Mapping QTLs for pre-harvest sprouting traits in the spring wheat cross ‘RL4452/AC Domain’

Pre-harvest sprouting (PHS) in spring wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) is a major downgrading factors for grain producers and can significantly reduce end-use quality. PHS resistance is a complex trait influenced by genotype, environment and plant morphological factors. A population of 185 doubled haploid (DH) lines from the spring wheat cross ‘RL4452/AC Domain’ were used as the mapping population to detect quantitative trait loci (QTLs) associated with three PHS traits, germination index (GI), sprouting index (SI) and falling number (FN). Six major QTLs linked with PHS traits were mapped on bread wheat chromosomes 3A, 3D, 4A (2 loci), 4B and 7D. ‘AC Domain’ alleles contributed to PHS resistance on 3A, 4A (locus-2) and 4B, and ‘RL4452’ alleles contributed resistance on 3D, 4A (locus-1) and 7D. QTLs detected on chromosome 4B controlling FN (QFN.crc-4B), GI (QGI.crc-4B) and SI (QSI.crc-4B) were coincident, and explained the largest amount of phenotypic variation in FN (22%), GI (67%) and SI (26%), respectively.     

Assessing evidence on the agronomic and environmental impacts of turfgrass irrigation management

In recent years, rising competition for water coupled with new environmental regulations has exerted pressure on water allocations for turfgrass irrigation. In this article, we reviewed published scientific and industry evidence on the agronomic and environmental impacts of turfgrass irrigation using a robust systematic review methodology. Our focus was on the links between (i) irrigation management (amount and frequency), (ii) agronomic responses to irrigation (turf quality, growth rates and rooting) and (iii) environmental impacts (nitrogen leaching). Based on an initial screening of 653 studies and data extracted from 83 papers, our results show that in most cases, under moderate levels of deficit irrigation (50%–60% of actual evapotranspiration), turf quality can be maintained at an acceptable level but with lower water consumption compared to irrigating back to field capacity. Irrigation beyond field capacity was found to increase the risk of nutrient leaching. However, evidence also showed that the concentration and total loss of in leachate were influenced more by nitrogen (N) rates, soil characteristics, turfgrass species and turfgrass growth rates than by irrigation practices. Our analyses suggest that turfgrass irrigation should be scheduled to apply water at moderate levels of deficit irrigation, sufficient to maintain turfgrass quality but limited to promote a deep and extensive rooting system. The findings provide new insights and valuable evidence for both scientists and practitioners involved in turfgrass research and management.     

Modelling impacts of precision irrigation on crop yield and in-field water management

Precision irrigation technologies are being widely promoted to resolve challenges regarding improving crop productivity under conditions of increasing water scarcity. In this paper, the development of an integrated modelling approach involving the coupling of a water application model with a biophysical crop simulation model (Aquacrop) to evaluate the in-field impacts of precision irrigation on crop yield and soil water management is described. The approach allows for a comparison between conventional irrigation management practices against a range of alternate so-called ‘precision irrigation’ strategies (including variable rate irrigation, VRI). It also provides a valuable framework to evaluate the agronomic (yield), water resource (irrigation use and water efficiency), energy (consumption, costs, footprint) and environmental (nitrate leaching, drainage) impacts under contrasting irrigation management scenarios. The approach offers scope for including feedback loops to help define appropriate irrigation management zones and refine application depths accordingly for scheduling irrigation. The methodology was applied to a case study in eastern England to demonstrate the utility of the framework and the impacts of precision irrigation in a humid climate on a high-value field crop (onions). For the case study, the simulations showed how VRI is a potentially useful approach for irrigation management even in a humid environment to save water and reduce deep percolation losses (drainage). It also helped to increase crop yield due to improved control of soil water in the root zone, especially during a dry season.     

Ultrasound Guided Transplantation of Enriched and Cryopreserved Spermatogonial Cell Suspension in Goats

Spermatogonial stem cells transplantation provides a unique approach for studying spermatogenesis. Initially developed in mice, this technique has now been extended in farm animals and provides an alternative means to preserve valuable male germ line and to produce transgenic animals. The aim of this study was to enrich type A spermatogonial cells amongst the isolated cells from goat testis, to cryopreserve these enriched populations of cells and their subsequent transplantation in unrelated recipient goats under ultrasound guidance. The cells were isolated enzymatically and enriched by differential plating and separation on discontinuous percoll gradient. Ultrasound guided injection of trypan blue dye into rete testis resulted in 20–30% filling of the seminiferous tubules. Prior to transplantation, the cells were labelled with a fluorescent dye to trace donor cells in recipient seminiferous tubules after transplantation. The fluorescent‐labelled cells were observed up to 12 weeks after transplantation.     

