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    Research progress of seed dormancy and germination regulation
    SONG Song-Quan, TANG Cui-Fang, LEI Hua-Ping, JIANG Xiao-Cheng, WANG Wei-Qing, CHENG Hong-Yan
    Acta Agronomica Sinica    2024, 50 (1): 1-15.   DOI: 10.3724/SP.J.1006.2024.34012
    Abstract2673)   HTML232)    PDF(pc) (3074KB)(4675)       Save

    Dormancy enables plant seeds to time germination until environmental conditions become favorable for seedling survival and growth. The dormancy characteristics of seeds are of important ecological adaptive significance and notable agricultural value. Phytohormone abscisic acid (ABA) and gibberellin (GA) are the key factors for seed dormancy and germination. Mature seeds in dormancy state contain high levels of ABA and low levels of GA. ABA induces and maintains seed dormancy, while GA antagonizes ABA and promotes seed germination. DELAY OF GERMINATION-1 (DOG1) is a major regulator of seed dormancy and had a synergistic effect with ABA to delay germination. DOG1 enhances ABA signal transduction by combining with PP2C ABA hypersensitive germination (AHG1/AHG3), and inhibits the action of AHG1 to increase ABA sensitivity and impose seed dormancy. Imprinted genes are regulated by epigenetic mechanisms before and after fertilization, and are closely related to the establishment and release of seed dormancy. In recent years, remarkable progress has been made in the regulation of seed dormancy. In the present paper, we reviewed the effects of phytohormones ABA and GA on seed dormancy and germination, the action mechanism regulating seed dormancy by DOG1, and the epigenetic regulation of seed dormancy and germination. In addition, we also propose some scientific issues that need to be further investigated in this field to provide some information for understanding the molecular mechanism of seed dormancy and germination, breeding in anti-preharvest sprouting in crop plants, and promoting the germination of dormant seeds.

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    Function and application of calcium in plant growth and development
    WANG Yu, GAO Geng-Dong, GE Meng-Meng, CHANG Ying, TAN Jing, GE Xian-Hong, WANG Jing, WANG Bo, ZHOU Guang-Sheng, FU Ting-Dong
    Acta Agronomica Sinica    2024, 50 (4): 793-807.   DOI: 10.3724/SP.J.1006.2024.34145
    Abstract2071)   HTML142)    PDF(pc) (4101KB)(1353)       Save

    Calcium is one of the essential elements in crops. It is widely present in roots, stems, leaves, flowers, fruits, and seeds, and is of great significance for the growth and development of crops. Calcium is a difficult element to redistribute, and its absorption and transport are subject to transpiration. Therefore, crops often experience physiological calcium deficiency, which weakens their stress resistance and reduces both yield and quality. Calcium in crops has dual functions. It not only participates in the formation of cell walls and membranes but also plays a role in responding to various environmental stimuli and internal growth and development signals as an intracellular second messenger. The absorption and transportation of calcium in cells are essential for maintaining intracellular calcium homeostasis and ensuring calcium signal transduction. In recent years, the function and application of calcium in crops have been extensively studied. In this study, we describe the distribution, absorption, transportation, and demand of calcium in crops, introduce the symptoms and causes of calcium deficiency in crops, review the nutritional structure functions of calcium, the second messenger function and the mechanism of calcium signal generation, transmission, and decoding, and summarize the role of calcium in crop growth and development, including its effects on yield, quality, and stress resistance. Meanwhile, the future research direction is proposed.

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    A retrospective analysis of the historical evolution and developing trend of maize mega varieties in China from 1982 to 2020
    BAI Yan, GAO Ting-Ting, LU Shi, ZHENG Shu-Bo, LU Ming
    Acta Agronomica Sinica    2023, 49 (8): 2064-2076.   DOI: 10.3724/SP.J.1006.2023.23067
    Abstract1214)   HTML65)    PDF(pc) (489KB)(1158)       Save

    Seed is the chip of agriculture and the upgrading of excellent varieties has played an important role in improving the yield of corn in China. It is of great practical significance to study the historical contribution and developing trend of mega maize varieties in China in recent 40 years. Based on the dataset of planting area of individual maize varieties released by the National Extension and Service Center of Agricultural Technology from 1982 to 2020, 27 mega maize varieties such as Zhengdan 958 in recent 40 years with the total promotion of 321 million hectares accounting for 29.09% of the total corn planting area in China were screened..There were four utmost mega varieties (Zhengdan 958, Zhongdan 2, Danyu 13, and Xianyu 335) and six massive mega varieties (Jundan 20, Yedan 2, Nongda 108, Yedan 13, Sidan 19, and Yandan 14). The promotion period was 8-30 years, with an average of 17.63 years, the maximum promotion area in a single year was 699,700-4,569,500 hm2, with an average of 1,507,900 hm2. It was mainly distributed in Shandong, Henan, Hebei, Jilin, Heilongjiang, Inner Mongolia, and other production regions and the provinces (regions) with 13 varieties exceeding 666,700 hm2 per year were Shandong, Henan, Hebei, Jilin, Heilongjiang, Inner Mongolia, Liaoning, and Sichuan. The proportion of planting area of mega varieties to the total area increased rapidly from 1982 to 1989, remained stable from 1990 to 1997, decreased after 1998, and decreased to about 12% by 2020. Some varieties such as Yufeng 303 and Zhongkeyu 505 had the potential to develop into mega varieties. In the future, intelligent design breeding will efficiently cultivate a new generation of breakthrough varieties and accelerate the improvement of maize yield. According to the current maize production problems and future development trends, it is recommended to further improve the regional test of maize varieties in terms of distribution layout, test accuracy and variety approval standards of regional tests.

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    Research progress on the intensification of agroecosystem functions through legume-based crop rotation
    LIU Chun-Yan, ZHANG Li-Ying, ZHOU Jie, XU Yi, YANG Ya-Dong, ZENG Zhao-Hai, ZANG Hua-Dong
    Acta Agronomica Sinica    2024, 50 (8): 1885-1895.   DOI: 10.3724/SP.J.1006.2024.34195
    Abstract1071)   HTML95)    PDF(pc) (4936KB)(952)       Save

    Although intensive agriculture plays a crucial role in ensuring global food security, the conflict between its environmental costs and sustainable development is becoming increasingly prominent. Legume inclusion into agroecosystem is vital for improving soil health, enhancing agroecosystem stability, and achieving resource utilization efficiency. This paper provides a systematic summary of the main effects of the legume-based rotation on crop production and soil function as follows: 1) Legume enhance soil nitrogen (N) content through biological N fixation, high-quality rhizosphere exudates input, and straw incorporation, resulting in positive legacy effects. This, in turn, benefits the subsequent crop yields, particularly in agroecosystems with low soil fertility. 2) Although the biological N fixation of legumes poses the risk of increasing CO2 emissions, it can mitigate greenhouse gas emissions by reducing N fertilization in the rotation. 3) The low C/N ratio and high N content of legume straw promote soil microbial activity and microbial residue accumulation, thereby improving soil carbon sequestration efficiency. However, the limited amount of straw for legumes restricts C sequestration. 4) Legumes can improve water and fertilizer utilization efficiency of subsequent crops, and optimizing the root depth between legume and subsequent crop can enhance the overall efficiency of water and fertilizer usage in the rotation. In conclusion, the inclusion of legumes in crop rotation can achieve a reduction in N fertilizer usage and an increase in yield. However, the effects of soil carbon sequestration and greenhouse gas emission reduction are influenced by various factors such as crop type, fertilizer input, soil, and climate conditions. Exploring the coupling mechanisms between the effects of legumes on subsequent crop yield and belowground ecological functions is of great significance. Developing field management technologies for legume-based crop rotation and designing new ecological and efficient cropping systems suitable for various regions in China will facilitate the construction and implementation of legume-based rotations, contributing to agricultural green development.

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    Research progress on genetic basis and QTL mapping of oil content in peanut seed
    ZHANG Yue, WANG Zhi-Hui, HUAI Dong-Xin, LIU Nian, JIANG Hui-Fang, LIAO Bo-Shou, LEI Yong
    Acta Agronomica Sinica    2024, 50 (3): 529-542.   DOI: 10.3724/SP.J.1006.2024.34083
    Abstract1000)   HTML135)    PDF(pc) (590KB)(694)       Save

    Peanut is an important oilseed crop in China, and oil content is an important quality trait and breeding target of peanut. One percentage point increase in peanut oil content is equivalent to an increase of two percentage points in yield, and oil processing profit can be increased by seven percentage points. This study outlined four predominant methods for phenotyping peanut oil content. The genetic characteristics of oil content in peanut were quantitative traits under polygenic control, that were affected by additive and dominant effects, and influenced by G×E interaction. There were 124 QTL reported for oil content, with 36 major effect loci by (phenotypic variation explained) more than 10%. Eight major effect QTL on A03, A05, and A08 can be consistently identified. A consistent genetic map of oil content in peanut was constructed, with a hotspot region on the 33.59-50.24 Mb of A08. In addition, the research progress of lipid synthesis and the regulatory mechanisms of associated genes was detailed. This review aspires to provide theoretical guidance for the genetic improvement of oil content and the breeding of high oil varieties of peanut.

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    Knockout of GmBADH1 gene using CRISPR/Cas9 technique to reduce salt tolerance in soybean
    SHI Yu-Xin, LIU Xin-Yue, SUN Jian-Qiang, LI Xiao-Fei, GUO Xiao-Yang, ZHOU Ya, QIU Li-Juan
    Acta Agronomica Sinica    2024, 50 (1): 100-109.   DOI: 10.3724/SP.J.1006.2024.34056
    Abstract944)   HTML61)    PDF(pc) (3225KB)(418)       Save

    Functional identification of salt-tolerant genes is crucial for the improvement of soybean varieties and the development and utilization of saline-alkali land. Under salt stress, crops reduce the effect of salt damage on crop yield by synthesizing and accumulating betaine as osmotic protective agent. BADH gene is been proved to regulate plant response to stress in many plants, but the regulation mechanism in soybean is not clear. In this study, GmBADH1 gene was cloned, and qRT-PCR showed that the gene was expressed stems and leaves, especially in roots. The expression vector constructed by CRISPR/Cas9 system was transferred into soybean variety JACK by Agrobacterium-mediated soybean genetic transformation technology, and three targeted mutations that could regulate the salt tolerance of soybean were produced. They all occurred in the coding region, which had three difference of deletion 19 bp, insertion 1 bp, and insertion 9 bp to replace 2 bp. The first two, premature termination codons, resulting in truncated BADH1 protein, the latter occurred frameshift mutation. The mutant homozygous plants were treated with salt at the emergence stage and seedling stage, respectively. The results showed that the salt tolerance of the mutant homozygous plants was significantly lower than that of the wild type at seedling stage, and there was no significant difference compared with the wild type at seeding stage, which indicating that GmBADH1 gene may mainly regulate the salt tolerance of seedling stage. This study provides a basis for further excavation of soybean salt-tolerant genes and cultivation of soybean salt-tolerant varieties.

