Physiological and comparative proteomic analysis provides new insights into the effects of shade stress in maize (Zea mays L.).

BACKGROUND: Shade stress, a universal abiotic stress, suppresses plant growth and production seriously. However, little is known regarding the protein regulatory networks under shade stress. To better characterize the proteomic changes of maize leaves under shade stress, 60% shade (S) and supplementary lighting (L) on cloudy daylight from tasseling stage to physiological maturity stage were designed, the ambient sunlight treatment was used as control (CK). Isobaric tag for relative and absolute quantification (iTRAQ) technology was used to determine the proteome profiles in leaves. RESULTS: Shading significantly decreased the SPAD value, net photosynthetic rate, and grain yield. During two experimental years, grain yields of S were reduced by 48 and 47%, and L increased by 6 and 11%, compared to CK. In total, 3958 proteins were identified by iTRAQ, and 2745 proteins were quantified including 349 proteins showed at least 1.2-fold changes in expression levels between treatments and CK. The differentially expressed proteins were classified into photosynthesis, stress defense, energy production, signal transduction, and protein and amino acid metabolism using the Web Gene Ontology Annotation Plot online tool. In addition, these proteins showed significant enrichment of the chloroplasts (58%) and cytosol (21%) for subcellular localization. CONCLUSIONS: 60% shade induced the expression of proteins involved in photosynthetic electron transport chain (especially light-harvesting complex) and stress/defense/detoxification. However, the proteins related to calvin cycle, starch and sucrose metabolisms, glycolysis, TCA cycle, and ribosome and protein synthesis were dramatically depressed. Together, our results might help to provide a valuable resource for protein function analysis and also clarify the proteomic and physiological mechanism of maize underlying shade stress.

A Blade Defect Diagnosis Method by Fusing Blade Tip Timing and Tip Clearance Information.

Blade tip timing (BTT) technology is considered the most promising method for blade vibration measurements due to the advantages of its simplicity and non-contact measurement capacity. Nevertheless, BTT technology still suffers from two problems, which are (1) the requirements of domain expertise and prior knowledge of BTT signals analysis due to severe under-sampling; and (2) that the traditional BTT method can only judge whether there is a defect in the blade but it cannot judge the severity and the location of the defect. Thus, how to overcome the above drawbacks has become a big challenge. Aiming at under-sampled BTT signals, a feature learning method using a convolutional neural network (CNN) is introduced. In this way, some new fault-sensitive features can be adaptively learned from raw under-sampled data and it is therefore no longer necessary to rely on prior knowledge. At the same time, research has found that tip clearance (TC) is also very sensitive to the blade state, especially regarding defect severity and location. A novel analysis method fusing TC and BTT signals is proposed in this paper. The goal of this approach is to integrate tip clearance information with tip timing information for blade fault detection. The method consists of four key steps: First, we extract the TC and BTT signals from raw pulse data; second, TC statistical features and BTT deep learning features will be extracted and fused using the kernel principal component analysis (KPCA) method; then, model training and selection are carried out; and finally, 16 sets of experiments are carried out to validate the feasibility of the proposed method and the classification accuracy achieves 95%, which is far higher than the traditional diagnostic method.

[Effects of seed grading on population regularity degree and yield of summer maize]. / 种子分级对夏玉米群体整齐度和产量的影响.

