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    The role of MAPK in plant response to abiotic stress
    Xin-miao ZHANG, Guo-qiang WU, Ming WEI
    Acta Prataculturae Sinica    2024, 33 (1): 182-197.   DOI: 10.11686/cyxb2023090
    Abstract1534)   HTML96)    PDF (1316KB)(1441)       Save

    Mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) is a highly conserved serine/threonine (Ser/Thr) protein kinase, occurring widely in eukaryotic intermediate reaction pathways. Plant MAPK has 11 relatively conserved sub-domains, which are all essential elements for Ser/Thr protein kinase to play its catalytic role, and its expression is regulated by reactive oxygen species, nitric oxide and hormones. MAPK phosphorylates a variety of substrates including transcription factors, protein kinases and cytoskeleton related proteins, and plays an important role in regulating plant response to abiotic stresses (salt, drought, extreme temperature, and heavy metals). In this review, we summarize the results of research on the discovery of plant MAPK family members, their structure and classification, regulatory mechanisms, and their roles in response to various abiotic stresses. We also propose directions for future research. The information in this review provides a theoretical basis and identifies genetic resources for the genetic improvement of crops to produce new, stress-resistant varieties.

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    A taxonomic inventory of national key protected wild plants in Qinghai Province, based on the national checklist of key protected wild plants (2021)
    Jin-yuan CHEN, Wei-bo DU, Xu SU
    Acta Prataculturae Sinica    2022, 31 (9): 1-12.   DOI: 10.11686/cyxb2021502
    Abstract1266)   HTML47)    PDF (1244KB)(1008)       Save

    Following the new national checklist of key protected wild plants, we made a taxonomic inventory of key nationally protected wild plants in the Qinghai Province. Data was drawn from consulting relevant literature and inspection of herbarium specimens. Our aim was to better understand their plant types, family and genus distribution, endemism, conservation status, and geographical distribution. It was found that: 1) Compared with species checklists in 1999, 44 key nationally protected wild species are newly added into the species list for Qinghai Province. 2) In Qinghai Province there are 53 species and one variety, 30 genera, 22 families and three categories of key nationally protected wild plants listed. Among them, Nostoc flagelliforme is a level-one key protected wild plant, and 52 species and one variety are level-two key protected wild plants. 3) The family with the largest number of plants listed is the Orchidaceae with 10 species, and the most commonly listed genus is Cypripedium containing eight species. 4) There is one genus endemic to China, there are three genera endemic to China and the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau (QTP), nine species endemic to China, nine species endemic to the QTP, 13 species endemic to China and the QTP and one species, Meconopsis barbiseta, endemic to Qinghai Province. 5) With respect to conservation status, there are 18 species listed as vulnerable (VU) level, and 12 species listed as endangered (EN) among the 54 key nationally protected wild species from Qinghai Province, which accounted for 55.55% of the total species. 6) Most of the key nationally protected wild species are distributed mainly in the alpine grassland and forest vegetation of Yushu and Golog Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture and Haidong city, which is consistent with the plant diversity distribution pattern in Qinghai Province. There are 53 species and one variety of key nationally protected wild plants in Qinghai Province, most of which are level-two key protected wild plants. Among these, 32 species are endemic species, accounting for 59.25% of the total, and 30 species are among the threatened species. Most of the key nationally protected wild plants are distributed in the southeast of Qinghai Province.

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    Advances and perspectives in forage oat breeding
    Xue-ling YE, Zhen GAN, Yan WAN, Da-bing XIANG, Xiao-yong WU, Qi WU, Chang-ying LIU, Yu FAN, Liang ZOU
    Acta Prataculturae Sinica    2023, 32 (2): 160-177.   DOI: 10.11686/cyxb2022263
    Abstract1052)   HTML80)    PDF (857KB)(1191)       Save

    Oat (Avena sativa) is an annual crop belonging to the Poaceae family with resistance to salinity, drought, cold stress, and adaptability to a wide range of environmental conditions including lower soil fertility. Oats are widely grown in temperate regions north of 40° N latitude in Europe, North America, and Asia. Oats also have a high forage yield, high nutritional value, good palatability, high digestibility, and the crop is suitable for silage and hay production. Therefore, oat is a versatile grain crop useful for food and forage purposes. Oat cultivars can be classified as naked or hulled oats depending on whether the grains readily separate from the husk or lemma at threshing. Hulled oats retain their husk. Naked oats without husks are mostly grown in China and are commonly used for food, while hulled oats which retain their husks are mainly grown in other countries, and are often used for feeding livestock. With the rapid development of animal husbandry in China in recent years, the available forage oat varieties are currently in need of improvement. Our country has formulated and implemented a series of policies that include “grass-based livestock husbandry”, “grain to forage” and “planting grass in fields”, which have promoted the rapid development of the forage oat industry. Under the strong support and guidance of these national policies and industry need, the planting area of forage oats has continued to expand, and the demand for new varieties has become increasingly urgent, which also points to higher requirements for the breeding of forage oats. In this study, we reviewed: 1) Collection, sorting, identification, and evaluation of germplasm resources of forage oats at home and abroad; 2) Four development stages of conventional breeding; and 3) The application of molecular technology in scientific research and breeding of oats. Based the above review, the current breeding objectives of forage oats are clarified, and the key points, difficulties, and immediate issues of forage oat breeding are discussed and analyzed, thus providing an important resource to underpin further developments in forage oat breeding.

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    Progress in research and practice of restoration of degraded grassland around the world
    Li GAO, Yong DING
    Acta Prataculturae Sinica    2022, 31 (10): 189-205.   DOI: 10.11686/cyxb2022077
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    Grassland is one of the most important terrestrial ecosystems on earth, and brings humankind a series of ecosystem services, including food production, climate regulation, air purification, water conservation, wind prevention and sand fixation. Nearly half of the grasslands in the world are affected by climate change and human factors, and thus display different degrees of degradation. This degradation has become one of the world’s ecological and environmental problems. Much research on restoration of degraded grasslands has been carried out around the world with findings often leading to change in practice, and great progress has been made. However, at the beginning of the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration (2021-2030), a new generation of restoration research and practice projects is needed to cope with global environmental challenges. This paper summarizes the research and practice of degraded grassland restoration around the world, in the hope of learning from the existing grassland restoration work. On this basis, it is anticipated that we can map out the main direction of future research on degraded grassland restoration, and formulate reasonable restoration plans for degraded grassland, so as to provide reference information for new grassland restoration research and practice in the context of global change.

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    Acta Prataculturae Sinica    2022, 31 (6): 1-10.   DOI: 10.11686/cyxb20220601
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    Research progress on effects of nitrogen deposition on soil nitrogen cycling in grassland ecosystems
    Jiao-yun LU, He-shan ZHANG, Hong TIAN, Jun-bo XIONG, Yang LIU
    Acta Prataculturae Sinica    2022, 31 (6): 221-234.   DOI: 10.11686/cyxb2021156
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    The intensification of human activities and the use of fossil fuels has increased atmospheric nitrogen deposition, which has a significant impact on the nitrogen cycling processes of terrestrial ecosystems, thus affecting ecosystem productivity and stability. Grasslands, are an important component of terrestrial ecosystems, and in many cases are subject to resource loss and nutrient imbalance due to human overuse and lack of awareness of protection needs, in which case the development of animal husbandry enterprises can be severely limited. It is highly relevant to explore the influence of nitrogen deposition on nitrogen cycles of grassland ecosystems for rational development of policy and practice with respect to utilization of grassland resources. This paper tracks published research results at home and abroad and a key finding is that most nitrogen addition inhibits biological nitrogen fixation processes, promotes nitrification, denitrification and mineralization in soils, inhibits the activity of nitrogen fixing microorganisms, and increases the abundance of ammonia-oxidizing bacteria of nitrifying microorganisms and expression of functional genes of denitrifying microorganisms, such as nirKnirSnirG and nosZ. However, the responses of the soil nitrogen cycle to nitrogen deposition in a few studies differed from the above due to differences in nitrogen nutrition and nitrogen application measures in a grassland environment. Through summarizing the existing studies, we found that: 1) The effects of nitrogen deposition on the nitrogen cycle differ between studies due to different soil background nutrient levels and nitrogen absorption thresholds; 2) Microorganisms are important participants in the soil nitrogen cycle, and the responses of microorganisms to nitrogen addition differ with different nitrogen application time, frequency and quantity. 3) The various steps of the nitrogen cycle in soils are closely coupled and influence each other, but most of the existing studies only focus on a particular step, and therefore the results do not provide comprehensive insight. Therefore, in future studies, it will be necessary to pay more attention to the study of soil nitrogen cycle microbial changes under particular nitrogen supply conditions in grasslands with different nutrient levels, and consider the multi-step coupling relationship, which is very important to the improvement of grassland ecosystem function and reduction of the threat caused by nitrogen loss from the environment.

