The role of ear environment in postharvest susceptibility of maize to toxigenic Aspergillus flavus

A kernel screening assay (KSA) was used to assess the genetic and environmental effects on the vulnerability of maize to aflatoxin accumulation. Kernels of 26 inbred lines that had been grown in seven environments, and 190 lines of the Intermated B73xMo17 (IBM) population grown in one location in the United States, were inoculated with a toxigenic strain of A. flavus and incubated in the dark at 30°C for 6 days. Percent kernel colonization (PKC), sporulation and aflatoxin were influenced by the maize genotypes (G), the location (“ear environment” or E) and the GxE interactions. Overall, low broad‐sense heritabilities were observed for PKC, sporulation and aflatoxin. PKC was significantly correlated with sporulation in all environments. Aflatoxin was positively correlated with colonization for two and with sporulation for all ear environments. Higher grain sulphur or magnesium in IBM was associated with less colonization or aflatoxin. Postharvest susceptibility of maize to aflatoxin is thus influenced by factors that are modulated by the ear environment. In a KSA, sporulation could be a proxy test for aflatoxin accumulation.     

A data transfer method for improving seed identification of maize (Zea mays) haploid breeding based on genetic similarity

Maize haploid breeding technology is able to identify haploid seeds non‐destructively, rapidly and at low cost with the help of Near‐infrared (NIR) spectral analysis. However, due to the hybridization of numerous parents and the low production rate of haploid, the haploid data collection becomes a burden for engineering this technology. Biologically, there are considerable similarities between the progeny of the same female parent and different male parents. Based on this advantage, similar spectral data can be transferred when the NIR technology is employed. A revised method of Transfer adaptive boost (TrAdaBoost) is proposed to improve identifying for the backpropagation neural network (BPNN) classifier. To avoid the negative transfer, a screening thresh is used to select out similar data, and the amount of these data are limited to join current training. The results show that the identification performances are improved significantly when the data amount is small. This method shows a high ability to make the seed identification more convenient for engineering maize haploid breeding.     

播期对河套地区玉米灌浆进度的影响

旨在为玉米的高产栽培提供理论支撑。采用分期播种法,利用试验数据,建立28个生长模型（方程均通过0.01的极显著检验）,将玉米灌浆期百粒干重、百粒体积随灌浆日数增加的时段分为三阶段,即渐增期、快增期和缓增期。适时播种的玉米吐丝后百粒体积、百粒干重增加进入渐增期,终止日分别为吐丝后的6天和20天,此后进入快速增长期,时间分别为22天和18天;其后到籽粒体积和干重增加进入缓慢增长期。适时播种的玉米百粒干重增加逐渐增长期为吐丝后活动积温区间0~502.4℃·d,增幅0.014 g/℃·d;快速增长期为吐丝后活动积温区间502.4~938.4℃·d,增幅0.049 g/℃·d;缓慢增长期为吐丝后活动积温区间938.4~1355.1℃·d,增幅0.018 g/℃·d。     

玉米开花期相关的Indeterminate domain(IDD)蛋白家族基因的鉴定

开花期是影响玉米产量的重要因子之一。Indeterminate1 (ID1)编码玉米Indeterminate domain (IDD)家族蛋白,是玉米开花期的重要调控因子。然而,其他玉米IDD蛋白家族基因及其生物学功能有待深入研究。本文利用生物信息学技术在玉米基因组中鉴定并分离了37个IDD家族基因,记作ZmIDD。表达分析发现这些ZmIDD基因在8个玉米组织中显示出多种表达模式。为进一步探讨ZmIDD基因在调控玉米开花期上的作用,检测了37个ZmIDD在172个自交系中的遗传多样性,发现35个ZmIDD基因在自交系间具有多态性,平均每个基因具有37.8个多态性位点。关联分析鉴定到包含ID1在内的7个ZmIDD基因在多个环境下与开花期性状显著关联。对Zm00001d020683基因2 kb的启动子区和600 bp编码区重测序,共鉴定到64个多态性位点。候选基因关联分析鉴定到2个启动子区的插入缺失(In/Del)位点与开花期显著关联,其中2个位点分别插入3 bp和2 bp的单倍型为一种提早开花的基因型。研究结果为玉米开花期相关基因的分离和利用研究提供了候选基因和选择靶点。     

