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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
    Abstract1491)   HTML101)    PDF (1243KB)(5233)       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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    Progress in studies of molecular mechanisms and applications of somatic cell regeneration during genetic transformation
    Yu-zhu LI, Jiang-di YU, Fei-fei DING, Jia-min MIAO, Xiao-ming BAI, Shang-li SHI
    Acta Prataculturae Sinica    2024, 33 (2): 198-211.   DOI: 10.11686/cyxb2023147
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    Plant genetic transformation is the key of transgenic technology, genome editing, functional genomics research and molecular breeding. Species and genotype differences are often the main bottlenecks limiting the efficiency of genetic transformation and the wide application of gene editing technology. With the molecular mechanism of de novo shoot organogenesis and somatic embryogenesis being gradually explored, the growth and developmental regulatory genes involved in the synthesis, response and signal transduction of auxin and cytokinin in callus formation, proliferation and regeneration are used to improve genetic transformation efficiency. In this study, we first review the different ways and means of achieving somatic cell regeneration after genetic transformation, and the molecular mechanisms of regeneration for the transformed cells through indirect organogenesis and somatic embryogenesis. Then, the application of regeneration-promoting genes related to auxin and cytokinin in improving regeneration efficiency, shortening transformation time, and realizing genetic transformation of recalcitrant species and genotypes was discussed. Finally, the potential for application of regeneration-promoting genes when working with transgenic and gene-edited cells were summarized and current research directions were discussed.

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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
    Abstract2630)   HTML153)    PDF (1316KB)(4602)       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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    Research progress on vigor estimation for forage seeds
    Qi-bo TAO, Xi-hu QIE, Qian ZHANG, Yu-xuan GAO, Ya-qi ZHANG, Rui-zhen ZHANG, Xiao-fei CHEN, Tian-xiu NIU, Xiao-tong SUN, Yu-ting NIE, Ya-ru LIU, Jia-qi HU, Shang-zhi ZHONG, Juan SUN
    Acta Prataculturae Sinica    2023, 32 (10): 200-225.   DOI: 10.11686/cyxb2023007
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    High-quality forage seeds are fundamental materials for grass-husbandry industry development and ecological restoration in China. Seed vigor is an important aspect of evaluate seed quality. The efficient vigor estimation of forage seeds is of great importance for selection of high-quality seed lots for cultivated grassland establishment and improvement of natural grassland, and is therefore critical to ensuring food and ecological security. Numerous studies on diverse forage seed vigor estimation methods and their ability to predict field performance have been carried out and published. In this study, the concepts and methodologies for forage seed vigor estimation are summarized, with particular emphasis on the estimation principles and their application in forage seed vigor estimation of some of the more commonly used methods. Coverage of this review includes forage seed physical properties, germination and seedling growth characteristics, stress testing, physiological and biochemical indicators, and advanced technologies. Future prospects in this field are also identified and discussed, to provide necessary direction for the improvement of future research.

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    Progress in research on fungal diseases of the genus Elymus
    Long-hai XUE, Jia-qi LIU, Chun-jie LI
    Acta Prataculturae Sinica    2024, 33 (2): 226-241.   DOI: 10.11686/cyxb2023132
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    Elymus species are widely used as forage grasses on the Tibetan Plateau and widely grown in alpine pasture areas such as Gansu, Qinghai, Xinjiang, Tibet and Sichuan Province, China. Disease is one of the important factors limiting the production and utilization of the genus Elymus. In sown grassland, disease will directly affect the yield and quality of forages. In natural grassland, Elymus plants are also an important vector contributing to the spread of many pathogens. This pathogen spread seriously affects the productivity of grassland agricultural ecosystems. Based on a review of published domestic and international literature, the etiology, conditions of occurrence and control measurements for Elymus diseases are reported. Domestic research progress is compared with international efforts, and future development ideas for Elymus disease research are also presented. Up to March, 2023, a total of 16 fungal diseases that can infect the leaves, leaf sheaths, stems, spikes, and seeds of Elymus had been recorded worldwide. The more important among these were rust, smut, powdery mildew, ergot, choke and leaf spot diseases. At present, the main control methods for fungal diseases of Elymus are to breed and use resistant varieties, treat seed before sowing, and increase the use of ecological management strategies and chemical controls in the field. In addition, screening or breeding new varieties of Elymus species which carry Epichlo? endophytes is expected to be one of the breakthroughs in the research into Elymus disease resistance.

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    Effects of the degree of alpine meadow degradation on the rhizosphere soil fungal community and the ecological network of dominant species
    Yuan MA, Xiao-li WANG, Yu-shou MA, De-gang ZHANG
    Acta Prataculturae Sinica    2024, 33 (2): 125-137.   DOI: 10.11686/cyxb2023106
    Abstract348)   HTML18)    PDF (4758KB)(2586)       Save

    Changes in the diversity and stability of the rhizosphere fungi community can reveal the adaptive mechanisms of microorganisms to degraded ecosystems. The aim of this study was to clarify the influence of changes in dominant species on the diversity and stability of rhizosphere fungal communities. Samples were collected from alpine meadows on the eastern edge of the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau with four different degrees of degradation (non-degraded grassland, lightly degraded grassland, moderately degraded grassland, and severely degraded grassland). A combination of ITS rRNA gene sequencing technology, FUNGuild prediction, and molecular ecological network modeling methods was used to analyze the effects of alpine meadow degradation on rhizosphere fungal structure, functional groups, and molecular ecological networks. The results showed that the degree of grassland degradation significantly affected the Beta diversity, but not the Alpha diversity of rhizosphere soil fungi. The degree of degradation only affected the relative abundance of taxa, and had no effect on the dominant fungal communities. The dominant fungal populations in the rhizosphere soils of grasslands with different degrees of degradation were Basidiomycota, Mortierella, and Ascomycota. Linear discriminant analysis Effect Size (LEfSe) identified 29 biomarkers, most of which corresponded to Basidiomycota and Ascomycota. There was a major shift of rhizosphere fungal communities from symbiotic to saprophytic nutrient types with increasing severity of grassland degradation. The network analysis showed that there was a negative correlation between the number of operational taxonomic units (OTUs) of the rhizosphere fungal community and the degree of degradation of the grassland. Combined with data of the network topology parameters, these findings indicate that increasing severity of grassland degradation leads to a looser and more unstable rhizosphere fungal structure. In conclusion, alpine meadow degradation significantly changed the composition, structure, and functional types of rhizosphere fungal communities, especially those of dominant species, and reduced the stability and complexity of fungal communities. These results provide a scientific basis for further research on the adaptive responses of rhizosphere microbe communities to degradation of alpine meadows.

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    Screening and identification of two potassium solubilizer strains and their effects on the yield and quality of alfalfa
    Yan-jia WANG, Bo-ang HU, Jia-xin CHEN, Li-ting XU, Lin YAO, Li-rong FENG, Chang-hong GUO
    Acta Prataculturae Sinica    2023, 32 (12): 139-149.   DOI: 10.11686/cyxb2023036
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    The study aimed to isolate and screen high-efficiency potassium solubilizing bacteria (KSB), and to quantify the effects of KSB application on plant yield and quality. The KSB strains were screened by silicate bacteria media from the rhizosphere soil of alfalfa (Medicago sativa), and subsequently the strains were identified by morphological, 16S rDNA sequence, and physiological and biochemical analysis. Pot experiments were conducted to evaluate the effect of inoculation with KSB strains on the yield and quality of alfalfa. Two high-efficiency KSB strains XLT-4 and XLT-7 were obtained with potassium solubilization rates of 10.53% and 9.75%>CK, and identified as Priestia megaterium and Peribacillus frigoritolerans, respectively. These two KSB strains had the metabolic capacity for phosphorus solubilization, siderophore-production and indole acetic acid secretion. Inoculation with XLT-4 and XLT-7 significantly increased plant height, root length, dry and fresh weight above ground and below ground, root activity, the contents of P, K and crude protein in leaves, while the contents of neutral detergent fiber and acid detergent fiber were significantly lower than in CK plants. In addition, the inoculation of the two KSB also improved the enzyme activity and available potassium content in alfalfa rhizosphere soil. In this study, the two KSB strains made a major contribution to improving the yield and quality of alfalfa, and these two organisms are high quality strain resources for the development of microbial preparations.

