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2024 Vol. 23 No. 5 Previous Issue    Next Issue

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Review
Crop Science
Horticulture
Plant Protection
Animal Science · Veterinary Medicine
Agro-ecosystem & Environment
Food Science
Agricultural Economics and Management


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We identiffed one lipophorin receptor-related gene (LmLRP2) and investigated its function in the migratory locust Locusta migratoria. The mRNA of LmLRP2 is widely distributed in different tissues, including integument, wing pads, foregut, midgut, hindgut, Malpighian tubules and fat body, and the amounts of LmLRP2 transcripts are decreased gradually in early stages and then increased in late stages before ecdysis during developmental stage of nymphs. The protein of LmLRP2 is located in cellular membranes of midgut and hindgut. RNAi to silence LmLRP2 caused molting defects in nymphs. Importantly, a signiffcant increase in the content of neutral lipids (diglyceride and triglyceride) in midgut and a decrease in hemolymph and fat body were observed in dsLmLRP2-injected nymphs by lipidomics analysis. In addition, we found a slight increase of cuticle surface hydrocarbons in dsLmLRP2-treated nymphs, which is probably due to stimulation of de novo lipid synthesis in the fat body or oenocytes. Taken together, our results indicate that LmLRP2 located in cellular membranes of midgut cells is required for lipid export from the midgut to the hemolymph and fat body in locusts. This study not only enriches the research content of lipid metabolism in insects, but also helps to ffnd new targets for pest control and insecticide resistance. The cover photo was provided by Dr. Yiyan Zhao, Research Institute of Applied Biology, Shanxi University, China. For more details, please see pages 1618–1633. 


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Review

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Control of highly pathogenic avian influenza through vaccination Xianying Zeng, Jianzhong Shi, Hualan Chen 2024, 23(5): 1447-1453.  DOI: 10.1016/j.jia.2024.03.044 Abstract ( )   PDF in ScienceDirect   The stamping-out strategy has been used to control highly pathogenic avian influenza viruses in many countries, driven by the belief that vaccination would not be successful against such viruses and fears that avian influenza virus in vaccinated birds would evolve more rapidly and pose a greater risk to humans.  In this review, we summarize the successes in controlling highly pathogenic avian influenza in China and make suggestions regarding the requirements for vaccine selection and effectiveness.  In addition, we present evidence that vaccination of poultry not only eliminates human infection with avian influenza virus, but also significantly reduces and abolishes some harmful characteristics of avian influenza virus.

Crop Science

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The auxin transporter OsAUX1 regulates tillering in rice (Oryza sativa) Luqi Jia, Yongdong Dai, Ziwei Peng, Zhibo Cui, Xuefei Zhang, Yangyang Li, Weijiang Tian, Guanghua He, Yun Li, Xianchun Sang 2024, 23(5): 1454-1467.  DOI: 10.1016/j.jia.2023.05.041 Abstract ( )   PDF in ScienceDirect   Tillering is an important agronomic trait of rice (Oryza sativa) that affects the number of effective panicles, thereby affecting yields.  The phytohormone auxin plays a key role in tillering.  Here we identified the high tillering and semi-dwarf 1 (htsd1) mutant with auxin-deficiency root characteristics, such as shortened lateral roots, reduced lateral root density, and enlarged root angles.  htsd1 showed reduced sensitivity to auxin, but the external application of indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) inhibited its tillering.  We identified the mutated gene in htsd1 as AUXIN1 (OsAUX1, LOC_Os01g63770), which encodes an auxin influx transporter.  The promoter sequence of OsAUX1 contains many SQUAMOSA PROMOTER BINDING PROTEIN-LIKE (SPL) binding sites, and we demonstrated that SPL7 binds to the OsAUX1 promoter.  TEOSINTE BRANCHED1 (OsTB1), a key gene that negatively regulates tillering, was significantly downregulated in htsd1.  Tillering was enhanced in the OsTB1 knockout mutant, and the external application of IAA inhibited tiller elongation in this mutant.  Overexpressing OsTB1 restored the multi-tiller phenotype of htsd1.  These results suggest that SPL7 directly binds to the OsAUX1 promoter and regulates tillering in rice by altering OsTB1 expression to modulate auxin signaling.

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Genome-wide association study of grain micronutrient concentrations in bread wheat Yongchao Hao, Fanmei Kong, Lili Wang, Yu Zhao, Mengyao Li, Naixiu Che, Shuang Li, Min Wang, Ming Hao, Xiaocun Zhang, Yan Zhao 2024, 23(5): 1468-1480.  DOI: 10.1016/j.jia.2023.06.030 Abstract ( )   PDF in ScienceDirect   Bread wheat (Triticum aestivum) is a staple food crop worldwide.  The genetic dissection of important nutrient traits is essential for the biofortification of wheat to meet the nutritional needs of the world’s growing population.  Here, 45,298 single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) from 55K chip arrays were used to genotype a panel of 768 wheat cultivars, and a total of 154 quantitative trait loci (QTLs) were detected for eight traits under three environments by genome-wide association study (GWAS).  Three QTLs (qMn-3B.1, qFe-3B.4, and qSe-3B.1/qFe-3B.6) detected repeatedly under different environments or traits were subjected to subsequent analyses based on linkage disequilibrium decay and the P-values of significant SNPs.  Significant SNPs in the three QTL regions formed six haplotypes for qMn-3B.1, three haplotypes for qFe-3B.4, and three haplotypes for qSe-3B.1/qFe-3B.6.  Phenotypic analysis revealed significant differences among haplotypes.  These results indicated that the concentrations of several nutrient elements have been modified during the domestication of landraces to modern wheat.  Based on the QTL regions, we identified 15 high-confidence genes, eight of which were stably expressed in different tissues and/or developmental stages.  TraesCS3B02G046100 in qMn-3B.1 and TraesCS3B02G199500 in qSe-3B.1/qFe-3B.6 were both inferred to interact with metal ions according to the Gene Ontology (GO) analysis.  TraesCS3B02G199000, which belongs to qSe-3B.1/qFe-3B.6, was determined to be a member of the WRKY gene family.  Overall, this study provides several reliable QTLs that may significantly affect the concentrations of nutrient elements in wheat grain, and this information will facilitate the breeding of wheat cultivars with improved grain properties.

