A vermicompost and deep tillage system to improve saline-sodic soil quality and wheat productivity.

Land degradation due to soil salinity and sodicity is a serious concern in arid ecosystems. Despite the importance of conservation tillage in carbon sequestration and improving soil properties, its effect on saline-sodic soils under amendment application remains unknown. Therefore, the present study aimed to explore the combined effects of inorganic (sulfuric acid and gypsum) and organic (vermicompost) soil amendments and tillage systems (zero, reduced and deep tillage) on saline-sodic soil properties and wheat productivity. Deep tillage with vermicompost application significantly improved soil physical and chemical properties compared with control. Interestingly, integration between deep tillage and vermicompost decreased soil salinity and sodicity by 37% and 34%, respectively, compared with zero tillage and unamended soils. The application of vermicompost surpassed chemical amendments in the improvement of saline-sodic soils and consequently increased the growth and yield of wheat, provided that deep tillage was used as a suitable tillage system. Although deep tillage reduced soil organic carbon, application of vermicompost not only compensated this reduction, but also significantly increased soil organic carbon. This confirms the potential of combined deep tillage and vermicompost as a method for environmentally reclaiming saline-sodic soils.

Combined Transcriptome and Metabolome analysis of Pitaya fruit unveiled the mechanisms underlying Peel and pulp color formation.

BACKGROUND: Elucidating the candidate genes and key metabolites responsible for pulp and peel coloration is essential for breeding pitaya fruit with new and improved appeal and high nutritional value. Here, we used transcriptome (RNA-Seq) and metabolome analysis (UPLC-MS/MS) to identify structural and regulatory genes and key metabolites associated with peel and pulp colors in three pitaya fruit types belonging to two different Hylocereus species. RESULT: Our combined transcriptome and metabolome analyses suggest that the main strategy for obtaining red color is to increase tyrosine content for downstream steps in the betalain pathway. The upregulation of CYP76ADs is proposed as the color-breaking step leading to red or colorless pulp under the regulation by WRKY44 transcription factor. Supported by the differential accumulation of anthocyanin metabolites in red pulped pitaya fruit, our results showed the regulation of anthocyanin biosynthesis pathway in addition to betalain biosynthesis. However, no color-breaking step for the development of anthocyanins in red pulp was observed and no biosynthesis of anthocyanins in white pulp was found. Together, we propose that red pitaya pulp color is under the strict regulation of CYP76ADs by WRKYs and the anthocyanin coexistence with betalains is unneglectable. We ruled out the possibility of yellow peel color formation due to anthocyanins because of no differential regulation of chalcone synthase genes between yellow and green and no detection of naringenin chalcone in the metabolome. Similarly, the no differential regulation of key genes in the carotenoid pathway controlling yellow pigments proposed that the carotenoid pathway is not involved in yellow peel color formation. CONCLUSIONS: Together, our results propose several candidate genes and metabolites controlling a single horticultural attribute i.e. color formation for further functional characterization. This study presents useful genomic resources and information for breeding pitaya fruit with commercially attractive peel and pulp colors. These findings will greatly complement the existing knowledge on the biosynthesis of natural pigments for their applications in food and health industry.

Transcriptome Profiling Provides Insight into the Genes in Carotenoid Biosynthesis during the Mesocarp and Seed Developmental Stages of Avocado (Persea americana).

Avocado (Persea americana Mill.) is an economically important crop because of its high nutritional value. However, the absence of a sequenced avocado reference genome has hindered investigations of secondary metabolism. For next-generation high-throughput transcriptome sequencing, we obtained 365,615,152 and 348,623,402 clean reads as well as 109.13 and 104.10 Gb of sequencing data for avocado mesocarp and seed, respectively, during five developmental stages. High-quality reads were assembled into 100,837 unigenes with an average length of 847.40 bp (N50 = 1725 bp). Additionally, 16,903 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were detected, 17 of which were related to carotenoid biosynthesis. The expression levels of most of these 17 DEGs were higher in the mesocarp than in the seed during five developmental stages. In this study, the avocado mesocarp and seed transcriptome were also sequenced using single-molecule long-read sequencing to acquired 25.79 and 17.67 Gb clean data, respectively. We identified 233,014 and 238,219 consensus isoforms in avocado mesocarp and seed, respectively. Furthermore, 104 and 59 isoforms were found to correspond to the putative 11 carotenoid biosynthetic-related genes in the avocado mesocarp and seed, respectively. The isoform numbers of 10 out of the putative 11 genes involved in the carotenoid biosynthetic pathway were higher in the mesocarp than those in the seed. Besides, alpha- and beta-carotene contents in the avocado mesocarp and seed during five developmental stages were also measured, and they were higher in the mesocarp than in the seed, which validated the results of transcriptome profiling. Gene expression changes and the associated variations in gene dosage could influence carotenoid biosynthesis. These results will help to further elucidate carotenoid biosynthesis in avocado.

