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25 August 2024, Volume 36 Issue 8 Previous Issue    Next Issue
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Crop Science
Animal Science
Horticultural Science
Environmental Science
Food Science
Biosystems Engineering
Agricultural Economy and Development
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Contents 2024, 36(8):  0-0.  Abstract ( 96 )   PDF (9164KB) ( 167 )   Related Articles | Metrics

Crop Science

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Cloning and expression analysis of Fagopyrum tataricum FtDELLA gene SUN Peiyuan, RAN Bin, WANG Jiarui, LI Hongyou 2024, 36(8):  1709-1718.  DOI: 10.3969/j.issn.1004-1524.20230913 Abstract ( 169 )   HTML ( 16 )   PDF (5885KB) ( 312 )   DELLA protein is a negative regulatory protein in the gibberellin (GA) transduction pathway, which plays an important role in plant growth and development and stress response. In this experiment, a DELLA gene, named FtDELLA, was cloned from buckwheat using RT-PCR. The gene is 1 452 bp in CDS length and encodes 483 amino acids. Phylogenetic analysis showed that the FtDELLA protein contained the conserved DELLA conserved structural domains of the DELLA family. The qRT-PCR results showed that FtDELLA was highly expressed in stems and pre-grouting seeds, and its expression showed a decreasing trend during seed development. Under drought stress, the expression of FtDELLA showed a decreasing trend, indicating that it may be a negative regulatory gene for drought stress response in buckwheat. The results suggest that FtDELLA may play an important regulatory role in the growth and development of buckwheat and drought stress response. The results provide a theoretical basis for further research on the function and mechanism of action of FtDELLA in buckwheat. Figures and Tables | References | Related Articles | Metrics

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Molecular identification and genetic relationship of different breeding populations in Fritillaria thunbergii based on phenotype and molecular markers DONG Lili, XU Zhihao, YAN Canlong, FAN Xiaoping, JIN Zelan, WANG Zhonghua 2024, 36(8):  1719-1730.  DOI: 10.3969/j.issn.1004-1524.20230980 Abstract ( 162 )   HTML ( 7 )   PDF (4141KB) ( 374 )   To provide theoretical support for germplasm resources evaluation, new varieties development and breeding of Fritillaria thunbergii in Zhangshui, Ningbo, SCoT molecular marker technique was used in this study, genetic diversity of 146 germplasm resources of Fritillaria thunbergii in Zhangshui, Ningbo were analyzed; then the correlation between phenotypes of germplasm resources and the correlation between phenotypic traits and alkaloid content of Fritillary thunbergii by using Pearson’s correlation analysis. The results indicated that total of 111 sites were amplified from 5 SCoT primers, including 96 polymorphic sites, and the average ratio of polymorphic sites was 86.29%. In the genetic diversity analysis at the overall sample level, Na, Ne, H and I were 2.000, 1.585 8, 0.340 5 and 0.509 8 respectively, the results showed that the polymorphism of the primers was high, which could effectively reveal the diversity of germplasm resources of 146 Fritillaria thunbergii. The cluster analysis showed that the genetic similarity coefficient between different Fritillaria thunbergii germplasm resources was between 0.55 and 1.00, the characteristics of offspring were mainly in herited from their parents in two treatments of systematic selection and seed irradiation. The genetic relationship and phenotypic traits of the offspring after different hybridization treatment groups were basically biased on the paternal parent, which was in conformity with the investigation results of germplasm resource traits. The results of Pearson’s correlation analysis showed that there was significantly positive correlation between flower type and leaf number, flower color and leaf number, leaf color and seed setting degree were significantly positively correlated, flower type and leaf color; the inner wall color of flowers was negatively correlated with the number of leaves, flower type and flower color with stem thickness and seed setting degree. Meanwhile, the leaf color and flower color, leaf width and seed setting degree, flower type and seed setting degree were negatively correlated; and leaf width was negatively correlated with peimine, peiminine and total alkaloids. To sum up, SCoT molecular marker technique was used to reveal the genetic diversity of germplasm resources of Fritillaria thunbergii in Zhangshui, Ningbo, it can be effectively used for the superior breeding of Fritillaria thunbergii germplasm resources and reference for the molecular assisted breeding, development and utilization of germplasm resources. Figures and Tables | References | Related Articles | Metrics

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Identification of RcGeBP transcription factor and cloning and expression analysis of RcGeBP2 gene in castor ZHU Guishuang, LI Yanxiao, ZHANG Anning, SUN Haonan, XU Xingyuan, LI Zhigang, XIANG Dianjun 2024, 36(8):  1731-1740.  DOI: 10.3969/j.issn.1004-1524.20230833 Abstract ( 160 )   HTML ( 10 )   PDF (4183KB) ( 310 )   The GeBP gene family encodes a typical transcription factor that affects plant development and enhances plant survival in adverse environments by regulating the growth and differentiation of epidermal hairs. In order to explore the distribution of GeBP gene in the castor genome and the function of the characteristic gene RcGeBP2, all the GeBP genes of castor were identified in this paper. The RcGeBP2 gene was cloned by RT-PCR and its molecular characteristics were analyzed, including bioinformatics, subcellular localization and expression pattern.The results showed that four RcGeBP genes were unevenly distributed on three chromosomes in the genome of castor. The proteins encoded by RcGeBP genes were hydrophilic proteins, and the advanced structure was mainly random coil. The phylogenetic tree construction of GeBP showed that the GeBP protein of castor had the closest relationship with the GeBP protein of tomato. The GeBP gene of castor had three and two genome duplications with the GeBP gene of tomato and Arabidopsis thaliana, respectively. The results of Ka/Ks showed that the evolution of GeBP gene among species was passivated. The results of cis-acting element prediction showed that the RcGeBP promoter region contained multiple stress response and hormone-inducible elements.The FPKM expression value of RcGeBP genes showed that these genes had tissue expression characteristics and their expression was activated by drought and salt stress. The subcellular localization of RcGeBP2 protein showed that it was localized in the nucleus. In summary, this study has certain reference value for exploring the cross-regulation of castor RcGeBP gene family involved in salt and drought stress. Figures and Tables | References | Related Articles | Metrics