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A Golden2-like transcription factor, BnGLK1a, improves chloroplast development, photosynthesis, and seed weight in rapeseed Qianwei Zhang, Yuanyi Mao, Zikun Zhao, Xin Hu, Ran Hu, Nengwen Yin, Xue Sun, Fujun Sun, Si Chen, Yuxiang Jiang, Liezhao Liu, Kun Lu, Jiana Li, Yu Pan 2024, 23(5): 1481-1493.  DOI: 10.1016/j.jia.2023.06.020 Abstract ( )   PDF in ScienceDirect   Enhancing photosynthetic efficiency is a major goal for improving crop yields under agricultural field conditions and is associated with chloroplast biosynthesis and development.  In this study, we demonstrate that Golden2-like 1a (BnGLK1a) plays an important role in regulating chloroplast development and photosynthetic efficiency.  Overexpressing BnGLK1a resulted in significant increases in chlorophyll content, the number of thylakoid membrane layers and photosynthetic efficiency in Brassica napus, while knocking down BnGLK1a transcript levels through RNA interference (RNAi) had the opposite effects.  A yeast two-hybrid screen revealed that BnGLK1a interacts with the abscisic acid receptor PYRABACTIN RESISTANCE 1-LIKE 1–2 (BnPYL1–2) and CONSTITUTIVE PHOTOMORPHOGENIC 9 SIGNALOSOME 5A subunit (BnCSN5A), which play essential roles in regulating chloroplast development and photosynthesis.  Consistent with this, BnGLK1a-RNAi lines of B. napus display hypersensitivity to the abscisic acid (ABA) response.  Importantly, overexpression of BnGLK1a resulted in a 10% increase in thousand-seed weight, whereas seeds from BnGLK1a-RNAi lines were 16% lighter than wild type.  We propose that BnGLK1a could be a potential target in breeding for improving rapeseed productivity.  Our results not only provide insights into the mechanisms of BnGLK1a function, but also offer a potential approach for improving the productivity of Brassica species.

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Fine-mapping of a candidate gene for web blotch resistance in Arachis hypogaea L. Xiaohui Wu, Mengyuan Zhang, Zheng Zheng, Ziqi Sun, Feiyan Qi, Hua Liu, Juan Wang, Mengmeng Wang, Ruifang Zhao, Yue Wu, Xiao Wang, Hongfei Liu, Wenzhao Dong, Xinyou Zhang 2024, 23(5): 1494-1506.  DOI: 10.1016/j.jia.2023.10.036 Abstract ( )   PDF in ScienceDirect   Peanut (Arachis hypogaea L.) is a globally important oil crop.  Web blotch is one of the most important foliar diseases affecting peanut, which results in serious yield losses worldwide.  Breeding web blotch-resistant peanut varieties is the most effective and economically viable method for minimizing yield losses due to web blotch.  In the current study, a bulked segregant analysis with next-generation sequencing was used to analyze an F2:3 segregating population and identify candidate loci related to web blotch resistance.  Based on the fine-mapping of the candidate genomic interval using kompetitive allele-specific PCR (KASP) markers, we identified a novel web blotch resistance-related locus spanning approximately 169 kb on chromosome 16.  This region included four annotated genes, of which only Arahy.35VVQ3 had a non-synonymous single nucleotide polymorphism in the coding region between the two parents.  Two markers (Chr.16.12872635 and Chr.16.12966357) linked to this gene were shown to be co-segregated with the resistance of peanut web blotch by 72 randomly selected recombinant inbred lines (RIL), which could be used in marker-assisted breeding of resistant peanut varieties.

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Irrigation regimes modulate non-structural carbohydrate remobilization and improve grain filling in rice (Oryza sativa L.) by regulating starch metabolism Yuguang Zang, Gaozhao Wu, Qiangqiang Li, Yiwen Xu, Mingming Xue, Xingyu Chen, Haiyan Wei, Weiyang Zhang, Hao Zhang, Lijun Liu, Zhiqin Wang, Junfei Gu, Jianchang Yang 2024, 23(5): 1507-1522.  DOI: 10.1016/j.jia.2023.05.012 Abstract ( )   PDF in ScienceDirect   Recently developed ‘super’ rice cultivars with greater yield potentials often suffer from the problem of poor grain filling, especially in inferior spikelets.  Here, we studied the activities of enzymes related to starch metabolism in rice stems and grains, and the microstructures related to carbohydrate accumulation and transportation to investigate the effects of different water regimes on grain filling.  Two ‘super’ rice cultivars were grown under two irrigation regimes of well-watered (WW) and alternate wetting and moderate soil drying (AWMD).  Compared with the WW treatment, the activities of ADP glucose pyrophosphorylase (AGPase), starch synthase (StSase) and starch branching enzyme (SBE), and the accumulation of non-structural carbohydrates (NSCs) in the stems before heading were significantly improved, and more starch granules were stored in the stems in the AWMD treatment.  After heading, the activities of α-amylase, β-amylase, sucrose phosphate synthase (SPS) and sucrose synthase in the synthetic direction (SSs) were increased in the stems to promote the remobilization of NSCs for grain filling under AWMD.  During grain filling, the enzymatic activities of sucrose synthase in the cleavage direction (SSc), AGPase, StSase and SBE in the inferior spikelets were increased, which promoted grain filling, especially for the inferior spikelets under AWMD.  However, there were no significant differences in vascular microstructures.  The grain yield and grain weight could be improved by 13.1 and 7.5%, respectively, by optimizing of the irrigation regime.  We concluded that the low activities of key enzymes in carbon metabolism is the key limitation for the poor grain filling, as opposed to the vascular microstructures, and AWMD can increase the amount of NSC accumulation in the stems before heading, improve the utilization rate of NSCs after heading, and increase the grain filling, especially in the inferior spikelets, by altering the activities of key enzymes in carbon metabolism.

