Faba bean and pea harvest index estimations using aerial-based multimodal data and machine learning algorithms.

Early and high-throughput estimations of the crop harvest index (HI) are essential for crop breeding and field management in precision agriculture; however, traditional methods for measuring HI are time-consuming and labor-intensive. The development of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) with onboard sensors offers an alternative strategy for crop HI research. In this study, we explored the potential of using low-cost, UAV-based multimodal data for HI estimation using red-green-blue (RGB), multispectral (MS), and thermal infrared (TIR) sensors at 4 growth stages to estimate faba bean (Vicia faba L.) and pea (Pisum sativum L.) HI values within the framework of ensemble learning. The average estimates of RGB (faba bean: coefficient of determination [R2] = 0.49, normalized root-mean-square error [NRMSE] = 15.78%; pea: R2 = 0.46, NRMSE = 20.08%) and MS (faba bean: R2 = 0.50, NRMSE = 15.16%; pea: R2 = 0.46, NRMSE = 19.43%) were superior to those of TIR (faba bean: R2 = 0.37, NRMSE = 16.47%; pea: R2 = 0.38, NRMSE = 19.71%), and the fusion of multisensor data exhibited a higher estimation accuracy than those obtained using each sensor individually. Ensemble Bayesian model averaging provided the most accurate estimations (faba bean: R2 = 0.64, NRMSE = 13.76%; pea: R2 = 0.74, NRMSE = 15.20%) for whole growth stage, and the estimation accuracy improved with advancing growth stage. These results indicate that the combination of low-cost, UAV-based multimodal data and machine learning algorithms can be used to estimate crop HI reliably, therefore highlighting a promising strategy and providing valuable insights for high spatial precision in agriculture, which can help breeders make early and efficient decisions.

Identification of CNGCs in Glycine max and Screening of Related Resistance Genes after Fusarium solani Infection.

Cyclic nucleotide-gated channels (CNGCs), non-selective cation channels localised on the plasmalemma, are involved in growth, development, and regulatory mechanisms in plants during adverse stress. To date, CNGC gene families in multiple crops have been identified and analysed. However, there have been no systematic studies on the evolution and development of CNGC gene families in legumes. Therefore, in the present study, via transcriptome analysis, we identified 143 CNGC genes in legumes, and thereafter, classified and named them according to the grouping method used for Arabidopsis thaliana. Functional verification for disease stress showed that four GmCNGCs were specifically expressed in the plasmalemma during the stress process. Further, functional enrichment analysis showed that their mode of participation and coordination included inorganic ion concentration regulation inside and outside the membrane via the transmembrane ion channel and participation in stress regulation via signal transduction. The CNGC family genes in G. max involved in disease stress were also identified and physiological stress response and omics analyses were also performed. Our preliminary results revealed the basic laws governing the involvement of CNGCs in disease resistance in G. max, providing important gene resources and a theoretical reference for the breeding of resistant soybean.

Structure-activity study on the spatial arrangement of the third aromatic ring of endomorphins 1 and 2 using an atypical constrained C terminus.

The discovery of endomorphins (EMs) has opened the possibility of searching for new analgesics. However, the design of peptide analgesics has proven to be very difficult as a result of their conformational flexibility and a lack of clarity in structure-activity relationships (SAR). In EMs, the amino acid side chains exhibit considerable conformational flexibility, especially in the third aromatic ring, which is free to adopt a bioactive conformation. To resolve these problems, a series of C terminus EM analogues, [Xaa(4)-R]EMs, modified through the substitution of Phe(4) with nonaromatic residues and termination with benzyl groups, were designed to generate conformational constrains of the third aromatic ring by amide bond and torsion angles (phi(4) and psi(4)) of Xaa(4). Introduction of (S)-alpha-methyl or (S)/(R)-alpha-carboxamide on the methylene unit of the benzyl group was designed to produce an atypical topographical constraint (phi(5)) of the third aromatic ring rotation. Interestingly, some EM derivatives, with elimination of the C-terminal carboxamide group and significant changes in the address sequence (Phe(4)-NH(2)), still exhibited higher mu-opioid receptor (MOR) affinity than unmodified EMs. In contrast, some analogues with incorrectly constrained C termini displayed very low affinity and pharmacological activities. Thus, our results indicate that these EM analogues, with atypical constrained C termini, provide model compounds with potent MOR agonism. They also give evidence that the proper spatial orientation and conformational restriction of the third aromatic ring are crucial for the interaction of EMs with MOR.