Grading seeds based on grain size is an effective measure to improve population regularity degree and increase the yield of summer maize. Taking Denghai 605 as the experimental material, we set up a field experiment with treatments based on grain size: large seeds (L), medium-round seeds (MR), medium-flat seeds (MF), medium-round and medium-flat mixed seeds (MRF), and small seeds (S), with no-grading seeds as control (CK). We investigated seedling emergence rate, population regularity degree (including height, ear height and stem diameter), seedling sturdiness index, photosynthetic characteristics, dry matter accumulation and distribution characteristics, and yield. The results showed that the emergence rate followed an order of L>MR>MRF>MF>CK>S, with that of L treatment differed little from MR, MF and MRF treatments, but being significantly higher than S and CK treatments. Plant height and stem diameter population regularity degree of MRF treatment before seven-leaf stage was not different from those of L, MR, MF and S treatments, but significantly higher than those of CK. At the tasseling stage, all treatments had higher population regularity degree of plant height than other stages. Ear height population regularity degree of L, MR, MF, MRF, and S increased by 11.1%, 10.3%, 9.5%, 7.1%, and 6.4% compared with CK, respectively. The seedling sturdiness index of MRF treatment increased by 36.7% compared with S treatment, but was not significantly different from L treatment. The leaf area index of the L and MRF treatments was significantly higher than that of CK, and both had higher population photosynthetic properties. The population dry matter accumulation showed a pattern as L>MR>MRF>MF>CK>S. There was no significant difference among L, MR, and MRF treatments, but that in L being obviously higher than MF, CK, and S treatments. After seed grading, the number of harvested ears of the L and MRF treatments increased significantly, and the yield were shown as L>MR>MRF>MF>CK>S. There was no difference between the yield of MRF, MR and MF treatments. In conclusion, the performance of L treatment was improved but the number was small. Considering the grading cost and yield, the MRF treatment can save the seed amounts of sowing, realize mechanized sowing and precision sowing.

An evolutionarily conserved PTEN-C/EBPalpha-CTNNA1 axis controls myeloid development and transformation.

Loss of function of tumor suppressor genes, such as PTEN, CEBPAlpha, and CTNNA1 (encoding the alpha-catenin protein), has been found to play an essential role in leukemogenesis. However, whether these genes genetically interact remains largely unknown. Here, we show that PTEN-mammalian target of rapamycin signaling acts upstream to dictate the ratio of wild-type p42 C/EBPalpha to its dominant-negative p30 isoform, which critically determines whether p30 C/EBPalpha (lower p42/p30 ratio) or p42 C/EBPalpha (higher p42/p30 ratio) binds to the proximal promoter of the retained CTNNA1 allele. Binding of p30 C/EBPalpha recruits the polycomb repressive complex 2 to suppress CTNNA1 transcription through repressive H3K27me3 modification, whereas binding of p42 C/EBPalpha relieves this repression and promotes CTNNA1 expression through activating H3K4me3 modification. Loss of Pten function in mice and zebrafish induces myelodysplasia with abnormal invasiveness of myeloid progenitors accompanied by significant reductions in both wild-type C/EBPalpha and alpha-catenin protein. Importantly, frame-shift mutations in either PTEN or CEBPA were detected exclusively in the primary LICs with low CTNNA1 expression. This study uncovers a novel molecular pathway, PTEN-C/EBPalpha-CTNNA1, which is evolutionarily conserved and might be therapeutically targeted to eradicate LICs with low CTNNA1 expression.

[Effects of phytase Q9 on the yield and senescence characteristics of summer maize shaded in the field]. / æ¤é ¶Q9对大田遮阴夏玉米产量和衰老特性的调控作用.

Light shortage in the canopy of summer maize resulted from the decrease of solar radiation and the increase of planting density in Huanghuaihai region could reduce maize yield. In order to explore the effects of phytase Q9 on leaf senescence characteristics of summer maize, three sha-ding treatments with summer maize hybrid 'Denghai 605' (DH605) were conducted, including shading at flowering to maturity stage (S1), shading at ear stage (S2), and shading at whole growth stage (S3) with natural lighting in the field as control (CK). Chemical control reagent phytase Q9 was used to regulate the shading treatments (the original solution was diluted by 100 times) and the CK exogenously, namely shading at flowering to maturity stage-phytase Q9 (S1Q), shading at ear stage-phytase Q9 (S2Q), and shading at whole growth stage-phytase Q9 (S3Q), and natural lighting-phytase Q9 (CKQ), with spraying water at the same stage as the control. The results showed that leaf area index (LAI), soil-plant analysis development (SPAD) value and net photosynthetic rate of summer maize was significantly reduced by shading, which led to decreases of yield. The activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD), peroxidase (POD) and catalase (CAT) in ear-leaf decreased. The content of malondialdehyde (MDA) and free proline increased, and that of soluble protein decreased. The spraying phytase Q9 significantly increased LAI, SPAD and net photosynthetic rate in S3Q and S2Q. MDA and free proline content in S3Q, S2Q, and S1Q were significantly decreased, and soluble protein content and POD activity was significantly increased. SOD and CAT activities in S2Q and S3Q were significantly increased. The yield of S3Q, S2Q and S1Q were 19%, 8% and 7% higher than that of S3, S2 and S1 respectively. There was no significant difference between CKQ and CK. In conclusion, phytase Q9 could effectively alleviate the negative impact of low light on yield formation of summer maize, and increase grain yield by improving photosynthetic capacity of leaves and delaying leaf senescence.