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Spectral purification improves monitoring accuracy of the comprehensive growth evaluation index for film-mulched winter wheat Zhikai Cheng, Xiaobo Gu, Yadan Du, Zhihui Zhou, Wenlong Li, Xiaobo Zheng, Wenjing Cai, Tian Chang 2024, 23(5): 1523-1540.  DOI: 10.1016/j.jia.2023.05.036 Abstract ( )   PDF in ScienceDirect   In order to further improve the utility of unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) remote-sensing for quickly and accurately monitoring the growth of winter wheat under film mulching, this study examined the treatments of ridge mulching, ridge–furrow full mulching, and flat cropping full mulching in winter wheat.  Based on the fuzzy comprehensive evaluation (FCE) method, four agronomic parameters (leaf area index, above-ground biomass, plant height, and leaf chlorophyll content) were used to calculate the comprehensive growth evaluation index (CGEI) of the winter wheat, and 14 visible and near-infrared spectral indices were calculated using spectral purification technology to process the remote-sensing image data of winter wheat obtained by multispectral UAV.   Four machine learning algorithms, partial least squares, support vector machines, random forests, and artificial neural network networks (ANN), were used to build the winter wheat growth monitoring model under film mulching, and accuracy evaluation and mapping of the spatial and temporal distribution of winter wheat growth status were carried out.  The results showed that the CGEI of winter wheat under film mulching constructed using the FCE method could objectively and comprehensively evaluate the crop growth status.  The accuracy of remote-sensing inversion of the CGEI based on the ANN model was higher than for the individual agronomic parameters, with a coefficient of determination of 0.75, a root mean square error of 8.40, and a mean absolute value error of 6.53.  Spectral purification could eliminate the interference of background effects caused by mulching and soil, effectively improving the accuracy of the remote-sensing inversion of winter wheat under film mulching, with the best inversion effect achieved on the ridge–furrow full mulching area after spectral purification.  The results of this study provide a theoretical reference for the use of UAV remote-sensing to monitor the growth status of winter wheat with film mulching.

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Can soil organic carbon sequestration and the carbon management index be improved by changing the film mulching methods in the semiarid region? Jialin Yang, Liangqi Ren, Nanhai Zhang, Enke Liu, Shikun Sun, Xiaolong Ren, Zhikuan Jia, Ting Wei, Peng Zhang 2024, 23(5): 1541-1556.  DOI: 10.1016/j.jia.2023.05.011 Abstract ( )   PDF in ScienceDirect   Plastic film mulching has been widely used to increase maize yield in the semiarid area of China.  However, whether long-term plastic film mulching is conducive to agricultural sustainability in this region remains controversial.  A field experiment was initiated in 2013 with five different film mulching methods: (i) control method, flat planting without mulching (CK), (ii) flat planting with half film mulching (P), (iii) film mulching on ridges and planting in narrow furrows (S), (iv) full film mulching on double ridges (D), and (v) film mulching on ridges and planting in wide furrows (R).  The effects on soil organic carbon (SOC) content, storage, and fractions, and on the carbon management index (CMI) were evaluated after nine consecutive years of plastic film mulching.  The results showed that long-term plastic film mulching generally maintained the initial SOC level.  Compared with no mulching, plastic film mulching increased the average crop yield, biomass yield, and root biomass by 48.38, 35.06, and 37.32%, respectively, which led to the improvement of SOC sequestration.  Specifically, plastic film mulching significantly improved CMI, and increased the SOC content by 13.59%, SOC storage by 7.47% and easily oxidizable organic carbon (EOC) by 13.78% on average, but it reduced the other labile fractions.  SOC sequestration and CMI were improved by refining the plastic film mulching methods.  The S treatment had the best effect among the four mulching methods, so it can be used as a reasonable film mulching method for sustainable agricultural development in the semiarid area.

Horticulture

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Establishing VIGS and CRISPR/Cas9 techniques to verify RsPDS function in radish Jiali Ying, Yan Wang, Liang Xu, Tiaojiao Qin, Kai Xia, Peng Zhang, Yinbo Ma, Keyun Zhang, Lun Wang, Junhui Dong, Lianxue Fan, Yuelin Zhu, Liwang Liu 2024, 23(5): 1557-1567.  DOI: 10.1016/j.jia.2024.03.059 Abstract ( )   PDF in ScienceDirect   Virus-induced gene silencing (VIGS) and clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats/CRISPR-associated protein (CRISPR/Cas) systems are effective technologies for rapid and accurate gene function verification in modern plant biotechnology.  However, the investigation of gene silencing and editing in radish remains limited.  In this study, a bleaching phenotype was generated through the knockdown of RsPDS using tobacco rattle virus (TRV)- and turnip yellow mosaic virus (TYMV)-mediated gene silencing vectors.  The TYMV-mediated gene silencing efficiency was higher than the TRV-based VIGS system in radish.  The expression level of RsPDS was significantly inhibited using VIGS in ‘NAU-067’ radish leaves.  The rootless seedlings of ‘NAU-067’ were infected with Agrobacterium rhizogenes using the 2300GN-Ubi-RsPDS-Cas9 vector with two target sequences.  Nine adventitious roots were blue with GUS staining, and four of these adventitious roots were edited at target sequence 1 of the RsPDS gene as indicated by Sanger sequencing.  Furthermore, albino lines were generated with A. tumefaciens-mediated transformation of radish cotyledons.  Five base substitutions and three base deletions occurred at target sequence 2 in Line 1, and three base insertions and three base substitutions occurred at target sequence 1 in Line 2.  This study shows that VIGS and CRISPR/Cas9 techniques can be employed to precisely verify the biological functions of genes in radish, which will facilitate the genetic improvement of vital horticultural traits in radish breeding program