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    Diversity of endophytic bacterial and fungal communities in different maize organs
    Xiao-hui DONG, Shang-li SHI, Guo-li YIN, San-dong CHEN, Hai-qiang GONG, Lin-bo LIU
    Acta Prataculturae Sinica    2025, 34 (5): 130-145.   DOI: 10.11686/cyxb2024253
    Abstract282)   HTML3)    PDF (4181KB)(2186)       Save

    The relationship between the microenvironment of different tissues of maize and the diversity of endophytic bacteria is of great significance for screening functional microorganisms, such as compatible growth-promoting bacteria or biocontrol bacteria. In this study, high-throughput sequencing technology was used to investigate the diversity of endophytic bacterial and fungal communities in various maize organs and tissues. The results showed that the maize endophytic bacterial community comprised 31 phyla, 93 classes, 192 orders, 340 families, and 404 genera. Proteobacteria and Firmicutes were the dominant bacterial phyla, and LachnospiraRhizobiumEnterobacter, and Sphingomonas were the dominant bacterial genera. Some endophytic bacteria were more abundant in some organs than in others, indicating that some bacterial populations had endogenous specificity for particular tissue microenvironments. Comparing the dominant bacterial genera among various organs and tissues, the unique bacterial taxa in the roots were Micrococcus and uncultured_bacterium_f_Muribaculaceae. The unique bacterial taxa in the kernels were Staphylococcusuncultured_bacterium_f_MuribaculaceaeDelftiaBrevundimonasStreptococcus, and Clostridium_sensu_stricto_1. The unique bacterial group in the leaves was mainly Pseudomonas, and no unique bacterial genus was detected in the stems. Beta diversity analyses showed that the microbial community composition was similar in the roots, stems, and leaves of maize, but different in the grain. The endophytic fungal community of maize was composed of 12 phyla, 37 classes, 84 orders, 187 families, and 404 genera. Ascomycota, Basidiomycota and Chytridiomycota were the dominant fungal phyla, Mortierella and Fusarium were the dominant fungal genera, and Rozellomycota was the unique dominant fungal group in the roots. Beta diversity analyses showed that there was little difference in fungal community composition among stems, leaves, and grain of maize, but it was significantly different in the root. In summary, the distribution of endophytic bacteria differs among maize organs and tissues. Compared with the endophytic fungal community, the endophytic bacterial community showed wider variations among the different organs and tissues.

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    A multivariate evaluation of production performance and nutritional quality of different varieties of silage maize in the dry plateau area of Longdong
    Cong-ze JIANG, Na SHOU, Wei GAO, Ren-shi MA, Yu-ying SHEN, Xian-long YANG
    Acta Prataculturae Sinica    2023, 32 (7): 216-228.   DOI: 10.11686/cyxb2022350
    Abstract532)   HTML19)    PDF (4664KB)(2141)       Save

    In order to select silage maize (Zea mays) varieties suitable for cultivation in the Longdong dry plateau area, the agronomic performance, nutrient content and water and nitrogen (N) utilization of eight silage maize varieties were compared using a field experiment, and their comprehensive performance data were quantitatively evaluated using Grey correlation analysis. The results showed significant varietal differences for the main agronomic traits of silage maize (P<0.05). The variety with the highest plant height and greatest leaf length was Yu silage 23 (299.6 and 83.3 cm, respectively); the variety with the greatest stem diameter was Dongdan No.60 (29.5 mm); the variety with the greatest leaf width was Jingke silage 516 (9.6 cm); the variety with the largest single plant fresh weight was Zhongketian 928 (1147.1 g·plant-1), and the variety with the largest single plant dry weight was Jingke silage 516 (341.1 g·plant-1). In terms of yield traits, the varieties with fresh yield exceeding 80 t·ha-1 were Yu silage 23, Dongdan No.60 and Zhongketian 928, while Dongke 301 had the highest hay yield (29.0 t·ha-1) and crude protein yield (1.85 t·ha-1). In terms of nutritional quality, the variety with the highest whole plant crude protein content was Wenyu No.3 (7.42%), while the variety with the highest crude ash content was Zhongketian 928 (4.58%). Jingke 301 had the lowest neutral detergent fiber (28.87%) and acid detergent fiber (12.63%) contents. In terms of water and N resource use, Dongke 301 had the highest dry matter water use efficiency (77.0 kg·ha-1·mm-1) and partial productivity of N fertilizer (161.2 kg·kg-1). The grey correlation analysis showed that both the equal-weighted correlation and weighted correlation provided similar results and indicated that Yu silage 23, Wenyu No.3 and Dongke 301 had advantages of high yield, enhanced quality and water and N resources utilization. Thus, the three varieties can be recommended for cultivation in the Longdong dry Plateau area.

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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
    Abstract995)   HTML47)    PDF (927KB)(2137)       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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    Evaluation of physiological characteristics and cold resistance of 10 alfalfa varieties under low temperature stress
    Min WANG, Li LI, Rong JIA, Ai-ke BAO
    Acta Prataculturae Sinica    2024, 33 (6): 76-88.   DOI: 10.11686/cyxb2023353
    Abstract645)   HTML31)    PDF (4390KB)(1885)       Save

    This research elucidated the physiological responses of 10 alfalfa (Medicago sativa) varieties from diverse regions to low temperature stress in order to identify highly cold-resistant varieties. Twelve physiological indexes of the alfalfa seedlings were measured under low temperature conditions of 4 °C, and the cold tolerance was assessed using correlation analysis, principal component analysis and membership function evaluation methods. Simultaneously, the cold resistance of the 10 alfalfa varieties was verified by a semi-lethal temperature (LT50). The key findings were: 1) Under a low temperature of 4 °C, the leaf transpiration rate of the 10 alfalfa varieties exhibited varying degrees of reduction compared to the control group. Decreased transpiration was accompanied by an increase in relative conductivity, as well as in the levels of proline (Pro), soluble sugar, soluble protein (SP), superoxide dismutase (SOD) and peroxidase (POD) activity. 2) The multivariate cold tolerance ranking of the 10 alfalfa varieties using the membership function method was as follows: Longmu 801 (highest)>Zhaodong>Bara 520 YQ>Gongnong 1>Baimu 401>Aohan>Challenger>Dongnong 1>Knights and finally, Xinmu 4. Further measurement of the LT50 for the leaves of each variety confirmed that Longmu 801 and Xinmu 4 were the varieties with the lowest and highest LT50 values respectively, thus corroborating the result of the membership function evaluation. 3) Regression analysis was used to establish an evaluation model for the cold resistance of alfalfa seedlings, and its multiple-parameter evaluation value (D) was: 0.138+0.178×SP+0.203×POD+0.170×Pro, highlighting SP, POD, and Pro as pivotal physiological indicators of cold resistance in alfalfa seedlings. Overall, this research provides fundamental insights into the mechanism of low-temperature adaptation in alfalfa seedlings and will facilitate the selection of cold-resistant alfalfa varieties.

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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
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    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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    Ecological value and its spatiotemporal dynamic patterns of grassland in China
    Jia-hui LI, Lin HUANG, Jiang-wen FAN
    Acta Prataculturae Sinica    2023, 32 (12): 1-13.   DOI: 10.11686/cyxb2023058
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    As China’s largest terrestrial ecosystem and one of the important natural resources, grasslands provide a series of ecosystem services which contribute to human well-being. However, there are still wide expanses of grassland suffering from various degrees of degradation, and requiring urgent conservation and restoration action to improve their quality, function and stability. Accounting of grassland ecological value provides an effective means to monitor the changes in and assess the combined importance of multiple grassland ecosystem functions. This study analyzed the spatiotemporal evolution of grassland ecological value in China from 2000 to 2020. It then assessed the spatiotemporal dynamics of the value of key ecological services of grasslands, including windbreak and sand fixation, water conservation, forage supply and carbon sequestration. Next, adaptation strategies for optimizing and enhancing the grassland ecological value in China were proposed. It was found that in 2020, the ecological value of China’s grassland was 2.47×104 billion CNY, and the value was 7.6 million CNY·km-2, among which the value per unit area of windbreak and sand fixation and species richness maintenance were relatively high, accounting for 27.3% and 25.8% of the total, respectively. In the past 20 years, more than 90% of China’s grassland area has shown an increasing trend in ecological value. This applies especially to grassland located on the eastern Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau, the northern Loess Plateau, and the eastern and central parts of Inner Mongolia indicate a rapid growth. Moreover, the sum of grassland ecological values of Mongolia, Tibet, Qinghai, Sichuan and Xinjiang accounted for about 67.4% of China’s total ecological value. In the past 20 years, Shaanxi, Beijing, Ningxia, Tianjin, and Shanxi showed a relatively high growth rate in grassland ecological value (>65%). Finally, China’s grasslands were divided into three categories and twelve subcategories, based on grassland protection and restoration strategies focusing on different key ecological services. Our study offers significant insights for assigning various protection and restoration priorities to achieve sustainable growth in grassland ecological value.

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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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    Using the model MaxEnt to predict plant distribution patterns of different functional groups in the alpine meadow ecosystem on Sichuan-Yunnan Plateau
    Zhi-yuan YOU, Shu-juan MA, Chang-ting WANG, Lu-ming DING, Xiao-yan SONG, Gao-fei YIN, Jun MAO
    Acta Prataculturae Sinica    2024, 33 (3): 1-12.   DOI: 10.11686/cyxb2023146
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    This research explored the spatial distribution patterns of different main functional groups in the alpine meadow ecosystem on the Sichuan-Yunnan Plateau. Data used were from the second scientific research program on the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau from 2019 to 2021. The aim was to identify suitable habitats for functional groups, the main climatic factors affecting functional group distribution, and the change trends under climate change. The model MaxEnt was used to predict the special distribution pattern and the main relating climatic factors of four major species from four functional groups (Cyperaceae: Kobresia humilis; Poaceae: Elymus nutans; Mixed grass: Potentilla anserina and Fabaceae: Gueldenstaedtia diversifolia). The results showed that the areas of suitable habitats for K. humilisE. nutansP. anserina and G. diversifolia under the current climate conditions were 110900, 92300, 171200 and 165300 km2 respectively, mainly located in the central and northern regions of the Sichuan-Yunnan Plateau. The contribution rate and response curve for environmental factors showed that the habitat suitability of the four species had similarities with their ecological environment requirements. The temperature-related factors such as annual temperature range, isothermality and annual mean temperature were the main environmental factors to affect species distribution. From the future perspective, the suitable habitat of the alpine herbage species will expand under global warming, and the suitable average altitude will increase 100-200 m, but the rate of change will tend to slow down. In conclusion, the species diversity, biomass and stability of alpine meadow ecosystems is predicted to increase with climate change.