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    The use of the tRNA-sgRNA/Cas9 system for gene editing in perennial ryegrass protoplasts
    Jia-ming YAO, Huan-huan HAO, Jing ZHANG, Bin XU
    Acta Prataculturae Sinica    2023, 32 (4): 129-141.   DOI: 10.11686/cyxb2022180
    Abstract811)   HTML47)    PDF (3944KB)(721)       Save

    Transfer RNA (tRNA) can link multiple sgRNAs (single-guide RNAs) to form a polycistronic gene, which then combines with a CRISPR/Cas9 (clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats/CRISPR-associated gene 9) expression vector to form a polycistronic tRNA-sgRNA/Cas9 (PTG/Cas9) system for multiple gene editing. The PTG/Cas9 system has been used to alter sgRNAs transcript levels and improve multi-target editing efficiency in rice (Oryza sativa). To efficiently edit target genes in perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne), we generated two CRISPR intermediate vectors with tRNAs to provide a fast and flexible PTG/Cas9 vector construction method. To verify whether the PTG/Cas9 system effectively edits genes in the perennial ryegrass genome, we introduced the PTG/Cas9 plasmid into perennial ryegrass protoplasts by PEG 4000-mediated transformation. Then, we extracted DNA from protoplasts and amplified the target sequences to determine whether they had been edited successfully. The gene editing efficiency was about 6.7%. These results show that the PTG/Cas9 system can be used for gene editing in the ryegrass genome, and provide the basis for further genetic research on, and breeding of perennial ryegrass.

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    Progress in research on tall wheatgrass as a salt-alkali tolerant forage grass
    Hong-wei LI, Qi ZHENG, Bin LI, Mao-lin ZHAO, Zhen-sheng LI
    Acta Prataculturae Sinica    2022, 31 (5): 190-199.   DOI: 10.11686/cyxb2021384
    Abstract784)   HTML24)    PDF (770KB)(578)       Save

    Tall wheatgrass (Elytrigia elongata) is a perennial cool season forage grass that is tolerant to salt-alkali, waterlogging, and drought. It has been cultivated for more than half a century in the United States, Canada, Australia, and other countries. It has also been used as a distant hybridization parent for wheat genetic improvement in China since 1954. Although some tall wheatgrass varieties were introduced and grown as forage and sand-stabilizing plants in North China during the 1980s-1990s, it has not been cultivated as widely in China as in other countries. More than 10 varieties were certified and released in the United States, Canada, Australia, and other countries. However, no tall wheatgrass variety was certified and released in China currently. Li Zhen-sheng’s group has studied tall wheatgrass cultivated in Beijing, Caofeidian, Nanpi, Haixing, and Dongying, China for 8 years, and found that it grows well and is highly productive in saline and alkaline soils. On the basis of those findings, Li proposed a new concept of a “coastal grass belt”, wherein salt-alkali tolerant forage grass could be grown in coastal areas with saline and alkaline soils. There are 667000 hectares of saline and alkaline soils where it is unprofitable to grow cereal crops in the coastal Circum-Bohai sea region in China. In such areas, the cultivation of perennial forage grasses such as tall wheatgrass would not only meet the increasing local demands for hay, pasture, and silage, but also minimize soil erosion and salinization. However, the paucity of tall wheatgrass varieties and limited knowledge of cultivation techniques are major challenges. These issues must be addressed before tall wheatgrass can be used to create a “coastal grass belt” in China. Here, we review the results of studies on its tolerance to salt, drought, and waterlogging, and on forage quality, cultivars, and cultivation techniques. We also discuss the progress to date in using tall wheatgrass to create a “coastal grass belt”.

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    Progress of research on hormone regulation of branching or tillering in plants
    Fen-qi CHEN, Jin-qing ZHANG, Hui-ling MA
    Acta Prataculturae Sinica    2024, 33 (2): 212-225.   DOI: 10.11686/cyxb2023118
    Abstract776)   HTML66)    PDF (1243KB)(1791)       Save

    Branching (or tillering in grasses and related taxa) is an important trait of plant architecture and the result of axillary bud initiation and growth, which plays a crucial role in determining the seed yield of crops and forage yield. Multiple hormones and their interactions play key regulatory roles in the occurrence, growth and development of plant branching or tillering. In addition, environmental factors also regulate branching or tillering by changing the hormone contents and their balances within the plant. This study reviews multiple aspects of the mechanisms by which plant branching or tillering is regulated various hormones, including auxin, cytokinin, strigolactones, brassinosteroids, abscisic acid and gibberellins, ethylene, jasmonic acid, and complex regulatory networks formed by the interaction of different hormone signals. The aim is to establish a foundation for using hormone regulation mechanisms to cultivate new high-yielding crop plant growth forms with ideal plant architecture. The current issues with hormone regulation mechanisms controlling plant branching or tillering are also analyzed, and future research directions for hormone regulation mechanisms controlling plant branching or tillering are discussed, with the aim of providing a theoretical basis for using hormones to cultivate good varieties.

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    Soil microbial biomass carbon and nitrogen levels and their controlling factors in alpine grassland, Qinghai-Tibet Plateau
    Yang LI, Yi WANG, Guo-dong HAN, Jian SUN, Ya-feng WANG
    Acta Prataculturae Sinica    2022, 31 (6): 50-60.   DOI: 10.11686/cyxb2021161
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    The Qinghai-Tibet Plateau is an important geographically isolated and distinctive ecological zone in China. Soil microbes are important drivers of the biogeochemical cycle. Microorganisms are considered the core content of soil biochemical processes. Hence, exploring the content characteristics of soil microbial biomass carbon and nitrogen and their drivers is highly relevant to the understanding of ecosystem function. In this study, a field investigation is conducted in alpine meadows and steppes across the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. Soil microbial biomass carbon (MBC) and microbial biomass nitrogen (MBN) levels were measured and their relationships with climate, plant community, and soil physicochemical properties were identified. It was found that MBC and MBN contents were higher in alpine meadows than those in alpine steppes. Furthermore, the growing season precipitation (GSP) showed significantly positive correlations with MBC and MBN in both alpine grassland types (P<0.01), while there were significant negative correlations between the growing season temperature (GST) and MBN in the alpine steppe (P<0.01). A structural equation model suggested that soil total nitrogen could mediate the MBC and MBN in the alpine meadow, and soil organic carbon may be the key factor of regulating MBC and MBN in the alpine steppe under the influence of growing season precipitation. The findings provide a theoretical framework for the sustainable management of these grassland ecosystems.

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    Progress on the taxonomic classification of Medicago species
    Zhi-peng LIU, Guang-peng REN
    Acta Prataculturae Sinica    2022, 31 (11): 191-203.   DOI: 10.11686/cyxb2021426
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    This review investigates the disordered status of the classification of Medicago genus, both domestically and internationally. Several definitions of a taxonomic species were considered and the names and characteristics of 13 Medicago species in China are reported, together with a detailed summary of the names, life forms, chromosome numbers, pollination methods and natural distribution of about 90 Medicago species worldwide, including the classification of 14 sections and 10 subsections in Medicago. The molecular evolutionary relationships between different species, and the geographical origin of Medicago are discussed, and the genetic relationships between different subspecies in the alfalfa complex are further explained. This study puts forward a method of identifying Medicago species on the basis of deep understanding of the concept of species. A wide collection of global Medicago germplasm resources, aiming to further clarify the evolutionary relationship among different sections and different species by molecular evolution methods is proposed. This review provides a reference framework for future Medicago classification and alfalfa cross breeding.

