In response to insect attack,plants use intricate signaling pathways,including phytohormones,such as jasmonate(JA),ethylene(ET),and salicylic acid(SA),to activate defenses.Maize(Zea mays)is one of the most important staple food crops around the world.Previous studies have shown that the JA and ET signaling play important roles in maize defense against insects,but little is known about whether and how SA regulates maize resistance to insect herbivores.In this study,we ectopically expressed the NahG(salicylate hydroxylase)gene in maize plants(NahG maize)to block the accumulation of SA.It was found that compared with the wild-type(WT)maize,the NahG maize exhibited decreased resistance to the generalist insects Spodoptera litura and Spodoptera frugiperda and the specialist Mythimna separata,and the compromised resistance in the NahG maize was associated with decreased levels of defensive me-tabolites benzoxazinoids(Bxs)and chlorogenic acid(CA).Quantification of simulated S.litura feeding-induced JA,JA-isoleucine conjugate(JA-Ile),and ET in the WT and NahG maize indicated that SA does not regulate JA or JA-Ile,but positively controls ET.We provide evidence suggesting that the SA pathway does not crosstalk with the JA or the ET signaling in regulating the accumulation of Bxs and CA.Tran-scriptome analysis revealed that the bHLH,ERF,and WRKY transcription factors might be involved in SA-regulated defenses.This study uncovers a novel and important phytohormone pathway in maize defense against lepidopterous larvae.

How to feed 10 billion human populations is one of the challenges that need to be addressed in the following decades,especially under an unpredicted climate change.Crop breeding,initiating from the phenotype-based selection by local farmers and developing into current biotechnology-based breeding,has played a critical role in securing the global food supply.However,regarding the changing environment and ever-increasing human population,can we breed outstanding crop varieties fast enough to achieve high productivity,good quality,and widespread adaptability?This review outlines the recent achievements in understanding cereal crop breeding,including the current knowledge about crop agronomic traits,newly developed techniques,crop big biological data research,and the possibility of integrating them for intelligence-driven breeding by design,which ushers in a new era of crop breeding practice and shapes the novel architecture of future crops.This review focuses on the major cereal crops,including rice,maize,and wheat,to explain how intelligence-driven breeding by design is becoming a reality.

氮素是影响玉米生长发育、产量和籽粒品质形成所必需的营养元素.为挖掘早期发育的玉米胚乳响应低氮胁迫的关键基因,揭示玉米胚乳抵御低氮胁迫的生理响应及分子机制,本研究在低氮和足氮处理下,对授粉后第6天的自交系B73玉米胚乳进行氨基酸含量、氨基酸衍生物含量分析和转录组测序.生理测定表明,低氮胁迫下,玉米胚乳中10种氨基酸或氨基酸衍生物含量升高,其中苏氨酸、β-氨基异丁酸、组氨酸、β-丙氨酸、赖氨酸含量升高程度最大,其升高范围介于71.1％～153.1％;而其余21种氨基酸或氨基酸衍生物含量降低,其中鸟氨酸、胱氨酸、天冬酰胺、苯丙氨酸、α-氨基丁酸含量下降程度最大,其下降程度范围介于51.6％～65.8％.转录组测序结果表明,与足氮处理相比,低氮胁迫下玉米胚乳中鉴定到3185个显著上调和2612个显著下调的差异表达基因.进一步检测到参与氮代谢途径和氰基氨基酸代谢途径的差异表达基因分别为12和9个,AP2/ERF-ERF、bZIP、WRKY差异表达转录因子家族成员分别为20、10和21个.这些候选基因可能是玉米胚乳抵御低氮胁迫响应的重要基因资源,其为玉米胚乳应答低氮胁迫的分子机制及耐低氮玉米新品种培育奠定基础.

玉米是重要的粮食和饲料作物,为畜禽提供必需的代谢能和营养物质,饲料的营养价值与蛋白质及氨基酸组成比例密切相关.玉米籽粒蛋白质中氨基酸组成不平衡,添加豆粕可以补充玉米中缺乏的赖氨酸和色氨酸.然而,含硫氨基酸(半胱氨酸和蛋氨酸)也是大豆中的限制性氨基酸,其中蛋氨酸直接影响畜禽的机体蛋白质合成速率,进而影响肉蛋奶的产量.因此,提高玉米含硫氨基酸特别是蛋氨酸含量对畜牧业发展意义重大.我国玉米种质资源中缺乏高蛋氨酸种质,且育种进程缓慢.近年来,随着人们对植物硫元素的吸收和转运机制的深入研究,初步构建了含硫氨基酸代谢调控网络.本研究概括了近年来关于提高作物含硫氨基酸代谢机制的研究结果,提出将群体遗传学、比较基因组学及分子生物学相结合挖掘候选基因的新策略,并利用现代生物育种技术提高玉米籽粒蛋氨酸含量,为优质蛋白玉米遗传改良提供参考.