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    Genetic analysis of seed coat and flower color based on a soybean nested association mapping population
    SONG Jian, XIONG Ya-Jun, CHEN Yi-Jie, XU Rui-Xin, LIU Kang-Lin, GUO Qing-Yuan, HONG Hui-Long, GAO Hua-Wei, GU Yong-Zhe, ZHANG Li-Juan, GUO Yong, YAN Zhe, LIU Zhang-Xiong, GUAN Rong-Xia, LI Ying-Hui, WANG Xiao-Bo, GUO Bing-Fu, SUN Ru-Jian, YAN Long, WANG Hao-Rang, JI Yue-Mei, CHANG Ru-Zhen, WANG Jun, QIU Li-Juan
    Acta Agronomica Sinica    2024, 50 (3): 556-575.   DOI: 10.3724/SP.J.1006.2024.34094
    Abstract917)   HTML48)    PDF(pc) (12248KB)(322)       Save

    Nested Association Mapping (NAM) population is widely applied in genetic study and breeding practice in many crops. A NAM panel was constructed by crossing of 35 parental lines with the common maternal lines (Zhongdou 41) based on previous evaluation of soybean germplasm. Principle component analysis and clustering analysis showed that clear genetic structure was observed between subpanel of RIL populations. Genetic analysis was performed on flower color and seed coat color in NAM subpanel with significant difference between paternal and maternal parents, and we found that qFC13-1 was significantly associated with flower color, which coincided with the W1 locus. Twelve loci identified were significantly correlated with seed coat color, among which nine loci were co-located by more than three methods, and the other three loci were co-located by two methods, including four reported loci and eight novel loci. In conclusion, NAM population was suitable for genetic analysis of soybean, which provided material basis for genetic interpretation and breeding practice for complex traits in soybean.

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    Genetic analysis of elite stripe rust resistance genes of founder parent Zhou 8425B in its derived varieties
    LI Yu-Jia, XU Hao, YU Shi-Nan, TANG Jian-Wei, LI Qiao-Yun, GAO Yan, ZHENG Ji-Zhou, DONG Chun-Hao, YUAN Yu-Hao, ZHENG Tian-Cun, YIN Gui-Hong
    Acta Agronomica Sinica    2024, 50 (1): 16-31.   DOI: 10.3724/SP.J.1006.2024.31013
    Abstract916)   HTML58)    PDF(pc) (4495KB)(360)       Save

    Zhou 8425B is a widely used dwarf large panicle and disease-resistant and stress-resistant Wheat Founder Parent in the wheat production areas of the Yellow-Huaihe-Haihe Rivers regions. The analysis of stripe rust resistance of derived varieties and the genetic transmission information of stripe rust resistance gene carried by Zhou 8425B is of great value for wheat new variety breeding. In this study, we used a highly toxic race of stripe rust, Tiaozhong 34 (CYR34), to identify the resistance of 222 collected Zhou 8425B derived varieties to stripe rust at seedling stage. The hybrid strain mainly CYR34 was used to identify the resistance to stripe rust at adult stage of the derived varieties. Subsequently, molecular markers closely linked to the stripe rust resistance genes (YrZH84, YrZH84.2, Yr30, YrZH22, and Yr9 carried by Zhou 8425B) were used for genotype detection of the derived varieties. The results showed that Zhou 8425B was highly resistant to stripe rust stripe rust at seedling stage and adult stage to the current virulent dominant race CYR34. Among the 222 derivative varieties of Zhou 8425B, 14 of them, including Changmai 9, Jiyanmai 10, Bainong 4199, Saidemai 7, and Zhengmai 103, etc., showed stable disease resistance in two years, accounting for 6.3%; 52 derivative varieties, include Zhoumai 11, Zhoumai 22, Zhoumai 26, Zhoumai 36, Lantian 36, Cunmai 16 and Zhengpinmai 8, etc., had stable disease resistance during the whole growth period, accounting for 23.4%. Many derivative varieties of Zhou 8425B were mainly derived from six offspring, including Zhoumai 11, Zhoumai 12, Zhoumai 13, Zhoumai 15, Zhoumai 16, and Zhoumai 17. In the first generation, Zhoumai 16 and Zhoumai 13 directly derived more varieties because of their good agronomic characters, while Zhoumai 15 and Zhoumai 17 derived fewer varieties. Zhoumai 12 and Zhoumai 13 bred the second generation, Zhoumai 22, and then derived 45 sub-generations, and Zhoumai 11 bred Aikang 58, and then derived 54 sub-generations. The excellent stripe rust resistance gene of Zhou 8425B was continuously separated and polymerized in the process of genetic breeding. The frequencies of YrZH84, YrZH84.2, YrZH22, Yr30, and Yr9 in the derived offspring were 34.7%, 14.9%, 41.9%, 66.2%, and 67.1%, respectively. Among the derivative varieties carrying only one disease resistance gene, the average severity of YrZH84 was the lowest (14.4%). Among the derived varieties that aggregate two disease resistance genes, the average severity of carrying YrZH84+YrZH22 was the lowest (20.0%); among the derived varieties that aggregate three disease resistance genes, the average severity of carrying YrZH84+YrZH22+Yr9 was the lowest (17.2%). Among the derived varieties that aggregate four disease resistance genes, the average severity of carrying YrZH84+YrZH22+Yr30+Yr9 was 16.9%, and the average severity of carrying YrZH84.2+YrZH22+Yr30+Yr9 was 38.4%. At seedling stage, derived varieties that carried the YrZH84 resistance gene or a combination of genes containing YrZH84 during the entire growth period had better disease resistance. These results provide the information of stripe rust gene for the continuous improvement and utilization of the Founder Parent Zhou 8425B in China, identify the new derived germplasm with high resistance and high yield to the highly virulent physiological race CYR34, which providing a reference for the genetic breeding of wheat resistance to stripe rust in China.

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    Construction of evaluation method for tolerance to high-temperature and screening of heat-tolerant germplasm resources of bud stage in soybean
    LI Jia-Jia, LONG Qun, ZHU Shang-Shang, SHAN Ya-Jing, WU Mei-Yan, LU Yun, ZHI Xian-Guan, LIAO Wei, CHEN Hao-Ran, ZHAO Zhen-Bang, MIAO Long, GAO Hui-Hui, LI Ying-Hui, WANG Xiao-Bo, QIU Li-Juan
    Acta Agronomica Sinica    2023, 49 (11): 2863-2875.   DOI: 10.3724/SP.J.1006.2023.34025
    Abstract889)   HTML68)    PDF(pc) (530KB)(2502)       Save

    The frequent occurrence of extreme high temperature (HT) events causes continuous heat damage to soybean production, which seriously damages the yield components and quality traits. The seeds are sensitive to the changes of the external environment at germination stage. The rising temperature and the accompanying drought will affect the emergence of soybean seeds. The establishment of a set of scientific evaluation methods for HT tolerance at bud stage can provide a theoretical basis for the early identification of soybean, the breeding of HT tolerance germplasm, and the study of tolerance mechanism. In this study, 385 germplasm resources varieties were selected as the experimental materials, which creating a HT environment by artificial climate incubator and subjected to HT-stress for 3 d (40℃, 16 h light /8 h darkness) at bud stage of soybean. Compared with the control (25℃, 16 h light /8 h darkness), the hypocotyl length of soybean bud stage was significantly decreased 10.9% under HT stress (P < 0.05). The indices of fresh root weight, dry root weight, and root-shoot ratio increased by 13.10%, 22.20%, and 16.90%, respectively (P<0.01). The results showed that HT-stress significantly affected the surface and underground biomass distribution of bud stage in soybean. Meanwhile, the principal component analysis for the coefficient of HT-tolerance for each trait converted 11 indexes into two principal component factors. The comprehensive evaluation value (H-value) of soybean response to HT-stress was obtained by the standardized analysis of membership function, and cluster analysis was conducted for the tested varieties based on H-value. Ultimately, 385 germplasm resources were divided into 5 grades for the HT-tolerance at bud stage in soybean [namely: Grade I (tolerance), Grade II (strong tolerance), Grade III (medium), Grade IV (strong sensitive), and Grade V (sensitive type)] and four HT-resistant varieties based on the specific performance (H245, H070, H268, and H216) were initially selected combined with the actual heat resistance performance. After the stepwise regression analysis of each index, a predictive model for the comprehensive evaluation of HT tolerance (H-value) at bud stage of soybean was established: H = 0.191 + 0.017X1 - 0.007X2 + 0.013X7 + 0.027X8 - 0.009X10 (R2=0.9752). Five indexes main including hypocotyl length (X1), main root length (X2), hypocotyl dry weight (X7), root fresh weight (X8), and simplified vigor index (X10) were screened out as the evaluation indexes for HT tolerance at bud stage in soybean.

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    Advances in heat-stress responses at sexual reproduction stage in plants
    CHEN Sai-Hua, ZHONG Wei-Jie, XUE Ming
    Acta Agronomica Sinica    2023, 49 (12): 3143-3153.   DOI: 10.3724/SP.J.1006.2023.32020
    Abstract828)   HTML109)    PDF(pc) (4257KB)(603)       Save

    The occurrence of extreme hot weather poses a threat to crop production. Heat stress suffered at reproductive stage in crops is always correlated with crop yield losses, and thus the underlying molecular mechanisms are of great significance in crop thermotolerance improvement. However, relevant studies are mainly focused on Arabidopsis and less is known in crops. From the perspective of plants, here, we reviewed the heat-stress responses at reproductive stage, including meiosis process, tapetum degradation, microspore development, pollen-tube germination, and fertilization, as well as seed development. Based on these advances, we proposed feasible strategies for thermotolerance improvement, which will pave a way for the breeding of heat-tolerant crop varieties.