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    Advances in research on the interactions among arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi, rhizobia, and plants
    Hai-xia DUAN, Qian SHI, Sheng-ping KANG, Hai-qing GOU, Chong-liang LUO, You-cai XIONG
    Acta Prataculturae Sinica    2024, 33 (5): 166-182.   DOI: 10.11686/cyxb2023225
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    Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) and rhizobia play crucial roles in plant productivity, microbial community structure, and soil quality. As such, they are key organisms for achieving sustainable ecosystem development. Over time, a mutually beneficial symbiotic relationship develops between AMF and rhizobia, and this relationship is essential for effective biological nitrogen fixation and nutrient absorption. Such effective symbioses reduce reliance on chemical fertilizers, thereby facilitating sustainable agricultural practices. However, studies have shown that various environmental factors can hinder the formation of symbiotic relationships between AMF and rhizobia. Therefore, it is necessary to systematically explore the mechanism of the AMF-rhizobia interaction and the factors that affect it. On the basis of a literature review and qualitative comparative analysis, we described the process and mechanism by which plant roots released exudates to stimulate rhizobia and AMF to produce nodulation factors and mycorrhizal factors, thereby activating signaling pathways involved in the establishment of symbiotic relationships between rhizobia-AMF and plants. This review summarized the results of research on the synergism and interaction between AMF-rhizobia and plants, and the biological and abiotic factors affecting the AMF-rhizobia symbiosis and interactions. We highlighted the current gaps in knowledge related to the mechanisms of the symbiotic relationships among AMF, rhizobia, and plants, and discussed the reasons for the slow development of microbial fertilizers. Finally, we discussed future research directions at the theoretical, technical, and application levels. Further research will provide novel ideas and methods for using AMF and rhizobia to promote sustainable agricultural development.

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    Function of high-affinity potassium transporters in maintaining ion homeostasis and other plant responses to abiotic stresses
    Xiao-han YANG, Guo-qiang WU, Ming WEI, Bei-chen WANG
    Acta Prataculturae Sinica    2023, 32 (5): 190-202.   DOI: 10.11686/cyxb2022207
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    Potassium ions (K+play an important role in plant growth and development as well as in resistance to various abiotic stresses. High-affinity K+ transporters (HKT) are one of the most important cation transporter families, and the members of this family are extensively involved in the absorption and transport of K+ and sodium ions (Na+) in plants. Many studies have shown that the expression of HKT family genes is regulated by several factors, such as calcium ions (Ca2+), humic acid, and cytosine methylation. The HKT proteins mediate long-distance Na+ transport, maintain homeostasis of K+ and magnesium ions (Mg2+), and play a key role in abiotic stress tolerance in plants. In this review, we summarize the results of research on the discovery of HKT family members, their structure and classification, biological function, gene expression patterns, regulatory mechanisms, and their roles in responses to abiotic stresses. We also propose directions for further research. The information in this review provides a theoretical basis and identifies genetic resources for the genetic improvement of crops to produce new, stress-resistant varieties.

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    Precision grazing management of grassland: Concept, theory, technology and paradigm
    De-li WANG, Ling WANG, Guo-dong HAN
    Acta Prataculturae Sinica    2022, 31 (12): 191-199.   DOI: 10.11686/cyxb2022047
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    With the development of human understanding of the multi-functionality of grassland, coupled with the increasing demand for grassland ecological services, animal production and pastoral living, it is necessary to update the concept of grassland management, develop higher level livestock grazing and feeding technology based on multidisciplinary theories, and establish a more effective grassland grazing management paradigm. This study considers both the background and characteristics of the grassland resources and modern multi-dimensional social demands, and develops the concept of precise grassland grazing management which encompasses the versatility and stability of the grassland ecosystem and sustainability as the goal and the use of grassland science, animal science, ecology and other multi-disciplinary theories, based on the habitat conditions, especially the vegetation characteristics, livestock classes and their requirements, and livestock-vegetation interactions. Through multi-dimensional, effective and directional regulation of the livestock grazing process, the grassland management and utilization paradigm of synergistic balance between production and ecological functions can be finally realized. Also, the concepts and connotations of precise grazing and its relevant theoretical bases are systematically explained, including the plant compensatory growth mechanism, the intermediate disturbance hypothesis, the theory of diversifying grazing livestock, mechanisms of plant-animal interactions, nutrition regulation principles and versatility synergy. These concepts form a scientific basis for the regulation of grazing pressure and livestock assembly. In conjunction with this coverage, the key points in precision grazing are reviewed, such as dynamic optimal stocking rate (threshold), mixed grazing (species and proportion), remote sensing information options (satellite, unmanned aerial vehicle monitoring, large scale data processing) and other related supporting technologies. Finally, the authors sum up the concept of grassland multifunctionality as a goal of “combining productive function and ecological service in a win-win manner”, so providing a precise grazing management paradigm. This approach provides a principle for the integration of natural grassland grazing, grassland grazing with supplementary feeding, and drylot feeding, reflecting region-wide whole industry regulation of livestock grazing pressure/assembly and provision for animal nutrition, while aiming for grassland grazing systems to achieve an overall “livestock-vegetation balance”. Such a system will generate high quality animal products and sustainable ecological services. Precise grazing management of grassland is advanced, practical and extensive, and therefore is a desirable choice for future grassland management with great potential and prospect.

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    Genome-wide identification and expression profile analysis of the CPP gene family in Medicago truncatula
    Jiao-yang TIAN, Qiu-xia WANG, Shu-wen ZHENG, Wen-xian LIU
    Acta Prataculturae Sinica    2022, 31 (7): 111-121.   DOI: 10.11686/cyxb2021215
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    The CPP (cysteine-rich polycomb-like protein) gene family is one category of small transcription factors occurring in a wide range of organisms, excepting yeasts and prokaryotes, and which play an important role in plant growth and development and in response to stress processes. The CPP gene family has been identified and studied in many species but so far no research in the model legume species Medicago truncatula has been reported. In this study, 9 CPP genes were identified in M. truncatula by bioinformatics. By constructing phylogenetic trees with the CPP protein sequences of three species, CPP genes could be divided into three categories. The genetic relationship between MtCPP members and soybean was closer. Conserved domain analysis showed that MtCPP transcription factors all had 1-2 CXC conserved domains. Chromosome mapping analysis found that 9 CPP genes were distributed on 6 chromosomes, and two pairs of paralogous genes were identified, which both derived from fragment duplication events. Combining these results with the analysis of gene chip expression database of M. truncatula, the expression of MtCPP genes had certain temporal and spatial specificity. MtCPP gene promoters contain a large number of cis acting elements related to hormone signalling and stress, MtCPP2,MtCPP5, MtCPP6 and MtCPP7 genes have expression characteristics of response to drought, and MtCPP2 and MtCPP8 genes may be involved in salt stress response. This study provides a research foundation for further functional analysis and screening of MtCPP genes involved in stress resistance in alfalfa.

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    An evaluation of a remote sensing method based on optimized triangular vegetation index (TVI) for aboveground shrub biomass estimation in shrub-encroached grassland
    Zheng-yong XU, Bin SUN, Wang-fei ZHANG, Yi-fu LI, Zi-yu YAN, Wei YUE, Si-han TENG
    Acta Prataculturae Sinica    2023, 32 (10): 1-14.   DOI: 10.11686/cyxb2022488
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    Shrub-encroachment onto grassland is becoming an important ecological problem in grassland ecosystems, and accurate estimation of the shrub above-ground biomass (AGB) in shrub-encroached grassland vegetation plays a significant role in research into regional ecosystem carbon cycles. Due to the dual effects of soil background noise and differences in vegetation growth structure characteristics, the traditional vegetation indices are extremely unstable for model-building involving shrub-encroached grassland AGB estimation. To solve this problem, in this study we developed a novel way by optimizing the triangular vegetation index (TVI) using Sentinel-2 remote sensing data for shrub-encroached grassland AGB estimation. The results showed that: 1) In the area dominated by herbaceous vegetation, TVI calculated using a combination of green, red-edge and near-infrared ( R 560 R 705 and R 865 ) performed best with an R2 of 0.684; in the area dominated by shrub vegetation, the TVI again performed best with R2= 0.368. 2) When analyzing the sensitivity of the 12 commonly used vegetation indexes to soil noise, the enhanced vegetation index (EVI) was the most sensitive to soil noise in the area dominated by herbaceous vegetation; in the area dominated by shrub vegetation, the modified soil adjusted vegetation index (MSAVI) was the most sensitive. 3) In the area dominated by herbaceous vegetation, the optimized vegetation index grassland triangular vegetation index (GTVI) performed better than TVI with the value of R C V 2 (coefficient of determination cross validation) increased by 0.153 and the value of R M S E C V decreased by 12.222 g·m-2; in the area dominated by shrub vegetation, GTVI performed better than TVI and the R C V 2 value increased 0.029, while the R M S E C V (root mean square error cross validation) decreased 1.684 g·m-2. 4) The estimation results acquired by GTVI showed the highest accuracy when compared with the results estimated by the commonly used 12 vegetation indices. The results of this study are expected to provide a scientific basis and reference AGB estimation in shrub-encroached grassland using vegetation indices extracted from remote sensing data.