[Effects of spraying desiccant on dehydration characteristics and grain quality of summer maize hybrids differing in maturity]. / 喷施脱水剂对不同熟期夏玉米脱水特性和籽粒品质的影响.

Water content of summer maize hybrids grown in China is too high at harvesting stage, which limits the development of grain mechanical harvesting technology. Spraying the desiccant can regulate physiological process of crop grain filling and reduce water content at harvest. We explored the effects of spraying the desiccant on the dehydration process, grain moisture, and grain quality of summer maize hybrids differing in maturity. Spraying the desiccants reduced dry matter accumulation in different organs of maize, with strongest reduction of middle-late maturity hybrids. Dry matter transfer to the grains of the plants and the harvest index was improved, but with no changes of grain quality. The dehydration rate of grains was positively correlated with the rate of dehydration in diffe-rent organs. The dehydration rate of grains after spraying the desiccants was significantly positively correlated with the rate of dehydration of stems and sheaths. With no negative effects on yield, spraying the desiccant increased the total dehydration rate, shortened the time from flowering to physiological maturity, and increased the time from physiological maturity to harvest, which was beneficial to the further reduction of grain moisture in the later stage. The possibility of grain mechanical harvesting was increased. The economic benefits of spraying the desiccants on mechanical grain harvest of summer maize hybrids differing in maturity were not significantly different from those of ear mechanical harvesting. The economic benefits of middle-late maturity hybrids were higher than those of early maturity hybrids. Spraying desiccant may improve the possibility of grain mechanical harvesting.

Endogenous Hormones Inhibit Differentiation of Young Ears in Maize (Zea mays L.) Under Heat Stress.

Global warming frequently leads to extreme temperatures, which pose a serious threat to the growth, development, and yield formation of crops such as maize. This study aimed to deeply explore the molecular mechanisms of young ear development under heat stress. We selected the heat-tolerant maize variety Zhengdan 958 (T) and heat-sensitive maize variety Xianyu 335 (S), and subjected them to heat stress in the V9 (9th leaf), V12 (12th leaf), and VT (tasseling) growth stages. We combined analysis of the maize phenotype with omics technology and physiological indicators to compare the differences in young ear morphology, total number of florets, floret fertilization rate, grain abortion rate, number of grains, and main metabolic pathways between plants subjected to heat stress and those left to develop normally. The results showed that after heat stress, the length and diameter of young ears, total number of florets, floret fertilization rate, and number of grains all decreased significantly, whereas the length of the undeveloped part at the top of the ear and grain abortion rate increased significantly. In addition, the differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in young ears were significantly enriched in the hormone signaling pathways. The endogenous hormone content in young ears exhibited different changes: zeatin (ZT) and zeatin riboside (ZR) decreased significantly, but gibberellin acid3 (GA3), gibberellin acid4 (GA4), and abscisic acid (ABA) increased significantly, in ears subjected to heat stress. In the heat-tolerant maize variety, the salicylic acid (SA), and jasmonic acid (JA) content in the vegetative growth stage also increased in ears subjected to heat stress, whereas the opposite effect was observed for the heat-sensitive variety. The changes in endogenous hormone content of young ears that were subjected to heat stress significantly affected ear development, resulting in a reduction in the number of differentiated florets, fertilized florets and grains, which ultimately reduced the maize yield.

Ursodeoxycholic acid alleviates experimental liver fibrosis involving inhibition of autophagy.