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    Mining maize flowering traits related candidate genes based on GWAS and WGCNA data
    QIAN Fu, ZHANG Zhan-Qin, CHEN Shu-Bin, DING Yong-Fu, SANG Zhi-Qin, LI Wei-Hua
    Acta Agronomica Sinica    2023, 49 (12): 3261-3276.   DOI: 10.3724/SP.J.1006.2023.33010
    Abstract823)   HTML42)    PDF(pc) (1510KB)(410)       Save

    The flowering time is one of the important traits in maize. It is of great significance to analyze the genetic basis and to mine the key core genes in flowering for maize varieties with wide adaptability. A natural population consisting of 580 maize inbred lines were planted for three years, to determine the three flowering traits (including days to anthesis, days to silking, and anthesis silking interval). Genome-wide association analysis was conducted using 31,826 SNPs distributed throughout the whole genome. Combined with transcriptome data of 14 different developmental stages of inbred line B73, weighted gene co-expression network analysis was performed to select tissue specific modules and key genes related to maize flowering time. A total of 14 SNPs for four flower traits under multiple environments and 10 potential candidate genes were mined by GWAS, WGCNA was used to mine 17 potential candidate genes in flowering time, three candidate genes were jointly mined by both approaches. Zm00001d052180 encodes a MADS box transcription factor 19, Zm00001d016814 encodes the NAC transcription factor 133, Zm00001d048082 encodes MADS box transcription factor 8, mainly involved in regulating inflorescence growth and development, which has certain research value and significance. These results provide a reference for the genetic basis and molecular mechanisms of flowering time related traits in maize.

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    Physicochemical properties of wheat starch and the molecular mechanisms of its synthesis
    KANG Guo-Zhang, WANG Yong-Hua, GUO Tian-Cai
    Acta Agronomica Sinica    2024, 50 (11): 2665-2673.   DOI: 10.3724/SP.J.1006.2024.41020
    Abstract798)   HTML52)    PDF(pc) (681KB)(599)       Save

    Starch is the most important component of wheat grain, determining grain weight and significantly influencing the quality of noodles and steamed buns, the primary cooking pasta products in China. Therefore, it is crucial to deeply explore the physicochemical properties of wheat starch and the molecular mechanisms underlying its synthesis. In common wheat, amylose and amylopectin constitute 17%-34% and 66%-83% of the total starch content, respectively. These two components exist in two particle shapes: A-type ( > 9.8 μm) and B-type ( < 9.8 μm). Their physicochemical properties (content, amylose/amylopectin ratio, swelling, gelatinization, etc.) significantly affect the processing quality of cooked pasta products such as noodles and steamed buns. The wheat genome contains 26 genes that encode subunits or isoenzymes of starch synthesis enzymes, with their expression levels being heavily regulated at transcriptional, post-transcriptional, and post-translational levels. This review examines the physicochemical properties of wheat starch, the relationships between these properties and the processing quality of noodles and steamed buns, the functional genes involved in starch synthesis, and their regulatory factors at transcriptional, post-transcriptional, and translational levels. Finally, future research directions for wheat starch are discussed.

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    Development, genetic deciphering, and breeding utilization of dwarf lines in foxtail millet
    DIAO Xian-Min, WANG Li-Wei, ZHI Hui, ZHANG Jun, LI Shun-Guo, CHENG Ru-Hong
    Acta Agronomica Sinica    2024, 50 (2): 265-279.   DOI: 10.3724/SP.J.1006.2024.34131
    Abstract794)   HTML58)    PDF(pc) (4944KB)(873)       Save

    Foxtail millet (Setaria italica) is an important cereal crop in northern China’s arid and semiarid dry land agriculture, which has recently been proposed as a novel model for functional genomics. Breeding dwarf varieties is the development trend of foxtail millet industry. To date, more than 70 foxtail millet dwarf lines have been developed and reported worldwide. According to morphological characteristics, foxtail millet dwarf lines can be divided into two types: compact type with erect leaves and conventional type with droopy leaves. Gibberellins (GA) sensitivity assay indicated that four materials were not sensitive to GA and the others were sensitive. Genetic analyses detected that most of the dwarf phenotype lines were controlled by recessive genes, but the height phenotype of Ai 88 was controlled by multi-dwarf-gene. So far, 79 QTL related with plant height regulation were detected by natural population GWAS or linkage analysis. Among seven genes or QTL fine mapped in foxtail millet, the semi-dominant dwarfism gene SiD1 in 84113 was the only one cloned and functionally characterized. In the history of breeding dwarf foxtail millet variety, Ai 88 was a backbone line, which had been utilized to develop 139 cultivars with reducing plant height to meet the requirement of logging resistance and mechanized harvest. In this study, we reviewed systematically the research progress of dwarfing gene in foxtail millet, sorted out the dwarfing genes that had been located and cloned, discussed the problems in the research of dwarfing genetics and breeding, and prospected the future development in foxtail.

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    Identification of candidate genes implicated in low-nitrogen-stress tolerance based on RNA-Seq in sorghum
    WANG Rui, ZHANG Fu-Yao, ZHAN Peng-Jie, CHU Jian-Qiang, JIN Min-Shan, ZHAO Wei-Jun, CHENG Qing-Jun
    Acta Agronomica Sinica    2024, 50 (3): 669-685.   DOI: 10.3724/SP.J.1006.2024.34055
    Abstract774)   HTML40)    PDF(pc) (1360KB)(1177)       Save

    The objective of this study is to explore gene differential expression between different sorghum materials under low nitrogen stress conditions and to provide the references for probing into the breeding of low-nitrogen-tolerant sorghum varieties and the molecular mechanism of low-nitrogen-stress tolerance in sorghum. Two low-nitrogen-tolerant sorghum varieties (BSX44 and BTx378) were selected as experimental materials, and both of them were subjected to normal-growth treatment and low-nitrogen-stress treatment respectively before the gene expression of sorghum was detected at seedling stage, heading stage and flowering stage via RNA-Seq technology. The biological functions and metabolic pathways of the differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were analyzed by bioinformatics to screen genes that may be involved in the low-nitrogen regulation, and to understand the possible molecular pathways for nitrogen efficient materials in the process of nitrogen absorption and utilization. The results showed that: For BTx378 and BSX44, under normal-growth and low-nitrogen-stress treatments, 937 and 787 DEGs were detected at the seedling stage, 1305 and 935 at the heading stage, and 1402 and 963 at the flowering stage, for BTx378 and BSX44 respectively. Then the converged DEGs at the three stages were identified, and it was found that 246 genes were differentially expressed in the two low-nitrogen-tolerant sorghum varieties at the seedling stage, 371 at the heading stage, and 306 at the flowering stage. Furthermore, a total of 28 genes were consistently detected as DEGs at all three stages in the two low-nitrogen tolerant varieties, among which 5 genes were up-regulated and 23 genes were down-regulated. The KEGG analysis of the 28 common DEGs showed that they were mainly enriched in nitrogen metabolism, alanine, aspartic acid and glutamic acid metabolism, glycerophospholipid metabolism, and amino acid biosynthesis. This suggested that regulation of the genes in these pathways mainly affects the low nitrogen stress tolerance in sorghum.

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    Function analysis of different Cas9 promoters on the efficiency of CRISPR/ Cas9 system in soybean
    NIU Zhi-Yuan, QIN Chao, LIU Jun, WANG Hai-Ze, LI Hong-Yu
    Acta Agronomica Sinica    2023, 49 (12): 3227-3238.   DOI: 10.3724/SP.J.1006.2023.24285
    Abstract772)   HTML40)    PDF(pc) (8408KB)(330)       Save

    The CRISPR/Cas9 system has been widely used in plants and animals as an efficient gene editing system. Several Cas9 promoters, such as RPS5A and YAO, have been reported to improve the efficiency of gene editing in CRISPR/Cas9 system. In soybean, the influence of different Cas9 promoters on the efficiency of the CRISPR/Cas9 gene-editing system has not been elucidated. In this study, six efficient promoters with known functions (p35S, pGmRPS5Ab, pGmRPS5Ac, pAtRPS5A, pGmYAO, and pZmUbiquitin) and one endogenous soybean promoter with unknown function (pGmHE) were selected to construct the CRISPR/Cas9 knockout vectors. The editing efficiency of the Cas9 promoters on the endogenous soybean genes GmSPA1a and GmEID1 was tested by Agrobacterium tumefaciens mediated hair roots system, which indicated that soybean endogenous promoter pGmRPS5Ab had the highest editing efficiency. The editing efficiency of pAtRPS5A, p35S, and pZmUbiquitin were higher than that of pGmYAO and pGmRPS5Ac. Further analysis of the sequencing maps of target sites showed that the high peak maps accounted for 64.0% and 58.6% in the sequencing maps of pGmRPS5Ab and pAtRPS5A promoters, respectively, while in the sequencing maps of p35S-driven hair roots, the low peak accounted for a higher proportion (63.3%). These above results indicated that pGmRP5SAb and pAtRPS5A promoters not only had high editing efficiency, but also had better editing effect, and were more conducive to the isolation of homozygous mutants in the next generation. In conclusion, this study provide the reference for the construction of efficient soybean CRISPR/Cas9 vectors and help to improve the efficiency of soybean gene editing.

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    QTL mapping and GWAS analysis of coleoptile length in bread wheat
    HAO Qian-Lin, YANG Ting-Zhi, LYU Xin-Ru, QIN Hui-Min, WANG Ya-Lin, JIA Chen-Fei, XIA Xian-Chun, MA Wu-Jun, XU Deng-An
    Acta Agronomica Sinica    2024, 50 (3): 590-602.   DOI: 10.3724/SP.J.1006.2024.31034
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    Under drought conditions, the emergence rate of wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) can be improved by proper deep sowing. The maximum sowing depth of wheat is determined by the length of the coleoptile, so it is very important to cultivate wheat varieties with long coleoptile. In this study, a recombinant inbred line (RIL) population consisting of 275 lines derived from the cross of Doumai and Shi 4185, and 186 natural population materials were used as the experimental materials. Genotyping results of 90K SNP chip were used to identify QTL for wheat coleoptile length in three different environments. The results showed that two stable QTL sites were identified by inclusive composite interval mapping in the RIL population. The two QTL located on Chromosome 4BS (30.17-40.59 Mb) and 6BL (700.08-703.53 Mb), respectively, and explained 26.29%-28.46% and 4.16%- 4.36% of the phenotypic variance, respectively. A total of 36 stable QTL were identified in the genome-wide association study (GWAS) using the mixed linear model. They were located on Chromosome 1A (3), 1B (3), 1D (2), 2A (1), 3A (2), 3B (2), 4B (11), 5A (1), 5B (3), 6B (4), 7A (2), and 7B (2), respectively. Seven significant association loci were repeatedly detected in the three environments, three of which overlapped or were adjacent to reported loci, and the other four loci were presumed to be new loci. They were located on Chromosomes 1A (499.03 Mb), 3A (73.06 Mb), 4B (648.74-648.87 Mb), and 7A (36.31 Mb), respectively. Five candidate genes (TraesCS1A03G0748300, Rht1, TraesCS4B03G0110000, TraesCS4B03G0112200, and TraesCS7A03G0146600) were predicted. A major QTL locus on Chromosome 4BS (30.17-40.59 Mb) was identified in both RIL and natural populations, and the candidate gene Rht1 at this locus had been shown to reduce the length of wheat coleoptile. The results of this study lay a foundation for the identification of genes controlling the length of coleoptile in wheat and the maker-assisted selection breeding.