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    Identification of CibHLH1 and its effect on photosynthetic characteristics in Chrysanthemum indicum var. aromaticum
    Jin-xiu HAN, Bin CHEN, Yan-ting LIU, Ru MENG, Li-yan JIN, Miao HE
    Acta Prataculturae Sinica    2024, 33 (1): 89-101.   DOI: 10.11686/cyxb2023087
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    The basic helix-loop-helix (bHLH) transcription factors are the second largest transcription factor family in plants and play an important role in plant growth and development, secondary metabolism and response to environmental stress. In this study, we cloned CibHLH1 using the leaf cDNA of Chrysanthemum indicum var. aromaticum as the template. The cloned gene has a 738 bp full-length sequence, and a 630 bp open reading frame. Multiple sequence comparison and phylogenetic investigation showed that CibHLH1 had the highest homology with CmbHLH1 of Chrysanthemum morifolium. The expression level of CibHLH1 was the highest in the flowers and lowest in roots. Subcellular localization revealed that the gene was located in the nucleus. CibHLH1 was transformed into tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum) by the leaf disk method to further study its functions. We found that the leaves of overexpressed tobacco became yellow and the contents of chlorophyll a, chlorophyll b and total chlorophyll were significantly reduced. The light response curve and photosynthetic physiological indexes of transgenic tobacco were evaluated, the results showed that overexpression of CibHLH1 decreased the maximum net photosynthetic rate, apparent quantum yield, light saturation point and water use efficiency, but increased the transpiration rate, stomatal conductance and light compensation point. In summary, CibHLH1 negatively affected the photosynthetic capacity of plants by reducing the content of photosynthetic pigments.

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    Genome-wide identification and expression analysis of the Hsp70 gene family in wheat and its ancestral species
    Yi WU, Ya-lan FENG, Tian-ning WANG, Ji-hao JU, Hui-shu XIAO, Chao MA, Jun ZHANG
    Acta Prataculturae Sinica    2024, 33 (7): 53-67.   DOI: 10.11686/cyxb2023334
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    Heat shock protein 70 (Hsp70) exerts a crucial influence on plant development and response to biotic and abiotic stresses. In order to explore the evolutionary relationships, functions and expression patterns of the Hsp70 gene family in wheat (Triticum aestivum), this study conducted a comprehensive bioinformatics analysis of the Hsp70 gene family in Triticum urartuAegilops speltoidesTriticum turgidumAegilops tauschii and common wheat, and the expression patterns of some Hsp70 genes under different exogenous hormones and environmental stress were analyzed by RT-qPCR. The results showed that, respectively, from the five species, 30, 41, 60, 28 and 94 Hsp70 genes were identified. Phylogenetic analysis showed that the members of the Hsp70 family in the five species were divided into 5 subfamily groups, and the number of members in each group was not equal. Most of the members are distributed in Group I, and most of the Hsp70 members in the same subfamily have similar gene structures and conserved motifs. Further comprehensive analysis of chromosome localization and repetition events of the Hsp70 gene in the five species revealed that the Hsp70 gene was unevenly distributed on each of the chromosomes, and a total of 12 tandem repeat events and 110 fragment replication events were found from the five species, indicating that fragment replication events promoted the expansion of the Hsp70 gene family in wheat. The analysis of cis-acting elements showed that there were various light response elements, stress response elements, hormone response elements and growth as well as development regulatory elements in the promoter region of Hsp70 gene in the five wheat species. In addition, RT-qPCR results indicated that particular Hsp70 genes in the five wheat species had varying degrees of response under different hormone treatments and stress. The expression of eight Hsp70 genes was up-regulated under high temperature and drought stress. The identification of the Hsp70 gene in wheat and its ancestral species and elucidation of its evolution provides a theoretical basis for further research on the function of the Hsp70 gene in wheat growth and development, as well as its response mechanism under stress.

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    Comparative analysis of growth performance, meat productivity, and meat quality in Hu sheep and its hybrids
    Rui ZHANG, Xue-jiao AN, Jian-ye LI, Zeng-kui LU, Chun-e NIU, Zhen-fei XU, Jin-xia ZHANG, Zhi-guang GENG, Yao-jing YUE, Bo-hui YANG
    Acta Prataculturae Sinica    2024, 33 (3): 186-197.   DOI: 10.11686/cyxb2023157
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    This study aimed to investigate the differences in the growth performance, meat productivity, and meat quality of Hu sheep and their hybrids with Southdown and Poll Dorset. Sixteen male lambs, about 3 months old, of Hu×Hu (HH), Southdown×Hu (NH) and Poll Dorset×Hu (TH) F1 generation sheep were selected and raised in individual pens under the same nutritional levels and management conditions. The feeding experiment lasted for 95 days (including a 15-day pre-test period). Feed intake was determined daily from the beginning of the experiment, and body weight and body size were measured every 20 days. Seven sheep close to the average weight of the group were slaughtered at the end of the feeding experiment to measure slaughter performance, carcass traits, and meat quality to further evaluate breeding benefits. The results showed that: 1) The body weights of the TH and NH F1 generation sheep were significantly higher than that of the HH sheep during the whole experimental period (P<0.05). Compared with the HH sheep, the TH F1 generation sheep showed a significantly higher average daily gain weight, with a lower feed conversion ratio (P<0.05). Compared with the HH sheep, the TH and NH F1 sheep showed a significantly lower body height and significantly higher heart girth and cannon circumference at the end of the experiment (P<0.05). 2) Compared with the HH sheep, the TH and NH F1 generation sheep showed significantly higher live weight, carcass weight, and net meat weight; the NH F1 generation sheep showed a significantly higher dressing percentage and significantly lower GR value; and the TH F1 generation sheep showed a significantly higher loin eye area (P<0.05). 3) The meat pressing loss was significantly lower for the NH F1 generation sheep than for the HH sheep, while the cooking percentage was significantly higher for NH F1 generation sheep than for HH and TH F1 generation sheep (P<0.05). The protein contents in meat were significantly higher in the NH and TH F1 generation sheep than in the HH sheep (P<0.05). 4) The value of the TH and NH F1 generation sheep (¥320.72 and ¥318.05, respectively) was higher than that of HH sheep (¥249.33), indicating a breeding benefit of ¥71.39 and ¥68.72 for the TH and NH hybrid sheep, respectively. In conclusion, compared with HH sheep, the hybrid sheep showed stronger growth (hybrid vigor), a lower feed conversion ratio, improved meat quality, and increased meat palatability and nutritional value. Thus, hybrid breeding benefits the competitiveness of the local sheep industry.

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    Effect of different ratios of amino acids in low-protein diets on muscle quality, amino acid and fatty acid composition, and vitamin and mineral contents of the longissimus dorsi muscle in Tibetan sheep
    Feng-shuo ZHANG, Qiu-rong JI, Ting-li HE, Qu-yang-ang-mao SU, Zhi-you WANG, Sheng-zhen HOU, lin-Sheng GUI
    Acta Prataculturae Sinica    2024, 33 (3): 198-208.   DOI: 10.11686/cyxb2023191
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    The aim of this experiment was to investigate the effects of different ratios of the amino acids lysine and methionine in low-protein diets on the muscle quality, amino acid and fatty acid composition, and vitamin and mineral contents of the longissimus dorsi muscle of Tibetan sheep. Ninety healthy male lambs of Tibetan sheep (plateau type) with similar body weight [(15.60±0.10) kg] were selected and randomly divided into three groups of 30. Each group had five replicates of six lambs. The protein level in the dietary concentrate was 12%, and the three groups were as follows: LP-L group (1∶1 lysine to methionine); LP-M group (2∶1 lysine to methionine); and LP-H group (3∶1 lysine to methionine). The total experimental period was 97 days, including a 7-day pre-feeding period and a 90-day feeding period. Analyses of the longissimus dorsi muscle showed that: 1) The thawing loss index was significantly lower in the LP-L group than in the LP-H group (P<0.05), and the cooking loss index and shear force index were significantly lower in the LP-L group than in the LP-M and LP-H groups (P<0.05); 2) The different amino acid ratios did not significantly affect the amino acid composition in the longissimus dorsi muscle of each group (P>0.05); 3) Among the unsaturated fatty acids in the longissimus dorsi muscle, trans-linoleic acid, docosahexatrienoic acid, and pentadecadienoic acid were present at significantly higher levels in the LP-L group than in the LP-M group (P<0.05); and heptadecadienoic acid, linoleic acid, and α-linoleic acid were present at significantly higher levels in the LP-L group than in the LP-M group and the LP-H group (P<0.05); 4) The α-vitamin E content, γ-vitamin E content, and vitamin E index of the longissimus dorsi muscle were significantly higher in the LP-L group than in the LP-M group (P<0.05), while the calcium content was significantly higher in the LP-L group than in the LP-M group (P<0.05). In conclusion, a diet with a 1∶1 ratio of lysine to methionine can increase the contents of unsaturated fatty acids, vitamins, and minerals in the muscle, thereby improving meat quality, and the ratio of lysine to methionine in the diet does not adversely affect the amino acid composition of the meat.