玉米成熟期籽粒含水量(KMC,kernel moisture content)是影响玉米机械化粒收的关键因素,利用多位点全基因组关联分析(ML-GWAS,multi-locus genome-wide association study)挖掘与籽粒含水量相关性状显著关联的遗传位点,解析其遗传基础,可为适机收玉米品种的选育和遗传改良提供参考.本研究以205份玉米自交系为材料,在4个环境下测定成熟期籽粒、苞叶与穗轴的含水量,使用 mrMLM、FASTmrMLM、FASTmrEMMA、pLARmEB、pKWmEB 和 ISIS EM-BLASSO 6 种多位点关联分析方法结合分布于全基因组的76492个单核苷酸多态性位点(SNP,single nucleotide polymorphism)进行关联分析,挖掘其候选基因并进行基因注释.表型分析显示,205份材料的籽粒含水量相关性状的变异系数在10.47％～33.90％,广义遗传率在67.39％～81.24％.6种ML-GWAS方法共检测到26个、15个和23个SNP位点分别与籽粒含水量、苞叶含水量和穗轴含水量显著关联;其中3种及以上方法共同检测到14个显著关联SNP位点,表型贡献率(PVE,phenotypic variation explained)在1.13％～17.21％.6种方法中pLARmEB检测到的显著位点最多,FASTmrEMMA检测到的最少.基于3种及以上方法共同检测到且平均 PVE≥5％的显著 SNP 位点为 Chr1_9232728、Chr4_176596174、Chr8_57716249 和 Chr5_191021635,在这 4 个 SNP 位点上下游220 kb共挖掘到17个候选基因,主要富集到细胞解剖实体、新陈代谢过程和细胞进程与催化活性,推测这些基因通过调节细胞代谢与催化活性最终影响玉米籽粒、苞叶和穗轴的含水量.

精确评估地-气之间物质和能量交换对于有效管理水资源和促进农业可持续发展至关重要.为揭示黄河故道区玉米农田生态系统的能量分配特征和水热分量动态变化过程及其对气象因子的变化响应,本研究基于涡度相关系统和全要素自动气象站,对2019-2020年黄河故道区典型夏玉米农田生态系统的能量通量以及常规气象要素进行不间断观测,分析夏玉米农田各能量通量的变化特征以及与气温、降水、风速等环境因子的相关关系,并计算夏玉米生育时期的能量闭合率和能量分配比率.结果表明:研究区夏玉米净辐射、显热通量和潜热通量的峰值出现在11:00-14:00,土壤热通量的峰值发生在14:00-15:00.在能量分配上,夏玉米农田全生育期的能量分配以潜热通量和显热通量为主,播种-出苗期能量主要被显热通量消耗,占净辐射的37.1％,其余生育周期的能量均以潜热通量消耗为主.全生育期能量闭合率较好,决定系数为0.83,其中,白天闭合率较高,晚上较低.降水对潜热通量和显热通量都有明显影响,潜热通量对降水的反应更敏感,生育后期潜热通量在降雨后与降雨前的增幅比生育前期低.在夏玉米全生育期内,太阳辐射是水热通量最主要的气象因子,其次为饱和水汽压差.温度和饱和水汽压差对潜热通量的贡献度明显高于显热通量,风速、相对湿度和太阳辐射对潜热通量的解释率低于显热通量,叶面积指数和植被覆盖度与潜热通量呈显著正相关、与显热通量呈显著负相关.本研究的定量化结果可以深化对黄河故道区夏玉米农田水热传输规律的认识,为作物高效用水提供理论依据.

合理的大豆-玉米间作模式可有效促进土壤磷周转与作物磷吸收,减少磷肥投入.为优化大豆与玉米间作系统对磷素的利用效率,本研究选用两种不同基因型大豆与玉米间作,探究其影响土壤磷组分及作物磷吸收的关键根际过程及机制.结果表明:间作显著消耗了大豆'粤春03-3'根际可溶性无机磷(CaCl2-P),而对大豆'Essex'根际磷组分无显著影响.间作显著增加了大豆'粤春03-3'的生物量和磷吸收量,比单作分别显著增加42.2％和46.9％,而对大豆'Essex'和玉米磷吸收量和生物量无显著影响.间作显著增加了'粤春03-3'总根长和根系分泌物总量,比单作分别增加了 19.7％和138.1％,且粤春'03-3'磷吸收量与总根长呈显著正相关,与可溶性无机磷含量呈显著负相关.综上,大豆-玉米间作对土壤磷组分与作物磷吸收的影响存在基因型差异,间作通过增加磷高效大豆根长与根系分泌物等促进磷吸收及根际土壤磷周转,从而提高其磷利用效率.本研究明确了大豆-玉米间作体系磷素利用的基因型差异及潜在机制,为优化大豆-玉米间作体系品种搭配、实现磷素高效利用与化肥减施增效提供了科学依据.

