Ammonium improved cell wall and cell membrane P reutilization and external P uptake in a putrescine and ethylene dependent pathway.

Ammonium promotes rice P uptake and reutilization better than nitrate, under P starvation conditions; however, the underlying mechanism remains unclear. In this study, ammonium treatment significantly increased putrescine and ethylene content in rice roots under P deficient conditions, by increasing the protein content of ornithine decarboxylase and 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylic acid (ACC) oxidase compared with nitrate treatment. Ammonium treatment increased rice root cell wall P release by increasing pectin content and pectin methyl esterase (PME) activity, increased rice shoot cell membrane P release by decreasing phosphorus-containing lipid components, and maintained internal P homeostasis by increasing OsPT2/6/8 expression compared with nitrate treatment. Ammonium also improved external P uptake by regulating root morphology and increased rice grain yield by increasing the panicle number compared with nitrate treatment. The application of putrescine and ethylene synthesis precursor ACC further improved the above process. Our results demonstrate for the first time that ammonium increases rice P acquisition, reutilization, and homeostasis, and rice grain yield, in a putrescine- and ethylene-dependent manner, better than nitrate, under P starvation conditions.

Unearthing the alleviatory mechanisms of hydrogen sulfide in aluminum toxicity in rice.

Hydrogen sulfide (H2S) improves aluminum (Al) resistance in rice, however, the underlying mechanism remains unclear. In the present study, treatment with 30-µM Al significantly inhibited rice root growth and increased the total Al content, apoplastic and cytoplasm Al concentration in the rice roots. However, pretreatment with NaHS (H2S donor) reversed these negative effects. Pretreatment with NaHS significantly increased energy production under Al toxicity conditions, such as by increasing the content of ATP and nonstructural carbohydrates. In addition, NaHS stimulated the AsA-GSH cycle to decrease the peroxidation damage induced by Al toxicity. Pretreatment with NaHS significantly inhibited ethylene emissions in the rice and then inhibited pectin synthesis and increased the pectin methylation degree to reduce cell wall Al deposition. The phytohormones indole-3-acetic and brassinolide were also involved in the alleviation of Al toxicity by H2S. The transcriptome results further confirmed that H2S alleviates Al toxicity by increasing the pathways relating to material and energy metabolism, redox reactions, cell wall components, and signal transduction. These findings improve our understanding of how H2S affects rice responses to Al toxicity, which will facilitate further studies on crop safety.

[Research advance in the roles of water-nitrogen-oxygen factors in mediating rice growth, photosynthesis and nitrogen utilization in paddy soils.] / ç¨»ç”°æ°´æ°®æ°§çŽ¯å¢ƒå› å­å¯¹æ°´ç¨»ç”Ÿé•¿å‘è‚²ã€å ‰åˆä½œç”¨å’Œæ°®åˆ©ç”¨çš„è°ƒæŽ§ç ”ç©¶è¿›å±•.

Water and nitrogen are two important factors controlling rice growth and development. Suitable water-nitrogen interaction can alter nitrogen forms and oxygen environmental factors via regulating water content in the rhizosphere of paddy soil, promote the construction of root morphology, improve leaf photosynthesis and the allocation equilibrium of the photosynthetic products between the source and sink organs, and consequently increase rice population quality and grain yield. The microbial regulation mechanisms driven by the environmental factors (e.g. water, nitrogen and oxygen) also play an important role in improving nitrogen utilization efficiency in rice-soil system. Here, we reviewed the research progress in water-nitrogen interaction, and briefly discussed the effects of water, nitrogen form, and dissolved oxygen on rice growth, photosynthesis, carbon and nitrogen metabolism, nitrogen conversion and the underlying microbiological mechanism. We proposed several key directions for future researches: 1) to quantitatively investigate the spatial and temporal variations of dissolved oxygen in rhizosphere and their dominant environmental drivers under different water and nitrogen regimes; 2) to evaluate the responses of root-sourced signal to rhizosphere dissolved oxygen in different rice genotypes, and uncover its intrinsic mechanisms involved in rice growth and development; 3) to investigate the effects of key microbial process driven by the rhizosphere oxygen environment on the soil nitrogen conversion and rice nitrogen utilization.

Hydrogen peroxide alleviates P starvation in rice by facilitating P remobilization from the root cell wall.