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    Differential covariation characteristics in functional traits of two ephemerals of Boraginaceae in the Gurbantunggut Desert, China
    Xin-yue JIN, Li GONG, Meng-ting WANG, Ye TAO, Duo-qi ZHOU
    Acta Prataculturae Sinica    2023, 32 (10): 58-70.   DOI: 10.11686/cyxb2022476
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    Ephemerals are a specialised plant group that have evolved to escape summer drought, but it is not clear whether the functional traits of different ephemeral species have the same or similar covariant characteristics. In this study, two species from the same family (Boraginaceae) but different genera widely distributed in the Gurbantunggut Desert, Xinjiang, China, Arnebia decumbens and Nonea caspica, were studied to answer this question. The data were obtained by field sampling and indoor measurement, and the differences in functional traits, allometric relationships among traits and trait covariance relationships of different species were systematically studied by reduced major axis regression, principal component analysis and plant trait network analysis. The results showed that the aboveground biomass (2.217 g·plant-1), whole plant biomass (2.407 g·plant-1), crown diameter (14.26 cm), and crown diameter to height ratio (1.550) of N. caspica were significantly higher than A. decumbens (1.010 g·plant-1, 1.145 g·plant-1, 10.95 cm, and 1.138), but the root-to-shoot ratio of the latter (0.147) was significantly greater than the former (0.091). There were mostly significant allometric relationships (α≠1) among functional traits of the two species, e.g., aboveground biomass allocation rates were higher than the belowground biomass (α=0.888 and 0.909), but the biomass allocation was body size-dependent for them. The two species showed different phenotypic developmental patterns. For example, the height and crown diameter of A. decumbens grew at an equal rate (α=1.095), while N. caspica increased crown diameter at a much higher rate than height (α=1.516), resulting in the larger body size or ‘stumpy’ plant shape. Principal component analysis and plant trait network analysis revealed that differences in covariant characteristics among functional traits existed for the two species, and the hub traits and network topological parameters in the trait networks also differed. The study showed that even for ephemerals from different genera in the same family, the functional traits and trait association characteristics were not identical and showed a degree of species specificity.

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    Techniques of N 2O emission reduction in farmland and their synergistic application with green manure
    Rui LIU, Dan-na CHANG, Guo-peng ZHOU, Song-juan GAO, Qiang CHAI, Wei-dong CAO
    Acta Prataculturae Sinica    2025, 34 (2): 196-210.   DOI: 10.11686/cyxb2024111
    Abstract429)   HTML18)    PDF (935KB)(1387)       Save

    Nitrous oxide (N2O) is one of four the main gases linked to global warming, and agricultural production is the largest anthropogenic source of N2O emissions. N2O mainly originates from nitrification and denitrification processes in soil and is predominantly influenced by soil pH value, O2 concentration, CO2 concentration, moisture, texture, temperature, and exogenous carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) input. In recent years, China has achieved remarkable results in using green manure to reduce chemical N fertilizer application and drive soil health. However, study of the role of green manure in N2O emission is still in the early stages. The impact of planting and incorporating green manure on soil N2O emission depends on factors such as the varieties of green manure and the physicochemical properties of the soil. Among them, the influence on soil mineral N is the greatest factor. Generally, green manure can efficiently absorb soil mineral N in the fallow period, and its incorporation into the soil can reduce chemical N fertilizer application, thus decreasing N2O emission. However, green manure releases large amounts of N during its decomposition, which may increase soil N2O emissions. Combined with appropriate N2O emission reduction approaches, N2O emission in green manure-based systems can be reduced according to planting systems, crop varieties, climate conditions and soil types. In southern China’s rice-green manure rotation area, chemical N could be reduced by 40%, when adding alkaline amendments such as biochar. In northern China’s main crop-green manure rotation area, chemical N could be reduced by 15%-20%, through adding chemical inhibitors and combining mechanical deep application of chemical N fertilizers. For main crops rotated or intercropped with green manure systems in Northeast and Northwest China, chemical N could be reduced by 13%-48%, by adding nitrification inhibitors, with integrated water-fertilizer management practices and no-tillage. In main crops rotated with green manure systems of Southwest China, chemical N could be reduced by 15%-20%, through techniques such as slow-release fertilization, use of chemical inhibitors, and others. In this study we have focused on the feasibility of N2O emission reduction by combining green manure practices and exogenous reduction approaches to N2O emission, to provide practical guidance for reducing N2O emission in green manure-based systems.

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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
    Abstract837)   HTML87)    PDF (2836KB)(1346)       Save

    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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    Physiological response and transcriptome analysis of the desert steppe dominant plant Lespedeza potaninii to drought stress
    Hao ZHANG, Hai-ying HU, Hui-xia LI, Hai-ming HE, Shuang MA, Feng-hua MA, Ke-chen SONG
    Acta Prataculturae Sinica    2023, 32 (7): 188-205.   DOI: 10.11686/cyxb2022326
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    Drought is the greatest threat to grassland plants, and research on drought-tolerant grassland plants will contribute to a better understanding of the regulatory mechanisms behind the adaptive responses of plants to drought. Lespedeza potaninii is a high quality, perennial, strongly drought tolerant forage species that is widely distributed in desert grassland areas in some parts of China. Current research on drought resistance in L. potaninii focuses on changes in osmoregulatory substances and functional gene sequence analysis, but the underlying mechanism of its drought resistance is still unclear. In this study, a single-factor water control experiment was conducted with soil moisture content of 70%-80% of the field water holding capacity for the control group (CK) and 20%-30% of the field water holding capacity for the severely drought stressed group (Tr). After 4 weeks of treatment, tests on physiological and biochemical indicators such as biomass distribution, water use, osmoregulation and root distribution were carried out on L. potaninii, while leaves and young roots were collected for transcriptome sequencing analysis. The results showed that under drought stress conditions, L. potaninii exhibited increased content of proline (Pro), a higher soluble protein content (SP), increased soluble sugar, increased K+ ions for osmoregulation to maintain hydration of the plant tissues, increased δ13C indicating improved water use efficiency and increased malondialdehyde indicating oxidant stress, reduced relative water content, reduced leaf internal CO2 concentration and stomatal conductance, reduced biomass and increased root to crown ratio, among other changes, in response to drought stress. By RNA-Seq differential gene expression analysis, 4058 differential genes were found in leaves and 2172 differential genes in roots, making a total of 744 differential genes in leaves and roots. These differential genes (DEGs) include those responding positively (up-regulated) or negatively (down-regulated) to drought. Up-regulated differentially expressed genes in leaves are mainly related to plant-pathogen interactions and phytohormone signaling, while down-regulated differentially expressed genes are mainly related to photosynthetic metabolism including carbon fixation, photosynthetic antenna protein synthesis, and photosynthetic process product metabolism. In roots, up-regulated differential genes were mainly related to arginine and proline metabolism, protein processing in the endoplasmic reticulum, and down-regulated differential genes were mainly related to starch and sucrose metabolism, isoflavone biosynthesis, and flavonoid biosynthesis. The main transcription factors differentially expressed in L. potaninii leaves were AP2/ERF-ERF, NAC, bHLH, WRKY, C2H2, and in roots were HSF, MYB, AP2/ERF-ERF, WRKY. The transcription factor bHLH was specifically down-regulated and HSF was specifically up-regulated. The expression of P5CR, PLD and P4H was up-regulated in roots and leaves. In leaves, ProDH was down-regulated, which will produce more proline and 4-hydroxy-proline, and AST was up-regulated which produces more 4-hydroxy-ketoglutarate and enhances the osmoregulatory ability and ensures water uptake and use by L. potaninii. Therefore, the main response to drought stress in L. potaninii was to initiate various physiological and metabolic activities through differential expression of genes related to hormone signal transduction, osmoregulation and gas exchange.