Animal Science

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Growth curve fitting and the optimal marketing age of Wenzhou Red chicken LI Ziwei, ZHANG Yawen, SONG Bin, HOU Fengxiang, JIN Junjie, ZHAO Yan, LU Lizhi 2024, 36(8):  1741-1752.  DOI: 10.3969/j.issn.1004-1524.20231136 Abstract ( 123 )   HTML ( 3 )   PDF (1420KB) ( 372 )   The purpose of this experiment was to investigate the growth and development patterns of Wenzhou Red chicken, along with the differences in slaughter performance and muscle quality at different ages, aiming to provide a theoretical basis for determining the best marketing age and efficient farming. The growth curve of Wenzhou Red chicken from 0 to 24 weeks old was analyzed by fitting it to Logistic, Gompertz, and Von Bertalanffy models; 20 chickens of each age group at 26, 30, and 34 weeks (half rooster and half hen) were selected to measure slaughter performance and muscle quality. The results showed that all three nonlinear models fit well the growth of Wenzhou Red chicken, with a fitting degree (R2) reaching over 0.99, among which the Von Bertalanffy model was more suitable for roosters (R2=0.998 2), and the Gompertz model was more suitable for hens (R2=0.997 3). The dressing percentage reached over 90%, and the whole carcass weight rate reached over 68%. There were no significant differences in half carcass weight rate, whole carcass weight rate, breast muscle rate, leg muscle rate, shear force, water content, crude ash content and crude protein content between rooster and hen, and shear force was increased with the age increasing. The crude fat content of roosters at 30 weeks was the highest and the total calcium content of roosters at 26 weeks was the highest. The total phosphorus content in 26 weeks and 30 weeks old roosters were significantly (P<0.05) higher than that in 34 weeks old ones. The total calcium content and crude fat content in hens at 30 weeks of age were relatively high. In the pectoral muscle, 16 amino acids were detected, with hens at 30 weeks of age having higher levels of flavor amino acids than at other ages, while roosters showed a gradual decrease in these amino acids with age; the total unsaturated fatty acids content in the pectoral muscle was higher than that of saturated fatty acids, with the highest unsaturated fatty acids content in hens at 34 weeks and roosters at 30 weeks. At 30 weeks, the profit per rooster was 46.79 yuan, and per hen was 18.73 yuan. In conclusion, it was appropriate for Wenzhou Red chicken hens to be marketed at 30 to 34 weeks of age and roosters at 30 weeks of age. Figures and Tables | References | Related Articles | Metrics

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In vitro study on effects of isochlorogenic acid supplementation in sheep diets on nutrient digestion and rumen fermentation LI Shuyan, JIAO Ting, QI Shuai, ZHANG Xia, WANG Huning, ZHAO Shengguo 2024, 36(8):  1753-1763.  DOI: 10.3969/j.issn.1004-1524.20230624 Abstract ( 131 )   HTML ( 4 )   PDF (1217KB) ( 263 )   In the present in vitro fermentation experiment, the treatments T1-T5 with 0.03%, 0.06%, 0.09%, 0.12% and 0.20% isochlorogenic acid (ICGA) added to the sheep basic diet were set, as well as a blank control without addition of ICGA. The effects of ICGA addition on diet nutrient degradation and sheep rumen fermentation characteristics were explored at 2, 6, 12, 24, 48 hours in vitro culture. The results showed that the gas production under T3, T4 and T5 treatments was significantly (P<0.05) higher than that under the other treatments at 48 h of fermentation. At 2, 48 h of fermentation, the in vitro dry matter degradation rate under T4 treatment was significantly higher than that under CK. At 2, 24, 48 h of fermentation, the pH value of the fermentation fluid under T4 and T5 treatments was significantly lower than that under CK. After 12 h of fermentation, the concentrations of butyric acid and total volatile fatty acids under T3, T4 and T5 treatments were significantly higher than those under the CK. At 48 h of fermentation, the ratio of acetate concentration to propionate concentration under T3 and T4 treatments was significantly higher than that under the CK, while the ammoniacal nitrogen mass concentration under T3 and T4 treatments was significantly lower than that under the CK. In conclusion, addition of appropriate amount of ICGA could significantly increase the in vitro dry matter degradation rate of sheep diet, the concentratin of butyrate and total volatile fatty acids in the fermentation fluid. According to the multiple factors associative effects index, the recommended ICGA addition amount was 0.09%-0.12%. Figures and Tables | References | Related Articles | Metrics