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    Haplotype analysis of soybean leaf type regulator gene Ln and its homologous genes
    LI Gang, ZHOU Yan-Chen, XIONG Ya-Jun, CHEN Yi-Jie, GUO Qing-Yuan, GAO Jie, SONG Jian, WANG Jun, LI Ying-Hui, QIU Li-Juan
    Acta Agronomica Sinica    2023, 49 (8): 2051-2063.   DOI: 10.3724/SP.J.1006.2023.24208
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    Soybean leaf type is an important component of ideal plant type, which is of great significance for the breeding of soybean varieties. In this study, we analyzed the haplotype of Ln and its homologous gene (Glyma.10G273800) in 598 materials from different regions of China. Ln gene and homologous gene contained three haplotypes (Hap1-Hap3), respectively. There was no significant difference in leaf length between the three haplotypes of Ln gene, and Hap2 was significantly different from Hap1/Hap3 in leaf width, leaf area, and leaf length width ratio. There were significant differences between Hap3 and Hap2 of Ln homologous gene in different leaf types. There was no difference in the ratio of leaf length to width between Hap1 and Hap2. There was no significant difference in leaf width phenotype at the 4th leaf site, and Hap1 at the 5th leaf site was significantly lower than Hap2. Leaf length, leaf area, and leaf circumference Hap1 were significantly lower than Hap2. In terms of geographical distribution, Hap2 of Ln gene was mainly distributed in high latitude and high altitude regions, and no obvious regional bias was detected in the distribution of the three haplotypes of its homologous genes. Genetic analysis showed that only D9H of Hap2 in Ln gene had artificial selection signal, while the other two mutation sites in Ln gene and two mutation sites in homologous gene had no artificial selection signal. This study provides the theoretical basis for soybean leaf type breeding and has positive significance for increasing soybean yield.

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    Functional identification of maize transcription factor ZmMYB12 to enhance drought resistance and low phosphorus tolerance in plants
    WANG Li-Ping, WANG Xiao-Yu, FU Jing-Ye, WANG Qiang
    Acta Agronomica Sinica    2024, 50 (1): 76-88.   DOI: 10.3724/SP.J.1006.2024.33007
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    Maize usually suffers from various abiotic stresses such as drought, high temperature, high salt, and deficiency of nutrient elements during growth and development period, which will eventually lead to the decline of yield and quality, resulting in serious agricultural yield reduction. MYB transcription factors are widely distributed in plants and involved in the whole process of plant growth and development and environmental response. Therefore, the screening and identification of MYB transcription factors conferring stress resistance can provide the theoretical basis and technical support for genetic improvement in maize. In this study, a R2R3-MYB family transcription factor gene, ZmMYB12, was cloned from maize materials under drought treatment. This gene showed inducible expression in response to drought, ABA, and PEG treatments. Maize plants with virus induced gene silencing (VIGS) of ZmMYB12 had higher sensitivity to drought and accumulated more reactive oxygen species (ROS), as well as smaller roots. The survival rate of ZmMYB12 silencing plants was lower after re-watering than the wild type plants (WT), indicating that ZmMYB12 was a positive regulator of drought response. Overexpression of ZmMYB12 in Arabidopsis thaliana resulted in less ROS accumulation and more lateral roots than WT, thus elevating drought resistance. After low phosphorus stress, ZmMYB12 overexpression Arabidopsis had more lateral roots and stronger root system, as well as higher contents of chlorophyll and anthocyanin. The content of inorganic phosphorus in ZmMYB12 overexpression Arabidopsis was also higher than WT. In conclusion, this study indicates that ZmMYB12 positively regulates drought response and increases the uptake and utilization of phosphorus in plants, providing an elite gene for maize breeding to increase abiotic resistance.

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    Effects of salinity stress on grain-filling characteristics and yield of rice
    WEI Huan-He, ZHANG Xiang, ZHU Wang, GENG Xiao-Yu, MA Wei-Yi, ZUO Bo-Yuan, MENG Tian-Yao, GAO Ping-Lei, CHEN Ying-Long, XU Ke, DAI Qi-Gen
    Acta Agronomica Sinica    2024, 50 (3): 734-746.   DOI: 10.3724/SP.J.1006.2024.32021
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    To investigate the effect of salinity stress on grain-filling and yield of rice, the conventional japonica rice Nanjing 9108 and Huaidao 5 which were widely planted in saline alkali soil of Jiangsu province were used as the experimental materials. The treatments including the control (CK, 0 salt concentration), medium-salinity (medium-salinity, MS, 0.15% salt concentration), and high salt (high salinity, 0.3% salt concentration) were set. The results showed that, compared with the CK: (1) MS and HS both significantly reduced rice grain yield by 26.3% and 57.7% (average of the two cultivars), respectively. The number of panicles, spikelets per panicle, filled-grain percentage, and 1000-grain weight were all significantly decreased under salinity stress. (2) Salinity stress significantly reduced rice panicle length, the number of superior and inferior grains per panicle, filled-grain percentage, and 1000-grain weight. The decreases in filled-grain percentage and 1000-grain weight of superior grains per panicle under salinity stress were lower than those of inferior grains. (3) Salinity stress significantly reduced the dry matter weight of plants at heading and maturity stages, and the dry matter accumulation from heading to maturity, while increased the harvest index. The net photosynthetic rate and SPAD value at 15 and 30 days after heading of rice leaves under salinity stress were significantly lower than CK. (4) Salinity stress reduced the maximum and mean grain-filling rates of grains during grain-filling period, while the time to achieve the maximum grain-filling rate and effective grain-filling duration of grains increased. Salinity stress increased the days at the first, middle, and late stages during grain-filling period for superior and inferior grains, while the mean grain-filling rate and grain filling amount significantly decreased at the first, middle, and late stages during grain-filling period. The decrease in grain filling amount of superior grains at the first, middle, and late stages during grain-filling period was lower than that of inferior grains. (5) Salinity stress significantly decreased activities of ADP-glucose pyrophosphorylase (AGPase), starch synthases (SSS), granule-bound starch synthase (GBSS), and starch branching enzymes (SBE), and the decrease was greater in inferior grains than superior grains. In conclusion, the grain-filling days for superior and inferior grains increased under salinity stress, but the decrease in grain filling rate and activities of key enzymes involved in starch synthesis was greater, resulting in a significant deterioration in grain filling traits and a significant decrease in grain weight and yield. The inhibitory effects of salinity stress on grain-filling rate and grain filling amount of inferior grains were higher than those of superior grains.

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    Functional analysis of OsFLZ13, the gene encoding a small peptide zinc finger protein in rice
    ZHANG Li-Jie, ZHOU Hai-Yu, MUHAMMAD Zeshan, MUNSIF Ali Shad, YANG Ming-Chong, LI Bo, HAN Shi-Jian, ZHANG Cui-Cui, HU Li-Hua, WANG Ling-Qiang
    Acta Agronomica Sinica    2024, 50 (3): 543-555.   DOI: 10.3724/SP.J.1006.2024.32023
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    FCS-like zinc finger (FLZ) is a protein associated with plant growth and stress. At present, there are few reports on FLZ gene family analysis and functional studies in rice. In this study, TBtools were used to blast rice genome, and a total of 29 OsFLZ genes were identified. Their gene location, gene structure, motif and promoter sequences were analyzed. The relative expression level of FLZ genes in rice from CREP database showed that, OsFLZ13, a member of this family, was predominantly expressed in anthers before flowering. β-D-glucuronidase (GUS) staining assays exhibited that OsFLZ13 began to express at stage 9 and gradually peaked at stage 14 of stamen development before flowering. Furthermore, two independent mutant lines, namely Osflz13-1 and Osflz13-2, were obtained with CRISPR/Cas9 gene editing system. Compared with the 94% seed-setting rate of wild type Zhonghua 11, the setting rates of Osflz13-1 and Osflz13-2 were reduced to 44% and 36%, respectively. This study throws light on the evolution of FLZ in planta and indicates the roles of OsFLZ13 in anthers development and pollen fertility, which will be beneficial further studies of its functions. Additionally, it provides a reference for exploring the function of the FLZ family and highlights its potential value for the utilization in male sterility systems in rice.

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    Differences of physiological responses and transcriptional regulation of alfalfa with different drought tolerances under drought stresses
    CHEN Li, WANG Jing, QIU Xiao, SUN Hai-Lian, ZHANG Wen-Hao, WANG Tian-Zuo
    Acta Agronomica Sinica    2023, 49 (8): 2122-2132.   DOI: 10.3724/SP.J.1006.2023.24205
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    Alfalfa is the most important legume forage, which is often planted in aird or semi-arid regions. The objective of this study is to explore the responsive mechanism of alfalfa with different drought tolerance to drought stress, which provides the theoretical basis for tolerant breeding of alfalfa. In this study, the new variety Medicago sativa ‘Zhongke 1’ was used as the test material, and M. sativa ‘Sanditi’ was used as the control. The effects of drought stress on growth traits, photosynthesis, chlorophyll concentration, leaf water content, osmotic adjustment substances, and antioxidant enzyme activities were determined by natural drought strategy in pots. The deferentially expressed genes were compared by transcriptome analysis. Drought stress significantly reduced plant height, biomass, relative water content of leaves, photosynthetic rate, transpiration rate, stomatal conductance, intercellular carbon dioxide and chlorophyll concentration of alfalfa. Compared with Sanditi, Zhongke 1 revealed the lower malondialdehyde concentration and electrical conductivity under drought stress, but stronger osmotic regulation ability and superoxide radical scavenging ability. Transcriptome sequencing identified 5308 and 8053 drought-responsive genes of Zhongke 1 and Sanditi, respectively. GO functional annotation demonstrated that 346 drought-responsive genes were significantly enriched in six GO item categories in Zhongke 1, while 1683 drought-responsive genes in Sanditi were significantly enriched in 29 GO item categories. The relative expression levels of 19 key drought-tolerant genes in Zhongke 1 were significantly higher than those in Sanditi. Alfalfa may maintain a relatively high photosynthetic rate by up-regulating the relative expression levels of drought tolerant genes SUS, P5CS, LEA, SOD, POD, PEPC, and NCED, thus improving osmotic regulation ability and antioxidant enzyme activity. The results provide a theoretical basis for further exploration of alfalfa’s candidate genes in response to drought stress and drought tolerant breeding.