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    The knowledge domain and emerging trends in plant root exudates: a bibliometric analysis based on CiteSpace
    Xiao-jia WANG, Jin ZOU, Bing CAO, Jia-xin LIU, Xue-rui FENG, Yun-mao LI, Shang-yu LI
    Acta Prataculturae Sinica    2022, 31 (4): 189-199.   DOI: 10.11686/cyxb2021071
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    Root exudates are important carriers for substrate and metabolite exchange and information transmission between plants and soil. This study accessed a total of 4047 publications on root exudates in the core journals whose contents were included in Web of Science from 1998 to 2020, and used CiteSpace software to identify research themes and topics of current interest. It was found that: 1) The total publications and average citations per paper of the surveyed research showed a linear increase with time; 2) Institutions from the USA and China were the most active in this field, followed by Germany, Japan, Australia and France, occupied the most dominant positions; 3) Chinese Academy of Sciences, Nanjing Agricultural University, CSIC, and University of Western Australia are obvious leaders in terms of the total number of publications and average citations per research paper. Plant Sciences, Soil Sciences, Agronomy, Environmental Sciences, Microbiology and Ecology were the most frequently used subject categories. The Netherlands journal Plant and Soil is a clear leader in the total number of publications (256) and h-index, and thus very influential in academia; 4) Plant root exudates research was most often linked with keywords “rhizosphere”, “plant”, “soil”, “organic acid”, and “allelopathy”. Finally, based on current research, we infer that future research will move towards a focus on plant-soil-microbe interactions and mechanisms mediated by root exudates, and this will have important implications for elucidating the dynamics of rhizosphere microecology and for providing practical guidelines for plant culture and crop husbandry.

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    Remote sensing retrieval of nature grassland biomass in Menyuan County, Qinghai Province experimental area based on Sentinel-2 data
    Rui GUO, Shuai FU, Meng-jing HOU, Jie LIU, Chun-li MIAO, Xin-yue MENG, Qi-sheng FENG, Jin-sheng HE, Da-wen QIAN, Tian-gang LIANG
    Acta Prataculturae Sinica    2023, 32 (4): 15-29.   DOI: 10.11686/cyxb2022147
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    Above-ground biomass (AGB) is an important indicator for evaluating grassland productivity. Accurate inversion of AGB of natural grassland is of great significance for monitoring grassland growth and evaluating the feed balance of forage-livestock. As commonly used remote sensing data (such as Landsat and MODIS) suffer from by many problems caused by low temporal and spatial resolution, it is extremely important to explore Sentinel-2 satellite data with higher temporal and spatial resolution and more spectral bands in monitoring grassland vegetation at county scale. In this study, we used Sentinel-2 satellite remote sensing imagery and the AGB data of Menyuan County, Qinghai Province to construct a grassland biological monitoring system based on random forest (RF), support vector machine (SVM) and artificial neural network (ANN) methods, to study the spatial and temporal distribution characteristics of natural grassland biomass in Menyuan County from 2019 to 2021. It was found that: 1) The three original bands(B2,B6,B11)and two vegetation indices, inverted red edge chlorophyll index(IRECI),and pigment specific simple ratio chlorophyll index(PSSRa),were the important variables for AGB quantification in natural grassland. Among these,red-edge bands(B5,B6,B7)play an important role in remote sensing inversion of natural grassland AGB. 2) The AGB estimation model based on the RF algorithm was the optimal model(validation set R2 0.72, RMSE 622.616 kg·ha-1)for natural grassland biomass estimation in Menyuan County, which was superior to the SVM model(validation set R2 0.66,RMSE 698.271 kg·ha-1)and the ANN model(validation set R2 0.63,RMSE 730.676 kg·ha-1). 3) The average value of AGB of natural grassland in Menyuan County from 2019 to 2021 ranged from 3360.26-3544.00 kg·ha-1. In general, the AGB of grassland in Menyuan County from 2019 to 2021 showed a trend of initially increasing and then decreasing, with a spatial distribution pattern of gradual decrease from the periphery to the middle.

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    Classification of Stellera chamaejasme communities and their relationships with environmental factors in degraded alpine meadow in the central Qilian Mountains, Qinghai Province
    Yong-mei LIU, Xing-zhi DONG, Yong-qing LONG, Zhi-mei ZHU, Lei WANG, Xing-hua GE, Fan ZHAO, Jing-zhong LI
    Acta Prataculturae Sinica    2022, 31 (4): 1-11.   DOI: 10.11686/cyxb2021310
    Abstract615)   HTML60)    PDF (1700KB)(733)       Save

    The invasion of Stellera chamaejasme has exerted an increasing impact on the alpine meadow ecosystem and animal husbandry on the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau. In this study, we explored the relationships between S. chamaejasme communities and environmental factors on a local scale, using data for plant communities, soil characteristics, and topography collected from a typical degraded meadow in the central Qilian Mountains. The data were analyzed using two-way indicator species analysis (TWINSPAN), detrended correspondence analysis (DCA), and redundancy analysis (RDA). The main findings were as follows: 1) TWINSPAN divided the 45 plots into three association types: Association Ⅰ-S. chamaejasme+Stipa purpurea+Kobresia capillifolia+Thermopsis lanceolata; Association Ⅱ- S. chamaejasme+S. purpurea+Potentilla chinensis+Saussurea pulchra; and Association Ⅲ-S. purpurea+Anemone rivularis+S. chamaejasme+Poa annua. 2)The RDA analysis indicated that the distribution of S. chamaejasme was significantly affected by soil total phosphorus and soil total potassium content, followed by aspect. Soil nutrient contents played an important role in the spatial patterning of the three association types, and S. chamaejasme associations with high coverage were more susceptible to low-phosphorus and low-potassium conditions. 3)Species dominance in Associations Ⅲ, Ⅱ, and Ⅰ changed with the spread of S. chamaejasme, the importance values of the Poaceae forages P. annua and S. purpurea decreased (4.10, 3.12, 2.10), those of the Fabaceae species Gueldenstaedtia diversifolia and Medicago ruthenica initially increased and then decreased (0.28, 0.57, 0.25), those of the Cyperaceae species K. capillifolia and Kobresia humilis increased (0.23, 1.18, 2.19), and those of forbs and poisonous plants (S. chamaejasmeA. rivularis T. lanceolataAnaphalis lactea, and Morina kokonorica) markedly increased (6.10, 5.14, 10.08). Over time, S. chamaejasme replaced S. purpurea and became the dominant species in Associations Ⅰ and Ⅱ, and the S. chamaejasme coverage increased (5.5%, 11.0%, 29.7%). The results of this study reveal changes in the characteristics of plant communities in a degraded alpine meadow during S. chamaejasme invasion. These findings provide a scientific basis for the development of strategies to manage, restore, and develop the degraded alpine meadow and to effectively control S. chamaejasme.

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    Research status and suggestions for grassland carbon sequestration and emission reduction in China
    Zi-jing LI, Cui-ping GAO, Zhong-wu WANG, Guo-dong HAN
    Acta Prataculturae Sinica    2023, 32 (2): 191-200.   DOI: 10.11686/cyxb2022049
    Abstract613)   HTML53)    PDF (715KB)(617)       Save

    With rapid economic development, and continuing increase in the emission of greenhouse gases, coupled with intensification of human use of natural resources, the carbon sequestration capacity of the global ecosystem has weakened, and the concentration of greenhouse gases in the global atmosphere has reached a new high. This has become a major global issue of general concern to the international community. China’s grassland carbon sink resources are unique, and the development of the grassland carbon sink economy has become an important vehicle for fulfilling international commitments, creating a new carbon sequestration economy and building a beautiful China with regenerative food production systems. This study reviews the current status of grassland carbon sequestration and emission reduction in China and the factors influencing sequestration, including research into grassland carbon sink capacity and reduction of emissions linked to livestock production now that there is a background of climate change and establishment of sown artificial grassland construction. Our review proposes a plan for the development of grassland carbon sequestration and emission reduction in China and provides a theoretical basis for contribution to carbon neutrality, and carbon sequestration and emission reduction in China’s grasslands.

