Impact of climate change on maize yield in China from 1979 to 2016

Climate change severely impacts agricultural production, which jeopardizes food security. China is the second largest maize producer in the world and also the largest consumer of maize. Analyzing the impact of climate change on maize yields can provide effective guidance to national and international economics and politics. Panel models are unable to determine the group-wise heteroscedasticity, cross-sectional correlation and autocorrelation of datasets, therefore we adopted the feasible generalized least square(FGLS) model to evaluate the impact of climate change on maize yields in China from 1979–2016 and got the following results:(1) During the 1979–2016 period, increases in temperature negatively impacted the maize yield of China. For every 1°C increase in temperature, the maize yield was reduced by 5.19 kg 667 m–2(1.7%). Precipitation increased only marginally during this time, and therefore its impact on the maize yield was negligible. For every 1 mm increase in precipitation, the maize yield increased by an insignificant amount of 0.043 kg 667 m–2(0.014%).(2) The impacts of climate change on maize yield differ spatially, with more significant impacts experienced in southern China. In this region, a 1°C increase in temperature resulted in a 7.49 kg 667 m–2 decrease in the maize yield, while the impact of temperature on the maize yield in northern China was insignificant. For every 1 mm increase in precipitation, the maize yield increased by 0.013 kg 667 m–2 in southern China and 0.066 kg 667 m–2 in northern China.(3) The resilience of the maize crop to climate change is strong. The marginal effect of temperature in both southern and northern China during the 1990–2016 period was smaller than that for the 1979–2016 period.     

过表达ZmIBH1-1提高玉米苗期抗旱性

【目的】干旱是严重影响玉米生长发育进程的一个重要因素。挖掘玉米抗旱相关基因,通过转基因功能验证和转录组分析,解析关键基因在响应干旱胁迫过程中的分子调控机制,为抗旱分子育种和遗传改良提供理论依据。【方法】以玉米自交系B104（WT）为背景材料,利用农杆菌介导方法构建过表达ZmIBH1-1转基因株系（ZmIBH1-1-OE）;通过对转基因植株进行草铵膦抗性筛选、标记基因和目的基因PCR检测,以及运用实时荧光定量PCR检测目的基因的表达情况,鉴定阳性植株和株系;以WT和ZmIBH1-1-OE转基因株系为材料,通过干旱处理（20% PEG6000）,进行表型鉴定和耐旱生理生化指标测定,验证ZmIBH1-1的抗旱功能;通过对干旱胁迫下玉米4叶期转录组的比较分析,鉴定出差异表达的基因（differentially expressed genes,DEGs）;结合DAP-seq（DNA affinity purification sequencing）分析,初步确定ZmIBH1-1蛋白直接调控与抗旱相关的下游靶基因,利用基因组可视化软件IGV（integrative genomics viewer）分析ZmIBH1-1蛋白结合候选靶基因的位置,然后通过Dual-Luciferase试验验证ZmIBH1-1蛋白与靶基因的调控关系。【结果】通过玉米遗传转化获得12个转化事件;T₃代中,能同时检测到标记基因Bar和目的基因ZmIBH1-1的植株有458个,实时荧光定量PCR检测结果表明,ZmIBH1-1-OE中ZmIBH1-1的表达量显著高于WT,株系3和株系8表达量最高,将其自交获得T₄代转基因株系用于后续试验。在干旱胁迫条件下,ZmIBH1-1-OE株系存活率、叶片相对含水量、叶绿素含量、可溶性蛋白含量及其生理生化指标（超氧化物歧化酶、过氧化物酶、过氧化氢酶活性）均显著高于WT,说明玉米中过量表达ZmIBH1-1赋予玉米更高的耐旱性。转录组分析结果表明,WT与ZmIBH1-1-OE株系在干旱胁迫下有1 214个差异表达基因;Gene Ontology（GO）功能富集分析结果表明,差异表达基因主要涉及生物过程、细胞组分和分子功能,如在生物过程中主要涉及到光合作用、应激响应、脱水响应等;KEGG富集分析表明,差异表达基因主要参与植物激素信号传导、新陈代谢等过程。结合转录组显著差异表达基因和DAP-Seq分析所得到ZmIBH1-1蛋白的靶基因,初步确定ZmIBH1-1蛋白直接调控与抗旱相关的11个候选靶基因,包括2个钙信号相关基因、3个半胱氨酸代谢相关基因、1个bHLH转录因子、1个应激响应蛋白、1个谷胱甘肽转移酶、1个氧化还原过程蛋白和2个乙烯响应因子;基因组可视化结果显示ZmIBH1-1蛋白可以结合靶基因启动子区;随后通过Dual-Luciferase试验进一步表明,ZmIBH1-1蛋白可以直接作用于11个候选靶基因,其中,ZmIBH1-1蛋白可以促进ZmCa-M、ZmSYCO、ZmbHLH54、ZmGlu-r1、ZmCLPB3和ZmP450-99A2的表达,抑制ZmAGD12、ZmCYS、ZmCYSB、ZmERF-107和ZmEIN3的表达。此外,在干旱胁迫下NAC、WRKY、MYB等转录因子在ZmIBH1-1-OE和WT株系中也存在差异表达。【结论】ZmIBH1-1的过表达可以增强玉米苗期的耐旱性;ZmIBH1-1蛋白通过直接调控乙烯信号通路中的ZmERF-107和ZmEIN3的表达提高玉米的耐旱性;ZmIBH1-1蛋白通过直接调控钙信号相关基因ZmCa-M和ZmAGD12增强玉米的耐旱性;ZmIBH1-1蛋白可能通过间接调控NAC、WRKY、MYB等转录因子响应干旱胁迫。     