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    Genome-wide identification and expression analysis of the SOD gene family in Alternanthera philoxeroides
    Shuo HAN, Xiao-wen HAN, Yi-feng HU, Zhong-yi CHEN, Yong-xing ZHU, Jun-liang YIN
    Acta Prataculturae Sinica    2024, 33 (1): 102-116.   DOI: 10.11686/cyxb2023100
    Abstract404)   HTML23)    PDF (6263KB)(1313)       Save

    Superoxide dismutase (SOD) is a conserved antioxidant enzyme, which plays an important role in plant growth and development and stress response. Currently, there is a lack of systematic understanding of the SOD gene family members of Alternanthera philoxeroides (Ap). This study systematically identified and analyzed the SOD gene family in A. philoxeroides using bioinformatics methods. The physicochemical properties, conserved motifs, gene structure, phylogenetic relationship, miRNA targeting relationship and expression pattern were analyzed. The results showed that a total of 43 ApSOD proteins were identified, of which 22 belonged to the Cu/ZnSOD subfamily and 21 belonged to the Fe/MnSOD subfamily. Protein characteristic analysis showed that 36 ApSOD proteins were hydrophilic proteins, and 37 ApSOD proteins were stable proteins; subcellular localization prediction showed that most Cu/ZnSOD proteins were localized in chloroplasts or the cytoplasm, and most Fe/MnSOD proteins were localized in mitochondria. Conserved domain analysis showed that members of the same subfamily had similar conserved motifs and gene structures. Prediction of miRNA targeting relationships showed that 17 miRNAs target to 14 ApSODs through cleavage or translation inhibition. Expression pattern analysis showed that the expression level of ApSODs were relatively stable in different environmental conditions and tissues. The expression patterns of 6 ApSODs were analyzed by RT-qPCR under herbicide treatment. Six ApSODs were significantly up-regulated within 7 d under oxadiazon and fluroxypyr stresses; under fluoroglycofen stress, the expression of four ApSODs initially increased and then decreased, and then increased again with extended duration of herbicide exposure. Under glyphosate stress, the expression of six ApSODs were significantly up-regulated at 7 d; the expression of four ApSODs were significantly down-regulated at 1 d under isoproturon stress. These results indicate that ApSODs showed different expression patterns under the stress of different herbicides. This study systematically identified and characterized the ApSOD family members and provided a preliminary description of the expression characteristics of six genes under herbicide stress, laying a foundation for further research on the biological role of ApSODs in response to herbicide stress.

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    Functional analysis of the MaERF058 gene in response to drought stress in Melilotus albus
    Na WEI, Wen-mao JING, Er-wen XU, Rong-xin WANG, Jing-zhong ZHAO, Xue-e MA, Ji-yu ZHANG, Wen-xian LIU
    Acta Prataculturae Sinica    2024, 33 (8): 159-169.   DOI: 10.11686/cyxb2023338
    Abstract255)   HTML14)    PDF (3182KB)(1308)       Save

    Drought is one of the most common stresses in agricultural production. It has a deleterious effect on plant growth and many aspects of development, such as photosynthetic function, stomatal aperture, osmotic balance, and hormone regulation, thereby affecting crop yield and quality. Melilotusalbus is a high-quality forage legume that is widely grown in the northern arid regions of China because of its high protein content and tolerance to drought, salinity, and barren environments. Transcription factors (TFs) are important proteins that regulate gene expression. They bind to specific cis-elements in the promoter regions of their target genes to activate or repress their transcription, thereby regulating plant growth and development in response to abiotic stress. Genes in the plant ethylene response factor (ERF) TF family respond to various abiotic stresses, and are important components of plant stress resistance mechanisms. MaERF058 is a key drought tolerance gene in M.albus. In this study, we analyzed the subcellular localization of MaERF058 in tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum), and found that the expressed protein was located in the nucleus. Overexpression of MaERF058 in Arabidopsisthaliana significantly increased its drought tolerance, compared with that of wild type. Compared with the wild type, the MaERF058-overexpressing lines showed significantly increased proline content (P<0.01) and catalase activity (P<0.05) and significantly decreased malondialdehyde content (P<0.01) under drought conditions. Monoamine oxidase staining using the nitroblue tetrazolium method showed that the reactive oxygen content in the roots was higher in the MaERF058-overexpressing lines than in the control. These results suggest that the TF encoded by MaERF058 in M. albus has a positive regulatory role in the drought stress response.

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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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    Effects of different salt stresses on triticale seed germination
    Chen MENG, Xue-li LU, Ju-ying WANG, Yun-chong WEI, Cheng-sheng ZHANG, Yi-qiang LI, Zong-chang XU
    Acta Prataculturae Sinica    2023, 32 (12): 171-180.   DOI: 10.11686/cyxb2023068
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    Soil salinization is an important factor that restricts agricultural production. Triticale has high yields and shows strong stress resistance, so it has the potential to improve saline-alkali land. In this study, triticale seeds were treated with five kinds of salts (NaCl, KCl, Na2SO4, MgSO4, NaHCO3) at different concentrations (10, 25, 50, 100 and 200 mmol·L-1) and compound salt solutions (NaHCO3∶NaCl∶Na2SO4=1∶15∶84) at concentrations of 0.05%, 0.15%, 0.30%, 0.60% and 1.20% (w/v). The germination rate, germination potential, germination index, vigor index, seedling length, and root length of triticale germinating seeds and seedlings under different salt stresses were analyzed. The salt tolerance of triticale under different salt stresses was comprehensively evaluated by a principal component analysis and membership function analysis. The results show that the germination rate, germination potential, germination index, and vigor index of triticale seeds decreased gradually as the concentration of each salt increased, and treatment with high concentrations of salts significantly inhibited the germination of the triticale seeds. The seedling length and root length of triticale seedlings also showed a decreasing trend with increasing salt concentrations. Among the salts, NaHCO3 had the strongest inhibitory effect. The results of the principal component analysis showed that the main indicators for evaluating the salt tolerance of triticale were germination rate, germination index, and root length. The ranking of membership function values showed that triticale had relatively high tolerance to mixed salt treatments and the lowest tolerance to NaHCO3.

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    Evaluation of resistance to Colletotrichum cereale and analysis of loss in a field of fifteen imported oat cultivars
    Yong-hong SHI, Peng GAO, Zhi-hong FANG, Xiang ZHAO, Wei HAN, Jiang-ming WEI, Lin LIU, Jin-zhen LI
    Acta Prataculturae Sinica    2023, 32 (9): 130-142.   DOI: 10.11686/cyxb2022424
    Abstract384)   HTML20)    PDF (2097KB)(1259)       Save

    Oat (Avena sativa) varieties of high quality and high yield are introduced from other countries and such imports are important to the development of forage-based livestock husbandry in China. However, anthracnose diseased caused by Collectotrichum cereale outbreaks in commercial oat crops is a significant problem with imported varieties. In this study, a total of 15 imported oat varieties were screened for high resistance to anthracnose disease. Simultaneously, we examined the oat yield reduction and quality loss caused by anthracnose. Four resistant varieties were identified: Titan, Everleaf, Souris and Monte. All other varieties were found to be susceptible to anthracnose. The leaf dry weight, stem dry weight, ear dry weight and plant height of the diseased plant of the highly susceptible “Kona” feed oat showed a linear downward trend in proportion to the degree of disease incidence. The forage yield reduction was 7.5%-28.1%, and the regression equation between the yield reduction and mean disease index score was y=0.3023x+1.6822 (R2=0.9837, P<0.05). In this equation, y represents the forage yield reduction of mean disease index score (x) of units. The contents of crude protein, total amino acid, crude ash and phosphorus of moderately and severely diseased plants were significantly (P<0.05) lower than those of healthy plants by 7.2%, 26.5%, 9.0% and 12.8% and by 11.1%, 44.5%, 16.0% and 20.8% respectively. The content of acid detergent fiber in moderately diseased plants increased significantly (P<0.05) by 6.4% compared with healthy plants. The content of neutral and acid detergent fiber in severely diseased plants increased significantly (P<0.05) 11.9% and 10.0% compared with healthy plants, respectively. The reduction in feeding value was 3.2%-15.9%, and the regression equation between the reduction in feeding value and the mean disease index was y=0.1812x+0.5032 (R2=0.9963, P<0.05). In this equation, y represents the forage yield reduction of mean disease index score (x) of units. Hence, the resistant varieties Titan, Everleaf, Souris and Monte are recommended for planting in areas with serious anthracnose. In addition timely and scientifically effective control measures should be implemented. The next step is to screen for superior germplasm with strong disease resistance among local varieties used in China.