Phosphorus (P) deficiency limits rice production. Increasing the remobilization of P stored in the root cell wall is an efficient way to alleviate P starvation in rice. In the current study, we found that the addition of 50 µM H2O2 significantly increased soluble P content in rice. H2O2 stimulated pectin biosynthesis and increased pectin methylesterase (PME) activity, thus stimulating the release of P from the cell wall in roots. H2O2 also regulates internal P homeostasis by increasing the expression of P transporter genes OsPT2, OsPT6, and OsPT8 at different treatment times. In addition, the H2O2 treatment increased the expression of nitrate reductase (NR) genes OsNIA1 and OsNIA2 and the activity of NR, then increased the accumulation of nitric oxide (NO) in the rice root. The application of the NO donor sodium nitroprusside (SNP) and the H2O2 scavenger 4-hydroxy-TEMPO significantly increased soluble P content by increasing pectin levels and PME activity to enhance the remobilization of P from the cell wall. However, the addition of NO scavenger 2-(4-carboxyphenyl)-4, 4, 5, 5-tetramethylimidazoline-1-oxyl-3-oxide (c-PTIO) with and without H2O2 had the opposite effect, suggesting that NO functions downstream of H2O2 to increase the remobilization of cell wall P in rice.

Putrescine alleviates aluminum toxicity in rice (Oryza sativa) by reducing cell wall Al contents in an ethylene-dependent manner.

Aluminum (Al3+ ) toxicity in acidic soils limits crop productivity worldwide. In this study, we found that putrescine (PUT) significantly alleviates Al toxicity in rice roots. The addition of 0.1 mM PUT promoted root elongation and reduced the Al content in the root apices of Nipponbare (Nip) and Kasalath (Kas) rice under Al toxicity conditions. Exogenous treatment with PUT reduced the cell wall Al content by reducing polysaccharide (pectin and hemicellulose) levels and pectin methylesterase (PME) activity in roots and decreased the translocation of Al from the external environment to the cytoplasm by downregulating the expression of OsNRAT1, which responsible to encode an Al transporter protein Nrat1 (Nramp aluminum transporter 1). The addition of PUT under Al toxicity conditions significantly inhibited ethylene emissions and suppressed the expression of genes involved in ethylene biosynthesis. Treatment with the ethylene precursor 1-aminocylopropane-1-carboxylic acid (ACC) significantly improved ethylene emission, inhibited root elongation, increased the Al accumulation in root tips and the root cell wall, and increased cell wall pectin and hemicellulose contents in both rice cultivars under Al toxicity conditions. The ethylene biosynthesis antagonist aminoethoxyvinylglycine (AVG, inhibitor of the ACC synthase) had the opposite effect and reduced PME activity. Together, our results show that PUT decreases the cell wall Al contents by suppressing ethylene emissions and decreases the symplastic Al levels by downregulating OsNRAT1 in rice.

Boron reduces cell wall aluminum content in rice (Oryza sativa) roots by decreasing H2O2 accumulation.

When boron (B) deficiency and aluminum (Al) toxicity co-exist in acidic soils, crop productivity is limited. In the current study, we found that 3 µM of B pretreatment significantly enhances rice root elongation under Al toxicity conditions. Pretreatment with B significantly decreases the deposition of Al in rice apoplasts, suppresses the synthesis of cell wall pectin, inhibits cell wall pectin methylesterase (PME) activity and its gene expression, and increases the expression of OsSTAR1 and OsSTAR2, which are responsible for reducing the Al content in the cell walls. In addition, B pretreatment significantly increases OsALS1 expression, thereby facilitating the transfer of Al from the cytoplasm to the vacuoles. However, B pretreatment had no effect on Al uptake and citric acid secretion. Pretreatment with B significantly increases the activity of ascorbate peroxidase (APX), peroxidase (POD), and catalase (CAT), thus increasing the elimination rate of H2O2 in rice roots. Co-treatment using B and H2O2 does not increase root growth under Al toxicity conditions; it also improves pectin synthesis, enhances PME activity, and increases Al deposition in root cell walls. However, the co-treatment of B and H2O2 scavenger 4-hydroxy-TEMPO has an opposite effect. The above results indicate that applying B fertilizers in acidic soil can help decrease the side effects of Al toxicity on rice growth.

Ammonium mitigates Cd toxicity in rice (Oryza sativa) via putrescine-dependent alterations of cell wall composition.

