehensively evaluate sustainability of distinct crop management strategies across three sub-sites in central China.  Field experiments were conducted in Hubei and Hunan Provinces from 2017 to 2021, with a widely adopted elite super hybrid rice (Y-liangyou900).  Four crop management treatments were implemented: a control (CK, 0 kg N ha-1), conventional crop management (CCM, 210-250 kg N ha-1, 7:3 basal: mid-tiller fertilizer ratio), and two integrated crop management treatments (ICM1, 180-210 kg N ha-1, 5:2:3 basal: mid-tiller: panicle initiation fertilizer ratio; ICM2, 240-270 kg N ha-1, 5:2:2:1 basal: mid-tiller: panicle initiation: flowering fertilizer ratio).  Grain yield, carbon footprint, nitrogen footprint, energy footprint, nitrogen use efficiency and economic benefits were among the assessed variables.  Our results showed that significant yield variations were observed, with ICM2 consistently outperforming CCM and ICM1 across the three sites.  In Jingzhou, Suizhou, and Changsha, ICM2's grain yield was 30.2, 24.7, and 13.3% higher than CCM, respectively.  Additionally, net profits for ICM2 exceeded those of CCM and ICM1 by 31.8 and 115.2% in Jingzhou, 32.2 and 109.9% in Suizhou, and 15.4 and 34.0% in Changsha.  Integrated crop managements, specifically ICM2, demonstrated improved nitrogen and energy use efficiency, resulting in reduced carbon, nitrogen, water, and energy footprints.  Overall, composite sustainability scores, calculated using the FCNWEP framework, indicated that both ICM2 and ICM1 generally exhibited higher sustainability levels compared to CCM.  This study offers valuable insights into practical management methodologies and provides recommendations for enhancing agricultural sustainability. Reference | Related Articles | Metrics Select Involvement of the cytochrome P450 genes CYP6DW3 and CYP4C64 in afidopyropen resistance in Bemisia tabaci Mediterranean (Q Biotype) Li-jun Ma, Juan Tang, Qing-he Zhang, Bing-li Gao, Cheng Qu, Ran Wang, Chen Luo DOI: 10.1016/j.jia.2024.07.027 Online: 19 July 2024 Abstract （10）      PDF in ScienceDirect       The tobacco whitefly, Bemisia tabaci, is a notorious pest affecting various crops globally, and it exhibits high levels of resistance to various insecticides. Afidopyropen is a recently commercialized pyropene insecticide for B. tabaci control with high selectivity and a novel mode of action. We previously identified a high level of afidopyropen resistance in a field-collected population after selection in the lab, and named it the HD-Afi strain. In the present study, minimal cross-resistance in the HD-Afi strain was found between afidopyropen and other common chemical agents. However, the P450 enzyme activity in HD-Afi was 2.18 times the level in susceptible strain HD-S. Expression analysis revealed that two of 12 candidate P450 genes, namely CYP6DW3 and CYP4C64, were significantly up-regulated in HD-Afi. Silencing CYP6DW3 and CYP4C64 by RNA interference (RNAi) substantially increased the susceptibility of whitefly adults, confirming their involvement in afidopyropen resistance. Homology modeling and molecular docking analyses demonstrated stable binding of afidopyropen to CYP6DW3 and CYP4C64, with binding free energies of -6.87 and -6.11 kcal mol-1, respectively. The findings of this study suggest that the induction of CYP6DW3 and CYP4C64 facilitates afidopyropen detoxification, contributing to the development of resistance in B. tabaci. Reference | Related Articles | Metrics Select No-tillage with total green manure incorporation: A better strategy to higher maize yield and nitrogen uptake in arid irrigation areas Hanqiang Lyu, Aizhong Yu, Qiang Chai, Feng Wang, Yulong Wang, Pengfei Wang, Yongpan Shang, Xuehui Yang DOI: 10.1016/j.jia.2024.07.028 Online: 19 July 2024 Abstract （13）      PDF in ScienceDirect       The efficacy of integrating green manure in arid irrigation regions to enhance maize yield and nitrogen (N) uptake efficiency has been extensively explored.  However, limited research has delineated the contribution of green manure N versus soil N on crop N utilization efficiency.  This study integrated field experiments with micro-plot experiments to examine green manure (common vetch) management practices for achieving high maize yield and N uptake.  In a micro-plot experiment, 15N technology was utilized to label green manure crops.  Five treatments were applied in the research methodology: conventional tillage without green manure as the control (CT); tillage with total green manure incorporation (TG); no-tillage with total green manure mulching (NTG); tillage with only root incorporation (T); and no-tillage with removal of above-ground green manure (NT).  The results in the micro-plot experiment were the same in the field, and both demonstrated that the utilization of green manure led to a substantial increase in maize yield and nitrogen uptake efficiency (NUPE) compared to conventional tillage (CT).  In particular, under NTG, N uptake by maize from green manure was higher than NT and T, accounting for 59.1% of maize N uptake.  