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EjGASA6 promotes flowering and root elongation by enhancing gibberellin biosynthesis Qian Chen, Shunyuan Yong, Fan Xu, Hao Fu, Jiangbo Dang, Qiao He, Danlong Jing, Di Wu, Guolu Liang, Qigao Guo 2024, 23(5): 1568-1579.  DOI: 10.1016/j.jia.2024.03.066 Abstract ( )   PDF in ScienceDirect   The Gibberellic Acid-stimulated Arabidopsis (GASA) gene family is involved in the regulation of gene expression and plant growth, development, and stress responses.  To investigate the function of loquat GASA genes in the growth and developmental regulation of plants, a loquat EjGASA6 gene homologous to Arabidopsis AtGASA6 was cloned.  EjGASA6 expression was induced by gibberellin, and ectopic transgenic plants containing this gene exhibited earlier bloom and longer primary roots since these phenotypic characteristics are related to higher gibberellin content.  Transcriptome analysis and qRT-PCR results showed that the expression levels of GA3ox1 and GA20ox1, which encode key enzymes in gibberellin biosynthesis, were significantly increased.  Furthermore, we confirmed that EjGASA6 could promote the expression of GA20ox1 via the luciferase reporter system.  Overall, our results suggest that EjGASA6 promotes blooming and main-root elongation by positively regulating gibberellin biosynthesis.  These findings broaden our understanding of the role of GASAs in plant development and growth, and lay the groundwork for future research into the functions of EjGASA6 in regulating loquat growth and development.

Plant Protection

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Establishment of a system for screening and identification of novel bactericide targets in the plant pathogenic bacterium Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzae using Tn-seq and SPR Chaoyue Pang, Ling Jin, Haoyu Zang, Damalk Saint-Claire S. Koklannou, Jiazhi Sun, Jiawei Yang, Yongxing Wang, Liang Xu, Chunyan Gu, Yang Sun, Xing Chen, Yu Chen 2024, 23(5): 1580-1592.  DOI: 10.1016/j.jia.2023.04.043 Abstract ( )   PDF in ScienceDirect   Xanthomonas spp. cause severe bacterial diseases.  However, effective strategies for prevention and management of these diseases are scarce.  Thus, it is necessary to improve the efficiency of control of diseases caused by Xanthomonas.  In this study, Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzae (Xoo), which causes rice bacterial leaf blight, has been studied as a representative.  A transposon insertion library of Xoo, comprising approximately 200,000 individual insertion mutants, was generated.  Transposon sequencing data indicated that the mariner C9 transposase mapped at 35.7–36.4% of all potential insertion sites, revealing 491 essential genes required for the growth of Xoo in rich media.  The results show that, compared to the functions of essential genes of other bacteria, the functions of some essential genes of Xoo are unknown, 25 genes might be dangerous for the Xanthomonas group, and 3 are specific to Xanthomonas.  High-priority candidates for developing broad-spectrum, Xanthomonas-specific, and environment-friendly bactericides were identified in this study.  In addition, this study revealed the possible targets of dioctyldiethylenetriamine using surface plasmon resonance (SPR) in combination with high performance liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry (HPLC–MS).  The study also provided references for the research of some certain bactericides with unknown anti-bacterial mode of action.  In conclusion, this study urged a better understanding of Xanthomonas, provided meaningful data for the management of bacterial leaf blight, and disclosed selected targets of a novel bactericide.

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Hatching and development of maize cyst nematode Heterodera zeae infecting different plant hosts Jiangkuan Cui, Haohao Ren, Bo Wang, Fujie Chang, Xuehai Zhang, Haoguang Meng, Shijun Jiang, Jihua Tang 2024, 23(5): 1593-1603.  DOI: 10.1016/j.jia.2023.04.042 Abstract ( )   PDF in ScienceDirect   The occurrence, distribution, and rapid molecular detection technology of Heterodera zeae Koshy et al. 1971, have been reported in China.  We explored the biological characteristics of H. zeae sampled in Henan Province, China to understand its interaction with plants.  Cysts and second-stage juveniles (J2s) were identified under an optical and scanning electron microscope, internal transcribed spacer (ITS) phylogenetic tree, and sequence characterized amplified region (SCAR)-PCR analyses.  The optimum hatching temperatures of H. zeae were 30°C and 28°C, with cumulative hatching rates of 16.5 and 16.1%, respectively, at 30 days post-hatching (dph).  The hatching rate of H. zeae eggs was improved by 20- and 50-time maize soil leachate and root juice, and 10-time root exudates.  The hatching rate in 10-time root exudates was the highest (25.9%).  The 10-time root exudates of maize and millet produced the highest hatching rate at 30 dph (25.9 and 22.9%, respectively), followed by wheat (19.9%), barley (18.3%), and rice (17.6%).  Heterodera zeae developed faster in maize than in other crops.  Fourth-stage juveniles (J4s) were detected in maize roots 8 days post-inoculation (dpi) at 28°C but not in other crops.  Combined with hatching tests, the Huang–Huai–Hai summer maize region and the south and central-southwest mountainous maize areas are highly suitable for H. zeae in China.  This is the first systematically study of the hatching and infection characteristics on different plant hosts of corn cyst nematode H. zeae in temperate regions.  This study laid a theoretical foundation for the rapid spread and high environmental adaptability of corn cyst nematode.

