Growth Duration Research Articles

Study of the Structural, Morphological, Strength and Shielding Properties of CuBi2O4 Films Obtained by Electrochemical Synthesis.

In this research, the formation processes of CuBi2O4 films were examined using atomic force microscopy, energy dispersive analysis and X-ray diffraction analysis methods. The films were synthesized through electrochemical deposition from sulfuric acid solutions at a potential difference of 3.5 V. The duration of film growth was set to between 10 and 90 min to assess the possibility of controlled film growth and preserve the stability of their structural properties during growth over an extended period. An analysis of the data obtained by X-ray diffraction revealed that the resulting film samples are highly ordered structures with a tetragonal CuBi2O4 phase. The results of the connection between the thickness of CuBi2O4 films and strength properties depending on the time of film deposition were obtained. The results of the shielding efficiency of low-energy γ-quanta using CuBi2O4 films were obtained.

Physiological Properties of Perennial Rice Regenerating Cultivation in Two Years with Four Harvests.

Crop perennialization has garnered global attention recently due to its role in sustainable agriculture. However, there is still a lack of detailed information regarding perennial rice's regenerative characteristics and physiological mechanisms in crop ratooning systems with different rice stubble heights. In addition, the response of phytohormones to varying stubble heights and how this response influences the regenerative characteristics of ratoon rice remains poorly documented. Here, we explored the regenerative characteristics and physiological mechanisms of an annual hybrid rice, AR2640, and a perennial rice, PR25, subjected to different stubble heights (5, 10, and 15 cm). The response of phytohormones to varying stubble heights and how this response influences the regenerative characteristics of ratoon rice were also investigated. The results show that PR25 overwintered successfully and produced the highest yield, especially in the second ratoon season, mainly due to its extended growth duration, higher number of mother stems, tillers at the basal nodes, higher number of effective panicles, and heavier grain weight when subjected to lower stubble heights. Further analysis revealed that PR25 exhibited a higher regeneration rate from the lower-position nodes in the stem with lower stubble heights. this was primarily due to the higher contents of phytohormones, especially auxin (IAA) and gibberellin (GA3) at an early stage and abscisic acid (ABA) at a later stage after harvesting of the main crop. Our findings reveal how ratoon rice enhances performance based on different stubble heights, which provides valuable insights and serves as crucial references for delving deeper into cultivating high-yielding perennial rice.

Impact of Fertilizer Type and Vegetative Growth Duration on the Availability of Copper in Clay Loam Soil Planted of Maize (Zea mays L.) in Iraq

The present field trial aimed to study the effect of fertilizer type and growth duration on copper availability in the maize soil. In addition to the control, six different fertilizer treatments of mineral fertilizers, organic fertilizers, and humic acid (two levels each) were applied in the experiment. Soil samples were collected 70 and 100 days after planting. The results present that there were no significant differences between the half-recommendation fertilizer treatments (the first level) for all fertilizers, and the effect of the entire recommendation treatments (the second level) for poultry waste and humic acid 0.37 mg kg-1 and their superiority over the urea fertilization treatments 0.33 mg kg-1 in 70 days of cultivation. At 100 days, the fertilization treatments with poultry waste resulted in the highest concentration of available copper, 0.41 and 0.35 mg kg-1, respectively, the two levels. The results present a decrease in the concentration of available copper in the soil with an increase in the growth period.

Individual and combined influences of salinity and drought stress on the agro-physiological traits and grain yield of rice

Because of inadequate water resources and poor irrigation facilities, salinity and drought stresses often co-occur in rice production in saline lands. Nevertheless, little information is available on the agro-physiological traits and grain yield of rice when subjected to combined salinity × drought stress. We evaluated the individual and interactive influences of salinity and drought on rice yield and agro-physiological characteristics using two rice cultivars, Nanjing 9108 (salinity-tolerant rice) and Wuyunjing 30 (salinity-susceptible rice). This experiment was conducted under non-salinity (NS) and salinity (S) conditions and three drought levels from jointing to heading (CC, control condition; MD, moderate drought; SD, severe drought). Individual salinity and drought treatments and their combination shortened the total growth duration by 3–4 days and 4–6 days in Nanjing 9108 and Wuyunjing 30, respectively. Both salinity and drought treatments reduced (P < 0.01 or P < 0.05) rice yield by 12.9%−40.9% and 28.1%−35.0% across the two cultivars, respectively, and the combined salinity × drought treatment resulted in a more pronounced yield loss of 53.1%−113.3%. A greater reduction in grain yield caused by the combined salinity × drought stress was detected in Wuyunjing 30 than in Nanjing 9108. The poor grain yield performance of rice under combined salinity × drought stress was mainly attributable to the following: (1) yield components, panicle length, and single panicle weight were lower than they were under an individual stress; (2) combined stress caused greater reductions in shoot biomass, leaf area index (LAI), and nonstructural carbohydrate (NSC) content in the stem at heading and maturity, although harvest index and NSC remobilization reserve were increased; (3) each stress and especially combined stress increased Na+/K+ ratio in the leaf, while reducing leaf photosynthetic rate and SPAD values after heading, and total accumulation of nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), and potassium (K). Our results suggested that the combined salinity × drought stress was more damaging than either stress alone, and resulted in a greater yield penalty of rice. In terms of grain yield, salinity-susceptible rice was more responsive to the combined stress than salinity-tolerant rice.