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Effects of Hermetia illucens larvae instead of soybean meal on growth, development and serum biochemical indexes of Pekin ducks GAO Guoji, LONG Ling, SONG Xiaoyun, LI Yantong, LIU Gaoqiang, DING Gongtao 2024, 36(8):  1764-1772.  DOI: 10.3969/j.issn.1004-1524.20230612 Abstract ( 121 )   HTML ( 3 )   PDF (888KB) ( 322 )   In the present study, 150 1-d-age Pekin ducks were randomly divided into three groups. In accordance, 0, 10% and 30% dry Hermetia illucens larvae (BSFL) were added to the conventional feed by subtracting the corresponding soybean meal content from the protein energy difference of equal nitrogen and equal energy, which were used to feed the Pekin ducks, and the correspoding groups were marked as CK, T1 and T2, respecitvely, for short. The growth performance, slaughter traits, organs indexes, meat quality traits and serum biochemical indexes of these Pekin ducks were determined after 42 days. It was shown that there was no significant difference in the average daily gain, average daily feed intake, feed conversion ratio, slaughter rate, half carcass rate, whole carcass rate, pectoral muscle rate, leg muscle rate, abdominal fat rate among three groups. Compared with the CK, the spleen index of T1 and T2 groups was significantly (P<0.05) increased by 0.01 percentage points, and the kidney index of T1 group was significantly increased by 0.08 percentage points, yet there was no significant difference in the heart index, liver index and lung index within three groups. The yellowness (b*) of Pekin ducks in T1 group was significantly lower thann that of CK, but there was no significant difference in the other meat quality traits within three groups. The alkaline phosphatase (ALP) and acid phosphatase (ACP) activities in the serum of Pekin ducks in T1 group was significantly decreased by 22.02%, 21.42%, respectively, yet there was no significant difference in the other serum biochemical indexes within three groups. Compared with the CK, the contents of complement component 3 (C3), complement component 4 (C4), interferon-γ (IFN-γ), interleukin-2 (IL-2), immunoglobulin A (IgA), immunoglobulin G (IgG), immunoglobulin M (IgM), secretory immunoglobulin A (sIgA) in the serum of Pekin ducks in the T1 group were all significantly enhanced, and the contents of sIgA, IL-2 and C3 in the serum of Pekin ducks in the T2 group were also signicantly increased. In general, it could work for Peking ducks by addition of 10% or 30% BSFL replacing soybean meal as protein in the feed. Figures and Tables | References | Related Articles | Metrics

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Analysis on egg-laying performance and stress resistance of four egg duck breeds XU Wenwu, WANG Zhenzhen, LU Lizhi 2024, 36(8):  1773-1778.  DOI: 10.3969/j.issn.1004-1524.20230850 Abstract ( 170 )   HTML ( 4 )   PDF (783KB) ( 224 )   The experiment aimed to compare the differences in egg production and stress resistance among four duck breeds: Shaoxing Duck, Youxian Ma Duck, Shan Ma Duck, and Jinyun Ma Duck. This study compared and analyzed the egg production performance of these four duck breeds in China. The results showed that Youxian Ma Duck started laying eggs earliest (116.71 days), and it was significantly earlier than Shaoxing Duck, which started laying eggs latest. Shan Ma Duck had the highest egg production at 43 weeks of age, significantly higher than the other three breeds. The order of egg production at 66 weeks of age, from highest to lowest, was Shan Ma Duck, Shaoxing Duck, Jinyun Ma Duck, and Youxian Ma Duck. At 24 weeks, the egg production rate of all ducks gradually entered the peak period. Starting from 49 weeks, the egg production rate of all four breeds might experience a concentrated decline due to weather changes and stress. By the 57th week, the egg production rate of Shaoxing Duck and Shan Ma Duck recoverd to 90.7% and 91.7%, respectively, indicating that they had better stress resistance. Jinyun Ma Duck had the poorest stress resistance. The average egg production rates of Jinyun Ma Duck, Shan Ma Duck, Shaoxing Duck, and Youxian Ma Duck from 16 to 69 weeks were 70.7%, 71.9%, 72.7%, and 69.0%, respectively. In conclusion, Shan Ma Duck performed excellently in terms of age at first egg, egg production quantity, and stress resistance. Shaoxing Duck started laying eggs at a later age but had a higher egg production rate in the later stage. Youxian Ma Duck started laying eggs earliest but had the poorest stress resistance. Jinyun Ma Duck had a moderate level of age at first egg and overall egg production quantity, with excellent stress resistance. Figures and Tables | References | Related Articles | Metrics

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Investigation on the genetic diversity of Sarcocheilichthys sinensis from diverse geographical populations and other species within the Sarcocheilichthys genus through the analysis of mitochondrial COI sequence segments HUANG Hui, CHU Tianjiang, XIE Nan, LIU Kai 2024, 36(8):  1779-1788.  DOI: 10.3969/j.issn.1004-1524.20230874 Abstract ( 153 )   HTML ( 5 )   PDF (2946KB) ( 272 )   The genus Sarcocheilichthys, commonly found in East Asia, comprises small freshwater fish species with potential for aquaculture and development. Gaining a thorough understanding of the genetic structure and geographic variation of Sarcocheilichthys fish is of great significance for scientifically formulating conservation plans and ensuring sustainable utilization of wild resources. The experimental subjects included S. parvus(XQ) of 20 individuals, S. kiangsiensis(JXQ) of 20 individuals, S. nigripinnis(HQQ) of 20 individuals, S. lacustris(DBQ) of 24 individuals, and multiple geographic populations of S. sinensis, including Huaihe population (HQHH) of 20 individuals, Minjiang population (HQMJ) of 17 individuals, Jiangxi population (HQJX) of 15 individuals, and Jiande population (HQJD) of 17 individuals. The mitochondrial cytochrome C oxidase subunit I (COI) sequence segments of each population were sequenced and analyzed. Among the 153 obtained sequence samples, there were 507 conserved sites, 154 variable sites, 150 parsimony informative sites, and 27 sites with base deletions or insertions, with an average transition/transversion ratio of 5.2. The Hd (haplotype diversity) of the HQQ population was the lowest (0.442), slightly higher in the HQHH population (0.574), and further increased in the DBQ population (0.707). The XQ population showed the highest Hd (0.963), while HQMJ and HQJX populations had slightly lower Hd values than XQ (0.860 and 0.848, respectively). Nucleotide diversity exhibited a similar trend to Hd results. A total of 153 individuals defined 56 haplotypes, and each population exhibited major haplotypes within their respective haplotype networks, such as Hap_2, Hap_33, and Hap_37, among others. The UPGMA molecular phylogenetic tree, hierarchical clustering tree, and NeighborNet molecular phylogenetic network constructed based on genetic distance indicated that the genetic relationships between XQ, HQQ, JXQ, and other Sarcocheilichthys fish were relatively distant. At the same time, DBQ had a closer genetic relationship with the HQHH population. This study used COI sequence segments to assess the genetic diversity of four geographic populations of S. sinensis and four other Sarcocheilichthys species. The research results contribute to understanding the current genetic diversity of different geographic populations of S. sinensis and four other Sarcocheilichthys species, providing valuable insights for the conservation and breeding of germplasm resources in S. sinensis and other Sarcocheilichthys fish in the future. Figures and Tables | References | Related Articles | Metrics