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Functional assessment of cadherin as a shared mechanism for cross/dual resistance to Cry1Ac and Cry2Ab in Helicoverpa zea Jizhen Wei, Min Zhang, Pin Li, Zhongyuan Deng, Xinming Yin, Shiheng An, Xianchun Li 2024, 23(5): 1604-1617.  DOI: 10.1016/j.jia.2023.11.001 Abstract ( )   PDF in ScienceDirect   Helicoverpa zea is a major target pest of pyramided transgenic crops expressing Cry1, Cry2 and/or Vip3Aa proteins from Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) in the United States.  Laboratory-selected Cry1Ac/Cry2Ab cross resistance and field-evolved practical dual resistance of H. zea to these two toxins have been widely reported.  Whether the widespread Cry1Ac/Cy2Ab dual resistance of H. zea has resulted from the selection of one shared or two independent resistance mechanisms by pyramided Bt crops remains unclear.  Cadherin is a well-confirmed receptor of Cry1Ac and a suggested receptor of Cry2Ab in at least three Lepidopteran species.  To test whether cadherin may serve as one shared mechanism for the cross and dual resistance of H. zea to Cry1Ac and Cry2Ab, we cloned H. zea cadherin (HzCadherin) cDNA and studied its functional roles in the mode of action of Cry1Ac and Cry2Ab by gain- and loss-of-function analyses.  Heterologous expression of HzCadherin in H. zea midgut, H. zea fat body and Sf9 cells made all three of these cell lines more susceptible to activated Cry1Ac but not activated Cry2Ab, whereas silencing HzCadherin of H. zea midgut and fat body cells significantly reduced the susceptibility to Cry1Ac but not Cry2Ab.  Likewise, suppressing HzCadherin with siRNA made H. zea larvae resistant to Cry1Ac.  These results clearly demonstrate that HzCadherin is not a receptor for Cry2Ab, and thus it is unlikely to serve as one shared mechanism for the cross and dual resistance of H. zea to Cry1Ac and Cry2Ab.

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Low-density lipoprotein receptor-related protein 2 (LRP2) is required for lipid export in the midgut of the migratory locust, Locusta migratoria Yiyan Zhao, Weimin Liu, Xiaoming Zhao, Zhitao Yu, Hongfang Guo, Yang Yang, Hans Merzendorfer, Kun Yan Zhu, Jianzhen Zhang 2024, 23(5): 1618-1633.  DOI: 10.1016/j.jia.2023.07.027 Abstract ( )   PDF in ScienceDirect   Low-density lipoprotein receptor-related protein 2 (LRP2) is a multifunctional endocytic receptor expressed in epithelial cells.  In mammals, it acts as an endocytic receptor that mediates the cellular uptake of cholesterol-containing apolipoproteins to maintain lipid homeostasis.  However, little is known about the role of LRP2 in lipid homeostasis in insects.  In the present study, we investigated the function of LRP2 in the migratory locust Locusta migratoria (LmLRP2).  The mRNA of LmLRP2 is widely distributed in various tissues, including integument, wing pads, foregut, midgut, hindgut, Malpighian tubules and fat body, and the amounts of LmLRP2 transcripts decreased gradually in the early stages and then increased in the late stages before ecdysis during the nymphal developmental stage.  Fluorescence immunohistochemistry revealed that the LmLRP2 protein is mainly located in cellular membranes of the midgut and hindgut.  Using RNAi to silence LmLRP2 caused molting defects in nymphs (more than 60%), and the neutral lipid was found to accumulate in the midgut and surface of the integument, but not in the fat body, of dsLmLRP2-treated nymphs.  The results of a lipidomics analysis showed that the main components of lipids (diglyceride and triglyceride) were significantly increased in the midgut, but decreased in the fat body and hemolymph.  Furthermore, the content of total triglyceride was significantly increased in the midgut, but markedly decreased in the fat body and hemolymph in dsLmLRP2-injected nymphs.  Our results indicate that LmLRP2 is located in the cellular membranes of midgut cells, and is required for lipid export from the midgut to the hemolymph and fat body in locusts.

Animal Science · Veterinary Medicine

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Prescreening of large-effect markers with multiple strategies improves the accuracy of genomic prediction Keanning Li, Bingxing An, Mang Liang, Tianpeng Chang, Tianyu Deng, Lili Du, Sheng Cao, Yueying Du, Hongyan Li, Lingyang Xu, Lupei Zhang, Xue Gao, Junya LI, Huijiang Gao 2024, 23(5): 1634-1643.  DOI: 10.1016/j.jia.2023.11.048 Abstract ( )   PDF in ScienceDirect   Presently, integrating multi-omics information into a prediction model has become a ameliorate strategy for genomic selection to improve genomic prediction accuracy.  Here, we set the genomic and transcriptomic data as the training population data, using BSLMM, TWAS, and eQTL mapping to prescreen features according to | ^βb|>0, top 1% of phenotypic variation explained (PVE), expression-associated single nucleotide polymorphisms (eSNPs), and egenes (false discovery rate (FDR)<0.01), where these loci were set as extra fixed effects (named GBLUP-Fix) and random effects (GFBLUP) to improve the prediction accuracy in the validation population, respectively.  The results suggested that both GBLUP-Fix and GFBLUP models could improve the accuracy of longissimus dorsi muscle (LDM), water holding capacity (WHC), shear force (SF), and pH in Huaxi cattle on average from 2.14 to 8.69%, especially the improvement of GFBLUP-TWAS over GBLUP was 13.66% for SF.  These methods also captured more genetic variance than GBLUP.  Our study confirmed that multi-omics-assisted large-effects loci prescreening could improve the accuracy of genomic prediction.