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    Differences in traits related to lodging resistance among oat genotypes
    Ming NAN, Xing-rong WANG, Jing LI, Yan-ming LIU, Cheng-jun ZHANG, Ji-kuan CHAI, Gui-qin ZHAO
    Acta Prataculturae Sinica    0, (): 106-118.   DOI: 10.11686/cyxb2023010
    Abstract336)   HTML7)    PDF (2138KB)(1238)       Save

    Lodging is one of the main factors affecting oat yield and quality. Screening to identify the morphological traits related to the lodging resistance of oats and the construction of an evaluation system are important steps towards identifying and utilizing superior oat germplasm. In this study, we evaluated and compared 18 morphological characters of the root, stem, and ear of 20 oat genotypes. The morphological indexes closely related to lodging resistance were screened by correlation analysis and principal component analysis (PCA). An evaluation system for lodging resistance based on morphological indexes of oat was constructed by a step linear regression method. This system provides the basis for breeding lodging-resistant oat varieties. Some traits varied widely among the different oat genotypes. Morphological traits showed extremely significant differences among genotypes (P<0.01). The root, stem, and ear morphological traits of the same oat genotypes differed significantly between the two test sites (P<0.05) and there was a significant interaction effect between the genotype of each morphological character and the test environment (P<0.05). The average coefficient of variation of the actual lodging rate was 81.17%, and there was a large amount of genetic variation. Among all of the morphological traits, barycenter height had the smallest coefficient of variation (7.91%). Stem strength, center of gravity height, basal internode stem length, and root volume were closely related to lodging resistance, and were the key indexes affecting oat lodging resistance. The PCA identified three key factors representing 85.082% of the information provided by 11 morphological traits. Systematic clustering was carried out based on 11 traits including root volume, stem base length (1st and 2nd internode lengths), stem strength, and ear morphology. Three morphological trait cluster groups, seven cluster subgroups, and three genotype cluster groups were obtained. The scores from the cluster heat map, two-dimensional PCA map, and function model were basically consistent with the degree of lodging of different genotypes and the actual lodging rate, and these relationships were mutually verified. A linear regression model based on the relationship between morphological indexes and the lodging resistance of various cultivars was developed to predict the lodging resistance of oat varieties. A small root system, high center of gravity, long internodes at the base, and a slim stem were identified as factors related to lodging. A large root volume, short and thick base segments, thick stalk walls, and high stalk strength were identified as factors related to lodging resistance. Our results show that the actual lodging rate, root volume, center of gravity height, stem base length (1st and 2nd internode lengths), stem diameter, and stem strength are useful characters for evaluating the lodging resistance of oats. The lodging resistance evaluation system is relatively reliable and can be used to evaluate the lodging resistance of oat varieties and lines in the field.

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    Altitude and plant community jointly regulate soil stoichiometry characteristics of natural grassland in the Baluntai area on the southern slope of the middle Tianshan Mountains, China
    Guo-liang YU, Zi-jing MA, Zi-li LYU, Bin LIU
    Acta Prataculturae Sinica    2023, 32 (9): 68-78.   DOI: 10.11686/cyxb2022412
    Abstract312)   HTML8)    PDF (2605KB)(1226)       Save

    Exploring the altitudinal characteristics of soil stoichiometry is important for understanding the stoichiometric distribution of natural grassland soil in high altitude areas and improving soil nutrient conditions. In this research, the soil and plant communities at an altitude of 2200-3550 m in the Baluntai area on the southern slope of the middle Tianshan Mountains were studied. The variation of soil carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium stoichiometry along an altitude gradient was examined by one-way ANOVA and one-way Kruskal-Wallis tests. Correlation between soil stoichiometry data was explored by Pearson correlation analysis. The correlation between soil stoichiometry and soil physical and chemical properties and plant diversity was tested by redundancy analysis (RDA). Significance tests were used to determine which factors had significant effects on soil stoichiometry. After removing the collinearity of independent variables, stepwise regression analysis was used to determine the optimal regression equation to determine the stoichiometry of single soils using the akaike information criterion. In this way the factors stoichiometry were found in each case. The results showed that: 1) Soil organic carbon, total nitrogen, available nitrogen content, carbon-phosphorus ratio, carbon-potassium ratio, nitrogen-phosphorus ratio and nitrogen-potassium ratio increased gradually with increase in altitude, while soil total phosphorus, total potassium, available phosphorus, available potassium content, carbon-nitrogen ratio and phosphorus-potassium ratio did not change significantly. 2) There were strong positive correlations between soil organic carbon content and all stoichiometric ratios except phosphorus-potassium ratio and between total nitrogen content and all stoichiometric ratios except carbon-nitrogen ratio, while the correlation between total phosphorus, total potassium content and organic carbon, total nitrogen content and stoichiometric ratio was not significant. 3) Altitude, soil salinity and Margalef richness index of the shrub layer are the main factors affecting soil stoichiometric characteristics. Soil carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium contents were also higher in areas with lower shrub species richness.

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    Effects of dietary broad bean skin on growth rate, slaughter performance, organ development and meat quality of Hu sheep
    Zhao WANG, Jing LIU, Hao YU, Peng LI, Wei-qiang NIU, Yong-jie WAN, Yan-li ZHANG, Da-gan MAO
    Acta Prataculturae Sinica    2023, 32 (10): 162-172.   DOI: 10.11686/cyxb2022472
    Abstract429)   HTML16)    PDF (629KB)(1201)       Save

    This study aimed to investigate the effect of a dietary broad bean skin supplement on growth rate, slaughter performance, organ development and meat quality of Hu sheep. Healthy 4-month-old male Hu sheep (n=60; 27.00±2.00 kg) were randomly divided into four treatment groups of 15 animals (3 replicates in each group and 5 sheep in each replicate) and fed diets containing 0% (control, Group C), 10% (Group I), 20% (Group II) and 30% (Group III) broad bean skin. The trial period was 60 days. Compared with the control group, the body weight, average daily feed intake and daily gain of Hu sheep in groups fed broad bean skin were very significantly increased (P<0.01). In Group III, the carcass weight (19.62±0.73 vs 17.75±0.86 kg) and live weight before slaughter (37.22±1.01 vs 34.76±0.71 kg) were very significantly increased (P<0.01) compared to Group C while the area of eye muscle was significantly increased (35.84±2.47 vs 27.84±0.13 cm2P<0.05); The liver weight tended to be increased (670.00±73.37 vs 588.00±49.87 g, P=0.071), the rumen weight (659.40±66.44 vs 548.00±75.48 g) and small intestine weight (1107.80±150.56 vs 901.00±41.32 g) were significantly increased (P<0.05); The cross-sectional area of muscle fiber was extremely significantly lower (584.67±32.01 vs 832.90±53.48 μm2P<0.01); The glutamic acid content was very significantly increased (37.74±1.64 vs 13.19±3.38 mg·g-1P<0.01); The contents of arginine (19.08±1.28 vs 11.25±2.39 mg·g-1) and nonessential amino acids (118.44±1.98 vs 90.59±9.56 mg·g-1) were significantly higher (P<0.05), and the contents of valine (12.40±1.09 vs 7.98±1.61 mg·g-1P=0.086) and essential amino acids (135.25±3.51 vs 106.79±11.14 mg·g-1P=0.071) tended to increase. In summary, the addition of broad bean skin to the diet improved the growth rate, slaughter performance, gastrointestinal development, muscular fiber and amino acid composition of Hu sheep, and the data provide a scientific basis for ration formulation incorporating broad bean skin in the production of Hu sheep.

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    Genome-wide identification and bioinformatics analysis of CBF/DREB1 transcription factors in wild rice
    Chen-min HUO, Min YUAN, Bao-wen ZHANG, Rui-ju WANG
    Acta Prataculturae Sinica    2024, 33 (6): 126-144.   DOI: 10.11686/cyxb2023251
    Abstract659)   HTML22)    PDF (10226KB)(1171)       Save

    Low temperature and cold damage are important factors limiting the regional distribution and yield of cultivated rice, and this seriously affects food security in China. The C-repeat binding factor cold-regulated gene (CBF-COR) pathway with CBF/DREB1 transcription factors as the core component is an important signal transduction pathway involved in the cold acclimation of rice. A total of 71 members of the CBF/DREB1 gene subfamily were identified based on whole genome sequencing results and hidden markov model (HMM) searches of nine species in the rice (Oryza) genus. All genes were intron-free and consisted of a single exon. Most of them encoded weakly acidic proteins. All putative DREB1 proteins had a grand average of hydropathicity (GRAVY) of <0. A phylogenetic analysis divided into three groups: Group I (DREB1A/1B/1H), Group Ⅱ (DREB1C/1E/1F/1G), and Group Ⅲ (DREB1D/1I/1J). The motif composition differed among the groups, although all of the putative proteins contained the characteristic AP2 domain and flanking sequence. An adaptive evolutionary analysis of japonica subspecies and other rice orthologuous gene pairs showed that the nonsynonymous nucleotide substitution rate/synonymous nucleotide substitution rate (Ka/Ks) values for the gene pairs OsDREB1A/ObDREB1AOsDREB1D/OnDREB1D,OsDREB1I/OsIDREB1I, and OsDREB1J/OsIDREB1J were greater than 1, indicating that they were under positive selection pressure. The types and numbers of promoter elements were similar in orthologs, but differed between paralogs. Real-time quantitative PCR analyses were conducted for 7-day-old seedlings of Nipponbare, 93-11 and Dongxiang wild rice after 2 hours of cold treatment at 4 ℃. The results showed that, during the early cold response, some DREB genes were activated (DREB1A/1B/1C/1E/1F/1G/1H) and others were inhibited (DREB1D/1I/1J). Among the cold-activated genes in Nipponbare, 93-11, and Dongxiang wild rice, DREB1B/1G/1H were the first and the fastest to respond to cold. All of these three genes had at least one copy of the CAMTA transcription factor binding element CM2 (CCGCGT) in their promoter regions. The transcript levels of OrDREB1B/1C/1E/1F/1G/1H in Dongxiang wild rice were higher than those of their homologs in cultivated rice after 4 hours of cold treatment at 4℃. The results of this molecular evolutionary study on the CBF/DREB1 gene subfamily in nine species in the Oryza genus provide a preliminary basis for the mining and utilization of low-temperature resistance genes.