A retrospective analysis of kidney function and risk factors by Chronic Kidney Disease Epidemiology Collaboration (CKD-EPI) equation in elderly Chinese patients.

Chronic kidney disease accounts for much of the increased mortality, especially in the elder population. The prevalence of this disease is expected to increase significantly as the society ages. Our aim was to evaluate the kidney function and risk factors of reduced renal function among elderly Chinese patients. This study retrospectively collected clinical data from a total of 1062 inpatients aged 65 years or over. Estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) was calculated with the Chronic Kidney Disease Epidemiology Collaboration (CKD-EPI) equation. Renal function and risk factors were also analyzed. For all 1062 subjects, the mean eGFR was 71.0 ± 24.8 mL/min/1.73 m(2), and the incidence rates of reduced renal function, proteinuria, hematuria and leukocyturia were 31.1%, 11.8%, 6.6% and 8.7%, respectively. The eGFR values were 83.4 ± 28.4, 72.2 ± 22.9, 67.8 ± 24.3 and 58.8 ± 29.1 mL/min/1.73 m(2) in the groups of 60-69, 70-79, 80-89 and ≥90 years age group (F = 15.101, p = 0.000), respectively; while the incidences of reduced renal function were 12.8%, 27.0%, 37.8% and 51.7% (χ(2) = 36.143, p = 0.000). Binary logistic regression analysis showed that hyperuricemia (OR = 4.62, p = 0.000), proteinuria (OR = 3.96, p = 0.000), urinary tumor (OR = 2.92, p = 0.015), anemia (OR = 2.45, p = 0.000), stroke (OR = 1.96, p = 0.000), hypertension (OR = 1.83, p = 0.006), renal cyst (OR = 1.64, p = 0.018), female (OR = 1.54, p = 0.015), coronary artery disease (OR = 1.53, p = 0.008) and age (OR = 1.05, p = 0.000) were the risk factors of reduced renal function. In conclusion, eGFR values decreased by age, while the incidence of reduced renal function, proteinuria, hematuria and leukocyturia increased with age. Treatment and control of comorbidities may slow the decline of renal function in elderly patients.

A High-Resolution Linkage Map Construction and QTL Analysis for Morphological Traits in Anthurium (Anthurium andraeanum Linden).

Anthurium andraeanum Linden is a prominent ornamental plant belonging to the family Araceae and is cultivated worldwide. The morphology characteristics are crucial because they significantly impact ornamental values, commercial properties, and the efficiency of space utilization in production. However, only a few related investigations have been conducted in anthurium to date. In this study, an F1 genetic segregation population containing 160 progenies was generated through hybridization between potted and cut anthurium varieties. Fifteen morphological traits were assessed and revealed substantial levels of genetic variation and widespread positive correlation. Based on specific length amplified fragment (SLAF) sequencing technology, 8171 single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) markers were developed, and the high-density linkage map of 2202.27 cM in length distributed on 15 linkage groups was constructed successfully, with an average distance of 0.30 cM. Using the inclusive composite interval mapping (ICIM) method, 59 QTLs related to 15 key morphological traits were successfully identified, which explained phenotypic variance (PVE) ranging from 6.21% to 17.74%. Thirty-three of those associated with 13 traits were designated as major QTLs with PVE > 10%. These findings offer valuable insights into the genetic basis of quantitative traits and are beneficial for molecular marker-assisted selection (MAS) in anthurium breeding.

Comparative Metabolic Profiling in Pulp and Peel of Green and Red Pitayas (Hylocereus polyrhizus and Hylocereus undatus) Reveals Potential Valorization in the Pharmaceutical and Food Industries.

Pitaya (Hylocereus genus) is a popular plant with exotic and nutritious fruit, which has widespread uses as a source of nutrients and raw materials in the pharmaceutical industry. However, the potential of pitaya peel as a natural source of bioactive compounds has not yet fully been explored. Recent advances in metabolomics have paved the way for understanding and evaluating the presence of diverse sets of metabolites in different plant parts. This study is aimed at exploring the diversity of primary and secondary metabolites in two commercial varieties of pitaya, i.e., green pitaya (Hylocereus undatus) and red pitaya (Hylocereus polyrhizus). A total of 433 metabolites were identified using a widely targeted metabolomic approach and classified into nine known diverse classes of metabolites, including flavonoids, amino acids and its derivatives, alkaloids, tannins, phenolic acids, organic acids, nucleotides and derivatives, lipids, and lignans. Red pitaya peel and pulp showed relatively high accumulation of metabolites viz. alkaloids, amino acids and its derivatives, and lipids. Differential metabolite landscape of pitaya fruit indicated the presence of key bioactive compounds, i.e., L-tyrosine, L-valine, DL-norvaline, tryptophan, γ-linolenic acid, and isorhamnetin 3-O-neohesperidoside. The findings in this study provide new insight into the broad spectrum of bioactive compounds of red and green pitaya, emphasizing the valorization of the biowaste pitaya peel as raw material for the pharmaceutical and food industries.