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    Spatio-temporal changes in grassland fractional vegetation cover in Inner Mongolia from 2000 to 2020 and a future forecast
    Hui-long ZHANG, Xiu-chun YANG, Dong YANG, Ang CHEN, Min ZHANG
    Acta Prataculturae Sinica    2023, 32 (8): 1-13.   DOI: 10.11686/cyxb2022370
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    Inner Mongolia is an important green ecological barrier in northern China, and grassland degradation in this region is of great concern. Fractional vegetation cover (FVC) is one of the most direct indicators of grassland ecological status. At present, it is still a challenge to build an accurate FVC estimation model for dynamic analysis of a large region over a long period of time. In this study, we used a large ground survey dataset, MODIS remote sensing data, and meteorological data from 2000 to 2020, and applied the random forest model for FVC partition modeling and prediction. The Sen+Mann-Kendall trend analysis method and Hurst index method were used to analyze the spatio-temporal changes in the FVC and its future trends. The main results were as follows: 1) The precision of each partition of the random forest model was better than that of the whole region, which effectively reduced the impact of spatial heterogeneity. 2) In Inner Mongolia, the grassland FVC generally showed a spatial pattern of being high in the east and low in the west, with obvious spatial differences. 3) In the past 21 years, the FVC of grassland in Inner Mongolia showed a fluctuating upward trend overall, the area of increased FVC was larger than the area of decreased FVC, and the magnitude of the extremely significant increase and significant increase was greater than that of the extremely significant decrease and significant decrease. 4) In the future, the grassland FVC in Inner Mongolia will generally improve. The area of FVC growth is larger than the area of FVC decrease, and the area with extremely significant growth and significant growth accounts for a high proportion (25.9%) of the total area. It is predicted that vegetation growth will develop well in the future.

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    The diversity-Godron stability relationship of alpine grassland and its environmental drivers
    Shi-long LEI, Li-rong LIAO, Jie WANG, Lu ZHANG, Zhen-cheng YE, Guo-bin LIU, Chao ZHANG
    Acta Prataculturae Sinica    2023, 32 (3): 1-12.   DOI: 10.11686/cyxb2022125
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    The diversity and stability of plant communities is of great significance to the function of ecosystems and their ability to provide services. Drawing on field investigation and analysis of data from 480 sample plots, the present study explored the relationship between plant diversity and stability of alpine wetland meadow, alpine meadow, alpine steppe and alpine desert steppe, and also elucidated their environmental drivers using significance analysis, regression analysis and structural equation modeling. It was found that the alpine steppe had higher plant diversity than the other three grassland types, and alpine meadow had the highest community stability. The relationship between species diversity and community stability was different in the four alpine grassland types. The community evenness was negatively correlated with community stability. Plant Shannon-Wiener diversity was negatively correlated with community stability in alpine meadow and alpine desert steppe, but in contrast plant richness was positively correlated with community stability in alpine wetland meadow and alpine steppe. Precipitation is the main factor affecting plant diversity and community stability in alpine grassland. Soil organic carbon, pH and ammonium nitrogen content also affected community stability through altering plant diversity. Taken together, climate and soil factors should be considered in the management of alpine grassland ecosystems, and different management measures should be formulated for different types of grassland.

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    Estimating grassland above ground biomass based on the STARFM algorithm and remote sensing data——A case study in the Sangke grassland in Xiahe County, Gansu Province
    Yu-zhuo ZHANG, Zhi-gui YANG, Hong-yan YU, Qiang ZHANG, Shu-xia YANG, Ting ZHAO, Hua-hua XU, Bao-ping MENG, Yan-yan LV
    Acta Prataculturae Sinica    2022, 31 (6): 23-34.   DOI: 10.11686/cyxb2021180
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    Characteristics of remote sensing data include that they are real-time, dynamic and large-scale, so such data have been widely used in grassland resource monitoring and management research. However, a single remote sensing vegetation index can not meet the needs of temporal and spatial resolution in grassland above ground biomass (AGB) monitoring. Therefore, this study generated a high spatial and temporal resolution vegetation index data set based on a time series of Landsat NDVI and MODIS NDVI data, combined with the spatial and temporal adaptive reflectance fusion model (STARFM). The data set so generated (NDVISTARFM) had a temporal resolution 16 d and a spatial resolution 30 m. The optimum grassland above ground biomass inversion model was constructed based on measured grassland above ground biomass and NDVISTARFM during the grass growth seasons of 2013-2016. Finally, the spatiotemporal dynamic variation trends of grassland above ground biomass in the study area were analyzed for the period from 2000-2016. It was found that: 1) the optimal estimation model based on NDVISTARFM was a power model, with an R2 of 0.58 and an RMSE 795.62 kg·ha-1. The performance of this model was lower than that of the Landsat NDVI optimal estimation model (R2 =0.76, RMSE=634.83 kg·ha-1), but better than that of the MODIS NDVI optimal estimation model (R2 =0.24, RMSE=937.79 kg·ha-1). 2) The overall accuracy of the optimal estimation model was 84.05%, it was higher than that of MODIS NDVI but lower than that of Landsat NDVI. 3) The grassland above ground biomass showed an increasing trend in most areas from 2000-2016. About 90% of the study area showed an increasing trend with annual increment more than 30 kg·ha-1, while only 2.3% of the study area showed a decreasing trend.

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    Recent advances in understanding the ecosystem functioning of diverse forage mixtures
    Ce YANG, Yu-xue ZHANG, He ZHANG, Chun-yan ZHENG, Feng ZHU
    Acta Prataculturae Sinica    2022, 31 (9): 206-219.   DOI: 10.11686/cyxb2021341
    Abstract589)   HTML31)    PDF (1688KB)(558)       Save

    Use of forage mixtures is one of the important planting practices in establishment of intensively managed artificial grasslands to enhance productivity and quality. Understanding the mechanisms underlying species interactions, and exploration of the ecosystem functions and services are essential to management for stable production and sustainability. Here, based on the recent advances in this topic, we discuss how mixed forage systems affect the outcome of interspecific complementarity and competition in above- and below-ground compartments. Next, we address the effects of mixed-species forage sowings on pasture productivity and quality, recourse utilization, biodiversity of soil food webs, and ecosystem stability. Finally, we emphasize the future challenges for selection of suitable plant species with synergistic properties. Longer-term studies are needed to conclusively demonstrate environmental and production benefits of high-diversity forages.

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    Genome-wide identification and expression analysis of the bHLH transcription factor family in Cenchrus purpureus
    Li-juan GAO, Zheng-she ZHANG, Yu WEN, Xi-fang ZONG, Qi YAN, Li-yan LU, Xian-feng YI, Ji-yu ZHANG
    Acta Prataculturae Sinica    2022, 31 (3): 47-59.   DOI: 10.11686/cyxb2020593
    Abstract583)   HTML66)    PDF (8489KB)(577)       Save

    The bHLH (basic helix-loop-helix) transcription factor family not only participates in plant growth and development, but also plays a key role in plant response to stress and secondary metabolism. In this study, we identified and analyzed at the whole genome level, the bHLH transcription factor family of Cenchrus purpureus (also called elephant grass, an important forage grass and energy plant). We also analyzed the response of bHLH transcription factors to gibberellin (GA3) and paclobutrazol (PAC) by using transcriptome data and quantitative RT-PCR. A total of 229 bHLH gene family members (CpbHLH001-CpbHLH229), with complete conserved domains, and unevenly distributed on the 14 chromosomes, were identified. The results of phylogenetic analysis revealed that 229 CpbHLHs could be classified into 18 subgroups, of which a subgroup designated C contained the highest number (41). The members of each subfamily had similar gene structures and conserved motifs. Expression profile analysis based on transcriptome data found that most bHLH genes responded to GA3 and PAC in the meristems of the shoot apex, and nine genes with higher expression were randomly selected and further verified by qRT-PCR. It was found that these nine genes were differentially expressed in response to different exogenous GA3 and PAC treatments, suggesting that these genes are associated with GA3 and PAC mediated signaling pathways. This study lays the foundation for further research on the biological functions of the bHLH transcription factor family in elephant grass.

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    Research progress on regulation mechanism of rhizome development in herbaceous plants of the Poaceae
    Jia-lin LI, Sheng-lin JIANG, Yun-xia LI, Xiao-yan QUAN, Wen-bo WANG, Qiu-li SHAN, Chun-juan XIE, Ning YIN, Yu-xiang QIN, Li-hua ZHANG, Hong-mei LI, Wen-xing HE
    Acta Prataculturae Sinica    2022, 31 (8): 211-220.   DOI: 10.11686/cyxb2021274
    Abstract567)   HTML39)    PDF (540KB)(626)       Save

    Rhizomes are creeping underground stems that serve as vegetative organs for clonal growth of perennial grasses and other monocots. The continuous differentiation and lateral extension of rhizomes endow rhizomatous grasses with strong abilities of horizontal expansion, migration and resistance to disturbance, which play important roles in both the formation of natural grassland species associations and the improvement of fragile ecosystems such as degraded grasslands, deserts, sand dunes. The differentiation and development of rhizomes is a complicated process co-regulated by internal factors and external stimuli. In this review, the recent research literature on the rhizomatous growth and development of grasses was systematically summarized. The regulation and response factors of rhizomatous growth and development were identified from the perspectives of habitat heterogeneity, plant hormone factors and related genes. This provides a theoretical framework for further research on the development of rhizomes and thus guides thinking on spatial expansion of rhizomatous grasses and the logic of ecological adaptation.