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    Relative expression profiles of genes response to salt stress and constructions of gene co-expression networks in Brassica napus L.
    YANG Chuang, WANG Ling, QUAN Cheng-Tao, YU Liang-Qian, DAI Cheng, GUO Liang, FU Ting-Dong, MA Chao-Zhi
    Acta Agronomica Sinica    2024, 50 (1): 237-250.   DOI: 10.3724/SP.J.1006.2024.34076
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    Brassica napus L. is an important oil crop. Salt stress is one of the major environmental conditions affecting the growth and development of B. napus, which may lead to yield reduction, quality deterioration, and even the death of B. napus. In this study, the B. napus semi-winter cultivar ZS11 was used as the experimental material to perform transcriptome sequencing on the leaf and root tissues with salt stress treatment (0, 0.25, 0.5, 1, 3, 6, 12, and 24 h). The measured 90 RNA-seq data provided the high-resolution time dynamic transcriptional expression spectrum of rapeseed tissues responding to salt stress was obtained. Correlation analysis showed that the samples exhibited significant clustering differences in early response and late response before and after 1 h salt stress treatment. Using DESeq2 for differential gene analysis, we identified 20,462 and 29,334 differential genes for the response of root and leaf tissues, respectively, indicating that the overall response of leaf tissue in rapeseed was more severe than the root. Furthermore, WGCNA was used to construct gene co-expression networks for the salt stress response in root and leaf tissues, respectively, and tan and yellow modules were significantly related to the early response to salt stress, and green and red modules were significantly related to the late response to salt stress. GO enrichment analysis was then performed, and 41 and 26 core transcription factors responding to salt stress at the early and late stages, respectively, were selected from these networks. Functional annotation showed that the known Arabidopsis homologous genes involved in salt stress responses at different stages existed in all four modules, and core genes, such as BnWRKY46 and BnWRKY57, had abundant SNPs variation and haplotypes in 505 salt stress-treated rape population variation data, suggesting that these core transcription factors might be key candidate genes for rape salt stress response. This study provides a reliable data reference and candidate gene resources for improving salt tolerance in B. napus.

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    Mechanism of loding residence and drought tolerance of OsCNGC10 gene in rice
    ZHU Zhong-Lin, WEN Yue, ZHOU Qi, WU Yan-Fei, DU Xue-Zhu, SHENG Feng
    Acta Agronomica Sinica    2024, 50 (5): 1351-1360.   DOI: 10.3724/SP.J.1006.2024.32027
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    Cyclic nucleotide-gated ion channels are ligand-gated cationic channels that exist in animals and plants, which are an important part of eukaryotic signaling cascades. In this study, OsCNGC10 (cyclic nucleotide-gated channel) gene in rice was used, and the overexpression vector pU1301-CNGC10-Flag and the double-target knockout vector pRGEB32-CRISPR/cas9-cngc10 were constructed. The knockout and overexpression materials were obtained by Agrobacterium-mediated genetic transformation. Homozygous plants oscngc10-2 and OE-CNGC10-6 were isolated from T2 generation. The analysis of stem characteristics and lodging resistance of transgenic plants showed that oscngc10-2 had enhanced stem strength and lodging resistance. Stem cell wall sections and tissue composition analysis showed that oscngc10-2 increased lodging resistance due to the increase of stem wall thickness, parenchyma cell abundance, and lignin content. The knockout of OsCNGC10 increased the lignin content and the abundance of stem-cell wall parenchyma cells. The overexpression of OsCNGC10 reduced stem wall thickness, lignin content, and cell abundance in stem cell wall, while the knockdown of OsCNGC10 increased lignin content and increased the abundance of thin-walled cells in stem cell wall, suggesting that OsCNGC10 was associated with the composition of stem cell wall and negatively regulated lodging resistance in rice. T2 generation field experiment indicated that compared with the wild type, oscngc10-2 significantly increased plant height, the effective panicle length, panicle number, seed setting rate, 1000-grain weight, and yield per plant. The results of drought stress at seedling stage showed that malondialdehyde (MDA) content accumulated rapidly in OsCNGC10 defective plants under drought stress and insufficient free proline (Pro) was formed, while the free Pro content in OsCNGC10 plants was significantly increased. Moreover, the MDA accumulation rate was relatively slow, which preliminarily indicated that OsCNGC10 positively regulated the drought resistance at seedling stage. The results of this study indicated that OsCNGC10 might have a potential function in lodging resistance and drought resistance in rice, which providing a theoretical basis and new germplasm resources for the breeding lodging resistance and high yield of new rice varieties.

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    Mapping and cloning of plant height gene PHR1 in maize
    YANG Chen-Xi, ZHOU Wen-Qi, ZHOU Xiang-Yan, LIU Zhong-Xiang, ZHOU Yu-Qian, LIU Jie-Shan, YANG Yan-Zhong, HE Hai-Jun, WANG Xiao-Juan, LIAN Xiao-Rong, LI Yong-Sheng
    Acta Agronomica Sinica    2024, 50 (1): 55-66.   DOI: 10.3724/SP.J.1006.2024.33011
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    Plant height is an important index for the ideal maize breeding, which not only affects the mechanical harvest of maize, but also closely relates to the lodging resistance and the biological yield of maize. In this study, a plant height reducing mutant-1 (phr-1) was obtained by using low-dose fast neutron (4.19 Gy) irradiation to mutate the maize inbred line KWS39 at the low ear position. Phenotypic traits were investigated and analyzed in the field, and candidate genes were identified by mining and functional annotation of genes in the target region based on the B73 reference genome using the extreme trait pool sequencing analysis (BSA-seq) and the method of target region recombination exchange identification with F2 segregation population of phr-1×B73. These results indicated that there might be a variation site in Bin1.06 interval on chromosome 1, and the target region was precisely located between two markers, Umc1122 and Umc1583a, with a 600 kb interval by using the large segregation population and polymorphic markers. Brachytic2 (BR2), encoding a sugar protein regulating the polar transport of auxin in maize stems, is a known gene controlling plant height in this region. The sequencing of candidate genes revealed that phr-1 was a new allelic mutation of br2-1, with a 165 bp insertion in the fourth exon of the BR2 gene resulting in the amino acid at position 547 changing to a stop codon and premature protein translation termination. The mutation site and variation mode of phr-1 were completely different from those of br2-1 single base mutation site. The allelic hybridization experiment confirmed that the PHR1 candidate gene is a new allelic mutation of the BR2 gene. This study provides new germplasm resources for maize BR2 gene in plant height genetic improvement.

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    Mapping of QTL for ear-related traits and prediction of key candidate genes in maize
    ZHENG Xue-Qing, WANG Xing-Rong, ZHANG Yan-Jun, GONG Dian-Ming, QIU Fa-Zhan
    Acta Agronomica Sinica    2024, 50 (6): 1435-1450.   DOI: 10.3724/SP.J.1006.2024.33061
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    Maize ear related traits are directly related to yield, and the analysis of their genetic basis is of great significance for guiding maize genetic improvement. In this study, the phenotypic characteristics of eight traits were identified in 168 high generation backcross recombinant inbred lines (AB-RILs) in six environments over three years. QTLs for eight traits were mapped with 11,407 SNP markers generated by 10 K liquid chip in maize. A total of 32 QTL related to eight ear traits were identified in this study, including five environmentally consistent QTLs and three pleiotropic QTL. Further, we used the genotypic and phenotypic data of 507 maize inbred lines to analyze the candidate regions of major QTL and identified 19 candidate genes that might be related to ear shape. We finally speculated four genes as candidate genes based on the analysis of evolution and expression of the genes. These results provide the important marker information for the genetic improvement of ear traits in maize breeding and offered guidance for the cloning of genes related to ear traits.

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    Identification of ZmC2s gene family and functional analysis of ZmC2-15 under heat tolerance in maize
    HUANG Yu-Jie, ZHANG Xiao-Tian, CHEN Hui-Li, WANG Hong-Wei, DING Shuang-Cheng
    Acta Agronomica Sinica    2023, 49 (9): 2331-2343.   DOI: 10.3724/SP.J.1006.2023.23069
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    The objective of this study is to identify the members of maize ZmC2s gene family, to analyze the association between their genetic variations and heat tolerance, and to lay a foundation for clarifying its function and molecular mechanism in maize heat tolerance. Using the C2 protein domain PF00168, hmmsearch was applied to search for the members of the ZmC2s gene family from maize B73 genome. The protein isoelectric point, molecular weight, phylogenetic evolution, and gene family replication were analyzed. Using the method of candidate gene association analysis, the association between the natural variations of ZmC2s and the heat tolerance of maize seedlings was conducted, and the important heat-tolerant candidate genes of maize ZmC2s gene family were found. The relative gene expression level of the heat-tolerant candidate gene under stress was identified by Real time fluorescent quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR). The subcellular expression sites of heat-tolerant candidate gene were identified by transforming maize protoplasts. A total of 95 maize ZmC2s genes were identified from the reference genome B73 in maize. According to the order of their physical coordinates, 95 maize ZmC2s genes were named from ZmC2-1 to ZmC2-95, respectively. The length of the 95 proteins was 130-2141, the isoelectric point was 4.1-10.8, and the molecular weight was 14.1-230.1. The evolution tree of C2 gene in maize, rice, and sorghum genomes was constructed. We found that C2 genes can be divided into three major cluster branches, and each cluster branch can be subdivided into two small cluster branches. Analyzing the whole genome collinearity data of maize, rice, and sorghum, 59 ZmC2s genes were detected to have corresponding replication genes in rice and sorghum genomes. A candidate-gene based on the association analysis of ZmC2s showed that ZmC2-15/60/91 were important candidate genes for heat tolerance in maize (P ≤ 0.001, MLM), among which ZmC2-15 was the most significantly associated to heat tolerance at seedling stage (P ≤ 0.000,01, MLM), and the relative expression level of ZmC2-15 was up-regulated under various stress treatments. Subcellular localization indicated that ZmC2-15 was localized in the cytoplasm, nuclear membrane, and endoplasmic reticulum. The overexpression of ZmC2-15 improved plant heat tolerance. ZmC2-15 can be used as an important candidate gene for regulating heat tolerance in maize.