AIMS: Ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA) has been widely used in the treatment of primary biliary cholangitis (PBC) with chronic liver fibrosis, but its detailed mechanism remains unclear. This study was aimed to determine whether autophagic signaling is involved in the therapeutic effect of UDCA on liver fibrosis. METHODS: By using hepatic stellate cell (HSC) line LX2 and CCl4-induced fibrotic rat model, autophagy signaling was investigated by western blotting and mRFP-EGFP-LC3 tandem fluorescent tagged plasmid (ptfLC3) transfection technique. Anti-fibrotic profile was determined by western blotting, qRT-PCR, MTT assay, trypan blue, hydroxyproline assay and Masson staining. KEY FINDINGS: TGFß1 treatment decreased P62 accumulation and increased both autophagosomes and autolysosomes in LX2 cells, thereby elevated autophagic flux. Hydroxychloroquine (HCQ), antagonist of autophagy, was found to dramatically inhibit COL1A2 mRNA expression and cell proliferation in a dose-dependent manner. This coincides with the effect of UDCA intervention on collagen aggradation and cell viability. Meanwhile, UDCA inhibited TGFß1-induced autophagy flux. And rapamycin, agonist of autophagy, was found to impair the anti-fibrotic effect of UDCA. Moreover, study in vivo showed that UDCA alone or in combination with HCQ restored the CCl4-induced liver fibrosis in rodent models with autophagy inhibited profile. SIGNIFICANCE: Taken together, our study revealed that UDCA displays anti-fibrotic role by protecting HSC against production of collagen and inhibiting cellular viability involving autophagy inhibition and provide a new insight into the pharmacological basis of UDCA treatment for hepatic fibrosis.

[Effects of nitrogen application rate on grain filling characteristics and nutritional quality of summer maize.] / æ–½æ°®é‡å¯¹å¤çŽ‰ç±³ç±½ç²’çŒæµ†ç‰¹æ€§å’Œè¥å »å“è´¨çš„å½±å“.

Suitable nitrogen application rate can significantly increase grain filling rate and yield and improve nutritional quality. Denghai 518 (DH518) and Zhengdan 958 (ZD958) were used as experimental materials in this study. A field experiment with four treatments, no nitrogen treatment (N0), decrement nitrogen application rate (N1, 129 kg N·hm-2), suitable nitrogen rate (N2, 184.5 kg N·hm-2) and excessive nitrogen rate (N3, 300 kg N·hm-2), was conducted to explore the effects of nitrogen fertilization on grain filling parameters and nutritional qualities of summer maize. Results showed that grain filling characteristics, grain dry weight, and yield in N0 treatment was decreased. With increasing nitrogen application rate in the suitable range, average filling rate, grain dry weight, and yield increased. Grain yield of two hybrids in N1 and N2 treatments was higher than that of N0 by 16.4%-57.2% and 35.8%-65.1%, respectively. Grain protein, soluble sugar, starch contents and the ratio of amylopectin and amylase contents were lower and crude fat content was higher in N0 treatment. Grain protein content, soluble sugar content and starch content in N2 of DH518 were higher than that of N0 and N1 by 32.5% and 6.5%, 19.9% and 9.5%, 8.9% and 5.2%, and the ratio of amylopectin and amylose contents was increased. Grain protein, soluble sugar and starch contents in N2 of ZD958 were higher than that of N0 and N1 by 16.9% and 7.8%, 30.5% and 14.8%, 11.5% and 5.7%, and the ratio of amylopectin and amylase contents was increased. Crude fat content in N2 of both hybrids decreased significantly by 4.8%-12.3% than that of N0 and N1. However, yield and nutritional quality was increased in N3 treatment than that of N2. Our results suggested that suitable nitrogen rate could enhance grain filling, grain weight, and grain nutritional quality.

Effects of different densities of mixed-cropping on 13C-photosynthate distribution and grain yield of maize.

