Evaluation of maize varieties via multivariate analysis: Roles of ionome, antioxidants, and autophagy in salt tolerance.

Salt stress presents a major obstacle to maize (Zea mays L.) production globally, impeding its growth and development. In this study, we aimed to identify salt-tolerant maize varieties through evaluation using multivariate analysis and shed light on the role of ionome, antioxidant capacity, and autophagy in salt tolerance. We investigated multiple growth indices, including shoot fresh weight, shoot dry weight, plant height, chlorophyll content, electrolyte leakage, potassium and sodium contents, and potassium-to-sodium ratio in 20 maize varieties at the V3 stage under salt stress (200 mM NaCl). The results showed significant differences in the growth indices, accompanied by a wide range in their coefficient of variation, suggesting their suitability for screening salt tolerance. Based on D values, clustering analysis categorized the 20 varieties into four distinct groups. TG88, KN20, and LR888 (group I) emerged as the most salt-tolerant varieties, while YD9, XD903, and LH151 (group IV) were identified as the most sensitive. TG88 showcased nutrient preservation and redistribution under salt stress, surpassing YD9. It maintained nitrogen and iron levels in roots while YD9 experienced decreases. TG88 redistributed more nitrogen, zinc, and potassium to its leaves, outperforming YD9. TG88 preserved sulfur levels in both roots and leaves, unlike YD9. Additionally, TG88 demonstrated higher enzymatic antioxidant capacity (SOD, POD, APX, and GR) both at the enzyme and gene expression levels, upregulation of autophagy-related (ATG) genes (ZmATG6, ZmATG8a, and ZmATG10), and increased autophagic activity. Overall, this study offers insights into accurate maize varieties evaluation methods and the physiological mechanisms underlying salt tolerance and identifies promising materials for further research.

Maize/soybean intercropping increases nutrient uptake, crop yield and modifies soil physio-chemical characteristics and enzymatic activities in the subtropical humid region based in Southwest China.

Intercropping, a widely adopted agricultural practice worldwide, aims to increase crop yield, enhance plant nutrient uptake, and optimize the utilization of natural resources, contributing to sustainable farming practices on a global scale. However, the underlying changes in soil physio-chemical characteristics and enzymatic activities, which contribute to crop yield and nutrient uptake in the intercropping systems are largely unknown. Consequently, a two-year (2021-2022) field experiment was conducted on the maize/soybean intercropping practices with/without nitrogen (N) fertilization (i.e., N0; 0 N kg ha-1 and N1; 225 N kg ha-1 for maize and 100 N kg ha-1 for soybean ) to know whether such cropping system can improve the nutrients uptake and crop yields, soil physio-chemical characteristics, and soil enzymes, which ultimately results in enhanced crop yield. The results revealed that maize intercropping treatments (i.e., N0MI and N1MI) had higher crop yield, biomass dry matter, and 1000-grain weight of maize than mono-cropping treatments (i.e., N0MM, and N1MM). Nonetheless, these parameters were optimized in N1MI treatments in both years. For instance, N1MI produced the maximum grain yield (10,105 and 11,705 kg ha-1), biomass dry matter (13,893 and 14,093 kg ha-1), and 1000-grain weight (420 and 449 g) of maize in the year 2021 and 2022, respectively. Conversely, soybean intercropping treatments (i.e., N0SI and N1SI) reduced such yield parameters for soybean. Also, the land equivalent ratio (LER) and land equivalent ratio for N fertilization (LERN) values were always greater than 1, showing the intercropping system's benefits in terms of yield and improved resource usage. Moreover, maize intercropping treatments (i.e., N0MI and N1MI) and soybean intercropping treatments (i.e., N0SI and N1SI) significantly (p < 0.05) enhanced the nutrient uptake (i.e., N, P, K, Ca, Fe, and Zn) of maize and soybean, however, these nutrients uptakes were more prominent in N1MI and N1SI treatments of maize and soybean, respectively in both years (2021 and 2022) compared with their mono-cropping treatments. Similarly, maize-soybean intercropping treatments (i.e., N0MSI and N1MSI) significantly (p < 0.05) improved the soil-based N, P, K, NH4, NO3, and soil organic matter, but, reduced the soil pH. Such maize-soybean intercropping treatments also improved the soil enzymatic activities such as protease (PT), sucrose (SC), acid phosphatase (AP), urease (UE), and catalase (CT) activities. This indicates that maize-soybean intercropping could potentially contribute to higher and better crop yield, enhanced plant nutrient uptake, improved soil nutrient pool, physio-chemical characteristics, and related soil enzymatic activities. Thus, preferring intercropping to mono-cropping could be a preferable choice for ecologically viable agricultural development.