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    The mechanism of PGPR regulating plant response to abiotic stress
    Guo-qiang WU, Zu-long YU, Ming WEI
    Acta Prataculturae Sinica    2024, 33 (6): 203-218.   DOI: 10.11686/cyxb2023276
    Abstract557)   HTML32)    PDF (927KB)(869)       Save

    Salt alkali, drought and other abiotic stresses are important environmental factors that limit plant growth and yield. Plant growth promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR), as beneficial microorganisms colonizing plant roots, have been shown to have a capacity for use as biological agents, thereby harnessing their functions for human benefit. This methodology has advantages compared to traditional agricultural chemicals, including low cost, high efficiency, and environmental protection. PGPR have been documented to not only promote plant growth and crop yield, but also to significantly improve the tolerance of plants to abiotic stress. In this study, the definition and types of PGPR, their biological functions and their role in plant response to abiotic stress such as salinity, drought, high and low temperature, and heavy metals were reviewed, and future research directions were also explored. The results from this study provide a foundation for further research on PGPR mediated plant stress resistance and the development and application of these biological agents.

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    Estimation of aboveground biomass in Menyuan grassland based on Landsat 8 and random forest approach
    Yi-han ZHAO, Meng-jing HOU, Qi-sheng FENG, Hong-yuan GAO, Tian-gang LIANG, Jin-sheng HE, Da-wen QIAN
    Acta Prataculturae Sinica    2022, 31 (7): 1-14.   DOI: 10.11686/cyxb2021454
    Abstract555)   HTML44)    PDF (6877KB)(342)       Save

    Remote sensing monitoring of above-ground biomass (AGB) can quickly and objectively evaluate the growth status of grassland, which is important for ecological environment evaluation and grassland resource utilization. To improve the accuracy of remote sensing estimation of grassland AGB, a single factor regression model and a random forest (RF) model were constructed based on the vegetation index calculated from Landsat-8 OLI images from Menyuan County, Qinghai Province, to determine the best AGB remote sensing estimation model. The spatial distribution in the study area from 2019 to 2021 was inverted. The results were as follows: 1) Among 29 single factor regression models of vegetation indices evaluated, the correlation was high between AGB and five vegetation indices (normalized difference vegetation index, NDVI; red-blue NDVI, RBNDVI; green normalized difference vegetation index, GNVDI; modified simple ratio, MSR; transformed vegetation index, TVI), with R2 values above 0.49. NDVI had the highest accuracy with an R2 of 0.50 and a root mean square error (RMSE) of 702.89 kg·ha-1. 2) In the RF model, the R2 of the model built before variable screening was 0.61, and the RMSE was 621.14 kg·ha-1. After the variable screening, the model accuracy was improved slightly; the R2 was 0.62 and the RMSE is unchanged. The accuracy of the two models was better than that of the single-factor optimal regression model. Compared with the single-factor optimal regression model, the R2 was increased by 0.12 and the RMSE was decreased by 80.95 kg·ha-1. 3) The spatial distribution of AGB was higher in the northwest and lower in the southeast in Menyuan County. The biomass distribution was high in the central part of the county and lower towards the county boundaries. From 2019 to 2021, the total annual natural grassland yield in the county ranged from 4.2827×104 to 8.9776×104 t, and the average AGB ranged from 1063.49 to 1484.82 kg·ha-1. Alpine meadow is the main category of grassland, with yield ranging from 4.0825×104 to 5.6653×104 tfrom 2019 to 2021. The average AGB ranged from 1060.38 to 1471.94 kg·ha-1. The average AGB of montane meadows ranged from 1036.81 to 1637.43 kg·ha-1. The average AGB of temperate steppe ranged from 1198.72 to 1786.63 kg·ha-1.

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    Accumulation and functions of polyamines in plants under drought stress
    Wen-juan WANG, Shang-li SHI, Long HE, Bei WU, Chan-chan LIU
    Acta Prataculturae Sinica    2023, 32 (6): 186-202.   DOI: 10.11686/cyxb2022303
    Abstract542)   HTML12)    PDF (2273KB)(514)       Save

    Drought stress is one of the major abiotic stresses that causes reductions in crop yields. Polyamines are a class of low molecular weight aliphatic nitrogenous bases in plants. They have strong biological activity and are involved in a range of physiological processes such as plant organogenesis, embryogenesis, bud differentiation, leaf senescence, pollen tube growth, and fruit development and ripening. They also play important roles in plants under drought stress. In this paper, we review research on the anabolism and catabolism of polyamines, their functions under abiotic stress, and differences in their accumulation among species/varieties of plants under drought stress. We also discuss studies on the effects of exogenous polyamines and those using transgenic approaches to elucidate the roles of polyamines at the physiological level. The body of research on polyamines has shown that they enhance drought resistance by improving plant growth and development, photosynthetic capacity, accumulation of osmoregulatory substances, and antioxidant capacity, and that they participate in signal transduction at the molecular level in plants under drought stress.

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    Priority effects on plant community assembly and ecological restoration significance
    Xiao-hong YAN, Jian-ming NIU, Yuan-heng LI, Feng-yan YI, Shi-xian SUN, Ke JIN, Xi-liang LI
    Acta Prataculturae Sinica    2022, 31 (10): 217-225.   DOI: 10.11686/cyxb2021393
    Abstract536)   HTML27)    PDF (1081KB)(523)       Save

    Plant community assembly is a key ecological process in the restoration of degraded ecosystems. However, how to reconstruct the plant community, so as to accelerate the restoration of ecosystem processes and functions, remains a key problem that is in urgent need of a solution. The ‘priority effect’ is defined by whether species that arrive early have positive, negative or neutral effect on establishment, growth, or reproduction of species that arrive later in plant community assembly. The priority effect plays an important role in regulating the process of community structure improvement, the functional maintenance and the community succession dynamics. To the present time, studies on the priority effect have been mainly focused on North America and some European countries to better understand the impact of alien species invasion and answer questions relating to grassland diversity conservation, artificial grassland construction and management, among others. However, such research has not been conducted in China. Based on a systematic literature review, this paper summarized the current status of research on priority effects in plant community assembly, identifying the driving factors, response mechanisms and quantitative methods used. It was found that the strength and direction of priority effects were influenced by species identity, community assembly order, environmental factors and interactions between community members. Niche preemption and niche modification have been proved to be the two major driving mechanisms for priority effects. Currently there are some knowledge gaps in this research field, such as the impact of choice of study area, the limitations of shorter experiment duration, and the effects of interactions between biotic and abiotic factors. We conclude by proposing future research directions in this area, taking account of the urgent needs for vegetation restoration in China. Thus, our study provides some new insights for future researchers and new ideas for ecological restoration practice.

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    Sensitivity analysis of WOFOST model crop parameters in different grassland types
    Ge-xia QIN, Jing WU, Chun-bin LI, Shuai-jie SHEN, Huai-hai LI, Dao-han YANG, Mei-rong JIAO, Qi QI
    Acta Prataculturae Sinica    2022, 31 (5): 13-25.   DOI: 10.11686/cyxb2021391
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    World Food Studies (WOFOST) is a simulation model for the quantitative analysis of the growth and production of crops. It is based on the physiological and ecological processes of crops, and can be used to predict the effects of CO2, soil, climate, and other factors on yield. The aim of this study was to conduct a parameter sensitivity analysis for different types of grasslands (i.e., those under different management measures and climatic conditions). Four sites were selected in different grassland zones in Tianzhu Zangzu Autonomous County. The extended Fourier amplitude sensitivity test (EFAST) method was used to analyze the sensitivity of different parameters of grasslands in the WOFOST model under potentially productive and water-restricted conditions based on meteorological data, field sampling data, and soil data. The accuracy of the WOFOST simulations for grasslands with different degrees of coverage were evaluated by comparisons with measured data. The sensitive parameters for estimating grassland above-ground biomass (AGB) under potentially productive conditions were specific leaf area (SLATB), light-use efficiency of a single leaf (EFFTB), maximum leaf CO2 assimilation rate at daily temperatures of 0 and 40 ℃ (AMAXTB), relative maintenance respiration rate of roots (RMR), and fraction of root and leaf system out of total dry matter (FRTB and FLTB); and the sensitive parameters under restricted water conditions were SLATB, AMAXTB, RMR, and FLTB. The sensitive parameters for estimating leaf area index (LAI) were the same under both production levels. From emergence to 60 d after emergence, the LAI was mainly affected by SLATB, FLTB, and FRTB. From 60 to 200 d after emergence, the sensitive parameters were FLTB, FRTB, SLATB, and extinction coefficient for diffuse visible light (KDIFTB). After the LAI began to decline, it was enhanced by KDIFTB. Compared with measured values, the simulated values of AGB were most accurate for slope meadow (R2=0.94, RMSE=11.71 g·m-2) and least accurate for alpine meadow (R2=0.83, RMSE=32.68 g·m-2); and the simulated values of LAI were most accurate for temperate desert steppe (R2=0.96, RMSE=0.02) and least accurate for warm steppe (R2=0.66, RMSE=0.38). Thus, the application of the sensitivity analysis method in the WOFOST model reduces the influence of human subjectivity and greatly shortens the parameter adjustment time.