To explore the effects of different densities of mixed-cropping on 13C-photosynthate distribution and grain yield of maize, we measured photosynthetic characteristics, 13C-photosynthate distribution, dry matter accumulation, and grain yield under different planting densities (LD, 67500 plants·hm-2 and HD, 97500 plants·hm-2) under mixed-cropping (M, 1:1, 2:2) and monoculture of Zhengdan958 (ZD) and Denghai605 (DH). The results showed that with the increases of planting density, grain yield, 13C-photosynthate allocation to grain, dry matter accumulation, and leaf area index (LAI) increased, but the chlorophyll content and net photosynthetic rate decreased. No significant difference was observed between the monoculture and mixed-cropping at the density of 67500 plants·hm-2. However, at 97500 plants·hm-2, LAI, chlorophyll content, net photosynthetic rate and dry matter accumulation in mixed-cropping were higher than that in monoculture. Mixed-cropping promoted the transport of dry matter from the vegetative organs such as stem to the grain and the distribution of 13C-photosynthates to grain. Grain yield of summer maize significantly increased in mixed-cropping due to the increase of 1000-grain mass. Under high plant density, the mixed-cropping could enlarge photosynthetic area, maintain higher net photosynthetic rate, increase dry matter accumulation, improve the distribution of dry matter, promote the distribution of 13C-photosynthates to grains and thus increase the grain yield. Our results indicated that mixed-cropping could significantly increase the yield of close planting summer maize in Huang-Huai-Hai Plain.

[Effects of light intensities after anthesis on the photosynthetic characteristics and chloroplast ultrastructure in mesophyll cell of summer maize (Zea mays L. )]. / èŠ±ç²’æœŸå ‰ç §å¯¹å¤çŽ‰ç±³å ‰åˆç‰¹æ€§å’Œå¶ç»¿ä½“è¶ å¾®ç»“æž„çš„å½±å“.

We examined the changes of photosynthetic characteristics and chloroplast ultrastructure in mesophyll cell of summer maize in response to different light intensities in the field, with the summer maize hybrid Denghai 605 as experimental material. Two treatments of both shading (S) and increasing light (L) from flowering to physiological maturity stage were designed, with the ambient sunlight treatment as control (CK). Under shading treatment, poorly developed thylakoid structure, blurry lamellar structure, loose granum, large gap between slices and warping granum were the major characteristics in chloroplast. Meanwhile, photosynthetic rate (Pn), transpiration rate, stomatal conductance, chlorophyll content, and actual photo-chemical efficiency (ΦPSII) decreased, whereas the maximal photochemical efficiency and non-photochemical quenching increased, which resulted in decreases in grain yield under shading treatment. However, a better development was observed in chloroplasts for L treatment, with the number of grana and lamellae increased and lamellae arranged compactly. In addition, Pn and ΦPSII increased under L treatment, which increased grain yield. The chloroplast arrangement dispersed in mesophyll cells and chloroplast ultrastructure was destroyed after shading, and then chlorophyll synthesis per unit leaf area and photosynthetic capacity decreased. In contrast, the number of grana and lamellae increased and lamellae arranged compactly after increasing light, which are beneficial for corn yield.

[The interactive effects of water and nitrogen addition on ammonia volatilization loss and yield of winter wheat.] / 水氮互作对冬小麦田氨挥发损失和产量的影响.

An experiment with winter wheat of Shimai 15 and treatments of two types of fertilizers (organic manure, M; urea, U), two amounts of nitrogen application (180 kg·hm-2, M1U1; 90 kg·hm-2, M2U2), two irrigation levels (500 mm, W1; 250 mm, W2) was carried out in the lysimeters in 2015-2017. The results showed that ammonia volatilization was substantial after fertilization and irrigation. The dynami of ammonia volatilization during two years was similar. The process of ammonia volatilization after fertilization lasted for seven days. In 2015-2016, the total amount of ammonia volatilization ranged from 13.36 to 46.04 kg·hm-2, and the loss rate of ammonia nitrogen ranged from 8.9% to 41.1%. The total amount of ammonia volatilization in 2016-2017 ranged from 14.78 to 52.99 kg·hm-2, and the ammonia nitrogen loss rate ranged from 9.2% to 45.8%. During the two years, the highest loss of ammonia volatiles occurred in W2U1, the highest loss rate of ammonia volatilization occurred in W2U2. Ammonia volatilization loss rate significantly decreased under appropriate water and nitrogen management. Ammonia loss under the application of urea was about 2-3 times of organic manure. The highest yield occurred in W1M1 during the two growing seasons. The type of fertilizer, the amount of irrigation and nitrogen applied interactively affected the yield of winter wheat. As for the increases of production, organic manure was better than urea. Under the experimental condition, the best treatment was irrigation amount of 500 mm and application of organic manure with about 180 kg·hm-2 of N fertilizers, which could be applied in practice for wheat production in Huang-Huai-Hai region.