Furthermore, the application of NTG boosted the NUPE of soil N in maize to 50.7%, which is higher than TG by 5.5%.  Meanwhile, it decreased the proportion of soil N in the maize.  The difference between NTG and TG was primarily shown in the maize grains.  For N transport in the soil, NTG decreased N loss while increasing soil N retention.  Also, it facilitated the mineralization of soil organic N before the flowering stage.  In conclusion, the adoption of no-tillage with total green manure mulching not only increased N uptake both from green manure and the soil but also decreased the proportion of soil-derived N in maize.  Reference | Related Articles | Metrics Select Identification and fine mapping of a major QTL, qGPC4D, for grain protein content using wheat–Aegilops tauschii introgression lines Yijun Wang, Jinhao Han, Tenglong Zhang, Mengjia Sun, Hongyu Ren, Cunyao Bo, Yuqing Diao, Xin Ma, Hongwei Wang, Xiaoqian Wang DOI: 10.1016/j.jia.2024.07.029 Online: 19 July 2024 Abstract （13）      PDF in ScienceDirect       Wheat is a staple cereal crop that is crucial for food security and human health.  Improving wheat quality has become an essential task for breeders to meet escalating market demand.  In this study, a set of wheat-Aegilops tauschii introgression lines was developed from a cross between the high-yielding wheat variety Jimai 22 and Ae. tauschii Y215.  A high-density genetic map containing 2,727 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) was constructed using a 55K SNP array to conduct quantitative trait loci (QTL) analysis for grain quality-related traits.  Eight QTL were identified for grain protein content (GPC), starch content, and wet gluten content in the two environments.  Among them, a major and environmentally stable QTL, qGPC4D, for GPC was identified, with favorable alleles contributed by Ae. tauschii Y215.  Subsequently, qGPC4D was narrowed down to a 9.88 Mb physical interval through further fine mapping utilizing the introgression lines.  Additionally, three linked SNP of qGPC4D were converted into high-throughput kompetitive allele-specific PCR (KASP) markers and validated in the introgression population.  These findings offer promising candidate genes, elite introgression lines, and KASP markers for wheat high-quality breeding.  Reference | Related Articles | Metrics Select Knock-out of GhPDCT with CRISPR/Cas9 system increases oleic acid content in cottonseed oil Tingwan Li, Lu Long, Yingchao Tang, Zhongping Xu, Guanying Wang, Man Jiang, Shuangxia Jin, Wei Gao DOI: 10.1016/j.jia.2024.07.030 Online: 19 July 2024 Abstract （16）      PDF in ScienceDirect       Reference | Related Articles | Metrics Select Dual carbon goal and agriculture in China: exploring key factors influencing farmers' behavior in adopting low carbon technologies ZOU Jin-peng, SHEN Lu-lin, WANG Fang, TANG Hong, ZHOU Zi-yang DOI: 10.1016/j.jia.2024.07.016 Online: 18 July 2024 Abstract （20）      PDF in ScienceDirect       Identifying the factors that influence farmers' adoption of low-carbon technologies (FA) and understanding their impacts are essential for shaping effective agricultural policies aimed at emission reduction and carbon sequestration in China. Utilizing a meta-analysis of 122 empirical studies, this research delves into 23 driving factors affecting FA and tries to address the inconsistencies found in existing literature. This study systematically examines the effect size, source of heterogeneity, and time-accumulation effect of the driving factors on FA. Key findings are as follows: (1) There is a significant level of heterogeneity in the factors influencing FA, with the exception of farming experience, the sources of heterogeneity come from survey zone, methodology model, technological attributes, report source, financial support, and the sampling year. (2) Age, farming experience, adoption cost exhibit a negative correlation with FA, whereas educational level, health status, technical training, economic and welfare cognition, land contract, soil quality, terrain, information accessibility, demonstration, government promotion, government regulation, government support, agricultural cooperatives member, peer effect, and agricultural income ratio demonstrate a positive correlation. Especially, demonstration and age show a particularly strong correlation. (3) The effect of demonstration, age, economic and welfare cognition, farming experience, land contract, soil quality, information accessibility, government promotion, and support, as well as agricultural cooperative membership and peer effects on FA, are generally stable but exhibit varying degrees of attenuation over time. The effect of village cadre, family income, farm scale, gender, health status, technical training, and off-farm work on FA show notable temporal shifts and maintain a weak correlation with FA. This study plays a pivotal role in shaping China's current low-carbon agriculture policies across various regions. It encourages policymakers to comprehensively consider the stability of key factors, other potential factors, technological attributes, rural