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    Development of an optimal core SNP loci set for maize variety genuineness identification
    TIAN Hong-Li, YANG Yang, FAN Ya-Ming, YI Hong-Mei, WANG Rui, JIN Shi-Qiao, JIN Fang, ZHANG Yun-Long, LIU Ya-Wei, WANG Feng-Ge, ZHAO Jiu-Ran
    Acta Agronomica Sinica    2024, 50 (5): 1115-1123.   DOI: 10.3724/SP.J.1006.2024.33052
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    Variety genuineness is an important indicator for seed quality monitoring. In order to establish accurate, reliable, fast, simple, high-throughput, and low-cost maize variety genuineness identification technology, we evaluated and determined a set of high discriminative power core SNP loci set including 96 SNPs based on SNP fingerprint data of 5816 maize hybrids and 3274 inbred lines using the genetic algorithm and variety recognition rate. All 96 SNPs were located in the intra-gene region, generally distributed evenly on 10 pairs of chromosomes. The evaluation results using the above hybrid and inbred line data showed that 96 SNPs set had high polymorphism and variety discrimination power. The average values of PIC, MAF, and DP were 0.36, 0.40, 0.60, and 0.36, 0.39, 0.48 for hybrids and inbred lines, respectively. The variety discrimination power for hybrids and inbred lines reached 99.14% and 99.24%, respectively. Pairwise comparison between varieties showed that 99.99% of the comparisons had at least three differential loci. About 96.74% of hybrids and 95.67% of inbred lines mostly had the 30-65 and 30-60 differential loci between varieties, respectively. Compared with the 40 SSRs genotype dataset using 221 hybrids, the 96-SNPs set had high consistency in the identification results of the two marker sets. In summary, the optimal core SNPs set reported in this study had the advantage of the minimum number of loci, the highest discrimination power, the strongest differentiation platforms, and the automatic genotyping. It is expected that the extensive application of this core SNP loci set will be widely used in maize variety genuineness monitor and seed quality control for maintaining seed market order, so as to defend the breeders’ rights and protecting interests of farmers.

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    Breeding objectives and strategies for maize in the Huang-Huai-Hai Region
    CHEN Yong-Qiang, WANG Ya-Fei, XIE Hui-Ling, ZHANG Zhan-Hui, HEI Hong-Chao, PENG Qiang, YANG Xue-Li, HE Ge-Ming, TANG Ji-Hua
    Acta Agronomica Sinica    2024, 50 (12): 2917-2924.   DOI: 10.3724/SP.J.1006.2024.43026
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    The Huang-Huai-Hai region, the second largest maize-producing area in China, is situated in a transitional zone between the subtropical and north temperate climates. This region is characterized by a unique double cropping system of winter wheat-summer maize, which presents specific challenges for maize cultivation. The distinct ecological conditions and cropping system necessitate maize varieties with enhanced comprehensive resistance and adaptability. This paper provides a detailed analysis of the current production status and the primary issues facing maize cultivation in the Huang-Huai-Hai region. It identifies key breeding objectives, including “high yield, suitability for mechanized harvesting, early maturity, tolerance to high planting density, resilience to environmental stresses, and resistance to major diseases and pests.” Based on these objectives, the paper proposes several breeding strategies: “reducing heterosis to increase planting density, improving kernel bulk density and single-ear seed yield, incorporating multiple resistance genes to enhance disease resistance, strengthening lodging resistance by increasing the number of brace roots, and promoting earlier anther dehiscence and pollen release to avoid high temperatures.” Additionally, the paper emphasizes the importance of identifying and utilizing superior genes, advancing the development of new core germplasm resources, and establishing modern molecular breeding systems, such as genome editing and genome-wide selection. It also advocates for the creation of an innovative collaboration model among research institutes, universities, and seed enterprises to accelerate germplasm innovation, improve maize breeding efficiency, and enhance the breeding and promotion of the entire industry chain. The ultimate goal is to develop superior new maize varieties that will effectively support agricultural production in the Huang-Huai-Hai region.

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    Assessment of the cultivation suitability and suitable regions of Gastrodia elata under climate change in China
    HAO Jia-Le, ZHAO Jiong-Chao, ZHAO Ming-Yu, WANG Yi-Xuan, LU Jie, SHI Xiao-Yu, GAO Zhen-Zhen, CHU Qing-Quan
    Acta Agronomica Sinica    2024, 50 (4): 1004-1014.   DOI: 10.3724/SP.J.1006.2024.34098
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    Climate change affects species growth areas by altering the suitability of their habitats. As a rare and endangered medical plant in China, the evaluation of the suitable distribution area and the impact of climate change on the suitability of Gastrodia elata can provide important information for the production layout of Gastrodia elata. In this study, the MaxEnt model was used to simulate the spatial distribution and changes of the suitability and suitable area for Gastrodia elata cultivation from 1961 to 2020, based on geographic distribution and environmental data. Results showed that the main environmental factors affecting the distribution of Gastrodia elata were solar radiation from May to July, precipitation in October and November, the minimum temperature in the coldest month, and vegetation type. The high suitable areas for Gastrodia elata cultivation in China were mainly distributed in the southwestern region around the Sichuan Basin. 1961 to 2020, the suitability for Gastrodia elata cultivation had shown a fluctuating increasing trend, with the area of improved suitability accounting for 9.10% of the total land area of China, mainly concentrated in Southwest China, the parts of central and eastern China, and Shaanxi province. The overall decrease in solar radiation from May to July over the past 60 years was the main reason for the increased suitability of asparagus cultivation. This study provided a scientific basis for the production and artificial cultivation site selection of Gastrodia elata in China, which provided reference significance for formulating strategies to respond to future climate change.

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    Whole genome identification and analysis of GRFs transcription factor family in wheat and its ancestral species
    WANG Tian-Ning, FENG Ya-Lan, JU Ji-Hao, WU Yi, ZHANG Jun, MA Chao
    Acta Agronomica Sinica    2024, 50 (4): 897-813.   DOI: 10.3724/SP.J.1006.2024.31046
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    Growth-regulating factors (GRFs) play important roles in plant growth, stress response, and hormone signal transduction. Systematic analysis of the distribution, structure, evolution, and expression characteristics of the GRF transcription factor family members in the genome of wheat and its ancestral species is of great significance for in-depth research on the biological functions of GRF family and the evolution of wheat. In this study, bioinformatics methods were used to identify the whole genome of GRF members from five species (Triticum urartu, Aegilops speltoides, Aegilops tauschii, Triticum turgidum, and Triticum aestivum), and their physical and chemical properties, phylogenetic relationships, gene structure, promoter cis-regulatory element, and expression characteristics were also analyzed. The results showed that there were 15, 12, 19, 29, and 53 GRF members in Triticum urartu, Aegilops speltoides, Aegilops tauschii, Triticum turgidum, and Triticum aestivum, respectively. Through interspecific colinearity analysis, we found that 18 and 29 members of TtGRFs were colinear with TuGRFs and AesGRFs, and 36 and 37 members of TaGRFs were colinear with TtGRFs and AetGRFs, respectively. The prediction of promoter cis-regulatory element found that GRF gene had basic transcription elements and some binding elements with growth, development, and stress response. RT-qPCR analysis revealed that most GRF genes up-regulated under exogenous IAA, GA, and drought stress, but down-regulated under high temperature stress, indicating that members of the GRF family exerted a crucial influence in hormone response and stress. Phylogenetic analysis evidenced that there was a conserved and complex evolutionary relationship between the GRF members of wheat and its ancestral species. The above results provide a theoretical basis for the evolution and functional research of the GRF transcription factor family.

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    Identification of OsGMS2 and construction of seed production system for genic male sterile line in rice
    TANG Jie, LONG Tuan, WU Chun-Yu, LI Xin-Peng, ZENG Xiang, WU Yong-Zhong, HUANG Pei-Jin
    Acta Agronomica Sinica    2023, 49 (8): 2025-2038.   DOI: 10.3724/SP.J.1006.2023.22051
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    Male sterility is the basis for application of crop heterosis. The common nuclear male sterile mutant osgms2 was isolated from a mutant library created by 60Co-γ-treated indica cultivar 93-11. The male of the mutant was completely aborted, the female was nomal, and other agronomic characters were consistent with those of the wild type. Genetic analyses indicated that the male sterility phenotype was stably controlled by a single recessive gene. The OsGMS2 gene was fine-mapped within the 86 kb physical interval between two molecular markers S3b and 4826 on the long arm of chromosome 4 with a mapping population of osgms2 and Minghui 63. Further sequencing found the gene LOC_Os04g48490, encoding a fasciclin-like arabinogalactan protein, had a 9-bp deletion at position 118 to 126 from start codon of translation, resulting in three codons mutation. The osgms2 gene was a novel allele of OsFLA1. Subsequent gene knockout and genetic complementation experiments in Zhonghua 11 background confirmed the function of the gene. Real-time quantitative PCR (qPCR) analyses showed that the gene was expressed in all tissues, with the highest level at the flowering and immature seed stages. Alignment analyses revealed that the protein sequence was conserved in different species. By creating the OsGMS2-T maintainer, seed production of the common sterile line was achieved. The identification of the allelic mutant osgms2 provides the new materials for the study on rice nuclear male sterility and application of heterosis.