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Transcriptome-based analysis of key signaling pathways affecting the formation of primordial germ cell in chickens Ying Ding, Qiong Zhi, Qisheng Zuo, Kai Jin, Wei Han, Bichun Li 2024, 23(5): 1644-1657.  DOI: 10.1016/j.jia.2023.09.003 Abstract ( )   PDF in ScienceDirect   Bone morphogenetic protein 4 (BMP4) can induce the formation of chicken primordial germ cells (PGCs) in vitro; however, its regulatory mechanism in poultry remains unknown.  This study aimed to use RNA-seq to analyze PGCs in chicken embryos and iPGCs induced by BMP4 in vitro, clarify the internal regulatory factors of PGCs, analyze the mechanism of the formation of PGCs, and lay a theoretical foundation for the further optimization of PGCs induction systems.  Embryonic stem cells (ESCs), PGCs and iPGCs induced by BMP4 in vitro were collected.  The transcriptional maps of the three cell types were studied using RNA-seq.  The results showed 6,142 genes differentially expressed between PGCs and iPGCs, of which 2,728 were upregulated in iPGCs and 3,414 were downregulated in iPGCs.  Compared to that in ESCs, BMP4 was significantly upregulated in PGCs and iPGCs.  KEGG results showed that both the TGF-β and Wnt signaling pathways were activated during the formation of PGCs in vitro and in vivo, and the activation was more significant during iPGCs induced by BMP4.  The expression of Nodal, an inhibitory factor of TGF-β signaling, was significantly decreased in PGCs and iPGCs, but was not expressed in iPGCs, which further supports our conclusion.  Additionally, the Lysosome and PI3K-AKT signaling pathways were significantly enriched in PGCs and iPGCs, respectively.  Further, transmission electron microscopy (TEM) results showed that the number of autolysosomes was significantly higher after the addition of BMP4, which is consistent with the KEGG results.  Furthermore, the number of PGCs was significantly reduced after ATG14 was interfered in vivo and in vitro.  In conclusion, this study screened out the key signaling pathways during the formation of PGCs, aiming to provide help for enriching the mechanism network regulating PGCs formation in chicken and laying a theoretical foundation for further improving the efficiency of inducing PGCs in vitro.

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A novel live attenuated vaccine candidate protects chickens against subtype B avian metapneumovirus Lingzhai Meng, Mengmeng Yu, Suyan Wang, Yuntong Chen, Yuanling Bao, Peng Liu, Xiaoyan Feng, Tana He, Ru Guo, Tao Zhang, Mingxue Hu, Changjun Liu, Xiaole Qi, Kai Li, Li Gao, Yanping Zhang, Hongyu Cui, Yulong Gao 2024, 23(5): 1658-1670.  DOI: 10.1016/j.jia.2023.10.025 Abstract ( )   PDF in ScienceDirect   Avian metapneumovirus (aMPV) is a highly contagious pathogen that causes acute upper respiratory tract diseases in chickens and turkeys, resulting in serious economic losses.  Subtype B aMPV has recently become the dominant epidemic strain in China.  We developed an attenuated aMPV subtype B strain by serial passaging in Vero cells and evaluated its safety and efficacy as a vaccine candidate.  The safety test showed that after the 30th passage, the LN16-A strain was fully attenuated, as clinical signs of infection and histological lesions were absent after inoculation.  The LN16-A strain did not revert to a virulent strain after five serial passages in chickens.  The genomic sequence of LN16-A differed from that of the parent wild-type LN16 (wtLN16) strain and had nine amino acid mutations.  In chickens, a single immunization with LN16-A induced robust humoral and cellular immune responses, including the abundant production of neutralizing antibodies, CD4+ T lymphocytes, and the Th1 (IFN-γ) and Th2 (IL-4 and IL-6) cytokines.  We also confirmed that LN16-A provided 100% protection against subtype B aMPV and significantly reduced viral shedding and turbinate inflammation.  Our findings suggest that the LN16-A strain is a promising live attenuated vaccine candidate that can prevent infection with subtype B aMPV.

Agro-ecosystem & Environment

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Optimized nitrogen application for maximizing yield and minimizing nitrogen loss in film mulching spring maize production on the Loess Plateau, China Qilong Song, Jie Zhang, Fangfang Zhang, Yufang Shen, Shanchao Yue, Shiqing Li 2024, 23(5): 1671-1684.  DOI: 10.1016/j.jia.2023.12.026 Abstract ( )   PDF in ScienceDirect   Excessive use of N fertilizers (driven by high-yield goals) and its consequent environmental problems are becoming increasingly acute in agricultural systems.  A 2-year field experiment was conducted to investigate the effects of three N application methods (application of solid granular urea once (OF) or twice (TF), application of solid granular urea mixed with controlled-release urea once (MF)), and six N rates (0, 60, 120, 180, 240, and 300 kg N ha−1) on maize yield, economic benefits, N use efficiency, and soil N balance in the maize (Zea mays L.) film mulching system on the Loess Plateau, China.  The grain yield and economic return of maize were significantly affected by the N rate and application method.  Compared with the OF treatment, the MF treatment not only increased the maize yield (increased by 9.0–16.7%) but also improved the economic return (increased by 10.9–25.8%).  The agronomic N use efficiency (NAE), N partial factor productivity (NPFP) and recovery N efficiency (NRE) were significantly improved by 19.3–66.7, 9.0–16.7 and 40.2–71.5%, respectively, compared with the OF treatment.  The economic optimal N rate (EONR) of the OF, TF, and MF was 145.6, 147.2, and 144.9 kg ha−1 in 2019, and 206.4, 186.4, and 146.0 kg ha−1 in 2020, respectively.  The apparent soil N loss at EONR of the OF, TF, and MF were 97.1–100.5, 78.5–79.3, and 50.5–68.1 kg ha−1, respectively.  These results support MF as a one-time N application method for delivering high yields and economic benefits, with low N input requirements within film mulching spring maize system on the Loess Plateau.