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Cloning and spatio-temporal expression analysis of foxl2 gene and the influence of EE2 on its expression in Megalobrama terminalis TANG Hong, GUAN Wenzhi, XU Xiaojun, NIU Baolong, LOU Bao, SHEN Xiaoming, GU Zhimin 2024, 36(8):  1789-1799.  DOI: 10.3969/j.issn.1004-1524.20230881 Abstract ( 132 )   HTML ( 3 )   PDF (2976KB) ( 170 )   To investigate the function of forkhead transcription factor gene 2 (foxl2) during gonadal development of M. terminalis, we cloned the open reading frame (ORF) of M. terminalis foxl2 gene, analyzed the structural characteristics of the encoded protein, and detected its expression at different stages of embryonic development and in different adult tissues in this study. The effect of intraperitoneal injection of sex hormone 17α-ethinylestradiol (EE2) on foxl2 expression was also studied. The results showed that the ORF of foxl2 gene was 921 bp, encoding 306 amino acids, with a conserved forkhead (FH) domain, and had a 96% homology with zebrafish FOXL2. The FOXL2 protein of M. terminalis is closely related to cyprinid fish, but distantly related to humans and mice. The qRT-PCR results showed that foxl2 mRNA was expressed throughout embryonic development, and the expression was higher at 24, 48, 60 h of post-fertilization (P<0.05). The expression level in the ovary was significantly higher than that in the testis and other tissues (P<0.05), and weakly or not expressed in muscle, skin, spleen, kidney and intestine tissues. The expression was tissue-specific. The regulation of foxl2 mRNA expression by EE2 injection showed that foxl2 mRNA in female reached the peak at 24 h after injection and was significantly higher than that in the control and male (P<0.05). In the gonadal tissue, the expression of foxl2 mRNA was highest at 24 h in the ovary and testis after injection, and continued to be high at 36 h in the ovary after injection (P<0.05), suggesting that EE2 could promote the expression of foxl2 mRNA in the brain and ovary of M. terminalis. foxl2 gene is the expression of sexual dimorphism in the gonads of M. terminalis, which may play an important role in the maintenance of ovarian development and function. foxl2 may interact with sex steroid hormones to regulate the gonadal development and function of M. terminalis. This study can provide basic information for the gonadal development and sex regulation mechanism of M. terminalis. Figures and Tables | References | Related Articles | Metrics

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Cloning of P0 gene in Rhipicephalus microplus and bioinformatics analysis of its encoded protein LI Zhongbo, YANG Tian, LUO Shimin, HUANG Cuiqin 2024, 36(8):  1800-1810.  DOI: 10.3969/j.issn.1004-1524.20231117 Abstract ( 117 )   HTML ( 9 )   PDF (4134KB) ( 147 )   In order to explore the sequence characteristics of Rhipicephalus microplus P0 gene, predict the physical and chemical properties, and secondary and tertiary structures of P0 protein, and screen the B and T dominant epitopes of P0 protein, the P0 gene of R. microplus was cloned and analyzed by Clustal X software. The physical and chemical properties, secondary and tertiary structures of P0 protein were predicted by online software EXPASY, PRABI and SWISS-MODEL, and the B and T dominant epitopes of P0 protein were screened by online software ABCpred Prediction, Scratch, IEDB and NetCTL. The results showed that the P0 gene of R. microplus was 957 bp in length, with 24.0% A, 20.3% T, 27.5% G, 28.2% C, 44.3% A+T and 55.7% G+C, encoding 318 amino acids; The molecular weight of P0 protein was 34 ku, the theoretical isoelectric point (pI) was 5.86, the average hydrophilicity coefficient was -0.153, and the instability index was 38.15; The secondary structure of P0 protein contained 163 α-helices (51.25%), 130 random coils (40.88%) and 25 extended strands (7.86%), and the α-helix was the main structure; The content of α-helix in tertiary structure of P0 protein was the highest. The value of global model quality estimation (GMQE) and qualitative model energy analysis (QMEAN) of P0 protein were 0.49 and 0.52 ± 0.05, respectively. There was no signal peptide and transmembrane domain, but there were 40 phosphorylation sites and 1 glycosylation site; There were 13 B lymphocyte dominant antigen epitopes and 6 T lymphocyte dominant antigen epitopes in P0 protein. In conclusion, the P0 gene sequence of R. microplus showed GC preference, and the P0 protein was a hydrophilic acidic protein with α-helix as the main structural component, and had the dominant antigen epitopes of B and T lymphocytes, which was an ideal target for the development of R. microplus vaccine in the future. Figures and Tables | References | Related Articles | Metrics