Adaptive Fibrogenic Reprogramming of Osteosarcoma Stem Cells Promotes Metastatic Growth.

It is well established that fibrotic remodeling of the tumor microenvironment favors tumorigenesis, but whether fibrosis underlies malignant progression in other ways is unclear. Here, we report that adaptive myofibroblastic reprogramming of osteosarcoma stem cells (OSCs) results in a critical advantage when establishing lung macro-metastases and spheroid growth but does not affect the growth of primary lesions or monolayer cultures. FGFR2 signaling in OSCs initiates fibrosis, whereas the resultant fibronectin (FN) auto-deposition sustains fibrogenic reprogramming and OSC growth, resembling the process employed by non-malignant myofibroblasts to cause tissue fibrosis. Furthermore, we provide evidence that nintedanib targets the pan FGFR-FN axis to disrupt lung metastasis without affecting the bone lesion growth of OSCs. Thus, myofibroblastic reprogramming of human OSCs in the lungs might represent a druggable trait for treating a deadly metastatic complication.

The prognostic value of abnormally expressed lncRNAs in prostatic carcinoma: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Several long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) are abnormally expressed in prostate cancer (PCa), suggesting that they could serve as novel prognostic markers. The current meta-analysis was undertaken to better define the prognostic value of various lncRNAs in PCa. METHODS: The PubMed, Embase, Medline, and Cochrane Library databases were systematically searched up to February 19, 2017, to retrieve eligible articles. Outcomes analyzed were biochemical recurrence-free survival (BRFS), overall survival (OS), metastasis-free survival (MFS), and prostate cancer-specific survival (PCSS). Pooled hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (95%CIs) were calculated using fixed-effects or random-effects models. RESULTS: A total of 10 studies, evaluating 11 PCa-related lncRNAs, were included in the meta-analysis. Pooled results indicate that the abnormal expression of candidate lncRNAs in PCa samples predicted poor BRFS (HR: 1.67, 95%CI: 1.37-2.04, P < .05), without significant heterogeneity among studies (I = 44%, P = .06). Low PCAT14 expression was negatively associated with OS (HR: 0.66, 95%CI: 0.54-0.79, P < .05), MFS (HR: 0.59, 95%CI: 0.48-0.72, P < .05), and PCSS (HR: 0.50, 95%CI: 0.38-0.66, P < .05). Again, there was no significant heterogeneity among studies. The robustness of our results was confirmed by sensitivity and publication bias analyses. CONCLUSION: We conclude that expression analysis of selected lncRNAs may be of prognostic value in PCa patients.

[Effects of water conditions and controlled release urea on yield and leaf senescence physiological characteristics in summer maize.] / ä¸åŒæ°´åˆ†æ¡ä»¶ä¸‹æŽ§é‡Šå°¿ç´ å¯¹å¤çŽ‰ç±³äº§é‡å’Œå¶ç‰‡è¡°è€ç‰¹æ€§çš„å½±å“.