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Soybean (Glycine max) rhizosphere organic phosphorus recycling relies on acid phosphatase activity and specific phosphorus-mineralizing-related bacteria in phosphate deficient acidic soils Qianqian Chen, Qian Zhao, Baoxing Xie, Xing Lu, Qi Guo, Guoxuan Liu, Ming Zhou, Jihui Tian, Weiguo Lu, Kang Chen, Jiang Tian, Cuiyue Liang 2024, 23(5): 1685-1702.  DOI: 10.1016/j.jia.2023.09.002 Abstract ( )   PDF in ScienceDirect   Bacteria play critical roles in regulating soil phosphorus (P) cycling.  The effects of interactions between crops and soil P-availability on bacterial communities and the feedback regulation of soil P cycling by the bacterial community modifications are poorly understood.  Here, six soybean (Glycine max) genotypes with differences in P efficiency were cultivated in acidic soils with long-term sufficient or deficient P-fertilizer treatments.  The acid phosphatase (AcP) activities, organic-P concentrations and associated bacterial community compositions were determined in bulk and rhizosphere soils.  The results showed that both soybean plant P content and the soil AcP activity were negatively correlated with soil organic-P concentration in P-deficient acidic soils.  Soil P-availability affected the ɑ-diversity of bacteria in both bulk and rhizosphere soils.  However, soybean had a stronger effect on the bacterial community composition, as reflected by the similar biomarker bacteria in the rhizosphere soils in both P-treatments.  The relative abundance of biomarker bacteria Proteobacteria was strongly correlated with soil organic-P concentration and AcP activity in low-P treatments.  Further high-throughput sequencing of the phoC gene revealed an obvious shift in Proteobacteria groups between bulk soils and rhizosphere soils, which was emphasized by the higher relative abundances of Cupriavidus and Klebsiella, and lower relative abundance of Xanthomonas in rhizosphere soils.  Among them, Cupriavidus was the dominant phoC bacterial genus, and it was negatively correlated with the soil organic-P concentration.  These findings suggest that soybean growth relies on organic-P mineralization in P-deficient acidic soils, which might be partially achieved by recruiting specific phoC-harboring bacteria, such as Cupriavidus.

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Straw mulching alters the composition and loss of dissolved organic matter in farmland surface runoff by inhibiting the fragmentation of soil small macroaggregates Shanshan Cai, Lei Sun, Wei Wang, Yan Li, Jianli Ding, Liang Jin, Yumei Li , Jiuming Zhang, Jingkuan Wang, Dan Wei 2024, 23(5): 1703-1717.  DOI: 10.1016/j.jia.2023.10.001 Abstract ( )   PDF in ScienceDirect   Straw mulching is a widespread practice for reducing the soil carbon loss caused by erosion.  However, the effects of straw mulching on dissolved organic matter (DOM) runoff loss from black soil are not well studied.  How straw mulching affects the composition and loss of runoff DOM by changing soil aggregates remains largely unclear.  Here, a straw mulching treatment was compared to a no mulching treatment (as a control) on sloping farmland with black soil erosion in Northeast China.  We divided the soil into large macroaggregates (>2 mm), small macroaggregates (0.25–2 mm), and microaggregates (<0.25 mm).  After five rain events, the effects of straw mulching on the concentration (characterized by dissolved organic carbon (DOC)) and composition (analyzed by fluorescence spectroscopy) of runoff and soil aggregate DOM were studied.  The results showed that straw mulching reduced the runoff amount by 54.7%.  Therefore, although straw mulching increased the average DOC concentration in runoff, it reduced the total runoff DOM loss by 48.3%.  The composition of runoff DOM is similar to that of soil, as both contain humic-like acid and protein-like components.  With straw mulching treatment, the protein-like components in small macroaggregates accumulated and the protein-like components in runoff declined with rain events.  Fluorescence spectroscopy technology may help in understanding the hydrological paths of rain events by capturing the dynamic changes of runoff and soil DOM characteristics.  A variation partitioning analysis (VPA) indicated that the DOM concentration and composition of microaggregates explained 68.2% of the change in runoff DOM from no mulching plots, while the change in runoff DOM from straw mulching plots was dominated by small macroaggregates at a rate of 55.1%.  Taken together, our results demonstrated that straw mulching reduces the fragmentation of small macroaggregates and the loss of microaggregates, thus effecting DOM compositions in soil and reducing the DOM loss in runoff.  These results provide a theoretical basis for reducing carbon loss in sloping farmland.

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A combination of straw incorporation and polymer-coated urea offsets soil ammonia and nitrous oxide emissions in winter wheat fields Xiaoyun Wang, Yajie Tian, Qianhui Zhang, Zhengxin Zhao, Rui Wang, Huanjie Cai 2024, 23(5): 1718-1736.  DOI: 10.1016/j.jia.2023.12.008 Abstract ( )   PDF in ScienceDirect   The combined effects of straw incorporation (SI) and polymer-coated urea (PCU) application on soil ammonia (NH3) and nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions from agricultural fields have not been comprehensively evaluated in Northwest China.  We conducted a two-year field experiment to assess the effects of combining SI with either uncoated urea (U) or PCU on soil NH3 emissions, N2O emissions, winter wheat yields, yield-scaled NH3 (INH3), and yield-scaled N2O (IN2O).  Five treatments were investigated, no nitrogen (N) fertilizer (N0), U application at 150 kg N ha–1 with and without SI (SI+U and S0+U), and PCU application at 150 kg N ha–1 with and without SI (SI+PCU and S0+PCU).  The results showed that the NH3 emissions increased by 20.98–34.35% following SI compared to straw removal, mainly due to increases in soil ammonium (NH4+-N) content and water-filled pore space (WFPS).  SI resulted in higher N2O emissions than under the S0 scenario by 13.31–49.23% due to increases in soil inorganic N (SIN) contents, WFPS, and soil microbial biomass.  In contrast, the PCU application reduced the SIN contents compared to the U application, reducing the NH3 and N2O emissions by 45.99–58.07 and 18.08–53.04%, respectively.  Moreover, no significant positive effects of the SI or PCU applications on the winter wheat yield were observed.  The lowest INH3 and IN2O values were observed under the S0+PCU and SI+PCU treatments.  Our results suggest that single PCU applications and their combination with straw are the optimal agricultural strategies for mitigating gaseous N emissions and maintaining optimal winter wheat yields in Northwest China.