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Establishment of a visual recombinase polymerase amplification assays for Mycoplasma bovis WANG Jianlin, TIAN Xingmiao, WANG Jingsong, DAI Shasha, GUO Yanan, HE Shenghu, LI Jidong 2024, 36(8):  1811-1819.  DOI: 10.3969/j.issn.1004-1524.20230922 Abstract ( 112 )   HTML ( 5 )   PDF (11258KB) ( 141 )   The aim was to establish an efficient and rapid visual recombinase polymerase amplification (LFD-RPA) clinical diagnostic method for Mycoplasma bovis. With the uvrc gene sequence of Mycoplasma bovis as the target gene, specific primers and probes are designed and validated by sensitivity, specificity, repeatability and clinical sample detection test through screening of primers and probes and optimizing the reaction conditions. The results showed that the optimal primers for LFD-RPA of Mycoplasma bovis established in this test were F2/R2, and the optimal reaction condition was 39 ℃ for 25 min; the detection sensitivity was up to 2.08 copies·μL-1, 100 times of common PCR; there was no cross reaction with Mycoplasma synoviae, Salmonella, Mycoplasma ovipneumoniae, Pasteurella multocida, Staphylococcus aureus, Streptococcus agalactiae and Clostridium perfringens; the repeatability was stable; 50 nasal swab samples were detected, the positive rate was 26%, and the coincidence rate with domestic industry standard PCR detection methods was 89.6%. In this study, the LFD-RPA detection method for Mycoplasma bovis was successfully established, which has the advantages of easy operation, rapidity, high efficiency, and sensitivity, and provides technical support for the rapid clinical diagnosis of Mycoplasma bovis. Figures and Tables | References | Related Articles | Metrics

Horticultural Science

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Expression analysis of JAZ family genes in harvested cucumber fruit under cold storage condition YUAN Xiao, JIANG Yuanyuan, ZHU Yunna, QU Shanshan, WANG Yukun, YUAN Yuan, WANG Bin 2024, 36(8):  1820-1831.  DOI: 10.3969/j.issn.1004-1524.20231044 Abstract ( 127 )   HTML ( 9 )   PDF (4123KB) ( 248 )   Chilling injury poses a significant challenge to the postharvest storage and transportation of cucumber fruits. Jasmonic acid (JA) plays a crucial role in regulating the chilling resistance in plants. JAZ (JA ZIM-domain) proteins act as transcription repressors of JA signaling, inhibiting both the synthesis and transmission of JA. To explore the role of JAZ family genes during cold storage of harvested cucumber fruits, JAZ family genes were identified and screened from the cucumber genome, and their sequence features, physicochemical properties, and spatial-temporal expression patterns were analyzed. The findings revealed a total of 17 JAZ genes in the cucumber genome, which could be divided into 8 subfamilies, all containing the conserved Tify or CCT domains in their protein sequences. Most of these JAZ genes responded to cold storage (5 ℃ and 10 ℃) treatments, suggesting the involvement of JAZ family proteins in regulating the chilling tolerance in cucumber fruits. However, different JAZ genes exhibited varying degrees of response to cold treatments. The promoters of cucumber JAZ family genes had numerous stress-responsive elements, though the specific types of elements varied. During 5 ℃ storage period, the expression levels of 14 JAZ genes gradually decreased, while the expression of JAZ11 significantly increased with storage time. Exogenous treatments with abscisic acid (ABA), methyl jasmonate (MeJA), melatonin (MT), as well as the silencing HHO2 and GRP3 expression in harvested cucumbers, significantly impacted the expression of JAZ family genes. These results further confirmed the involvement of cucumber JAZ family genes in regulating chilling tolerance. ABA, MeJA, and MT treatments significantly downregulated JAZ11 expression, whereas silencing HHO2 and GRP3 significantly upregulated its expression. These results together suggest that JAZ11 negatively regulates JA signaling and cold tolerance in cucumber fruits. This study provides novel insights into the physicochemical properties and expression patterns of cucumber JAZ family genes under cold conditions, and suggesting that JAZ11 may be the key factor responsible for negative regulation of chilling tolerance in harvested cucumbers among JAZ family proteins. Figures and Tables | References | Related Articles | Metrics

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Cloning, expression, and bioinformatics analysis of KoWRKY43 gene in Kandelia obovata JIANG Wenjun, SHU Hongsuo, CHEN Zhengman, REN Dianting, YANG Dang, TIAN Rongjiang, DU Zhaokui 2024, 36(8):  1832-1843.  DOI: 10.3969/j.issn.1004-1524.20231173 Abstract ( 152 )   HTML ( 9 )   PDF (3816KB) ( 331 )   The transcription factor WRKY is widespread in flowering plants, and regulates plant growth, development and defense responses. To explore the role of the WRKY gene in Kandelia obovata under abiotic stresses, total RNA was extracted from the leaves of K. obovata, and then the KoWRKY43 gene (GenBank accession number OR789874) was cloned by reverse transcription-PCR (RT-PCR); the gene sequence and protein structure were analyzed by bioinformatics, and its expression pattern was studied by real-time fluorogenic quantitative PCR (qRT-PCR). The results showed that the gene contained an open reading frame (ORF) of 942 bp, encoding 313 amino acids. The protein KoWRKY43, with a molecular formula of C1484H2415N439O459S14, a molecular weight of 34.2 ku, and a theoretical isoelectric point of 9.74, had no signal peptide or transmembrane structure, and it was predicted to be located in the nucleus. Phylogenetic analysis indicated that KoWRKY43 had the most homology with Manihot esculenta, Populus alba and Salix suchowensis. The qRT-PCR analysis showed that the expression abundance of KoWRKY43 gene was highest in roots, which was significantly higher than that in stems, leaves, flowers and fruits. The expression level of the KoWRKY43 in young leaves was induced by NaCl, salicylic acid (SA) and abscisic acid (ABA), and the highest expression levels were observed at 24 h, 6 h and 6 h, respectively. However, methyl jasmonate (MeJA) did not significantly alter the expression level of KoWRKY43 within 24 h. The present research provided a theoretical basis for subsequent functional studies of the gene and the cultivation of stress-resistant K. obovata varieties. Figures and Tables | References | Related Articles | Metrics