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    The effects of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi and melatonin on the heat tolerance of perennial ryegrass
    Hong-jian WEI, Wen-yuan HE, Yue WANG, Ming TANG, Hui CHEN
    Acta Prataculturae Sinica    2023, 32 (12): 126-138.   DOI: 10.11686/cyxb2023129
    Abstract401)   HTML12)    PDF (3376KB)(1128)       Save

    High temperature stress is a major factor limiting the growth and development of cool-season grasses. To investigate the effects of individual inoculation with arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF), exogenous melatonin, and their combined application on the growth and heat tolerance of perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne), a pot experiment was conducted. The current research aimed to test and analyze the effects of AMF and exogenous melatonin treatments under high temperature stress on the growth of perennial ryegrass, endogenous melatonin levels and expression of its synthesis genes, antioxidant capacity, and content of osmotic adjustment substances. The results showed that high temperature stress significantly inhibited the growth of perennial ryegrass, while exogenous melatonin treatment increased the colonization rate of AMF in the roots of perennial ryegrass. Inoculation with AMF and/or melatonin treatments promoted the growth of perennial ryegrass under high temperature stress, increased the endogenous melatonin content in the roots of perennial ryegrass, upregulated the expression of melatonin synthesis genes, reduced relative electrical conductivity (EL), malondialdehyde (MDA) content, and polyphenol oxidase (PPO) activity, and enhanced the activities of root antioxidant enzymes (SOD, POD, CAT, and APX) and phenylalanine ammonia-lyase (PAL), as well as the content of flavonoids, proline, total phenols, soluble sugars, and betaine. Notably, the combined application of AMF and melatonin showed a synergistic effect in improving the heat tolerance of perennial ryegrass. In summary, inoculation with AMF and melatonin treatment upregulated the expression of melatonin synthesis genes in the roots of perennial ryegrass, increased the endogenous melatonin content, enhanced antioxidant enzyme activities, reduced oxidative damage, and improved osmotic adjustment capacity, thereby enhancing the heat tolerance of perennial ryegrass.

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    Genome-wide identification of the Beta vulgaris ABFBvABF) gene family and analysis of the expression pattern in sugar beet under ABA treatment
    Ya-jing MENG, Guo-qiang WU, Ming WEI
    Acta Prataculturae Sinica    2024, 33 (9): 94-110.   DOI: 10.11686/cyxb2023379
    Abstract346)   HTML16)    PDF (4189KB)(1107)       Save

    Abscisic acid (ABA)-responsive (ABRE) binding factor proteins (ABF) are a unique subfamily of bZIP transcription factor proteins in plants, and play important roles in ABA-dependent and ABA-independent signaling pathways. To explore and identify the biological functions and expression patterns of the BvABF gene family in sugar beet (Beta vulgaris), in the present study, the physicochemical properties, phylogeny, chromosomal localization, gene structure, conserved motifs, cis-acting elements, secondary structure and protein interaction network of BvABFs were predicted by bioinformatics methods, and their expression patterns in roots and leaves of sugar beet under 100 μmol·L-1 ABA treatments were analyzed by qRT-PCR. A total of six BvABF genes were identified in sugar beet, and divided into groups A, B, and C, all of which contained a bZIP region. The BvABF genes are located on chromosomes 1, 3, 6, 7, and 9, and they contain 3-4 exons. The identified BvABF proteins possess 4 conserved regions, C1, C2, C3, and C4, each containing potential phosphorylation sites (R-X-X-S/T). The C-terminal region contains a basic region and four repeating heptapeptide repeats consisting of leucine residues. The promoter region of BvABFs contained multiple hormone and light responsive elements, with 4 genes containing an ABRE element. In addition, a myeloblastosis (MYB) binding site involved in drought-inducibility (MBS), a low-temperature-responsive element and an anaerobic responsive element were also found among the BvABF genes. Furthermore, BvABF may interact with phosphorylation-related proteins (PP2CCNBD-X2, SRK2I, SRK2E-X1, and PP2C50) and ABA receptors (PYL2, PYL4, and PYR1). The expression patterns of BvABF were further analyzed in different tissues of sugar beet under ABA treatment, and it was found that all the BvABF genes were induced and regulated by ABA both in the roots and leaves, while different gene members exhibited different expression patterns under ABA treatment. These results suggest that BvABFs play important roles in the response of the sugar beet crop to ABA.

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    Research progress on remote sensing discrimination techniques for grassland botanical species
    Meng-ge HUANG, Xin-hong WANG, Ling-ling MA, Xue-hua YE, Xiao-hua ZHU, Wei-ping KONG, Ning WANG, Qi WANG, Guang-zhou OUYANG, Qing-chuan ZHENG, Xiao-xin HOU, Ling-li TANG
    Acta Prataculturae Sinica    2023, 32 (6): 167-185.   DOI: 10.11686/cyxb2022278
    Abstract646)   HTML35)    PDF (1661KB)(1102)       Save

    Grassland is an important resource bank for regional economic development and a crucial ecological reservoir for the security of China’s land-based ecological environment. Remote sensing technology is rapid, efficient, and low-cost, and therefore provides the mainstream technical means for large-scale grassland monitoring. The use of remote sensing technology to discriminate grassland species is an important way to monitor the population dynamics and botanical community succession in grassland. Such information is conducive to the timely and accurate detection of changes in the grassland ecological environment and provides an important reference for the scientific management of grassland ecosystems and the construction of an ecologically aware civilization. This study focuses on the problem of remote sensing discrimination of grassland species, clarifies the technical process of grassland species discrimination and introduces the latest research progress. Technical difficulties are covered from three perspectives: The characteristics of the main remote sensing data sources for grassland species discrimination and their acquisition techniques, important grassland species discrimination features and their mining techniques and the current commonly used grassland species discrimination methods and models. This study concludes that hyperspectral and LiDAR remote sensing and their fusion technologies have application prospects in the remote sensing discrimination of grassland species, and that the deep mining of multidimensional features and the effective combination of complementary features can improve the accuracy of grassland species discrimination. This study identifies the main problems of the current remote sensing discrimination technology for grassland species, and opens the prospect of the future precise discrimination of grassland species through remote sensing technology and thereby provides a theoretical reference for a thorough understanding of the field of remote sensing identification of grassland species and in-depth research on grassland species discrimination.

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    Leaf structure, physiology and transcriptome analysis of Salsola collina in response to drought stress
    Jiong-rui TAN, Tong-gang ZHA, Ze-yu ZHANG, Xiao-xia ZHANG, Hong-mei TENG, Ling-li WANG, Li-li ZHAO, Ao WANG, Xin-yao WANG
    Acta Prataculturae Sinica    2024, 33 (1): 75-88.   DOI: 10.11686/cyxb2023085
    Abstract340)   HTML19)    PDF (4219KB)(1093)       Save

    This research investigated the phenotypic, physiological and molecular mechanism of Salsola collina response to drought stress. Plants were cultivated in pots under a controlled, declining soil moisture regime, falling from 80% to 50% of field water holding capacity over 28 days with sample collection at 0, 7, 14 and 28 days. It was found that the palisade tissue changed from dense to sparse and the crystal clusters disappeared initially and then increased across the 28 days of increasing drought stress. The thickness of aqueous tissue initially increased and then decreased (P<0.05). The area of the main vascular bundle and epidermis thickness after 28 days of drought stress [(3099.72±151.88) μm2 and (23.73±0.68) μm, respectively] were significantly increased compared to control [(2065.41±80.08) μm2 and (13.71±1.26) μm] (P<0.05). Again with increasing drought stress in 28-day-old seedlings, the leaf thickness increased but the area decreased (P<0.05). Chlorophyll content decreased gradually (P<0.05), superoxide dismutase (SOD) and peroxidase (POD) activities, proline and malondialdehyde (MDA) contents increased significantly (P<0.05), H2O2 increased significantly at 14 days (P<0.05), soluble protein content increased initially, then decreased under medium stress and increased under high stress (P<0.05). Compared with day 0, there were 103, 1560 and 270 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) detected at 7, 14 and 28 days of drought stress, respectively. Gene ontology (GO) enrichment analysis showed that DEGs were significantly enriched in protein phosphatase type Ⅰ complex, integral components of membranes, oxidation-reduction process and oxidoreductase activity, among others. The Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) enrichment analysis showed that the genomes were significantly concentrated on oxidative phosphorylation, ribosome and phototransduction pathways. Abiotic stresses pathway DEGs analysis showed that heat shock protein genes, glutathione peroxidase 2 (GPX2), PODSOD, calcium-dependent protein kinase 19 (CPK19) and CBL-interacting protein kinase 9 (CIPK9), MAP kinase genes, transcription factor protein degradation pathway genes, UDP-glucuronate decarboxylase 1 UXS1) and flavanone 3-hydroxylase F3H), among others, were involved in the regulation of drought stress responses. The results provide a reference point for further research on the drought resistance mechanism of S. collina.