Straw incorporation and nitrogen fertilization regulate soil quality, enzyme activities and maize crop productivity in dual maize cropping system.

BACKGROUND: Straw incorporation serves as an effective strategy to enhance soil fertility and soil microbial biomass carbon (SMBC), which in turn improves maize yield and agricultural sustainability. However, our understanding of nitrogen (N) fertilization and straw incorporation into soil microenvironment is still evolving. This study explored the impact of six N fertilization rates (N0, N100, N150, N200, N250, and N300) with and without straw incorporation on soil fertility, SMBC, enzyme activities, and maize yield. RESULTS: Results showed that both straw management and N fertilization significantly affected soil organic carbon (SOC), total N, SMBC, soil enzyme activities, and maize yield. Specifically, the N250 treatment combined with straw incorporation significantly increased SOC, total N, and SMBC compared to lower fertilization rates. Additionally, enzyme activities such as urease, cellulase, sucrose, catalase, and acid phosphatase reached their peak during the V6 growth stage in the N200 treatment under for both straw management conditions. Compared to N250 and N300 treatments of traditional planting, the N200 treatment with residue incorporation significantly increased yield by 8.30 and 4.22%, respectively. All measured parameters, except for cellulase activity, were significantly higher in spring than in the autumn across both study years, with notable increases observed in 2021. CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest that optimal levels of SOC, soil total N (STN), and SMBC, along with increased soil enzyme activities, is crucial for sustaining soil fertility and enhancing maize grain yield under straw incorporation and N200 treatments.

Melatonin mitigates drought stress by increasing sucrose synthesis and suppressing abscisic acid biosynthesis in tomato seedlings.

The increasing prevalence of drought events poses a major challenge for upcoming crop production. Melatonin is a tiny indolic tonic substance with fascinating regulatory functions in plants. While plants can respond in several ways to alleviate drought stress, the processes underpinning stress sensing and signaling are poorly understood. Hereafter, the objectives of this investigation were to explore the putative functions of melatonin in the regulation of sugar metabolism and abscisic acid biosynthesis in drought-stressed tomato seedlings. Melatonin (100 µM) and/or water were foliar sprayed, followed by the plants being imposed to drought stress for 14 days. Drought stress significantly decreased biomass accumulation, inhibited photosynthetic activity, and stimulated senescence-associated gene 12 (SAG12) expression. Melatonin treatment effectively reversed drought-induced growth retardation as evidenced by increased leaf pigment and water balance and restricted abscisic acid (ABA) accumulation. Sugar accumulation, particularly sucrose content, was higher in drought-imposed seedlings, possibly owing to higher transcription levels of sucrose non-fermenting 1-related protein kinase 2 (SnKR2.2) and ABA-responsive element binding factors 2 (AREB2). Melatonin addition further uplifted the sucrose content, which coincided with increased activity of sucrose synthase (SS, 130%), sucrose phosphate synthase (SPS, 137%), starch degradation encoding enzyme ß-amylase (BAM, 40%) and α-amylase (AMY, 59%) activity and upregulated their encoding BAM1(10.3 folds) and AMY3 (8.1 folds) genes expression at day 14 relative to the control. Under water deficit conditions, melatonin supplementation decreased the ABA content (24%) and its biosynthesis gene expressions. Additionally, sugar transporter subfamily genes SUT1 and SUT4 expression were upregulated by the addition of melatonin. Collectively, our findings illustrate that melatonin enhances drought tolerance in tomato seedlings by stimulating sugar metabolism and negatively regulating ABA synthesis.

Exogenous Glycinebetaine Regulates the Contrasting Responses in Leaf Physiochemical Attributes and Growth of Maize under Drought and Flooding Stresses.