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    Cloning, expression, and functional analysis of wheat ( Triticum aestivum L.) TaSPX1 gene in low nitrogen stress tolerance
    ZHANG Bao-Hua, LIU Jia-Jing, TIAN Xiao, TIAN Xu-Zhao, DONG Kuo, WU Yu-Jie, XIAO Kai, LI Xiao-Juan
    Acta Agronomica Sinica    2024, 50 (3): 576-589.   DOI: 10.3724/SP.J.1006.2024.31025
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    The SPX gene family includes four subgroups: SPX, SPX-EXS, SPX-MFS, and SPX-RING, which play an important role in phosphate signal response, but so far, little is known about the functions of this family in wheat. Previously, we identified a gene TaSPX1 (GenBank No. Ak332300), belonged to SPX subfamily from wheat (Triticum aestivum). Subcellular localization analysis showed that it targeted onto nucleus. Phylogenetic tree of TaSPX1 and its homologous proteins from the wheat, Arabidopsis, and rice SPX families showed that it was closely related to OsSPX1, a member of rice SPX subfamily. The relative expression level of TaSPX1 significantly increased under low nitrogen (low-N) stress when investigated by RT-qPCR. Transgenic tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum) overexpression lines were generated. Using the culture methods of Murashige & Skoog (MS) hydroponic solution, the phenotype of WT and OE under low-N stress treatment was investigated. We found that the plants of OE3 and OE4, two OE lines overexpressing TaSPX1, displayed increased growth vigor and leaf area, together with the enhanced plant fresh weight and root weight, and elevated photosynthetic parameters including photosynthetic rate (Pn), intercellular carbon dioxide concentration (Ci), stomatal conductance (Gs), and transpiration rate (Tr), along with the increased contents of nitrogen, soluble sugar, soluble protein, and chlorophyll content upon low-N stress with respect to WT. Studies on transport and assimilation related parameters showed that under low-N stress, the relative expression level of some related genes and the activities of nitrogen assimilation-related enzymes were increased. Assays on the SOD, POD, and CAT, the enzymes functional as cellular protector, revealed the higher activities of them in OE plants than those in WT. On the contrary, MDA content was decreased. Further RT-qPCR analysis indicated the expression levels of several protection enzymes mentioned above were higher in OE plants than those of WT under low-N stress. Therefore, TaSPX1 played an important role in mediating plant resistance to low-N stress by improving photosynthetic parameters, enhancing nitrogen absorption and transport, and strengthening the protective enzyme system. The results enrich new understanding on the function of wheat SPX family members involved in abiotic stress, and provide a theoretical basis for genetic improvement of crops against low-N stress.

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    Identification, evaluation and screening of salt-tolerant of soybean germplasm resources at seedling stage
    SUN Xian-Jun, HU Zheng, JIANG Xue-Min, WANG Shi-Jia, CHEN Xiang-Qian, ZHANG Hui-Yuan, ZHANG Hui, JIANG Qi-Yan
    Acta Agronomica Sinica    2024, 50 (9): 2179-2186.   DOI: 10.3724/SP.J.1006.2024.44030
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    Soil salinization has a significant impact on soybean quality and yield. Therefore, it is crucial to screen salt-tolerant soybean resources for the comprehensive utilization of salinized land. To establish a method for identifying and evaluating salt tolerance in soybean at the seedling stage, we conducted experiments using fresh water and 10 equal-differential gradients of NaCl solutions ranging from 0.9% to 1.8%. These solutions were applied to vermiculite culture medium when the soybean plants reached the stage of two emerged leaves. Results indicated that the 1.2% salinity treatment for 16 days demonstrated the highest interquartile range of salt-tolerant grading among various soybean germplasm resources, thus considered the optimal condition for evaluating salt tolerance in soybean seedlings. A total of 504 soybean germplasm resources from diverse geographic regions at home and abroad were subjected to evaluation using the soybean salt-tolerant evaluation system. Among them, 46, 146, 157, 79, and 76 soybean germplasm resources received salt-tolerant gradings of 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5, respectively. The soybean resources with salt-tolerant grading 1 were further analyzed using the GmSALT3 gene molecular marker. The amplification results of 40 soybean resources (80.96%) were consistent with the GmSALT3 gene molecular marker. To analyze the change in salt stress concentration in the culture medium during the identification of soybean seedlings, a regression equation was established between soil salt content (Y, %) and electrical conductivity (X, mS cm-1): Y=0.278X-0.0618, with a prediction accuracy above 95%. The variation trend of salt content in the culture medium was measured from the beginning of salt treatment until the end of the investigation, and it was found to be maintained at approximately 13 mS cm-1. This study not only provides a technical system for large-scale identification of salt-tolerant soybean seedlings but also serves as a foundation for breeding new soybean salt-tolerant germplasm resources.

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    Genome-wide identification of the HAK/KUP/KT potassium transporter family in foxtail millet and its response to K + deficiency and high salt stress
    DAI Shu-Tao, ZHU Can-Can, MA Xiao-Qian, QIN Na, SONG Ying-Hui, WEI Xin, WANG Chun-Yi, LI Jun-Xia
    Acta Agronomica Sinica    2023, 49 (8): 2105-2121.   DOI: 10.3724/SP.J.1006.2023.24194
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    KT/HAK/KUP (HAK) family is the most abundant potassium (K+) transporter family in plants, which plays important roles in plant growth and environmental adaptation. Foxtail millet (Setaria italic L. Beauv) is a model plant for studies on stress resistance mechanisms. However, the HAK family has not yet been well characterized in foxtail millet. In this study, 29 Setaria italic HAK genes (SiHAKs) were identified based on genome-wide sequence information, and the basic characteristics, protein structure, chromosome location, gene replication, expression pattern, and responses to stress were comprehensively analyzed. The results showed as followes: (1) SiHAKs were divided into five phylogenetic clusters (Cluster I-Cluster V), containing 11, 9, 3, 3 and 3 members, respectively. Gene structure and conserved motif analyses indicated that SiHAKs was high conserved, and the conservatisms were as follows: Cluster III = Cluster V > Cluster II > Cluster I > Cluster IV. (2) Tandem replication was the main contribution to the amplification of SiHAKs. 15 SiHAKs were located in tandem replication. (3) 171 transcription factors, including a large number of members of ERF, NAC, MYB and WRKY families, may bind to the promoter sequences of SiHAKs, which may confer SiHAKs diverse response mechanisms to abiotic stress. (4) SiHAKs were divided into three groups (Group I, Group II, and Group III) by gene expression Cluster Ing. The relative expression patterns of most SiHAKs were consistent in the two varieties (Zhanggu and Yugu 1). The relative expression levels of SiHAKs from the five clusters were generally as follows: Cluster III > Cluster V > Cluster II > Cluster I> Cluster IV. (5) Eleven SiHAKs with high expression levels in root were selected to detect the responses to low K+ and high salt stress. Under K+ deficiency treatment, eight SiHAKs were markedly upregulated in the expression levels, one SiHAK was significantly decreased, and two SiHAKs had no obvious changes. Under high salt stress, Three SiHAKs were significantly increased in the expression levels, two SiHAKs were significantly decreased, and the remaining six SiHAKs had no obvious changes. Remarkably, SiHAK15 had the strongest response to K+ deficiency and high salt stress, its expression level was 151 times and 22 times of the control, respectively. (6) The differences of gene expression profiles reflected the function differences among SiHAKs from different clusters. SiHAKs from Cluster I were mainly expressed in root, implying their important roles in K+ absorption in root. SiHAKs from Cluster II generally had no tissue-specific expression characteristics, and might be involved in many biological processes, such as K+ absorption and transport, plant growth and development. SiHAKs from Cluster III were upregulated by K+ deficiency and high salt stress, inferring their potential roles in maintaining K+/Na+ balance and resisting salt stress. SiHAKs from Cluster IV were almost undetectable in gene expression in the tested tissues. SiHAKs from Cluster V had different responses to K+ deficiency and high salt stresses. Some of them were upregulated in gene expression, while others were inhibited, thus indicating that the members from Cluster V were functionally differentiated. This results not only provide the foundation for further functional studies of SiHAKs, but also provide the valuable guidance for the study of K+ efficient utilization and salt tolerance mechanism in plants.

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    Genotype-independent transformation technique development and application in maize
    YANG Ya-Wen, ZHU Dong-Jie, PAN Hong, ZHANG Yun-Tao, XIA Meng-Yin, HAN Bao-Zhu, JIN Min-Liang, LI Meng-Jiao, DONG Lu-Peng, YANG Ning, ZHOU Ying, XU Jie-Ting, YAN Jian-Bing
    Acta Agronomica Sinica    2024, 50 (11): 2674-2683.   DOI: 10.3724/SP.J.1006.2024.43014
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    The genetic transformation of maize inbred lines via Agrobacterium tumefaciens is highly genotype-dependent. The morphogenetic genes Baby boom (Bbm) and Wuschel2 (Wus2) significantly enhance transformation efficiency and expand the range of amenable inbred lines. However, achieving transgenic seedlings remain challenging for many maize inbred lines, and the underlying mechanism remains unclear. In this study, we found that mixing the target vector with Bbm and Wus2 in a 10:1 ratio facilitates the generation of somatic embryos in most inbred lines. Transient transfection efficiency and the timing of selection are critical factors influencing the formation of somatic embryos and subsequent seedling development. By optimizing infection conditions and delaying selection, we established an efficient and rapid genetic transformation system that is not restricted by genotype. Using this system, we conducted genetic transformation on 131 inbred lines, resulting in successful transgenic plants in 104 of these lines.

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    Genome-wide association analysis of morphological traits of flag leaf in wheat
    WANG Rui, REN Yi, CHENG Yu-Kun, WANG Wei, ZHANG Zhi-Hui, GENG Hong-Wei
    Acta Agronomica Sinica    2023, 49 (11): 2886-2901.   DOI: 10.3724/SP.J.1006.2023.21085
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    The flag leaf of wheat is the primary functional leaf for photosynthesis and contributes significantly to yield. Therefore, it is essential to investigate the genetic process of flag leaf morphology and identify the candidate genes for flag leaf morphology-related features. We combined 90K SNP gene chips and 300 wheat varieties (lines) for genome-wide association analysis of flag leaf length, width, and area under normal irrigation (NI), and drought stress (DS) conditions in five environments. The results showed that flag leaf length, width, and area exhibited significant differences between the two moisture treatments and displayed rich phenotypic variation with the coefficients of variation ranging from 0.07-0.23 in different environments (P<0.05). Moreover, genome-wide association study (GWAS) revealed that a total of 37 stable genetic loci were significantly associated with flag leaf length, width, and area. These loci were distributed on chromosomes 1D, 2A, 2B, 3A, 3D, 4A, 5A, 5B, 6A, 6B, 7A, and 7B, with individual SNP loci explaining 3.70%-9.05% of the genetic variation, including 22 stable genetic loci detected under normal irrigation and 15 stable genetic loci detected under drought stress. Eight stable genetic loci at the same time detected under both water treatments were discovered on chromosomes 2B, 3A, 5A, 6A, 7A, and 7B, while the five stable genetic loci related by several traits were simultaneously detected on chromosomes 2B, 3A, 6A, and 7A. By analyzing haplotypes at markers with stable inheritance and high contribution, it was found that the Kukri_c1406_275 (R2=9.05%) marker was significantly associated with flag leaf length, with three haplotypes of FLL-Hap1, FLL-Hap2, and FLL-Hap3, and the wsnp_bq170165A_Ta_1_1 (R2=7.88%) marker was also detected in three haplotypes, FLA-Hap1, FLA-Hap2, and FLA-Hap3. In combination with phenotypic analysis, the flag leaf length of 300 winter wheat varieties (lines) containing FLL-Hap1 (77.78% frequency of occurrence) or FLL-Hap2 (18.89%) haplotypes was significantly higher than that of FLL-Hap3 (3.33%) haplotypes. The flag leaf area was significantly higher in haplotypes containing FLA-Hap1 (48.19%) than in haplotypes containing FLA-Hap2 (30.80%) or FLA-Hap3 (21.01%) (P<0.05). Different haplotypes were distributed differently in different winter wheat varieties (lines). Haplotype FLL-Hap1 was more frequently distributed in foreign varieties (lines), while haplotypes FLL-Hap2 and FLL-Hap3 were more frequently distributed in the northern winter wheat region and the southwestern winter wheat region, respectively. Haplotypes FLA-Hap1 and FLA-Hap2 were more frequently distributed in the southwestern winter wheat region and the northern winter wheat region, respectively, while haplotypes FLA-Hap3 were no more frequently distributed in all winter wheat regions. Searching for stable genetic loci under both water treatments yielded and screening of five candidate genes associated with flag leaf morphology, which could be used as the important genes for flag leaf-related traits.