延迟收获对长江中游春玉米农艺性状及机收质量的影响

为探明长江中游玉米籽粒机械直收适宜品种与配套农艺措施，2018—2019年选用不同玉米品种，测定不同机收时间下玉米关键农艺性状、产量及机收质量指标。结果表明，收获时间对春玉米机收产量与机收质量均有显著影响。延迟1周收获后籽粒容重显著增加，机收产量显著提高，2年平均提高9.72%；而延迟2周收获则有降低机收产量的趋势。2年收获时杂质率总体≤3%，而机收籽粒破碎率与损失率均>5%，是该区域春玉米籽粒机收面临的主要问题。籽粒厚度、籽粒含水率和百粒重是影响机收籽粒破碎率的关键性状，三者与机收籽粒破碎率均呈显著的倒二次曲线关系；玉米的倒伏率、穗位高和重心高度是影响机收损失率的关键性状，倒伏率与机收损失率呈显著正相关，而穗位高和重心高度与机收损失率均呈显著的二次曲线关系。延迟收获能显著降低籽粒含水量，从而降低籽粒破碎率，但继续延迟收获有增加倒伏的风险。综上，长江中游春玉米成熟后适时延迟7~10 d收获，可有效降低籽粒含水量与机收籽粒破碎率，提高玉米籽粒机收产量。     

Direct and Residual Contributions of Symbiotic Nitrogen Fixation by Legumes to the Yield and Nitrogen Uptake of Maize (Zea mays L.) in the Nigerian Savannah

Field experiments were conducted to determine the direct and residual contributions of legumes to the yield and nitrogen (N) uptake of maize during the wet seasons of 1994 and 1995 at the University Farm, Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University, Bauchi, Nigeria, located in the Northern Guinea savannah of Nigeria. Nodulating soybean, lablab, green gram and black gram contributed to the yield and N uptake of maize either intercropped with the legumes or grown after legumes as a sole crop. Direct transfer of N from the nodulating soybean, lablab, green gram and black gram to the intercropped maize was 24.9–28.1, 23.8–29.2, 19.7–22.1 and 18.4–18.6 kg N ha^–1, respectively. However, the transfer of residual N from these legumes to the succeeding maize crop was 18.4–20.0, 19.5–29.9, 12.0–13.7 and 9.3–10.3 kg N ha^–1, respectively. Four years of continuous lablab cropping resulted in yields and N uptake of the succeeding maize crop grown without fertilizer N that were comparable to the yields and N uptake of the succeeding maize crop supplied with 40–45 kg N ha^–1 and grown after 4 years of continuous sorghum cropping. It may therefore be concluded that nodulating soybean, lablab, green gram and black gram may be either intercropped or grown in rotation with cereals in order to economize the use of fertilizer N for maize production in the Nigerian savannah.     