Flooding and drought are the two most devastating natural hazards limiting maize production. Exogenous glycinebetaine (GB), an osmotic adjustment agent, has been extensively used but there is limited research on its role in mitigating the negative effects of different abiotic stresses. This study aims to identify the different roles of GB in regulating the diverse defense regulation of maize against drought and flooding. Hybrids of Yindieyu 9 and Heyu 397 grown in pots in a ventilated greenhouse were subjected to flooding (2-3 cm standing layer) and drought (40-45% field capacity) at the three-leaf stage for 8 d. The effects of different concentrations of foliar GB (0, 0.5, 1.0, 5.0, and 10.0 mM) on the physiochemical attributes and growth of maize were tested. Greater drought than flooding tolerance in both varieties to combat oxidative stress was associated with higher antioxidant activities and proline content. While flooding decreased superoxide dismutase and guaiacol peroxidase (POD) activities and proline content compared to normal water, they all declined with stress duration, leading to a larger reactive oxygen species compared to drought. It was POD under drought stress and ascorbate peroxidase under flooding stress that played crucial roles in tolerating water stress. Foliar GB further enhanced antioxidant ability and contributed more effects to POD to eliminate more hydrogen peroxide than the superoxide anion, promoting growth, especially for leaves under water stress. Furthermore, exogenous GB made a greater increment in Heyu 397 than Yindieyu 9, as well as flooding compared to drought. Overall, a GB concentration of 5.0 mM, with a non-toxic effect on well-watered maize, was determined to be optimal for the effective mitigation of water-stress damage to the physiochemical characteristics and growth of maize.

Strigolactones: A promising tool for nutrient acquisition through arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi symbiosis and abiotic stress tolerance.

Strigolactones (SLs) constitute essential phytohormones that control pathogen defense, resilience to phosphate deficiency and abiotic stresses. Furthermore, SLs are released into the soil by roots, especially in conditions in which there is inadequate phosphate or nitrogen available. SLs have the aptitude to stimulate the root parasite plants and symbiotic cooperation with arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi in rhizosphere. The use of mineral resources, especially phosphorus (P), by host plants is accelerated by AMF, which also improves plant growth and resilience to a series of biotic and abiotic stresses. Thus, these SL treatments that promote rhizobial symbiosis are substitutes for artificial fertilizers and other chemicals, supporting ecologically friendly farming practices. Moreover, SLs have become a fascinating target for abiotic stress adaptation in plants, with an array of uses in sustainable agriculture. In this review, the biological activity has been summarized that SLs as a signaling hormone for AMF symbiosis, nutrient acquisition, and abiotic stress tolerance through interaction with other hormones. Furthermore, the processes behind the alterations in the microbial population caused by SL are clarified, emphasizing the interplay with other signaling mechanisms. This review covers the latest developments in SL studies as well as the properties of SLs on microbial populations, plant hormone transductions, interactions and abiotic stress tolerance.

Chlorophyll fluorescence, physiology, and yield of winter wheat under different irrigation and shade durations during the grain-filling stage.

The uneven spatial and temporal distribution of light resources and water scarcity during the grain-filling stage pose significant challenges for sustainable crop production, particularly in the arid areas of the Loess Plateau in Northwest China. This study aims to investigate the combined effects of drought and shading stress on winter wheat growth and its physio-biochemical and antioxidative responses. Wheat plants were subjected to different drought levels- full irrigation (I100), 75% of full irrigation (I75), 50% of full irrigation (I50), and 25% of full irrigation (I25), and shading treatments - 12, 9, 6, 3 and 0 days (SD12, SD9, SD6, SD3, and CK, respectively) during the grain-filling stage. The effects of drought and shading treatments reduced yield in descending order, with the most significant reductions observed in the SD12 and I25 treatments. These treatments decreased grain yield, spikes per plant, 1000-grain weight, and spikelets per spike by 160.67%, 248.13%, 28.22%, and 179.55%, respectively, compared to the CK. Furthermore, MDA content and antioxidant enzyme activities exhibited an ascending trend with reduced irrigation and longer shading durations. The highest values were recorded in the I75 and SD12 treatments, which increased MDA, SOD, POD, and CAT activities by 65.22, 66.79, 65.07 and 58.38%, respectively, compared to the CK. The Pn, E, Gs, and iCO2 exhibited a decreasing trend (318.14, 521.09, 908.77, and 90.85%) with increasing shading duration and decreasing irrigation amount. Drought and shading treatments damage leaf chlorophyll fluorescence, decreasing yield and related physiological and biochemical attributes.