土壤有机质是表征土壤质量的重要指标,白浆土作为具有典型障碍层的土壤,其低有机质含量易对作物生长发育产生不良影响,明确不同有机物料深混对白浆土表层土壤有机质再分布的影响,可为东北农田白浆土构建适宜的耕层提供理论和技术参考.本研究在黑龙江省双鸭山市白浆土上进行了为期2年的定位试验,设置5种处理:深翻35 cm(T35)、秸秆深混35 cm(T35+S)、有机肥深混35 cm(T35+M)、秸秆搭配有机肥深混35 cm(T35+S+M),以农民常规措施(浅翻15 cm,CK)为对照.结果表明:有机物料深混35 cm还田处理(T35+S、T35+M和T35+S+M)可显著提升玉米产量,其中以T35+S+M处理对玉米产量的提升效果最显著,2年平均增产2934.76 kg·hm-2.与CK相比,T35处理耕层(0～15 cm)土壤有机质含量降低8.4％,而亚耕层(15～35 cm)土壤有机质含量增加7.6％,亚耕层土壤有机质丰富度指数增加17.5％.在深翻基础上有机物料还田可显著提升全耕层(0～35 cm)土壤有机质含量,全耕层土壤有机质转化率为16.3％～31.0％.与T35处理相比,T35+S处理耕层和亚耕层土壤有机质含量无显著增加,T35+M和T35+S+M处理耕层土壤有机质含量分别显著增加4.6％和6.9％,亚耕层土壤有机质含量分别显著增加11.2％和15.4％,亚耕层土壤有机质丰富度指数分别增加2.5％和5.1％.相关性分析表明,全耕层土壤有机质含量与玉米产量呈显著正相关,贡献率达17.5％.综上,有机肥或有机肥配合秸秆深混还田是培肥白浆土的有效措施,且主要是通过提升全耕层(0～35 cm)与亚耕层(15～35 cm)土壤有机质含量实现.

Seed development is critical for plant reproduction and crop yield,with panicle seed-setting rate,grain-filling,and grain weight being key seed characteristics for yield improvement.However,few genes are known to regulate grain filling.Here,we identify two adenosine triphosphate(ATP)-binding cassette(ABC)Ⅰ-type transporter genes,OsABCI15 and OsABCI16,involved in rice grain-filling.Both genes are highly expressed in developing seeds,and their proteins are localized to the plasma membrane and cytosol.Interestingly,knockout of OsABCI15 and OsABCI16 results in a significant reduction in seed-setting rate,caused predominantly by the severe empty pericarp phenotype,which differs from the previously reported low seed-setting phenotype resulting from failed pollination.Further analysis indicates that OsABCI15 and OsABCI16 participate in ion homeostasis and likely export ions between filial tissues and maternal tissues during grain filling.Importantly,overexpression of OsABCI15 and OsABCI16 enhances the seed-setting rate and grain yield in transgenic plants and decreases ion accumulation in brown rice.Moreover,the OsABCI15/16 orthologues in maize exhibit a similar role in kernel development,as demonstrated by their disruption in transgenic maize.Therefore,our findings reveal the important roles of two ABC transporters in cereal grain filling,highlighting their value in crop yield improvement.

农作物生产过程既是碳源,也是碳汇.研究作物生产过程中碳吸收、碳排放特征对区域农业碳减排具有重要意义.以陕北区域为例,采用高分辨率遥感数据,结合GEE遥感云平台和随机森林算法,获取了作物种植分布信息,并建立碳吸收排放测算模型,分析了陕北地区 2021 年农田作物的碳源/汇效应、碳足迹及其空间分布格局.结果表明:①陕北种植的粮食作物主要为玉米、稻谷、薯类、豆类,经济作物主要为蔬菜、苹果、枣树,这七类作物集中分布在延安南部河谷区域和榆林西北部区域.②除枣类外,陕北地区其余作物的碳吸收量均高于碳排放量,以碳汇功能为主,其中,玉米和苹果分别对该地区碳吸收、碳排放的贡献率最高,碳吸收、排放量分别达到了 189.74×104 t 和 11.41×104 t,苹果、薯类和枣类碳足迹较高,分别达到了 9.92×104 hm2、8.77×104 hm2和 21.65×104 hm2,其余作物碳足迹处于 0.26-1.49×104 hm2之间.③从空间上看,研究区单位面积农田碳吸收量呈现西北高、南部低的分布格局,而碳排放量、碳足迹分布正好相反,南部高、西北低.④研究区可通过培育高产品种、优化施肥量、控制农膜农药用量、调整作物种植结构等措施,提高作物固碳效应,促进农业生产碳减排.