Food Science

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Changes in milk fat globule membrane proteins along lactation stage of Laoshan dairy goat Chuozi Liang, Zhongna Yu, Guangming Zhu, Yixuan Li, Xueheng Sun, Hongning Jiang, Qijing Du, Rongbo Fan, Jun Wang, Yongxin Yang, Rongwei Han 2024, 23(5): 1737-1748.  DOI: 10.1016/j.jia.2024.03.080 Abstract ( )   PDF in ScienceDirect   The milk fat globule membrane (MFGM) is a complex structure with numerous functions, and its composition is affected by many factors.  There have been few systematic investigations on goat MFGM proteome profiling during lactation.  Individual milk samples from 15 healthy dairy goats were obtained at six lactation time points for investigation of the MFGM proteome using both data-independent acquisition (DIA) and data-dependent acquisition (DDA) proteomics techniques combined with multivariate statistical analysis.  Using the DIA method, 890 variably abundant MFGM proteins were discovered throughout the lactation cycle.  From 1 to 240 d, butyrophilin subfamily 1 member A1, lipoprotein lipase, perilipin-2, and adipose triglyceride lipase were upregulated, while APOE, complement C3, clusterin, and IgG were downregulated.  Furthermore, from 1 to 90 d, annexin A1, annexin A2, and antithrombin-III were downregulated, then upregulated by d 240.  Albumin had a high degree of connectedness, indicating that it was a key protein, according to protein–protein interaction research.  Overall, our findings gave new insights into the biological features of MFGM protein in goat milk throughout lactation, which may aid in the creation of specialized MFGM products and infant formula.

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Geographical origin identification of winter jujube (Ziziphus jujuba ‘Dongzao’) by using multi-element fingerprinting with chemometrics Xiabing Kong, Qiusheng Chen, Min Xu, Yihui Liu, Xiaoming Li, Lingxi Han, Qiang Zhang, Haoliang Wan, Lu Liu, Xubo Zhao, Jiyun Nie 2024, 23(5): 1749-1762.  DOI: 10.1016/j.jia.2024.03.065 Abstract ( )   PDF in ScienceDirect   Winter jujube (Ziziphus jujuba ‘Dongzao’) is greatly appreciated by consumers for its excellent quality, but brand infringement frequently occurs in the market.  Here, we first determined a total of 38 elements in 167 winter jujube samples from the main winter jujube producing areas of China by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometer (ICP-MS).  As a result, 16 elements (Mg, K, Mn, Cu, Zn, Mo, Ba, Be, As, Se, Cd, Sb, Ce, Er, Tl, and Pb) exhibited significant differences in samples from different producing areas.  Supervised linear discriminant analysis (LDA) and orthogonal projection to latent structures discriminant analysis (OPLS-DA) showed better performance in identifying the origin of samples than unsupervised principal component analysis (PCA).  LDA and OPLS-DA had a mean identification accuracy of 87.84 and 94.64% in the testing set, respectively.  By using the multilayer perceptron (MLP) and C5.0, the prediction accuracy of the models could reach 96.36 and 91.06%, respectively.  Based on the above four chemometric methods, Cd, Tl, Mo and Se were selected as the main variables and principal markers for the origin identification of winter jujube.  Overall, this study demonstrates that it is practical and precise to identify the origin of winter jujube through multi-element fingerprint analysis with chemometrics, and may also provide reference for establishing the origin traceability system of other fruits.

Agricultural Economics and Management

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The multiple roles of crop structural change in productivity, nutrition and environment in China: A decomposition analysis Xiangyang Zhang, Yumei Zhang, Shenggen Fan 2024, 23(5): 1763-1773.  DOI: 10.1016/j.jia.2024.03.064 Abstract ( )   PDF in ScienceDirect   China’s crop structure has undergone significant changes in the last two decades since 2000, with an increase in the share of cereals, vegetables, and fruit, squeezing out other crops.  As a result, land productivity, nutrient supply, and carbon emissions have changed.  How to reallocate limited farmland among crops to achieve the multiple goals of agrifood systems becomes an important issue.  This study explores the sources of land productivity and nutrition supply growth and carbon emissions reduction, and identifies the multiple roles of crop structural change from 2003 to 2020 based on a decomposition analysis.  The results reveal that the growth within crops is still the primary driver in land productivity and nutrition supply and the reduction in carbon emissions.  However, structural change also plays various roles at different periods.  From 2003 to 2010, crop structural change increased the total calorie supply but lowered land productivity and contributed at least 70% of the total growth of carbon emissions.  The crop structure was relatively stable, and their effects were modest from 2010 to 2015.  From 2015 to 2020, the crop structural change began to play a greater role and generate synergistic effects in improving land productivity, micronutrient supply, and reducing carbon emissions, contributing to approximately a quarter of the growth of land productivity and 30% of total carbon emissions reduction.  These results suggest that strategies for crop structural change should comprehensively consider its multiple impacts, aiming to achieve co-benefits while minimizing trade-offs.

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Effects of formal credit on pastoral household expense: Evidence from the Qinghai–Xizang Plateau of China Yan Zhang, Yi Huang, Fan Zhang, Zeng Tang 2024, 23(5): 1774-1785.  DOI: 10.1016/j.jia.2023.08.013 Abstract ( )   PDF in ScienceDirect   Formal credit is critical in agricultural production, allowing more expenditure and productive input, thereby improving farmers’ welfare.  In pastoral China, formal financial institutions are gradually increasing.  However, a limited understanding remains of how formal credit affects herders’ household expenses.  Based on a survey of 544 herders from the Qinghai–Xizang Plateau of China, this study adopted the propensity score matching approach to identify the effect of formal credit on herders’ total household expenses, daily expenses, and productive expenses.  The results found that average age, grassland mortgage, and other variables significantly affected herders’ participation in formal credit.  Formal credit could significantly improve household expenses, especially productive expenses.  A heterogeneity analysis showed that formal credit had a greater impact on the household total expense for those at higher levels of wealth; however, it significantly affected the productive expense of herders at lower wealth levels.  Moreover, the mediating effect indicated that formal credit could affect herders’ household income, thus influencing their household expenses.  Finally, this study suggests that policies should improve herders’ accessibility to formal credit.