In an soil column experiment with Zhengdan 958 (a summer maize cultivar planted widely in China), treatments of three water levels,severe water stress W1 which the soil moisture kept (35±5)% of the field capacity, mild water stress W2 which was (55±5)%,normal water W3 which was (75±5)%, and four levels of controlled release urea fertilizer (N0, N1 was 150 kg N·hm-2,N2 was 225 kg N·hm-2 and N3 was 300 kg N·hm-2) were included to study the interactive effects of water and controlled release urea on yield and leaf senescence characteristics of summer maize. The results showed that the coupling of water and controlled release urea had significant effects on increasing yield, delaying the senescence and keeping the high efficiency of the functional leaves. Under the same nitrogen condition, yield, LAI, chlorophyll content and the activities of SOD, POD, CAT and soluble protein content in summer maize ear leaf were significantly increased with more water supplying, and the content of MDA decreased significantly. Under the condition of the same moisture, these indicators were also significantly increased with the increasing nitrogen application and MDA content was reduced significantly. However, these indicators (except MDA) of W3N3, W3N2 and W2N3 treatments were maintained at a higher level and the MDA content was lo-wer compared with other treatments despite the fact that there were no significant difference among these three treatments, which indicated that the interactive effects of water and controlled release urea had an important role in maintaining the function of ear leaf, delaying the leaf senescence, and was beneficial to the photosynthates production and obtaining higher yield of summer maize. Integrating the yield, LAI, chlorophyll content, various protective enzymes activity, MDA and soluble protein content, controlled release urea application rate of 225 kg N·hm-2 was the best treatment as the soil moisture content was (75±5)% of field capacity. Continuous increase in the nitrogen application could not enhance the activities of protective enzymes, oppositely, it could cause the decline of protective enzymes activities and the increase of MDA content rapidly and speed up plants translation to senescence, which was not conductive to the efficient use of nitrogen. We suggested that coupling controlled release urea application rate of 300 kg N·hm-2 with soil moisture content of (55±5)% of field capacity was optimum.

[Effects of water-potassium interaction on stalk structure and function of high-yield summer maize].

The effects of water-potassium interaction on stalk structure and function of high-yield summer maize were studied in the waterproof cultivation pools with Zhengdan 958 (ZD958) as the experimental material. The results showed that the quantity of bleeding sap in stalk was significantly improved by irrigation. Potassium (K) application could reduce the influence of drought stress on the quantity of bleeding sap in stalk to a certain extent. The quantity of bleeding sap in stalks during different growth periods were significantly improved in the treatment of 2250 m³ · hm⁻²2 irrigation amount with K application. The stalk rind penetration strength and stem diameter were significantly improved by water-potassium interactions. Under the irrigation amount of 2250 m³ · hm⁻², the stalk rind penetration strength and stem diameter with K application were respectively increased by 46.0% and 36.4% compared with no K application. Under K application, the stalk rind penetration strength and stem diameter in the irrigation amount 2250 m³ · hm⁻² were respectively increased by 30.7% and 8.6% compared with 450 m³ · hm⁻². The number, area of vascular bundle and the thickness of thick-walled cell, cortex and rind, were significantly improved by the irrigation amount 2250 m³ · hm⁻² with K application. In conclusion, application of 180 kg K2O · hm⁻² and increasing the irrigation amount properly could increase the lodging resistance and yield of summer maize in this field experiment condition.

[Effects of different cultivation practices on composition, carbon and nitrogen distribution of soil aggregates in farmlands.] / ä¸åŒæ ½åŸ¹ç®¡ç†æ¨¡å¼å¯¹å†œç”°åœŸå£¤å›¢èšä½“ç»„æˆåŠå ¶ç¢³ã€æ°®åˆ†å¸ƒçš„å½±å“.

The long-term experiments were conducted at two locations with different soil fertility. There were four treatments, including super high-yielding cultivation treatment (SH), high-yielding and high efficiency cultivation treatment (HH), local farmer's practice (FP), and control (CK), respectively. The field experiments were established to study the effects of different cultivation practices on composition, carbon and nitrogen distribution of tillage layer soil aggregates in different soil fertility, with the aim of proposing technological approaches to enhance soil fertility and achieve the sustainable development of increasing yield and efficiency in wheat-maize ecosystem. The results indicated that compared with treatments in low soil fertility (LSF), same treatments in high soil ferti-lity (HSF) had the higher mean mass diameter and geometric mean diameter, contents of organic carbon and total nitrogen, and lower fractal dimension in dried soil aggregates at soil tillage layer, which was beneficial to the formation and stability of large aggregate. Optimizing application of NPK fertilizers and the application of combined chemical fertilizer with organic fertilizer could increase the diameter of soil aggregate, reduce the fractal dimension of aggregate and promote the formation and stability of large aggregates, and the effect on HSF was greater than that on LSF; also they could improve the content and distribution of organic carbon and total nitrogen in large soil aggregate, the contribution rate to >5 mm aggregate in LSF was greater than in HSF, while the contribution rate to 5-0.5 mm aggregates in HSF was greater than in LSF.