Impact of pig slurry on soil properties, water salinization, nitrate leaching and crop yield in a four-year experiment in Central Spain

Abstract. The repeated application of pig slurry to agricultural soils may result in an accumulation of salts and a risk of aquifer pollution due to nitrate leaching and salinization. Under Mediterranean conditions, a field experiment on a sandy loam soil (Typic Xerofluvent) was performed with maize (Zea mays) in 1998, 1999 and 2001 to study the effects of applying optimal (P1) and excessive rates (P3) of pig slurry on soil salinization, nitrate leaching and groundwater pollution. The rate of pig slurry was established considering the optimal N rate for maize in this soil (170, 162 and 176 kg N ha^?1 for 1998, 1999 and 2001, respectively). Pig slurry treatments were compared to an optimal N rate supplied as urea (U) and a control treatment without N fertilizer (P0). The composition of the slurries showed great variability between years. Mean NO₃^? leaching losses from 1998 to 2001 were 329, 215, 173 and 78 kg N ha^?1 for P3, P1, U and P0 treatments, respectively. The amount of total dissolved salts (TDS) added to the soil in slurry application between 1998 and 2001 was 2019 kg TDS ha^?1 for the P1 treatment and 6058 kg TDS ha^?1 for the P3 treatment. As a consequence, the electrical conductivity (EC) of the slurry‐treated soils was greater than that of the control soil. The EC correlated significantly with the sodium concentration of the soil solution. Over the entire experimental period, 2653, 2202 and 2110 kg Na ha^?1 entered the aquifer from the P3, P1 and P0 treatments, respectively. The P3 treatment did not significantly increase grain production in 1999 and 2001 compared with that achieved with the optimal N rate treatment (P1). This behaviour shows the importance of establishing application guidelines for pig slurry that will reduce the risk of soil and groundwater pollution.     

Characterisation of a maize-infecting potyvirus from Spain

In order to characterise and classify an unknown maize-infecting potyvirus isolated from fields in northeast Spain, the entire coat protein gene and the C-terminal twothirds of the large nuclear inclusion protein (NIb) gene were cloned and sequenced. Protein sequencing enabled the cleavage site between the two proteins to be deduced and also revealed that on storage the viral coat protein undergoes a specific degradation in which the N-terminal 39 amino acids are removed. Comparison of the nucleotide sequence of the 3 non-coding region of the viral RNA and the predicted amino acid sequence of the coat protein with the equivalent regions of other members of the potyvirus group revealed that the Spanish virus is closely related to maize dwarf mosaic virus strain A.     

The rates of maize growth and lignin biosynthesis change after root-applied chalcone

The effects of root-applied chalcone at 0.15 mmol L⁻¹ on the growth and lignin biosynthesis in maize were investigated. The contents of 4-coumarate: CoA ligase (4CL, EC 6.2.1.12) substrates in maize shoots were increased more rapidly in the samples with chalcone application than in the control and the increase occurred at ≤ 3 h after the application (HAA). The lignin content was reduced by chalcone at ≤ 6 HAA. The shoot growth was suppressed by chalcone at ≤ 9 HAA. Consequently, the results suggest that chalcone suppressed maize growth by inhibiting monolignol biosynthesis.     