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Impacts of climate change on the potential suitable area of Erigeron breviscapus in China LI Xiaona, ZHANG Lin, BAI Qinfei, MA Siling, YANG Han, PAN Yinxixue, DENG Zhongjian 2024, 36(8):  1844-1855.  DOI: 10.3969/j.issn.1004-1524.20231158 Abstract ( 154 )   HTML ( 5 )   PDF (1501KB) ( 248 )   In order to explore the impact of climate changes on the potential ecological suitable area of Erigeron breviscapus, MaxEnt model was used to simulate the potential distribution of E. breviscapus in China based on environmental factors such as E. breviscapus distribution data, climate, soil and terrain, and the key environmental factors affecting the potential distribution of E. breviscapus were screened by Jackknife cutting method. The influence of climate changes on the potential suitable area in China was analyzed using the spatial analysis tool in ArcGIS software. The results showed that the MaxEnt model could excellently simulate the potential distribution of E. breviscapus, annual temperature range, annual mean precipitation and altitude were the key environmental factors affecting the potential distribution of E. breviscapus; Compared with the baseline climate (1970—2000 year), the sustainable development path (SSP126) and intermediate development path (SSP245) scenarios reduced the area of high suitability of E. breviscapus by 21 229.17 km2and 16 053.47 km2, respectively, only in the traditional development path (SSP585) scenario, the area of middle and high suitable regions increased by 27 749.03 km2. In the SSP126 and SSP245 scenarios, the centroid of suitable regions shifted to the southeast, while in the SSP585 scenario, the centroid shifted to the northeast. In summary, the suitable area of E. breviscapus was mainly distributed in southwest China under all climate scenarios, but SSP126 and SSP245 scenarios reduced the potential suitable area of E. breviscapus in China, and only SSP585 scenario was favorable to the distribution of E. breviscapus in China. Figures and Tables | References | Related Articles | Metrics

Environmental Science

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Screening of proportions and molding conditions of seeding substrate with straw and organic fertilizer SHAO Yaxu, LIU Tao, WANG Shicheng, YAN Lei 2024, 36(8):  1856-1866.  DOI: 10.3969/j.issn.1004-1524.20231165 Abstract ( 181 )   HTML ( 5 )   PDF (2859KB) ( 381 )   Substrate is one of the effective ways to realize the resource utilization of agricultural wastes. To improve the rice seedlings raising effect of substrate, the mixture design experiment was carried out with corn straw and organic fertilizer as the main raw materials, the best formula for rice seedling substrate was obtained by assaying the rice seedling index under different treatments; and the substrate molding technology was optimized by response surface experiment to obtain high-quality seedling substrate products. The results showed that crushing straw could significantly (P<0.05) improve the total porosity and bulk density of the substrate, and increase the seedling index, and organic fertilizer could significantly (P<0.001) increase the dry weight accumulation of seedlings. The optimized seedling substrate contained 24.84% (volume fraction) of the garden soil, 65.78% (volume fraction) of the straw, and 9.38% (volume fraction) of the organic fertilizer. The optimization results of the substrate molding technology showed that the matrix with moisture content greater than 40% was more difficult to be formed, and the pressure appeared a significant effect on the quality of the substrate. The optimal parameters of rice substrate molding were moisture content of 15.099%, pressure of 18.401 kN, and pressure holding time of 4.719 min. The seedling index of rice substrate obtained by using the above-mentioned optimal substrate formula was 49.02% higher than that of conventional garden soil, and the breakage rate of substrate obtained by the optimal molding technology was less than 0.3%. Figures and Tables | References | Related Articles | Metrics

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Effects of montmorillonite, kaolinite and basalt on soil carbon sequestration XU Junyan, QIU Gaoyang, LIU Junli, GUO Bin, LI Hua, CHEN Xiaodong, WANG Yuan, FU Qinglin 2024, 36(8):  1867-1877.  DOI: 10.3969/j.issn.1004-1524.20230691 Abstract ( 190 )   HTML ( 9 )   PDF (1999KB) ( 336 )   To investigate the impact of basalt, montmorillonite, and kaolinite on soil physicochemical properties and carbon pool components, a field micro-plot experiment was conducted to assess their effects on soil particle structure, pH, and contents of available nutrients, dissolved organic carbon (DOC), microbial biomass carbon (MBC), organic carbon, and inorganic carbon. It was shown that compared to the treatment using pecan shell organic fertilizer alone (H), the treatments of co-application of pecan shell organic fertilizer+basalt (BH), pecan shell organic fertilizer montmorillonite (MH), or pecan shell organic fertilizer+kaolinite (KH) significantly (P<0.05) reduced soil MBC content by 8.7%, 10.3%, and 9.7%, respectively. The BH treatment significantly increased soil pH value by 0.80 and elevated soil DOC, organic carbon, and inorganic carbon contents by 9.4%, 3.6%, and 939.2%, respectively. The MH treatment significantly boosted the soil exchangeable calcium and magnesium content and cation exchange capacity by 77.3%, 471.7%, and 80.2%, respectively, and increased the soil organic carbon and inorganic carbon contents by 2.5% and 543.2%, respectively. The KH treatment significantly enhanced the proportion of water-stable macroaggregates (particle size ≥ 0.25 mm) by 2.3 percentage points, and raised the soil organic carbon and inorganic carbon contents by 2.8% and 646.3%, respectively. Except for the significant rise in available potassium content under BH and MH treatments, BH, MH and KH treatments had no significant impact on the contents of the other available nutrients (alkali-hydrolyzable nitrogen and available phosphorus). In conclusion, applications of basalt, montmorillonite, and kaolinite combined with organic fertilizer could stabilize the soil organic carbon, which achieved the synergistic stabilization of both organic and inorganic carbon, and the application of basalt combined with organic fertilize showed the best effect on the inorganic carbon sequestration. Figures and Tables | References | Related Articles | Metrics