冬小麦–夏玉米高产模式周年气候资源分配与利用特征研究

探明周年产量20,000kghm–2以上冬小麦–夏玉米种植模式周年气候资源分配与利用特征,并建立资源优化配置定量指标,为进一步提升黄淮海该模式周年产量潜力和气候资源利用效率提供理论依据,具有重要意义。本研究利用2006—2010年黄淮海区9个高产点共45个田间试验的数据,定量分析了冬小麦–夏玉米模式高产形成与季节间光温水资源分配的关系。结果表明,三省9个试验点冬小麦–夏玉米均实现了周年20,000kghm–2以上高产,但区域间差异较大,河南和山东小麦产量最高,山东夏玉米产量最高,河南和山东周年产量分别高于河北16.9%和21.5%。产量的变化主要由光温水分配差异造成,河南和山东小麦季积温量在1924.2～2608.0°C和降雨量小于201.1mm范围时产量均高于河北,山东玉米季辐射量在2168.5～2953.8 MJ m–2、积温量小于2990.7°C和降水量小于591.3 mm范围时产量均高于河南和河北。然而省份间冬小麦–夏玉米模式季节间热量资源分配率和分配比值相对固定,即小麦季和玉米季积温分配率分别为43%和57%,两季间积温比值为0.7,这是该区当前生产和生态条件下冬小麦–夏玉米模式季节间资源合理配置的定量标准。在不增加任何投入的前提下依据该定量指标来指导黄淮海不同生态区冬小麦–夏玉米种植模式的资源优化配置,对促进黄淮海该种植模式可持续发展具有重要意义。     

不同栽培管理条件下夏玉米产量与肥料利用效率的差异解析

于2017—2018年在泰安、淄博和烟台,根据生产调研和各地夏玉米高产经验,在同一地块综合设置了超高产栽培、高产高效栽培和农户栽培3种栽培模式,分别模拟超高产生产水平(SH)、高产高效生产水平(HH)和农户生产水平(FP) 3个层次。并分别设置不施氮(SHN_0、HHN_0、FPN_0)、不施磷(SHP_0、HHP_0、FPP_0)和不施钾(SHK_0、HHK_0、FPK_0)的肥料空白处理。定量分析不同产量层次之间产量差及肥料利用效率差,探究产量差和效率差的影响因素及缩差增效途径。结果显示,当前山东省夏玉米SH、HH和FP的籽粒产量分别实现了光温潜力产量的68.13%、63.71%、53.22%。随着产量差距的增大,肥料利用效率降低。FP的N、P、K肥料利用效率分别为4.23、5.83、4.94 kg kg~(–1), SH的分别为3.84、4.64、2.97 kg kg~(–1)。通过优化栽培措施后,高产高效管理模式能够较FP籽粒产量提升10.49%, N、P、K的肥料利用效率分别提高67.07%、101.35%、57.65%,是实现产量与肥料利用效率协同提升的有效技术途径。对各产量水平进行产量性能分析发现,随着产量水平的提高,平均叶面积指数和单位面积穗数明显提高,而穗粒数、平均净同化率和粒重则有所下降。随着产量水平的提高,吐丝后干物质和N、P、K元素积累比例有增加的趋势。因此,在保持现有功能性参数不降低情况下,优化结构性参数是当前产量与资源利用效率协同提升的有效措施,今后高产高效应更加注重生育后期群体结构性能的优化。     

异源表达玉米ZmC3H54基因增强水稻的耐旱性

CCCH锌指蛋白是一类重要的转录调控因子。从玉米中分离得到一个受干旱和ABA诱导表达的CCCH型锌指蛋白基因ZmC3H54，通过构建过量表达载体并转化水稻来进一步研究其功能。 与对照组相比，转基因植株在干旱胁迫处理下具有更高的相对含水量与存活率以及较低的相对电导率，表明过量表达ZmC3H54基因可以提高转基因水稻的耐旱性。此外，转基因水稻幼苗对外源ABA敏感性更高。以上结果表明玉米ZmC3H54基因可能是通过ABA信号通路调控植物对干旱的耐受性。     

早熟玉米杂交组合主要农艺性状与产量的灰色关联度分析

应用灰色关联度分析法,对19个玉米杂交组合性状进行分析。结果表明,各性状与产量的关联度大小依次为:株高>生育期>倒折率>穗行>行粒>秃尖>含水量>百粒重>穗位高>倒伏率>穗长>出籽率>穗粗。在育种工作中应该注重对株高、生育期和倒折率的选择,同时要结合不同性状间相互关系的综合表现进行育种,使玉米产量有较大提升。     

Transport of cadmium from soil to grain in cereal crops: A review

Due to rapid urbanization and industrialization, many soils for crop production are contaminated by cadmium(Cd), a heavy metal highly toxic to many organisms. Cereal crops such as rice, wheat, maize, and barley are the primary dietary source of Cd for humans, and reducing Cd transfer from soil to their grains is therefore an important issue for food safety. During the last decade, great progress has been made in elucidating the molecular mechanisms of Cd transport, particularly in rice. Inter-and intraspecific variations in Cd accumulation have been observed in cereal crops. Transporters for Cd have been identified in rice and other cereal crops using genotypic differences in Cd accumulation and mutant approaches. These transporters belong to different transporter families and are involved in the uptake, vacuolar sequestration, root-to-shoot translocation, and distribution of Cd. Attempts have been made to reduce Cd accumulation in grains by manipulating these transporters through overexpression or knockout of the transporter genes, as well as through marker-assisted selection breeding based on genotypic differences in Cd accumulation in the grains. In this review, we describe recent progress on molecular mechanisms of Cd accumulation in cereal crops and compare different molecular strategies for minimizing Cd accumulation in grains.