Photosynthetic production of wheat under precision planting patterns in northern china / Produção fotossintética de trigo através de padrões de plantação de precisão no norte da china

Winter wheat (Triticum aestivum) is cultivated across a wide region; however, water is scarce during the growing season of wheat in the Northern Plain of China. Therefore, winter wheat should be irrigated to maintain a stable and high grain yield. The aim of this field study was to develop a water-conserving precision planting pattern for winter wheat that is grown in the Northern China Plain with the purpose of exploring the benefits in maintaining water and effects on wheat productivity. To accomplish this, several production variables and photosynthetic indexes were measured, including the number of stems, the leaf area index (LAI), photosynthetically available radiation (PAR), net photosynthetic rate, and grain yield. The study was carried out during the 2011­2012 and 2012­2013 winter wheat growing seasons. The experiment included a double-row planting pattern (DRPP) and a single-row planting pattern (SRPP), both of which were either irrigated or rainfed. The area of each plot was 9 m2, and the experimental design was a randomized blocks design with three replicates. All results were analyzed with an ANOVA, the F test, and the LSD (p 0.05) for means comparison. PAR capture ratios in the DRPP were higher than those in the SRPP at 50­120 cm above the ground. The photosynthetic traits of flag leaves under irrigated conditions were not significantly influenced by the respective planting pattern. However, at a growth stage of 80 under the rainfed conditions, the mean photosynthetic rate within flag leaves in the DRPP was higher than that in the SRPP. Furthermore, the DRPP under rainfed conditions was more likely to increase the apparent quantum yield (AQY) of flag leaves than the yield obtained under irrigation. These results suggest that DRPP optimizes the canopy PAR distribution in winter wheat and contributes to the maintenance of a higher photosynthetic capacity in the flag leaves under water stress (the rainfed condition). This relationship may be applied in demonstration trials to encourage winter wheat farmers to incorporate the use of DRPP in the drought-prone areas, which are subjected to insufficient precipitation during the growing stage of wheat in Northern China.

O trigo de inverno (Triticum aestivum) é cultivado em uma vasta região; no entanto, a água é escassa durante a estação de crescimento do trigo na Planície do Norte da China. Assim, o trigo de inverno deve ser irrigado para manter um rendimento de grãos estável e elevado. O objetivo deste trabalho de campo foi o de desenvolver um padrão de plantação de precisão que conserve a água para o trigo de inverno que é cultivado na Planície do Norte da China com o propósito de explorar os benefícios da retenção de água e os efeitos na produtividade do trigo. Para isso, diversas variáveis de produção e índices fotossintéticos foram medidos, incluindo o número de hastes, o índice de área da folha (do inglês, LAI - leaf area index), a radiação fotossinteticamente disponível (do inglês, PAR - photosynthetically available radiation), taxa fotossintética líquida e o rendimento de grãos. O estudo foi conduzido durante as estações de crescimento do trigo de inverno em 2011-2012 e 2012-2013. O experimento incluiu um padrão de plantação em fila dupla (do inglês, DRPP - double-row planting pattern) e um padrão de plantação em fila única (do inglês, SRPP - single-row planting pattern), em ambos os casos ou foram irrigados artificialmente ou através da chuva (regadio e sequeiro). A área de cada lote de terra foi de 9 m2, e o delineamento experimental foi um de blocos aleatórios com três repetições. Todos os resultados foram analisados com uma ANOVA, um teste F, e um LSD (p 0.05) para a comparação das médias. As taxas de captura de PAR no DRPP foram maiores do que aquelas no SRPP a 50-120 cm acima do solo. As características fotossintéticas das folhas-bandeira (do inglês, flag leaves) sob condições de irrigação artificial não foram significativamente influenciadas pelo respectivo padrão de plantação. No entanto, num estágio de crescimento de 80% abaixo das condições de irrigação pela chuva, a taxa fotossintética média dentre as folhas-bandeira no DRPP foi maior que aquela observada no SRPP. Além disso, o DRPP sob condições de irrigação pela chuva foi mais suscetível ao aumento do rendimento quântico aparente (do inglês, AQY - apparent quantum yield) das folhas-bandeira do que o rendimento obtido através da irrigação artificial. Estes resultados sugerem que o DRPP otimiza a distribuição PAR do dossel no trigo de inverno e contribui para a manutenção de uma maior capacidade fotossintética nas folhas bandeira sob estresse hídrico (a condição de sequeiro). Esta relação pode ser aplicada em ensaios de demonstração para encorajar os agricultores de trigo de inverno a incorporar o uso do DRPP em áreas propensas à seca, que estão submetidas a precipitação insuficiente durante a fase de crescimento do trigo no Norte da China.