Parasitoid community of the loreyi leaf wormMythimna (Acantholeucania) loreyi: Novel host-parasitoid associations and their efficiency in the eastern mediterranean region of Turkey

The loreyi leaf worm,Mythimna (Acantholeucania) loreyi Duponchel (Lepidoptera, Noctuidae), is a pest of gramineous crops and causes significant economic damage to maize. In field surveys on maize to determine the parasitoid community and its impact on the pest in the eastern Mediterranean region of Turkey, nine parasitoid species were found associated with immature stages ofM. loreyi: The hymenopteran (Braconidae and Ichneumonidae) parasitoidsCotesia (=Apanteles) ruficrus (Haliday),Chelonus oculator Panzer,Meteorus ictericus Nees,Hyposoter didymator (Thunberg),Sinophorus sp.; and the dipteran (Tachinidae) parasitoidsPseudogonia rufifrons Wiedeman,Exorista rossica Mesnil,Gonia picea (Robineau-Desvoidy) andLinnaemya vulpina (Fallen) — the last three recorded for the first time as parasitoids ofM. loreyi in Turkey.C. ruficrus was the dominant parasitoid species, being recovered from 38.5% of the larvae collected and was also the most prevalent species, existing in 91.0% of the fields in whichM. loreyi was found. Total parasitism levels achieved by braconid species was 41.4%, by ichneumonid parasitoids 4.8%, and by tachinid parasitoids 1.9%. In a separate field experiment, seasonal population fluctuations and natural efficiency ofC. ruficrus onM. loreyi were found to be 35.1% and 42.4%, respectively. Population levels ofC. ruficrus were closely related to fluctuations in the population ofM. loreyi, with parasitism ranging between 0 and 77.3% during the study. http://www.phytoparasitica.org posting Aug. 28, 2005.     

Biological and Physical Constraints on Maize Production in the Humid Forest and Western Highlands of Cameroon

The aim was to identify biological and physical factors responsible for reducing maize yield in Cameroon. Two surveys were conducted in 137 fields in two agroecological zones in 1995–1997. In the Humid Forest (HF), Bipolaris maydis, Stenocarpella macrospora, Puccinia polysora, Rhizoctonia solani and soil fertility were factors that reduced maize production in 1995 and 1996. In the Western Highlands (WHL), Cercospora zeae-maydis, and the interaction between soil fertility and maize variety were the most important constraints to maize production in 1996. In 1997, C. zeae-maydis, S. macrospora, physiological spot and stem borer damage (Busseola fusca) were negatively related to ear weight. The combination of these biological factors (diseases and insects), and the physical parameter of soil fertility were responsible for reducing maize yield in these selected benchmarks of Cameroon. Maximum potential yield reductions were estimated at 68% due to B. maydis and 46% due to S. macrospora, respectively, in the HF in 1995. In 1996, maximum potential yield reductions in the HF were estimated at 34%, 41% and 30% due to S. macrospora, P. polysora and R. solani, respectively. In the WHL, C. zeae-maydis had the potential to cause a yield reduction of 79% in 1996. In the WHL in 1997, the interaction between C. zeae-maydis and B. fusca, stem diseases and the physiological spot caused potential reductions of 52%, 34% and 39%, respectively.     

华北地区夏玉米田马唐治理的生态经济杀除阈期研究

作者于1992～1994年研究夏玉米田马唐(Digitaria sanguinalis L.)治理的生态经济阈期,借助计算机进行数学模拟,建立夏玉米的相对产量与马唐的相对干扰生长时间、相对出苗时间的函数关系。苗后马唐干扰生长的相对时间即相对天数(Xu)与夏玉米相对产量(Yu)的关系式为: Yu=101.5/{1.0 0.01756EXP[—(—0.0876Xu 0.0004888Xu~2)]}…………(1)苗后马唐出苗的相对时间与玉米相对产量的关系式为: Yd=100.73/{1.0 0.96EXP[—(0.06346Xd-0.00006859Xd~2)]}……………(2) 根据生态经济杀除阈期的定义和(1)、(2)两公式计算可知:夏玉米田马唐防除的生态经济杀除阈期的始期应从夏玉米苗后生育期总天数的11.8％开始,结束于夏玉米苗后生育期总天数的53.9％。例如华北地区夏玉米全生育期总天数一般是95天,夏玉米苗后生育期总天数(T)约为88天,故夏玉米田马唐防除的生态经济杀除阈期约在夏玉米苗后10.6—47.5天之间。