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    Research progress relating to stelar K + outward rectifier (SKOR) channels in plants
    Pan-pan REN, Guo-qiang WU, Ming WEI
    Acta Prataculturae Sinica    2023, 32 (2): 178-190.   DOI: 10.11686/cyxb2022078
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    Maintaining K+ homeostasis is one of important physiological component processes in plant resistance to abiotic stress. Stelar K+ outward rectifier (SKOR) is one of the outward rectifier K+ channels located in the plasma membrane of pericycle cells in plant roots. This channel is involved in mediating K+ efflux from cytoplasm and K+ loading in xylem. On the one hand, SKOR regulates intracellular K+ homeostasis; while on the other hand, it maintains the K+ balance between root and shoot by controlling K+ flow in xylem. SKOR plays a crucial role in plant response to salt, drought and nutrient deficiency. Therefore, research into SKOR function and regulation and its application is of great significance for crop production and stress resistance enhancement. In this study, the discovery, structure, nomenclature, biological function, gene expression regulation, and response to abiotic stresses of the SKOR family are reviewed, and directions for future research into functioning of this channel are proposed. This review contributes theoretical understanding and knowledge of gene resources for the genetic improvement of crop quality and stress resistance.

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    The grassland agriculture of Mongolia and its capacity to inform development in China
    Zhi-peng HUANG, Yi HUANG, Quan-jun YANG, Chao XIA, Yan ZHANG
    Acta Prataculturae Sinica    2023, 32 (6): 1-15.   DOI: 10.11686/cyxb2022265
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    Mongolia borders on northern China, has abundant grassland resources and grassland-based livestock husbandry is the pillar industry there. Based on the literature and statistical data, this study surveys the development status of grassland agriculture in Mongolia from three aspects: reform of the pastoral institutional system, the grassland resources, and the development of a grazing-based livestock industry. Our study also analyzes the differences between Mongolia and the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region of China. Grassland agriculture in Mongolia has undergone three stages of institutional reforms, the post-transformation period began at 1990 and is ongoing till now. The grassland itself is collectively owned and the livestock is privately owned. Under the influences of climate change, over exploitation of grassland, expansion of cultivated land and urban areas, and mining pollution, the grassland area has decreased and the ecological status of the grassland is gradually deteriorating. The proportions for each of Mongolia’s five categories of livestock remain stable but with regional variability and differences. The growth in total livestock numbers is much higher in Mongolia than in Inner Mongolia, China. In recent years, the grazing-based livestock husbandry has faced a problem of an aging population. As a result, the proportion of animal husbandry output value within the national economy has gradually declined and the industrial chain urgently needs to be improved. Finally, this study proposes implications for Mongolia and offers information relevant to the development of grassland agriculture in China.

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    Determination of the nutrient digestibility of herbage consumed by grazing animals
    You-shun JIN, Fu-jiang HOU
    Acta Prataculturae Sinica    2022, 31 (5): 200-212.   DOI: 10.11686/cyxb2021089
    Abstract511)   HTML24)    PDF (1630KB)(837)       Save

    Nutrient digestibility of herbage consumed by grazing livestock is one of the key indicators for grassland management, and is a function of both the biomass and nutritional quality of forage, and the health and production status of livestock. Nutrient digestibility of forage consumed by grazing livestock can be determined by direct or indirect methods. The direct methods include, among others, the total feces collection method, the indigestible marker method and near infrared spectroscopy (NIRS). The indirect methods include in vivo or in vitro fermentation digestibility determinations, the forage quality prediction method and the climate prediction method. The total fecal collection method is a comparatively accurate method, provided that the feed dry matter intake and feces dry weight are accurately determined. However, it is time-consuming and laborious, and has a great impact on the grazing behavior. Moreover, it is difficult to reflect the spatial heterogeneity of forage supply in the pasture. The indigestible marker method estimates the nutrient digestibility according to the proportion of indigestible matter recovered and causes little disturbance to the grazing behavior of livestock. However, it is not easy to analyze for the indigestible marker, and the method is not suitable for wild grazing animals. The NIRS method has high efficiency, low labor intensity, low cost, and does not have any effects on livestock, so it can estimate the nutrient digestibility of forage consumed by grazing livestock on a large scale. However, NIRS requires a lot of directly measured calibration data to improve the prediction accuracy. The climate estimation method is fast, and therefore time-saving but is also less accurate. Climate estimation is therefore suitable for large spatial and temporal scales. The nutrient digestibility of forage consumed by grazing livestock is closely related to biological factors, environmental factors and social factors such as livestock class, grassland type, grazing methods employed, temperature and precipitation. Combined with remote sensing, unmanned aerial vehicle methods and artificial intelligence, the nutrient digestibility of forage consumed by grazing livestock can be accurately and quickly measured, providing support for grassland ecological restoration and livestock health and management.

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    A study of grassland aboveground biomass on the Tibetan Plateau using MODIS data and machine learning
    Zhe-ren JIN, Qi-sheng FENG, Rui-jing WANG, Tian-gang LIANG
    Acta Prataculturae Sinica    2022, 31 (10): 1-17.   DOI: 10.11686/cyxb2021386
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    The Tibetan Plateau, often referred to as “the third pole of the world”, is located in the Southwest of China, and makes significant contribution to ecology and climate change in China and around the word. Our study evaluated the change in aboveground biomass (AGB) on the Tibetan Plateau from 2000 to 2020. We used multiple machine learning methods combined with MCD43A4 product data to simulate the aboveground biomass and analyzed the temporal and spatial characteristics of AGB in this region. The main results were as follows: 1) Among the constructed machine learning models, Rborist model demonstrated the highest accuracy, with an R2 of 0.6484 based on screened variables, and eight variables were found to be highly correlated with biomass: precipitation in May, precipitation in June, average temperature in December, normalized difference phenology index (NDPI), precipitation in April, maximum temperature in January, precipitation in August and precipitation in December; 2) AGB in the southeast of the Tibetan Plateau was higher than that in the northwest, with a decreasing trend from the southeast to northwest; 3) AGB on the Tibetan Plateau increased steadily from 2000 to 2020, with an overall positive movement. However, 61.38% of Tibetan Plateau grasslands showed a trend of unsustainability, 4.67% showed a slight deterioration trend, 1.19% showed a significant deterioration trend, and 32.76% were stable or showed a recovery trend.

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    Numerical classification and ordination of the desert steppe plant community in Etuokeqianqi, Inner Mongolia
    Ling JIN, Ying LU, Hong-bin MA, Ying-zhong XIE, Yan SHEN
    Acta Prataculturae Sinica    2022, 31 (4): 12-21.   DOI: 10.11686/cyxb2021007
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    It is very important in grassland scientific management and biodiversity protection to understand the grassland community types, and their distribution and relationship with edaphic factors. In this research, 100 sample sites on the desert steppe of Etuokeqianqi in Inner Mongolia were investigated. We used two-way indicator species analysis (TWINSPAN) to classify the plant communities, and canonical correspondence analysis (CCA) to analyze the relationship between plant communities and soil factors. It was found that: 1) The flora types of desert steppe in the study area can be divided into Artemisia ordosica+Stipa brevifloraS. breviflora+Achnatherum splendensAgropyron cristatum+A. splendensA. ordosica+Sophora alpecuroidesCaragana liouana+Lespedeza potaniniiS. breviflora+Oxytropis aciphyllaS. alopecuroides+S. brevifloraStipa grandis+Nitraria tangutorum. 2) CCA ordination results showed that the correlation between soil physical and chemical factors and the plant species ordination axis was driven by alkali hydrolyzable nitrogen, available potassium, total phosphorus, soil bulk density, total nitrogen, available phosphorus, organic matter and total carbon. Alkali hydrolyzable nitrogen and available potassium had the greatest impact on the distribution of plant communities at the study site. 3) The combination of TWINSPAN classification and CCA ordination elucidates the relationship between community distribution patterns and environmental factors, and thus provides reference information for ecological management and decisions fostering sustainable utilization of desert steppe in Etuokeqianqi, Inner Mongolia.