economic and social context and their interrelations. Reference | Related Articles | Metrics Select A tomato NBS-LRR gene Mi-9 confers heat-stable resistance to root-knot nematodes Shudong Chen, Yupan Zou, Xin Tong, Cao Xu DOI: 10.1016/j.jia.2024.07.017 Online: 18 July 2024 Abstract （8）      PDF in ScienceDirect       Root-knot nematodes (RKNs) are the most widespread soil-borne obligate endoparasites. They can infect the roots of many crops and cause significant yield losses. In tomato, the only commercially available RKN resistant gene Mi-1.2 fails at soil temperatures above 28°C. We cloned the heat stable RKN-resistant gene Mi-9 from a gene cluster composed of seven nucleotide-binding site and leucine-rich repeat (NBS-LRR) type resistant genes in Solanum arcunum accession LA2157. Screening nematode infections in individual & combinatorial knockouts of five NBS-LRR genes showed that Mi-9 Candidate 4 (MiC-4) alone is sufficient to confer heat stable RKN resistance. Our study identifies a new source of heat stable resistance to RKN in tomato for challenging environmental conditions. We also showcase a roadmap for rapid characterization of resistance genes by combining comparative genomics and genome editing, with the potential to be utilized in other crops. Reference | Related Articles | Metrics Select Land use shapes the microbial community structure by altering soil aggregates and dissolved organic matter components Zongpeng Zhang, Lijuan Hu, Yating Liu, Yixuan Guo, Shiming Tang, Jie Ren DOI: 10.1016/j.jia.2024.07.018 Online: 18 July 2024 Abstract （10）      PDF in ScienceDirect       The agro-pastoral ecotone epitomizes the ecologically fragile semi-arid zone, where the soil microbiomes play a pivotal role in regulating its multifunctionality. However, whether and how changes in soil structure and organic matter composition under different land uses affect microbial community structure remain unclear. Here, land-use types in the agro-pastoral ecotone, including shrubland (BF), artificial grassland (ArG), abandoned grassland (AbG), and maize farmland (MA), were chosen to explore the response relationships between soil microbial communities and the aggregates and dissolved organic matter (DOM) composition. The results showed that compared to MA, the macroaggregates in BF, AbG, and ArG were increased by 123.0, 92.79, and 63.71%, respectively, while MA soil had the greatest abundance of <100 μm particles. The higher aromatic carbon with high aromaticity and molecular weight in BF soil DOM contributed to its highest mineral-associated organic carbon level (12.61 g kg-1), while MA soil organic carbon had highly efficient decomposition due to its high content of aliphatic and carboxy carbon, so it is prone to loss from the active carbon pools. The transition in land use from shrubland to grassland and farmland has facilitated the conversion of stable aromatic carbon to unstable carboxy carbon. The taxonomic analysis revealed that soil bacterial and fungal communities in the four land uses were dominated by Proteobacteria, Actinobacteriota, Chloroflexi, and Ascomycota. More taxonomic groups from phylum to family were enriched in BF soil. The DOM components and organic carbon are crucial variables shaping the composition of soil bacterial communities, jointly explaining 61.66% of the variance, while aggregates are important variables driving the composition of fungal communities, with an explanation rate of 20.49%. Our results suggest that DOM components and aggregates impact the soil microbial structure; and the transition in land use from agricultural to grassland and shrubland in the agro-pastoral ecotone enhances aggregate stability, carbon sequestration potential, and microbial diversity.  Reference | Related Articles | Metrics Select A compound produced by Helicoverpa armigera male genitalia activates a conserved pheromone receptor Dongdong Sun, Yutong Zhang, Song Cao, Xiaoqing Wang, Qian Cao, Sai Zhang, Guirong Wang, Yang Liu DOI: 10.1016/j.jia.2024.07.019 Online: 18 July 2024 Abstract （6）      PDF in ScienceDirect       Mating behavior is essential for sexual reproduction, and it is often modulated by key chemical cues. In many moth species, males find compatible mates through the reception of sex pheromones which are released by females. Pheromone receptors (PRs) are key elements in sensing these chemical signals. Concurrently, male moths emit a complex blend of volatile compounds during courtship; however, the mechanisms for recognizing putative male pheromones remain poorly understood. Here, we employed gas chromatography coupled with electroantennographic detection and mass spectrometry to analyze the volatile compounds produced by males of the cotton bollworm, Helicoverpa armigera. Three candidate male sex pheromones were identified, with (Z)-7-dodecen-1-yl acetate (Z7-12:OAc) eliciting the most pronounced electrophysiological response in the male antenna. The olfactory receptor neuron (ORN) ORN-a in Type A trichoid sensilla was shown to respond to Z7-12:OAc by conducting single sensillum recording (SSR) assays. Additionally, we