皮、裸燕麦种质资源的性状表现和遗传差异分析

研究利用4份皮燕麦和5份裸燕麦为材料,对9份燕麦材料的产量性状和抗性进行了分析,结果表明:皮燕麦的产量低于裸燕麦的产量,而抗性表现是皮燕麦的抗性比裸燕麦的抗性强,特别是抗倒伏能力尤为突出。同时,采用RAPD分子标记技术,从DNA水平对9份燕麦种质的遗传差异性进行了研究。结果显示:从50条RAPD引物中筛选出6条多态性较强的引物,共扩增出DNA片段68条,其中具多态性带33条,多态率为48.5%,每引物平均多态位点5.5个。裸燕麦与皮燕麦的遗传距离较大,为0.087～0.496,而皮燕麦与皮燕麦以及裸燕麦与裸燕麦之间的遗传距离较小,分别为0.023～0.117和0.040～0.298。采用非加权类平均法(UPGAM)进行了聚类分析,当遗传距离为0.26时,将供试材料划分为3个类群,并与实际结果一致。     

云南省猪布鲁氏杆菌病血清学调查

采用虎红平板凝集试验与试管凝集试验相结合的方法,对云南省部分养殖场和屠宰厂采集的猪血清样本进行布病血清学检测,检测血清样本302份。经虎红平板凝集试验筛选,共检出阳性血清样本30例,检出率为9.934%。阳性者通过试管凝集试验证实,最终检出阳性血清样本14例,检出率为4.636%。其中屠宰厂检出率为6.091%,养殖场检出率为1.905%,屠宰场的检出率高于养殖场。     

人CD8~+T细胞基因调控网络研究

为研究CD8~+ T细胞的功能异常机制,对功能异常状态CD8~+ T细胞和3种正常CD8~+ T细胞亚型[中央记忆CD8~+ T细胞(HCM)、效应记忆CD8~+ T细胞(HEM)和na?ve CD8~+ T细胞(HW)]的ATAC-seq(Assay for transposase accessible chromatin with high-throughput sequencing)数据进行基因调控网络比较,结果表明,3种正常CD8~+ T细胞特异表达的基因参与维持相应T细胞正常功能的信号通路,功能异常CD8~+ T细胞特异的基因参与癌症相关通路。转录因子调控网络比较分析发现功能异常CD8~+ T细胞GMEB2转录因子表达关闭。细胞表面受体调控网络比较分析发现功能异常CD8~+ T细胞CD7和P4HB受体的表达关闭。采用基因调控网络的数据进行比较分析,发现CD8~+ T细胞功能异常机制可能与GMEB2转录因子、CD7和P4HB受体表达关闭有关,这为抗病育种寻找特定基因提供新思路。     

The effects of urea supplementation on production and parasitological responses of sheep infected with Haemonchus contortus and Trichostrongylus colubriformis.

Merino wether lambs were individually confined and fed a basal diet of oaten chaff containing essential minerals which was untreated or contained 3% urea. Within each dietary group animals were orally infected with either 200 H. contortus (H), 1000 T. colubriformis (T) or both species (H + T) thrice weekly or remained uninfected (C). Weight gain, wool production, and parasite burden were measured over a 19-week period. Sheep on the diet containing urea gained more weight, consumed more feed and grew more wool of higher fibre diameter than their counterparts given no urea. On both diets uninfected sheep consumed more feed than infected sheep and the sheep given no urea and infected with both H and T worm species consumed the least feed. Parasitised sheep gained less weight than uninfected control sheep. Sheep with urea in their diet had lower faecal egg counts when infected with H alone or with H and T but there was no effect of urea on egg count of sheep infected with T alone. In contrast, T numbers after slaughter were reduced in sheep fed diets containing urea whereas H numbers were not affected by diet. It was concluded that supplementation with urea can increase resilience to parasitism thereby improving production and also enhance resistance mechanisms against worms in young sheep on low quality roughage diets. These responses can be partly attributed to stimulation of feed intake, presumably due to enhanced ruminal digestion, but also to elevated rumen NH3-N levels which would be expected to have increased rumen microbial protein synthesis and availability to the intestines.     

沙漠增温效应下绿洲气象要素时空效应特征分析

本文对古尔班通古特沙漠及其南部不同距离绿洲的温度、气压、风向风速及净辐射进行了比较分析。结果表明,沙漠地表面温度和气温升降速度比绿洲观测点要快、变化幅度大;由于各观测点空气相对湿度和温度升降度不同,使得各观测点的气压升降幅度也不同,白天气压的变化曲线呈单蜂型;各观测点在12:00到18:00期间主导风向主要是南风,还有东南或西南风,在20:00时风速几乎为0;早上和晚上沙漠的净辐射高于绿洲,白天近地面净辐射绿洲大于沙漠;对绿洲气象要素时空效应特征分析,为棉花等绿洲优势作物的播种期、物候期、作物生育及生理生态特性具有一定的指导意义。