In plants, different forms of nitrogen (NO3- or NH4+) affect nutrient uptake and environmental stress responses. In the present study, we tested whether NO3- and NH4+ affect the ability of rice (Oryza sativa) to tolerate the toxic heavy metal cadmium (Cd). Compared with NO3-, NH4+ treatment significantly increased chlorophyll contents and reduced Cd2+ levels in rice cultivars Nipponbare (japonica) and Kasalath (indica) grown in 0.2 mM Cd2+. NH4+ significantly reduced the pectin and hemicellulose contents and inhibited the pectin methylesterase (PME) activity in rice roots, thereby reducing the negative charges in the cell wall and decreasing the accumulation of Cd2+ in roots. In addition, NH4+ reduced the absorption and root-to-shoot translocation of Cd2+ by decreasing the expression of OsHMA2 and OsNramp5 in the root. Levels of the signaling molecule putrescine were significantly higher in the roots of both rice cultivars provided with NH4+ compared with NO3-. The addition of putrescine reduced Cd2+ contents in both rice cultivars and increased the chlorophyll content in shoots by reducing root cell wall pectin and hemicellulose contents, inhibiting PME activity and suppressing the expression of OsHMA2 and OsNramp5 in the root. Taken together, these results indicate that NH4+ treatment alleviated Cd toxicity, enabling rice to withstand the noxious effects of Cd by modifying the cell wall Cd-binding capacity due to alterations of pectin and hemicellulose contents and Cd transport, processes induced by increasing putrescine levels. Our findings suggest methods to decrease Cd accumulation in rice by applying NH4+ fertilizers.

[Distribution characteristics of soil nitrogen and its influence factors in different typical zonal soils.] / ä¸åŒå ¸åž‹åœ°å¸¦æ€§åœŸå£¤æ°®ç´ åˆ†å¸ƒç‰¹å¾åŠå ¶å½±å“å› ç´ .

On the basis of field soil sampling, this paper investigated the distribution characteristics of soil different nitrogen (N) forms and its influence factors in the different typical zonal soils. The results showed that the concentrations of soil extractable total N, extractable organic N and adsorbed amino acids extracted with 0.5 mol·L-1 K2SO4 significantly increased along the altitudinal gradient in the different vertical soils, and their mean concentrations were greater than that in the horizontal soils. The concentrations of soil different N forms widely varied with the soil type in the different horizontal soils. On average, the concentration of soil adsorbed amino acids was approximately 5-fold greater than that of the free amino acids, representing 21.1% of soil extractable organic N. It indicated that the soil adsorbed amino acids extracted with the strong salt solution could serve as an important form of soil organic N. Pearson correlation analysis showed that extractable total N, extractable organic N, ammonium and amino acids in vertical soils were positively correlated with soil organic matter and total N (r=0.57-0.93, P<0.05), but negatively correlated with soil pH and nitrate (r=-0.37--0.91, P<0.05). In the horizontal soils, soil extractable total N, nitrate, organic matter, total N, alkali-hydrolyzable N and cation ions (e.g. K+, Ca2+, Mg2+) were all positively correlated with soil pH (r=0.36-0.85, P<0.05), whereas negatively correlated with soil ammonium and amino acids (r=-0.39--0.81, P<0.05).

In2O 3 Nanotower Hydrogen Gas Sensors Based on Both Schottky Junction and Thermoelectronic Emission.

Indium oxide (In2O3) tower-shaped nanostructure gas sensors have been fabricated on Cr comb-shaped interdigitating electrodes with relatively narrower interspace of 1.5 µm using thermal evaporation of the mixed powders of In2O3 and active carbon. The Schottky contact between the In2O3 nanotower and the Cr comb-shaped interdigitating electrode forms the Cr/In2O3 nanotower Schottky diode, and the corresponding temperature-dependent I-V characteristics have been measured. The diode exhibits a low Schottky barrier height of 0.45 eV and ideality factor of 2.93 at room temperature. The In2O3 nanotower gas sensors have excellent gas-sensing characteristics to hydrogen concentration ranging from 2 to 1000 ppm at operating temperature of 120-275 °C, such as high response (83 % at 240 °C to 1000 ppm H2), good selectivity (response to H2, CH4, C2H2, and C3H8), and small deviation from the ideal value of power exponent ß (0.48578 at 240 °C). The sensors show fine long-term stability during exposure to 1000 ppm H2 under operating temperature of 240 °C in 30 days. Lots of oxygen vacancies and chemisorbed oxygen ions existing in the In2O3 nanotowers according to the x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) results, the change of Schottky barrier height in the Cr/In2O3 Schottky junction, and the thermoelectronic emission due to the contact between two In2O3 nanotowers mainly contribute for the H2 sensing mechanism. The growth mechanism of the In2O3 nanotowers can be described to be the Vapor-Solid (VS) process.

[Effects of straw incorporation on rice carbon sequestration characteristics and grain yield formation].