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    A transcriptomic study of physiological responses to drought and salt stress in sweet sorghum seedlings
    Zhi-heng WANG, Yu-qing WEI, Yan-rong ZHAO, Yue-juan WANG
    Acta Prataculturae Sinica    2022, 31 (3): 71-84.   DOI: 10.11686/cyxb2020557
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    This research aimed to explore the molecular mechanisms, metabolic pathways and physiological differences of responses to drought and salt stress in sweet sorghum, in order to strengthen the scientific information available to enhance sweet sorghum forage crop husbandry and breeding. Seedlings of sweet sorghum cultivar Liaotian No.1 were used to provide the plant material for study. Moderate drought stress was induced using 10% PEG-6000 solution and salt stress was simulated using 0.9% NaCl solution. Photosynthetic gas exchange parameters, endogenous hormone content, content of organic osmotic regulatory substances and antioxidant enzyme activities were determined on days 2 and 7 of stress exposure. Concurrently, transcriptome sequencing and bioinformatics analyses were carried out on seedling leaves, and qRT-PCR was used to verify the sequencing results. For sweet sorghum seedlings under salt stress, photosynthetic parameters, endogenous auxin concentration and degree of cytokinin inhibition were higher than under drought stress; Soluble sugar content was significantly higher under drought stress than under salt stress; Antioxidant enzyme activities and abscisic acid concentrations were higher under salt stress than under drought stress, indicating different physiological mechanisms of drought and salt stress response in sweet sorghum. Under drought stress on day 2, transcriptome sequencing identified 922 up-regulated and 975 down-regulated genes while under salt stress there were 2047 up-regulated and 1714 down-regulated genes. At day 7 under drought stress there were 157 up-regulated and 54 down-regulated genes while under salt stress there were 795 up-regulated and 722 down-regulated genes. Forty drought stress response genes and 493 salt stress response genes were also identified. Gene ontology (GO)-based enrichment analysis revealed that sweet sorghum seedlings under drought and salt stress were significantly enriched in pathways involving plant response to stress. Kyoto encyclopedia of genes and genomes (KEGG) enrichment analysis showed that genes up-regulated in response to drought stress tended to be involved in endoplasmic reticulum processing and shear body metabolism pathways, while salt stress response genes were generally associated with plant hormone signal transduction metabolic pathways. Analysis of the genes related to photosynthesis, plant hormone signal transduction, antioxidant enzymes and starch and sucrose metabolic pathways showed that the expression patterns of these genes were consistent with the observed changes in physiological indicators. Therefore, sweet sorghum adaptation to salt stress lags behind response drought stress at the transcriptional level. Meanwhile, the tolerance of sweet sorghum seedlings to moderate salt stress was lower than that under moderate drought stress. Soluble sugars played an important role in the resistance to drought stress of sweet sorghum seedlings. The joint regulation of plant hormone signal transduction and antioxidant enzyme activity changes was the key to the resistance of sweet sorghum seedlings to salt stress.

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    Economic cost assessment of global invasive plants
    Guang-hua ZHAO, Ming-long GAO, Duo WANG, Shi-qi FAN, Jian TANG, Kuo SUN, Xuan-ye WEN
    Acta Prataculturae Sinica    2024, 33 (5): 16-24.   DOI: 10.11686/cyxb2023220
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    Among invasive species, plants comprise the most diverse and numerous biological groups. Assessing the economic cost of invasive plants is an important part of risk management and is essential for the development of policies for control or eradication. In this study, based on the InvaCost database, we assessed the economic costs of global invasive plants from 1970 to 2017. The main results were as follows: 1) The conservative economic cost of invasive plants from 1970 to 2017 was 194.365 billion U.S. dollars (USD), 4.049 billion USD per year on average, of which the direct economic loss amounted to 100.468 billion USD, accounting for 51.69% of the total. 2) Among 64 countries and regions, the United States has borne the highest economic costs, followed by Australia, and China ranks third with costs of 20.831 billion USD (equivalent to 140.707 billion RMB). Notably, Eichhornia crassipes has been the most expensive invasive plant species globally, with the costs of its damage exceeding the combined costs of invasive plants ranking 5th to 10th. 3) Over the past five decades, the economic cost of invasive plants has shown an upward trend. Model estimates suggest that the possible cost of invasive plants in 2017 ranged from 3.438 billion to 10.452 billion USD, with the highest confidence value being 7.725 billion USD. The results of this study contribute to a deeper understanding of the severity of invasive plant threats and provide a scientific basis for more proactive invasive plant management in China.

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    Monitoring of rodent damage areas in grassland using unmanned aerial vehicle remote sensing technology
    Rui HUA, Daerhan BAO, Rui DONG, Zhuang-sheng TANG, Bin CHU, Yuan-yuan HAO, Li-min HUA
    Acta Prataculturae Sinica    2023, 32 (5): 71-82.   DOI: 10.11686/cyxb2022234
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    Rodent pests are the greatest and most widespread biological problem affecting pastoral land in China and their impact can reach ‘disaster’ level. Obtaining accurate data for rodent-damaged areas in grassland is a priority for evaluating the degree of pest damage and for devising pest management strategies. At present, survey grid and mapping methods are the main methods used to identify rodent-damaged areas in grassland. However, both of those methods have problems in terms of low efficiency and poor accuracy, so they do not meet the requirements for precise management of grassland pests. According to the principles of ecology and statistics, we used unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) remote sensing technology and a stratified sampling method to detect damage areas from plateau pika, a dominant rodent pest on the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau. These trials were conducted at four townships in Maqu County in Gansu Province. First, we selected the primary investigation area according to its suitability for rodents. Then, the first survey area was divided according to different habitat types into secondary survey plots, and each plot was divided into a grid. A certain number of quadrats in the secondary sample plots was randomly sampled, each as a three-level sample with a UAV survey. According to the average area of rodent pest damage across multiple quadrats, the damaged area in each secondary plot was calculated. The areas of damage in all the secondary plots were added to obtain the total pest-damaged area in the primary investigation area. The total area of grassland in the test area was 4.6×105 ha, the area suitable for plateau pika was 2.5×105 ha, and the area of plateau pika damage in the test area was 1.05×104 ha. There were 50 sampling sites in total, and each site had an area of 1 ha. Taking one site as a sample, it takes one person 20 min to complete the work in terms of UAV flying and image interpretation. Compared with the grid survey method and mapping method, this new method can detect areas of rodent damage in grassland on a larger scale because it is more efficient, accurate, and cost-effective.

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    Comparison of crop yield and forage quality of six oat varieties in Angren County, Shigatse
    Hai-yan WU, Ni QU, Zhen QU, Tongsangcuomu, Dawazhuoga, Deyang, Nimazhuoga, Zhao-ming LIU, Yu-shou MA
    Acta Prataculturae Sinica    2022, 31 (4): 72-80.   DOI: 10.11686/cyxb2021318
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    In this research six oat (Avena sativa) varieties (Baiyan No.2, Qinghai 444, Qingyin No.1; Qingyin No.2, Jiayan No. 2, and sweet oat) were studied and 25 indexes of their agronomic traits, crop yields and nutritional quality were collectively evaluated by principal component analysis, in order to select suitable oat varieties with high crop yield and forage quality for farmer use in Angren County, Shigatse. It was found that among the six varieties evaluated, Qinghai 444 reached the wax-ripening grain development stage at harvest, while all other varieties were in the milk-ripening stage. Sweet oat and Qingyin No.1 both exceeded 147 cm in height and were significantly taller (P<0.05) than the other four varieties. The stem diameter of sweet oat (6.39 mm), did not differ significantly (P>0.05) from Qinghai 444, Jiayan No.2 and Qingyin No.1, but was significantly (P<0.05) larger than Baiyan No.2 and Qingyin No.2. There was no significant difference in fresh weight or dry weight among the six varieties (P>0.05). Sweet oat had the highest hay yield (18.42 t·ha-1), and Qingyin No.2 had the lowest hay yield (13.62 t·ha-1). The crude protein content of the six oat varieties ranged from 5.66% to 11.59%, and the crude fat content ranged from 2.94% to 3.50%. Qingyin No.2 had the highest relative forage quality, with values of 174.76, respectively. In principal component analysis, the first four components accounted for 91.78% of the data variation. In the multivariate evaluation, sweet oats had the highest overall score of 2.37, and is therefore recommended as the most suitable oat variety of those tested for both crop yield and forage quality in Angren County.

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