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    Identification and screening of salt tolerance of cotton germplasm resources at germination stage
    LI Hang, LIU Li, HUANG Qian, LIU Wen-Hao, SI Ai-Jun, KONG Xian-Hui, WANG Xu-Wen, ZHAO Fu-Xiang, MEI Yong-Jun, YU Yu
    Acta Agronomica Sinica    2024, 50 (5): 1147-1157.   DOI: 10.3724/SP.J.1006.2024.34148
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    Seed germination stage is sensitive to salt. The determination of cotton seed germination under different salt concentration stress is one of the important bases for screening cotton salt-tolerant germplasm. In this study, 629 cotton germplasm resources were treated with 0 mmol L-1 and 150 mmol L-1 NaCl, and the salt tolerance coefficients of 6 traits such as fresh weight and germination potential were analyzed. The results showed that there were significant differences in each trait under salt stress compared with the control. Principal component analysis and membership function analysis were used to comprehensively evaluate the salt tolerance of cotton germplasm. Cluster analysis was carried out on the comprehensive evaluation value (D-value), and 629 germplasm resources were divided into 5 categories according to the D-value: 188 medium salt-tolerant materials, 376 salt-tolerant materials, 36 high salt-tolerant materials, 28 salt-sensitive materials, 1 high salt-sensitive material. A prediction model for salt tolerance evaluation of cotton at germination stage was established by stepwise regression analysis: D = 0.277RFW + 0.29RGP + 0.189RPL + 0.387RGR-0.32 (R2 =0.992). Four indexes of fresh weight, hypocotyl length, germination potential, and germination rate were selected as the indexes of salt tolerance identification in cotton germination stage. In this study, a set of accurate and efficient salt tolerance identification system was established, and 4 high salt-tolerant materials and 1 high salt-sensitive material were screened, which providing the reference for the study of salt tolerance mechanism and the cultivation of new salt tolerant varieties in cotton.

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    Function analysis of an AP2/ERF transcription factor GhTINY2 in cotton negatively regulating salt tolerance
    XIAO Sheng-Hua, LU Yan, LI An-Zi, QIN Yao-Bin, LIAO Ming-Jing, BI Zhao-Fu, ZHUO Gan-Feng, ZHU Yong-Hong, ZHU Long-Fu
    Acta Agronomica Sinica    2024, 50 (1): 126-137.   DOI: 10.3724/SP.J.1006.2024.34045
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    Cotton is a relatively salt-tolerant crop, but high salt stress leads to a significant decline in cotton yield and fiber quality. Mining the genes involved in salt-tolerance and illuminating the molecular mechanisms that underlie this resistance is of great importance in cotton breeding programs. Here, we identified an AP2/ERF transcription factor GhTINY2 in the transcriptome database from cotton treated with salt, and the relative expression level of GhTINY2 was reduced by salt. Subsequently, the salt-resistant phenotype and physiological indicators of the GhTINY2-overexpression Arabidopsis were analyzed. The results revealed that the GhTINY2-overexpression Arabidopsis had a significant decrease in seed germination rate, the content of proline, soluble sugar, and chlorophyll under salt stress, leading to more severe leaf wilting compared with WT. RNA-seq data from GhTINY2-transgenic Arabidopsis revealed that differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were enriched in a series of biological processes, including chlorophyll metabolism and response to stimulus, and the relative expression level of these DEGs significantly was down-regulated. Moreover, the silence of GhTINY2 in cotton through Virus-induced gene silencing (VIGS) assay showed that TRV:GhTINY2 had a significant increase in chlorophyll and proline content, leading to improved salt tolerance compare with TRV:00. In conclusion, these findings suggest that GhTINY2 was an important gene in cotton that negatively regulated salt stress resistance, and it was expected to create salt-tolerant cotton materials using GhTINY2 gene by modern genetic engineering technology in the future.

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    ALGWAS: two-stage Adaptive Lasso-based genome-wide association study
    YANG Wen-Yu, WU Cheng-Xiu, XIAO Ying-Jie, YAN Jian-Bing
    Acta Agronomica Sinica    2023, 49 (9): 2321-2330.   DOI: 10.3724/SP.J.1006.2023.23072
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    As mainstream methods for genome-wide association analysis, mixed linear model methods have been widely used. However, the existing methods still have the problem of low detection power. In this study, a two-stage Adaptive Lasso-based genome-wide association analysis (ALGWAS) method was proposed. In the first stage, single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) associated with target traits were screened by Adaptive Lasso, a variable selection method. In the second stage, SNPs selected from the first stage were put into the linear model as the covariates for genome-wide scanning. Compared with fastGWA, GEMMA and EMMAX, the ALGWAS method had the highest detection power and lower false discovery rate (FDR) in the simulation experiments. The above four methods were applied to genome-wide association analysis of Complete-diallel plus Unbalanced Breeding-like Inter-Cross (CUBIC) population of 1341 individuals in maize. ALGWAS method can detect the genes (ZmMADS69, ZmMADS15/31, ZmZCN8, and ZmRAP2.7) related to days to tasseling, the genes (ZmBRD1 and ZmBR2) related to plant height, and the genes (ZmUB2, ZmKRN2, and ZmCLE7) related to yield, while the other three commonly used genome-wide association analysis methods had low detection efficiency. In this study, a non-mixed linear model class of genome-wide association analysis method was proposed, which had higher detection advantage for microeffect polygenes and provided a new way for genetic analysis of complex traits.

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    Comparative transcriptome analysis of elite ‘ROC’ sugarcane parents for exploring genes involved in Sporisorium scitamineum infection by using Illumina- and SMRT-based RNA-seq
    HU Xin, LUO Zheng-Ying, LI Chun-Jia, WU Zhuan-Di, LI Xu-Juan, LIU Xin-Long
    Acta Agronomica Sinica    2023, 49 (9): 2412-2432.   DOI: 10.3724/SP.J.1006.2023.24228
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    Sugarcane smut, caused by the fungus Sporisorium scitamineum, is the most challenging disease of sugarcane, causing significant losses in cane yield. There is a dearth of information on smut resistance mechanism in elite parents for the development of smut-resistant varieties. In the present study, we adopted joint Illumina- and Single Molecule Real-Time (SMRT)-based RNA-seq analysis to identify transcript expression in an smut-resistant and -susceptible parents (ROC25 and ROC22) infected with S. scitamineum. A total of 79,885 high-quality transcripts was obtained, including 60,115 open reading frames, 3692 alternate splicing isoforms, 1799 long non-coding RNAs, 29,139 simple sequence repeats, and 7794 transcription factors. About 92.72% of the total transcripts were annotated, which should have increased the available data amount for transcriptome profile analysis. There were 2033 and 9716 differentially expressed transcripts (DETs) in ROC22 and ROC25, respectively. The analyses of GO and KEGG enrichment showed that more GO terms and KEGG pathways were observed in ROC25 than ROC22. It was found that MAPK signalling pathway-plant, phenylpropanoid biosynthesis, plant-pathogen interaction, linoleic acid metabolism, and starch and sucrose metabolism were enriched both in resistant and susceptible parents. In addition, MAPK superfamily genes were differentially regulated in different parents, more DETs of MEKK1 and MKK4 were detected in resistant parent, and the relative expression levels of MKK5, MPK10, and MPK12 genes were specifically altered in resistant parent. It suggested that MAPK superfamily genes might play the important roles in the regulation of sugarcane response to S. scitamineum infection. Moreover, lots of transcription factors (TFs) associated with plant disease resistance were found to respond to S. scitamineum infection in both ROC22 and ROC25 parents, including WRKY, MYB, NAC, and AP2/ERF-ERF. Majority of the TFs were up-regulated. Compared to the susceptible ROC22 parent, the number of activated transcription factors in the resistant ROC25 parent was higher, indicating that these extra TFs might have positive effects in the defense against S. scitamineum. This study provides a comprehensive set of reference transcripts for sugarcane and thus increases our understanding on the interactions between sugarcane and S. scitamineum, which should be helpful in guiding on exploitation and utilization of smut-resistance gene resources.

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Co-sponsored:
the Crop Science Society of China
the Institute of Crop Science, CAAS
China Science Publishing & Media Ltd.
Published: Science Press
Editor-in-chief: Wan Jian-min
Associate Editors-in-Chief:
Chen Xiao-ya Yang Jian-chang Zhang Xian-long Wang Jian-kang Xu Ming-liang Liu Chun-ming Wang Dao-wen Sun Chuan-qing Ding Yan-feng Jin Wei-wei Chu Cheng-cai Cheng Wei-hong
Director of the editorial department:
Yan Chun-ling
CN 11-1809/S
ISSN 0496-3490
Post subscription code: 82-336

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  • Started in 2013
  • Covered by SCIE
  • Open access in ScienceDirect

Editor in chief: Wan Jian-min
CN 10-1112/S
ISSN 2095-5421, 2214-5141(online)
Online published:
https://www.sciencedirect.com/journal/the-crop-journal
Submission: https://www.editorialmanager.com/cj/
E-mail: cropjournal@caas.cn

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