Effects of gibberellic acid, kinetin and indole butyric acid mixture on sorghum salinity tolerance and grain yield in saline-alkali coastal zone.

The development and utilization of coastal saline-alkali lands hold significant importance in mitigating the shortage of cultivated land resources in China, enhancing the agro-ecological environment in coastal saline and alkaline areas, and ensuring national food security. We set up both pot and field trials (randomized block design) at Xinxiang experimental station of Institute of Crop Science, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences (ICS-CAAS) and Dongying Yellow River Delta Modern Agricultural Research Base in Shandong Province in 2021 and 2022, respectively. The experimental materials, Jiliang 1 and Jiliang 2, underwent seed dressing with GKI composites at concentrations of 2.5 and 5 mL·kg-1. These composites, which contained the main components of gibberellin, kinetin, and indole butyric acid, were denoted as GKI2.5 and GKI5.0, respectively. The control plots (CK) received water seed dressing. The aim was to assess the regulatory effects of GKI on salt tolerance and grain sorghum yield. Compared to CK, the GKI2.5 and GKI5.0 seed dressing treatments significantly enhanced the growth and development of the two grain sorghum varieties, increased antioxidant enzyme activity and soluble protein content of sorghum leaves, while reducing leaf malondialdehyde content. Moreover, the GKI treatments increased leaf net photosynthetic rate. Under field conditions, yields of Jiliang 1 and Jiliang 2 were enhanced by an average of 17.1% and 19.1%, respectively. In conclusion, GKI seed dressing treatment effectively promoted the growth and development of sorghum under salt stress. It enhanced the antioxidant and osmoregulatory capacities of leaves, reduced the level of membrane lipid peroxidation, and improved net photosynthetic rate of leaves, which together improved the salt tolerance and sorghum yield.

Grain filling leads to backflow of surplus water from the maize grain to the cob and plant via the xylem.

Rapid dehydration of maize grain is one of the main characteristics of cultivar selection for mechanical grain harvest; however, the dominant driving forces and mechanisms of grain dehydration before physiological maturity remain disputable and obscure. This study compared the grain moisture content and dehydration rate of coated treatment (no surface evaporation) and control grains. Meanwhile, the xylem-mobile dye was infused from stem and cob, and its movement was observed in cob, ear-stalk and stem xylem. The development dynamics of husk, grain and cob were analyzed to determine the mechanism of grain dehydration. The results showed that, from grain formation to 5-10 days before physiological maturity, the main driving force of grain dehydration of the early and middle-maturity maize cultivars was filling, followed by surface evaporation. In the dye movement experiment, the movement of the stem-infused xylem-mobile dye through the pedicel xylem was observed during but not after the grain formation period. Moreover, the cob-infused xylem-mobile dye moved to the ear- stalk and the stem via the xylem. There was a significantly positive correlation between grain filling rate and dehydration rate from grain formation to physiological maturity. According to these results, we proposed that in the grain dehydration phase driven by filling, the surplus water in the grain flows back to the cob via the pedicel xylem, of which some flowed back to the plant via the cob and ear- stalk xylem. This provides a new theoretical basis for selecting and breeding maize cultivars suitable for mechanical grain harvesting.

The formation of phycocyanin-EGCG complex for improving the color protection stability exposing to light.

Phycocyanin (PC) is a natural pigment-protein complex in food dye applications. In this study, a phycocyanin-epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) complex (PE) was prepared and the effects of EGCG on the structure and color stability of PC were evaluated. The fluorescence results showed that the binding number n was 62.1 ± 3.41 (EGCG/PC) and the binding constant K was 4.39 (±0.2) × 105 M-1, indicating a weak-binding interaction. Fourier transform-infrared analysis showed that EGCG caused structural changes in PC by partially uncoiling α-helix and increasing ß-sheet content. The EGCG induced a PC association at a reaction molar ratio above 40:1 (EGCG/PC). Moreover, EGCG protected phycocyanobilin against color fading, making PE more stable relative to PC under 8-days storage in light. This study provides a novel scheme to stabilize PC by forming a complex with polyphenols, which will facilitate the PC application as a natural blue pigment in food.

Hybrid variation for root system efficiency in maize: potential links to drought adaptation.

Water availability can limit maize (Zea mays L.) yields, and root traits may enhance drought adaptation if they can moderate temporal patterns of soil water extraction to favour grain filling. Root system efficiency (RSE), defined as transpiration per unit leaf area per unit of root mass, represents the functional mass allocation to roots to support water capture relative to the allocation to aerial mass that determines water demand. The aims of this study were to identify the presence of hybrid variation for RSE in maize, determine plant attributes that drive these differences and illustrate possible links of RSE to drought adaptation via associations with water extraction patterns. Individual plants for a range of maize hybrids were grown in large containers in shadehouses in Queensland, Australia. Leaf area, shoot and root mass, transpiration, root distribution and soil water were measured in all or selected experiments. Significant hybrid differences in RSE existed. High RSE was associated with reduced dry mass allocation to roots and more efficient water capture per unit of root mass. It was also weakly negatively associated with total plant dry mass, reducing preanthesis water use. This could increase grain yield under drought. RSE provides a conceptual physiological framework to identify traits for high-throughput phenotyping in breeding programs.

[Effects of different accumulated temperature on photosynthetic performances of spring maize varieties during grain-filling period].

Taking cold-resistant maize variety Fengdan 3 and cold-sensitive maize variety Zhengdan 958 as test materials, field experiments were conducted in I, II, and III accumulated temperature zones in Heilongjiang Province of Northeast China to study the effects of different accumulated temperature on the photosynthetic performances of different types of cold-resistant spring maize varieties during their grain-filling period. In the three accumulated temperature zones, the tasseling and maturing periods of Fengdan 3 and Zhengdan 958 were prolonged in the order of I > II > and III, and the grain bulk density decreased in the same order. The RuBPCase and PEPCase activities of Fengdan 3 and Zhengdan 958 leaves had different temperature sensitivity. For Fengdan 3, its leaf RuBPCase and PEPCase activities were high in early grain filling period (0-20 days after anthesis), and the variety could ripen in temperature-limited region. For Zhengdan 958, its leaf RuBPCase and PEPCase activities were high within 0-10 days and 40-60 days after anthesis but not sensitive to the active accumulated temperature during 10-40 days after anthesis, and the variety could not ripen in temperature-limited region. The photosynthetic rates of the two varieties were significantly positively correlated with the active accumulated temperature during 0-10 days and 30-40 days after anthesis. The effects of the accumulated temperature in the three zones on the photosynthetic performances were significant at both early and later grain filling stages. For the same varieties, the higher the active accumulated temperature in grain filling period, the higher the grain yield. Zhengdan 958 had higher yield than Fengdan 3.