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    Spatiotemporal dynamic variation of temperate grassland classes in Inner Mongolia in the last 20 years
    Zhi-gui YANG, Jian-guo ZHANG, Jin-rong LI, Hong-yan YU, Li CHANG, Shu-hua YI, Yan-yan LYU, Yu-zhuo ZHANG, Bao-ping MENG
    Acta Prataculturae Sinica    2023, 32 (9): 1-16.   DOI: 10.11686/cyxb2022405
    Abstract721)   HTML48)    PDF (4734KB)(1082)       Save

    Grassland classification is essential for rational utilization and effective protection of grassland resources and also crucial for maintaining sustainable development of grassland ecosystems. There has been considerable achievement in documenting spatio-temporal changes in land use types, but few reports on the spatio-temporal dynamic variation of grassland classes at the regional scale. Hence, this study explored the spatio-temporal variation of temperate grassland classes in Inner Mongolia. Several grassland class identification methods were constructed based on remote sensing vegetation index, meteorology, soil, topography, unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) data and machine learning algorithms. Then the spatio-temporal variation was analyzed based on the optimal classification method. It was found that: 1) Among all the remote sensing classification characteristics and indexes evaluated, the importance values of precipitation and normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) for grassland classification were higher than those of other indexes in the study area, and the cumulative contribution of the importance values of first 18 classification characteristics and indexes was more than 85%; 2) The random forest (RF) model gave the highest classification accuracy and was superior to other methods in grassland class identification in Inner Mongolia, with an overall accuracy of 82.16% and Kappa coefficient of 0.76; 3) In the past 20 years, the transition between grassland classes in Inner Mongolia has been intense, and has mainly occurred through transition among the classes typical steppe, desert steppe and desert. Compared with the grassland types in the 1980s, the grassland types in 2000-2009 changed from wet to dry, while the grassland types in 2010-2019 changed from dry to wet. The results of this study provide a scientific evaluation of the changes in grassland type in Inner Mongolia under global climate change and as a result of human activities, and provide a theoretical basis and technical support for planning sustainable grassland development in Inner Mongolia.

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    Types, grades, and utilization of grassland resources in 52 counties of Hunan Province
    Hu-cheng XING, Xian-fang WANG, Qing ZHOU, Jing-cai YAN, Yu-cheng JIE
    Acta Prataculturae Sinica    2023, 32 (8): 91-103.   DOI: 10.11686/cyxb2022359
    Abstract448)   HTML17)    PDF (2410KB)(1013)       Save

    After 40 years of continuous development, there have been substantial changes in the types, area, and distribution of grassland resources in Hunan Province. The data obtained in the grassland survey in the 1980s no longer reflect the current situation of grassland resources. To scientifically allocate ecological functions and production functions to grassland resources, it is necessary to understand their current situation. To this end, a grassland resources sample plot survey was conducted in 52 counties of Hunan Province in 2018. A total of 3030 sample plots were selected, and the longitude, latitude, altitude, slope aspect, slope position, grassland type, grassland grade, grassland level, coverage, grassland yield, degree of rocky desertification, extent of degradation, and grassland utilization of each sample plot were investigated. Based on the 2018 dataset, the rangeland in the 52 counties was divided into four grassland classes: Warm-temperate shrub tussock, tropical shrub tussock, lowland meadow, and up-land meadow. The majority of the plots (78.44%) were tropical shrub tussock plots, while 16.63% of the plots were lowland meadow and 4.93% of the plots were warm-temperate shrub tussock and up-land meadow. There were 35 types of grassland within the four grassland classes. The grassland types F05 (Imperata cylindrica), G01 (Phragmites australis), and G02 (P. australis and Scirpus triqueter) accounted for the largest proportions. Across the 52 counties, 94.47% of the rangeland was below 300 m above sea level (a.s.l.), 4.54% was between 300 m and 800 m a.s.l., and 0.99% was above 800 m a.s.l. The majority of rangeland (76.83%) was distributed on the sunny and semi-sunny slopes; 71.10% was distributed above the middle of the slope, and 14.58% was located on the shores of rivers, lakes, reservoirs, and ponds. A large proportion of plots (76.15%) contained grade III pastures, and these pastures were divided into eight levels. Among all the sample plots, 57.68% contained level 1 pastures. The utilization rate of rangeland was low, with 67.78% of rangeland not in use. The hay yield of rangeland was higher. The proportion of plots with a hay yield of 1000-5000 kg·ha-1 was 42.78%, that with a hay yield of 5000-20000 kg·ha-1 was 41.40%, and that with a hay yield of >20000 kg·ha-1 was 11.93%. The grassland area in the 52 counties had decreased significantly since the 1980s. The rangeland vegetation cover was generally good, with average cover of 81.53%. The majority of rangeland sample plots (94.38%) showed no rocky desertification. The areas affected by rocky desertification were concentrated in the Wuling Mountain area, the Hengshao Basin, and the cities of Chenzhou and Yongzhou. The proportion of plots with degraded grassland was 12.73%, and grassland degradation was a significant problem in seven cities (Shaoyang, Yongzhou, Xiangxi, Chenzhou, Loudi, Zhangjiajie and Hengyang). This inventory provides a reference for the development and utilization of grassland resources in Hunan Province.

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    Detection of AMV pathogen of alfalfa virus diseases with different symptom types and its host ranges
    Jian-ling ZHOU, Qiao-lan LIANG, Lie-xin WEI, Qi-yu ZHOU, Long TIAN, Ying-e CHEN, Cun-ying WANG, Guo-yin ZHANG
    Acta Prataculturae Sinica    2024, 33 (1): 126-137.   DOI: 10.11686/cyxb2023092
    Abstract584)   HTML13)    PDF (4232KB)(1005)       Save

    In this study, the level of alfalfa mosaic virus (AMV) and leaf chlorophyll contents in field-grown alfalfa (Medicago sativa) plants with different categories of AMV symptoms were assessed, and a test of the plant species host range of AMV was conducted. Chlorophyll content was determined by an acetone-ethanol extraction method, and AMV was quantified by a double antibody sandwich enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (DAS-ELISA) method. The pathogenicity of AMV to 32 plant species in nine botanical families was determined for purified virus extract from plants with different symptom types. Four symptom categories of AMV disease were investigated: light mosaic, heavy mosaic, leaf edge chlorosis and yellowing and leaf deformity with leaf-wrinkling and dwarfing. There was a positive correlation between chlorophyll content and AMV content and symptom expression. For the most severe AMV symptom manifestation involving leaf deformation, wrinkling and dwarfing, the chlorophyll a, b, and total chlorophyll content was more than 58% lower than the control, and the carotenoid content was 134.06% higher than the control. The highest AMV content was 252.96 pg·mL-1. The host range determination showed that purified AMV could infect 27 plant species in 7 families, with the strongest pathogenicity to Cucurbita pepo. In this species, the symptoms were local withered spots, and the concentration of AMV in plant extract at 30 days after inoculation was 316.19 pg·mL-1.

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    Correlation between vegetation biomass and soil fractal characteristics and soil moisture at different elevations in the Helan Mountains
    Ye-yun HUANG, Kai-yang QIU, Ya-chao ZHU, Ying-zhong XIE, Wang-suo LIU, Yi YANG, Si-yao WANG, Lu-yao CUI, Ping-an BAO
    Acta Prataculturae Sinica    2023, 32 (12): 24-35.   DOI: 10.11686/cyxb2023050
    Abstract534)   HTML30)    PDF (3953KB)(997)       Save

    This research investigated the vertical variation of vegetation biomass, soil fractal characteristics and soil moisture content in arid and semi-arid mountain ecosystems, and investigated the correlation between vegetation biomass, fractal characteristics and soil moisture, in typical vegetation zones at different elevations in the Helan Mountains. Vegetation biomass, soil fractal characteristics and soil moisture content and the vertical variability of these parameters were analyzed by one-way ANOVA and Pearson correlation analysis. It was found that: 1) The herb biomass and shrub biomass did not show a linear trend with elevation; The maximum value for shrub vegetation biomass occurred at a shallow mountain scrub sampling site designated QSGC and the maximum value for herbaceous vegetation biomass occurred at a subalpine scrub sampling site designated YGSGC, with better vegetation conditions and higher vegetation productivity. 2) The soils in Helan Mountains were comprised mainly of powder-sized and very fine sand particles, and the soil texture became finer as the elevation increased. 3) Soil moisture content increased significantly with elevation, but was slightly lower at a sampling site designated QHYS and characterized by presence of Qinghai spruce. 4) Correlation analysis showed that annual precipitation and soil clay content were the factors most strongly associated with vegetation biomass. Overall, vegetation biomass, soil fractal characteristics, and soil moisture content in the vegetated Helan Mountains were found to be affected by the combined effects and influences of several environmental factors, showing obvious spatial heterogeneity. This study provides important information about the spatial variation patterns of vegetation biomass in Helan Mountains and apparent causative factors. Such information will assist planning of the restoration of degraded vegetation in the Helan Mountains and will provide reference data for planning the rational use of vegetation and soil resources in the Helan Mountain ecosystem.

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