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Effects of potassium humate on soil improvement, tree growth and fruiting of Chinese bayberry (Myrica rubra) SUN Li, ZHANG Shuwen, YU Zheping, ZHENG Xiliang, LIANG Senmiao, REN Haiying, QI Xingjiang 2024, 36(8):  1878-1886.  DOI: 10.3969/j.issn.1004-1524.20231078 Abstract ( 146 )   HTML ( 10 )   PDF (862KB) ( 371 )   In recent years, the soil environment of Chinese bayberry growing area has been deteriorated, which has led to the poor growth of tree and fruit quality decline. In order to solve the above problems, the effect of potassium humate was examined in the bayberry planting area. The changes of soil physical and chemical properties, soil microbial biomass carbon content, soil microbial biomass nitrogen content, soil enzymes activities, nutrients contents in stems and leaves, fruit yield and quality were determined with application of different amounts of potassium humate. It was shown that application of potassium humate could significantly (P<0.05) increase the pH value, cation exchange capacity, electrical conductivity and maximum water holding capacity of soil, increase the contents of soil available nitrogen, soil available potaasium and soil exchangeable calcium, enhance the activities of soil urease, sucrase, catalase, increase the potassium and calcium contents in stems and leaves, and promote the accumulation of total sugar, soluble sugar and anthocyanin in bayberry fruit, and increase the proportion of commercial fruit and high quality fruit. In general, potassium humate could be used as a suitable soil conditioner for bayberry, to promote the fruit quality by improving the soil environment. Figures and Tables | References | Related Articles | Metrics

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Heavy metal pollution in farmland along highway ZHU Renchao, YUAN Yingqi, YANG Yu, YANG Qiyue, YU Aihua 2024, 36(8):  1887-1897.  DOI: 10.3969/j.issn.1004-1524.20230768 Abstract ( 140 )   HTML ( 5 )   PDF (1035KB) ( 318 )   With the increase in highway mileage and the development of the highway network, highway traffic has become a major source of heavy metal contamination in the soil on both sides of the highway. Due to the small amount of arable land per capita in China, there is still a lot of farmland and various crops on both sides of the road. Research showed that highway traffic had caused different degrees of pollution to farmland and crops on both sides of the highway, which posed a great threat to the quality and safety of agricultural products. In this paper, the status of heavy metal pollution in farmland soil and crops along the highway and the relationship between them were systematically reviewed, and the factors affecting the spatial distribution of heavy metals in soil along the highsway were thoroughly analyzed. Finally, the perspective of the research direction of heavy metal pollution in farmland along the highway was proposed, to provide ideas and directions for the prevention and control of heavy metal pollution in farmland soil along the highway. Figures and Tables | References | Related Articles | Metrics

Food Science

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Extraction, structural characterization and antioxidant activity of polysaccharide from Dendrobium officinale in Yandang Mountain, China ZHAO Xiaoliang, LU Yun, KANG Xingxing, LONG Zeyu, ZHENG Xiaojie 2024, 36(8):  1898-1908.  DOI: 10.3969/j.issn.1004-1524.20230543 Abstract ( 152 )   HTML ( 8 )   PDF (3337KB) ( 335 )   In the present study, the fresh stem of Dendrobium officinale in Yandang Mountain was selected as the test object, the liquid-to-material ratio, extraction temperature, extration time and extraction times were selected as the key factors, as well as the yield of polysaccharide being response value, to optime the extraction process of polysaccharide from D. officinale in Yandang Mountain. The structure of the extracted polyssacharide was preliminarily explored by Fourier infrared spectroscopy and high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). Besides, the in vitro activity of polysaccharides to scavenge free radicals was examined. The results showed that the optimal process conditions for the extraction of polysaccharide were liquid-to-material ratio of 55∶1 (mL·g-1), extraction temperature of 80 ℃, extraction time of 130 min, and extraction times of 2 times. The actual polysaccharide yield under these conditions was 31.02%. By infrared spectroscopic analysis, it was shown that the polysaccharide contained both α-type and β-type glycosidic bonds, and the extracted polysaccharide was composed of mannose, glucuronic acid, galacturonic acid, glucose and xylose, and the amount of substance ratio of the above monosaccharides was 1.57∶0.49∶0.99∶2.08∶1.00. In vitro, the extracted polysaccharide could scavenge 1,1-diphenyl-2-trinitrophenylhydrazine (DPPH) radicals, 2,2'-azino-bis-3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid (ABTS) radicals, hydroxyl free radicals and superoxide anion, and the determined half maximal inhibitory concentrations (IC50) were 2.46, 4.47, 5.60, 2.66 mg·mL-1, respectively, indicating that the extracted polysaccharide had antioxidant activity. Figures and Tables | References | Related Articles | Metrics