A field experiment was conducted to study the effects of straw incorporation on rice dry matter accumulation and transportation, rice carbon sequestration and grain yield formation. The experiment included four levels of straw incorporation: 0 (control), 4000, 6000 and 8000 kg · hm(-2). Hybrid rice cultivar Zhongzheyou 1 was used in this experiment. The results showed that the average rice dry matter accumulation amount of the three straw incorporation treatments was increased by 63.03 g · m(-2) compared with the control, and that of straw incorporation of 6000 kg · hm(-2) showed the most favorable result, which was 154.40 g · m(-2) higher than the control. Effects of straw incorporation on rice dry matter accumulation showed the best performance from the maximum tillering stage to the full heading stage, and the dry matter accumulation at this stage was 71.25 g · m(-2) higher than the control. Compared with the control, the average dry matter exportation rate and apparent transformation rate from rice stem and leaf in the straw incorporation treatments were increased by 4.2% and 3.7%, respectively. The highest dry matter exportation rate and apparent transformation rate from rice stem and leaf were observed in the straw incorporation treatment of 6000 kg · hm(-2), which were increased by 12.8% and 11.1% compared to the control, respectively. The average rice carbon sequestration from the straw incorporation treatments was increased by 55.38 g · m(-2) compared with the control, and straw incorporation of 6000 kg · hm(-2) performed best with an increase of 17.8% compared with the control. Straw incorporation played a positive role in regulating the carbon sequestration of stem and leaf at the early growth stage and carbon sequestration of spike at the late growth stage. The average grain yield from the straw incorporation treatments was increased by 794.59 kg · hm(-2) (9.5% higher) compared with the control. Rice grain yields from the straw incorporation treatments of 6000 and 4000 kg · hm(-2) were significantly higher than the control, while rice grain yield from the straw incorporation treatment of 8000 kg · hm(-2) did not show a significant increase compared to the control. The rice grain yield was closely related to the yield components, and the increase of effective panicles may be the main reason for the higher grain yields in the straw incorporation treatments. Effective panicles in the straw incorporation treatments was averagely 8.41 spikes · m(-2) more than the control.

[Selenium cycling and transformation in paddy field and selenium nutrition of rice: a review].

Due to the alternate variation of soil redox potential and the particularity of soil components in paddy field, the selenium (Se) cycling and transformation in paddy soil are obviously different from those in upland soil, and can affect the Se availability in soil and the Se absorption and accumulation by rice. To deeply understand the Se cycling and transformation in paddy soil and the Se absorption and accumulation by rice is of great importance in studying the transformation of soil inorganic Se to organic Se. This paper summarized the researches on the cycling mechanisms and form transformation of Se in paddy soil and the metabolic mechanisms and absorption characteristics of Se by rice, and discussed the present status and development trend of the studies on the Se transformation in soil-rice system and the Se translocation in rice plant, which could provide references for the study of soil Se availability and the cultivation of Se-enriched rice.

[Dynamic changes of rice (Oryza sativa L.) tiller angle under effects of photoperiod and effective accumulated temperature].

Using rice variety DI508 as test material, a field experiment of different seeding dates and a test with plant growth chamber were conducted to study the dynamic changes of rice tiller angle under effects of different photoperiod and effective accumulated temperature. Under field condition, the tiller angle of DI508 plants changed gradually into erect after 10-15 days of photoperiod becoming shorter (since the Summer Solstice on 21st June), irrespective of seeding dates (4th April, 5th May, and 4th June). Under controlled photoperiod, the tiller angle changed in the same way as in the field. Shorter lighting treatment (10 hours) advanced the tiller angle change, while longer lighting treatment (14 hours) delayed the change. Effective accumulated temperature had no effects on the tiller angle change of DI508.

[Effects of rice-duck farming system on biotic populations in paddy field].

A field experiment was conducted to study the effects of rice-duck farming on the related biotic populations in paddy field. The results showed that rice-duck farming had greater effects on the occurrence and damage of pests, pathogens and weeds, as well as the amount of pests' natural enemies in paddy field. The population of rice planthopper and leafhopper decreased by 64.8% and 78.5% after 12 and 42 days of duck-release, and the weeds decreased by 67.7% and 98.1% after 15 and 45 days of duck-release, respectively, compared with the control. The sheath blight index at the maximum tillering stage and full-heading stage in the rice-duck plots were 40.4% and 62.0% lower than those in the control plot, respectively. The population of spiders in duck-released field was increased obviously, which in turn decreased the damage of rice pests.