Delayed Sowing under the Same Transplanting Date Shortened the Growth Period of Machine-Transplanted Early-Season Rice with No Significant Yield Reduction Caused

In early rice cultivation, the age of seedlings plays a crucial role in ensuring the annual safety production of double-cropping rice. When sowing staging and transplanting are performed simultaneously, it is still necessary to gather more data about the effects of seedling age on the growth period and grain yield of early rice machines transplanted. Two years ago, field experiments were conducted on machine-transplanted rice seedlings in the early season to compare the growth duration, crop growth characteristics, and yield attributes between the 18-day-old seedlings (SA18) and 32-day-old seedlings (SA32) of two rice cultivars. As a result of the study, it was found that SA18 reduced the total crop duration by between 11 and 12 days but delayed the maturity date by 2–3 days compared to SA32. SA18 had 14.5% fewer panicles per m2 and 3.6% less harvest index but 7.5% more spikelets per panicle higher than SA32. The grain yield of SA18 was 3.4% less than that of SA32, but there was no significant difference between the two seedling ages. The machine-transplanted seedlings for early rice production are more efficient in reducing seedling management time without affecting harvesting time and yields. The authors provide a new cultivation management scheme for farmers who are interested in planting double-cropping rice at the same time.

Optimization of deposition parameters for the growth of micro-edge diamond abrasive grains using HFCVD method

Precision grinding form fine grinding stripes with the micro-cutting effect of the abrasive micro-edges and obtain a high-precision and low-roughness machined surface. Due to the extremely high hardness and wear resistance, it is challenging for diamond abrasive grains to produce micro-cutting edges on the surface through grinding wheel dressing. In this paper, diamond abrasive grains with micro-edges are fabricated using hot filament vapor deposition (HFCVD) method. The graphite disc is the carrier on which high temperature and high pressure (HPHT) diamond seeds are distributed uniformly by patterned masks. Micro-edge structures are generated on the surface of grown diamond abrasive grains after chemical vapor deposition. The experimental results show that the grown diamond abrasive grains maintain the same cube-octahedral shape as seeds under the conditions of substrate temperature of 900 °C, reactive pressure of 4500 Pa, and carbon source concentration of 1 %. At the same time, numerous polycrystalline micro-edges with homogeneous distribution grow on the surface of diamond abrasive grains, and the two-dimensional (2D) size and protrusion height of micro-edges increase with the growth duration. The micro-edges are of high diamond quality with few impurities and defects and are equal in height. In addition, the analysis results of X-ray diffraction (XRD) and electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD) imply that the optimal deposition parameters result in the preferred orientation of the crystals in the 〈111〉 direction, forming the pyramidal (111)-faceted micro-edges on the surface of the abrasive grains.

Growth and characterization of germanium telluride nanowires via vapor–liquid–solid mechanism