[Effects of long-term mixed application of organic and inorganic fertilizers on canopy apparent photosynthesis and yield of winter wheat].

A field experiment was conducted using the winter wheat (Triticum aestivum) variety Shimai 15. The source of organic nitrogen was cow manure, and four fertilization treatments were included, i.e., no N fertilizer application, single application of urea, single application of cow manure, and mixed application of urea and cow manure. The effects of different applications of inorganic and organic nitrogen on canopy apparent photosynthesis (CAP), photosynthetic rate of flag leaves (Pn), leaf area index (LAI), florescence parameters and grain yield of winter wheat were determined. The results showed that urea had the largest effect on the early growth period, as at this stage the CAP, Pn and LAI of the single application of urea were the highest, which was followed by the mixed application and the single application of cow manure. However, 10 days after anthesis, the single application of cow manure and the mixed application delayed the leaf senescence process when compared with the single application of urea. This could be due to the two treatments having higher anti-oxidant enzyme activity and promoting a longer green leaf duration, which could maintain a higher photosynthetic capability. What' s more, the mixed application had a better performance and got the highest grain yield. Consequently, the mixed application of organic and inorganic fertilizers could delay leaf senescence and maintain a better canopy structure and higher photosynthesis capability at the late grain filling stage, which resulted in a higher grain yield.

[Effects of sowing depth on seedling traits and root characteristics of summer maize].

Two summer maize hybrids, Zhengdan 958 (ZD958) and Xianyu 335 (XY335), were used as experimental materials. 4 sowing depths (3, 5, 7 and 9 cm) and uneven sowing depth (CK) were designed under sand culture and field experiments to investigate the effects of sowing depth on seedling traits and root characteristics of summer maize. The results showed that the seedling emergence rate gradually decreased and seedling emergence time gradually lengthened as the sowing depth increased. Compared with the sowing depth of 3 cm, the seedling emergence rates of ZD958 and XY335 sown at the depth of 9 cm were reduced by 9.4% and 11.8%, respectively, and the seedling emergence duration was prolonged 1.5 d. With the increasing sowing depth, the seedling length and uniformity decreased significantly, the mesocotyl length increased significantly, while the coleoptile length had no significant difference; the primary radicle length gradually decreased, the total length of secondary radicle gradually increased, and the total root length had no significant difference; the total dry mass of seedling and mesocotyl increased significantly, and the total root dry mass had no significant difference. With the increasing sowing depth, the soluble sugar content in each part of seedling increased and the amount of nutritional consumption of germinating seeds increased, the seedling root growth rate increased, but the root activity decreased, and the number of total nodal root and nodal layers increased. With the increasing sowing depth, harvested ears per unit area were reduced by decreased seedling emergence rate and seedling vigor, thus influenced the yield. In addition, uniform sowing depth could improve the canopy uniformity and relative characteristics, then increase the yield.

[Characteristics of farmland eco-environment at the intercropping stage of maize intercropped with winter wheat and their effects on seedling growth of summer maize].

To study the farmland eco-environment of intercropping maize with wheat at the intercropping stage and its influence on maize seedling growth, two summer maize cultivars, Zhengdan 958 and Denghai 661, were either intercropped with wheat or directly seeded. The result demonstrated that there was little difference for the soil water content of the farmland between the two cultivation methods. The highest soil temperature of intercropped maize was 4.8-5.2 °C lower than the soil temperature of directly-seeded maize, and the lowest temperature of the intercropped maize was 1.4-1.7 °C lower. But, the temperatures for both planting methods met the requirement for seed germination. Light intensity on the ground surface of the intercropped maize was 4.4%-10.6% less than natural light, and insufficient light was the main reason for the weak and late seedling. Compared to the directly-seeded maize, the speeds of seed germination and accumulation of dry matters of the intercropped maize were relatively slow. On the whole, the seedling of intercropped maize was not strong, which presented small leaves, short height and low chlorophyll content. The restraint on the growth of intercropped maize was enhanced with the extension of intercropping period. For farm planting, direct-seeding could improve the seed germination and seedling growth of summer maize.