found that the OR13s from five Heliothinae species responded to Z7-12:OAc by using the Xenopus oocyte expression system and two-electrode voltage-clamp recording. Our findings identified a candidate for evaluation in future behavioral studies of the poorly understood chemosensory recognition mechanisms underlying male sex pheromones. If its relevance is supported by behavioral data, this knowledge may facilitate the design of novel olfactory regulators for effective pest control strategies involving mating disruption. Reference | Related Articles | Metrics Select Overexpression of TuABCC4 is associated with abamectin resistance in Tetranychus urticae Koch Mingmei Wu, Rui Dong, Yan Zhang, Haojie Liao, Tian Tian, Dandan Xu, Youjun Zhang, Zhaojiang Guo, Shaoli Wang DOI: 10.1016/j.jia.2024.07.020 Online: 18 July 2024 Abstract （8）      PDF in ScienceDirect       Pesticide resistance greatly limits control efficacy after the long-term application of pesticides. The two-spotted spider mite, Tetranychus urticae Koch, is a notorious agricultural pest worldwide that is resistant to various pesticides, including abamectin. While some studies of abamectin resistance have investigated target resistance related to glutamate-gated chloride channels (GluCls), studies on the metabolic resistance mechanisms are still limited. In this study, we identified an ABCC subfamily gene, TuABCC4, that was overexpressed in resistant populations of T. urticae, based on the analysis of previously obtained transcriptomic and RNA-seq data. No consistent nonsynonymous mutations in the TuABCC4 gene were found between the susceptible and resistant populations, although TuABCC4 expression was significantly increased in all the resistant populations that were studied. Synergistic experiments with the inhibitor verapamil and gene expression analysis of the susceptible and resistant populations confirmed the key role of TuABCC4 in abamectin resistance. In addition, an increase in the expression of the TuABCC4 gene was shown by RNA interference and genetic association analysis to be closely related to the resistance of T. urticae to abamectin. In conclusion, overexpression of TuABCC4 was shown to be involved in abamectin resistance in T. urticae. These results can help us to better understand the molecular basis of pest resistance to abamectin. Reference | Related Articles | Metrics Select Development of a piggyBac transgenic system in Bactrocera dorsalis and its potential for research on olfactory molecular targets Jie Zhang, Qi Wang, Jinxi Yuan, Zhen Tian, Shanchun Yan, Wei Liu, Guirong Wang DOI: 10.1016/j.jia.2024.07.021 Online: 18 July 2024 Abstract （18）      PDF in ScienceDirect       Chemicals that modify pest behavior are developed to reduce crop damage by altering pest behavior, using specific genes within the olfactory system as molecular targets. The identification of these molecular targets in Bactrocera dorsalis, also known as the functional study of key olfactory genes, relies on CRISPR/Cas9-mediated gene knockout techniques. However, these techniques face limitations when applied to lethal genes. Transgenic technology offers a solution since it enables precise manipulation of gene expression in specific tissues or during certain developmental stages. Consequently, this study developed a piggyBac-mediated transgenic system in B. dorsalis to investigate reporter gene expression in olfactory organs, and assessed the olfactory behavior and antennal electrophysiological responses in transgenic lines. The goal was to assess the potential of this approach for future research on olfactory gene function. A universally expressed housekeeping gene from the BdorActin family was identified using the developmental transcriptome dataset. Its candidate promoter region (BdorActinA3a-1P-2k) was then cloned into the piggyBac plasmid. We subsequently established two stable transgenic lines with specific TTAA insertion sites on chromosomes 4 and 5, consistent with the characteristics of piggyBac transposition. The transgenic strains exhibited essentially normal survival, with hatchability and adult lifespan unaffected, although there were slight reductions in the emergence rate and oviposition capacity. The fluorescent reporter has been successfully expressed in olfactory-related organs, such as the antennae, proboscis, maxillary palp, legs, external genitalia, and brain. The antennal electrophysiological responses to representative chemicals in the transgenic lines were consistent with those of the wild type. However, some olfactory-related behaviors, such as pheromone response and mating, were significantly affected in the transgenic lines. These findings suggest that our system could potentially be applied in future olfactory research, such as driving the expression of exogenous elements that are effective in olfactory organs. However, caution is advised regarding its impact when applied to some olfactory-related behavioral phenotypes. Reference | Related Articles | Metrics page Page 1 of 16 Total 314 records First page Prev page Next page Last page