Biosystems Engineering

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Detection of peach trees in unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) images based on improved Faster-RCNN network CHENG Jiayu, CHEN Miaojin, LI Tong, SUN Qinan, ZHANG Xiaobin, ZHAO Yiying, ZHU Yihang, GU Qing 2024, 36(8):  1909-1919.  DOI: 10.3969/j.issn.1004-1524.20230912 Abstract ( 147 )   HTML ( 6 )   PDF (11561KB) ( 324 )   Studying precise detection and positioning methods for peach trees can provide support for precision management of peach orchards. This study utilizes unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) remote sensing combined with deep learning algorithms to detect leafless peach trees and differentiate between budding and flowering peach trees. Three improvements are proposed based on the Faster R-CNN original network: replacing the backbone network with a ResNeXt-50 integrated with a convolutional block attention module (CBAM), using ROI Align instead of ROI Pooling for feature extraction from regions of interest, and introducing the Focal Loss function for imbalanced cross-entropy loss. Ablation experiments are conducted to analyze the effectiveness of these improvements. The experiments demonstrate that compared with the unimproved Faster R-CNN, the improved model achieves a mean average precision (mAP) increase of 8.95 percentage points, reaching 86.46%, enabling better differentiation between flowering and budding peach trees. The most significant improvement contributing to the model’s enhancement is the replacement of the ResNeXt-50 backbone network with CBAM, resulting in a 5.98 percentage points increase in mAP; the use of ROI Align reduces errors in the feature quantization process, leading to a 2.33 percentage points increase in mAP. Compared with other mainstream detection models such as YOLOv3, YOLOv5x, and SSD, the proposed model in this study demonstrates superior detection performance. The UAV remote sensing combined with the improved Faster R-CNN algorithm proposed in this study can effectively detect peach trees, meeting the requirements of precision management in peach orchards. Figures and Tables | References | Related Articles | Metrics

Agricultural Economy and Development

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Evaluation of agricultural carbon neutrality level in China: case study of 2010-2020 SHI Shuai, ZHOU Linqing 2024, 36(8):  1920-1933.  DOI: 10.3969/j.issn.1004-1524.20230749 Abstract ( 161 )   HTML ( 8 )   PDF (1718KB) ( 215 )   Accurately assessing the level of agricultural carbon neutrality is a prerequisite to realize China’s “double carbon” goal. In the present study, the connotation of agricultural carbon neutrality was explained on the basis of clarifying the academic research progress on agricultural carbon neutrality. The theoretical framework of agricultural carbon neutrality evaluation was constructed from the dimensions of carbon sources and sinks, and the evaluation index system of agricultural carbon neutrality was set up. The entropy-weighted TOPSIS method was used to empirically evaluate the level of agricultural carbon neutrality in 30 provincial administrative regions in China from 2010 to 2020. It was shown that the agricultural carbon neutrality level during the sample period decreased first and then increased. In 2010-2016, the agricultural carbon neutrality level decreased by 6.97% annually, yet increased by 19.43% annually in 2017-2020. The level of agricultural carbon neutrality exhibited obvious regional differences, and decreased in the order of the northeast region>the western region>the central region>the eastern region. Thus, it was suggested that the overall consideration should be made according to the structural characters of agricultural carbon sources and sinks, natural characters and economic development, and efforts should be paid from both “emission reduction” and “sink increase” to promote the process of carbon neutrality. Figures and Tables | References | Related Articles | Metrics

Review

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Research progress of broccoli breeding in China WANG Jiansheng, SHEN Yusen, YU Huifang, SHENG Xiaoguang, SONG Mengfei, GU Honghui 2024, 36(8):  1934-1944.  DOI: 10.3969/j.issn.1004-1524.20240449 Abstract ( 206 )   HTML ( 12 )   PDF (4733KB) ( 324 )   Since 2018, with the implementation of the “National Joint Research on Broccoli Breeding” by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, important progress has been made in the research of broccoli breeding in China. The new broccoli varieties have achieved important breakthroughs in head traits, such as bud color and head shape. The market share of self-cultivated broccoli varieties has increased from less than 5% in 2018 year to about 35% in 2023 year, and haploid induction technology has been widely applied to breeding practice, genetic transformation and gene editing technologies have made breakthroughs, genome and molecular marker-assisted breeding technologys play important roles in breeding. This article reviewed the important progress in the important commodity characters of broccoli head, breeding technology and new variety breeding in China in recent years. Based on the results of phylogenetic tree analysis of Chinese self-cultivated varieties and control varieties, and combined with the historical replacement of main cultivated varieties, Chinese broccoli varieties were divided into three historical stages and 17 evolutionary groups (clusters), and the newly bred varieties such as Zheqing, Bilyu, Meiao and Tailyu were at the top of the evolutionary tree. In recent years, the main directions of broccoli breeding are still early maturity and wide adaptability, and the future breeding directions are disease resistance, stress resistance and suitable for mechanized production, and at the same time, it should shift from appearance quality to fresh processing quality and functional nutrition quality. Figures and Tables | References | Related Articles | Metrics

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Research progress of cis-regulatory elements in plants ZHANG Xin, LIU Peng 2024, 36(8):  1945-1956.  DOI: 10.3969/j.issn.1004-1524.20231144 Abstract ( 453 )   HTML ( 50 )   PDF (1278KB) ( 509 )   Cis-regulatory elements are non-coding DNA sequences serving the key regulatory function, which ensure the proper spatiotemporal patterns of gene expression necessary for responses to development and environmental cues. Currently, the functional study of cis-regulatory elements in plants lags behind that of animals. However, relying on the improvement of genome annotation and open chromatin profiling methods in plants, great progress has been made in the research of plant cis-regulatory elements. This paper summarizes the latest research findings of plant cis-regulatory elements: active cis-regulatory elements correlate with chromatin activity, the interactions between transcription factors and cis-regulatory elements determine the level of gene transcription, the high-throughput sequencing technology provides omics data at different molecular levels to efficiently identify cis-regulatory elements, cis-regulatory elements derived from transposons regulate the transcription of agronomic trait genes. Accurate identification and in-depth functional analysis of cis-regulatory elements are important research directions in the future. The exploration and functional analysis of plant cis-regulatory elements are helpful to systematically elucidate the regulatory mechanism of important agronomic traits genes in crops, thereby better facilitating the cultivation of new varieties that are high-yield, high-quality, highly-resistance and high efficiency. Figures and Tables | References | Related Articles | Metrics