Phase-change materials (PCMs), which can transition reversibly between crystalline and amorphous phases, have shown great promise for next-generation memory devices due to their nonvolatility, rapid switching periods, and random-access capability. Several groups have investigated phase-change nanowires for memory applications in recent years. The ability to regulate the scale of nanostructures remains one of the most significant obstacles in nanoscience. Herein, we describe the growth and characterization of germanium telluride (GeTe) nanowires, which are essential for phase-change memory devices. GeTe nanowires were produced by combining thermal evaporation and vapor–liquid–solid (VLS) techniques, using 8 nm Au nanoparticles as the metal catalyst. The influence of various growth parameters, including inert gas flow rate, working pressure, growth temperature, growth duration, and growth substrate, was examined. Ar gas flow rate of 30 sccm and working pressure of 75 Torr produced the narrowest GeTe nanowires horizontally grown on a Si substrate. Using scanning electron microscopy, the dimensions, and morphology of GeTe nanowires were analyzed. Transmission electron microscopy and energy-dispersive x-ray spectroscopy were utilized to conduct structural and chemical analyses. Using a SiO2/Si substrate produced GeTe nanowires that were thicker and lengthier. The current–voltage characteristics of GeTe nanowires were investigated, confirming the amorphous nature of GeTe nanowires using conductive atomic force microscopy. In addition, the effects of the VLS mechanism and the Gibbs–Thomson effect were analyzed, which enables the optimization of nanowires for numerous applications, such as memory and reservoir computing.

Selection and Yield Formation Characteristics of Dry Direct Seeding Rice in Northeast China.

Dry direct seeding rice (DSR) is an emerging production system because of increasing labor and water scarcity in rice cultivation. The limited availability of rice cultivars suitable for dry direct seeding hampers the widespread adoption of this cultivation method in Northeast China. This study aimed to investigate grain production and plant characteristics associated with dry direct seeding rice. We conducted a field experiment on 79 japonica rice cultivars in Shenyang City, Liaoning Province, Northeast China, in 2020 and 2021. This study found that the grain yield of the tested rice cultivars ranged from 5.75-11.00 t ha-1, with a growth duration lasting between 144-161 days across the cultivars. These cultivars were then categorized into high yielding (HY), medium yielding (MY), and low yielding (LY) based on daily yield by using Ward's hierarchical clustering method. The higher grain yield for HY compared to MY and LY was attributed to more spikelets per unit area. The HY alleviated the conflict between higher panicle density and larger panicle size by improving the seedling emergence rate and productive stem rate. It also significantly increased shoot biomass at maturity. The HY reduced the period between seeding and beginning of heading (BBCH 51) and the proportion of dry matter partitioned to the leaf at the heading stage. However, it also increased the accumulation of dry matter in the grain and the proportion of dry matter partitioned to the grain at maturity. Furthermore, the HY markedly increased the harvest index and grain-leaf ratio, which are beneficial to coordinate the source-sink relationship. A quadratic function predicted that 98 days is the optimum growth duration before heading (BBCH 51) for achieving maximum yield. In conclusion, for dry direct seeding rice, it is appropriate to select high-yielding japonica inbred rice cultivars with shorter growth duration before heading (about 93-102 day), higher panicle number (about 450-500 × 104 ha-1), more spikelet number per panicle (about 110-130), higher seedling emergence rate (about 70-75%), higher productive stem rate (about 60-70%), and greater harvest index (about 50-55%).

Growth of high carrier mobility 2-Dimensional hexagonal Bi2Te3-xSex nanoplatelets and its thermoelectric performance studies

Morphologically controlled growth of selenium-doped 2-Dimensional (2D) Bi2Te3-xSex nanoplatelets have been optimized by solvothermal synthesis using polyvinyl-pyrro-lidone (PVP) surfactant from the pre-optimized growth conditions of 2D-Bi2Te3 hexagonal nanoplatelet. An optimization was carried out using the Se-doping of x = 0.3 under variable growth durations of 4 h, 8 h, and 12 h. X-ray powder diffraction studies confirmed the complete crystallization with a pure phase of 2D-Bi2Te3-xSex at an extended duration of 12 h synthesis. Crystallization with defined hexagonal morphology was confirmed by FESEM analysis. Selenium doping into the 2D-Bi2Te3-xSex lattice from x = 0.1 to x = 0.4 indicates a step-by-step shift in the 2θ value of the (015) predominant peak towards higher 2θ values. Raman analysis revealed the alteration of the appearance of A1u2 to A1g2 upon the lattice inclusion of “Se” in the place of “Te”. Hall measurements on the consolidated pellet of 2D-Bi2Te3-xSex resulted in the highest electron mobility of 1675 cm2V−1s−1 with carrier concentration of 2.9 × 1018 cm−3 for Se-doping x = 0.2. Thermal conductivity analysis in comparison with the total thermal conductivity and the calculated electronic thermal conductivity revealed the lowest lattice thermal conductivity of 0.17 Wm−1K−1 for the Se-doping x = 0.2 after the correction for structural anisotropy factor (f). The highest thermoelectric figure of merit of 0.74 was achieved in this course of work.

Do different vegetative organs exhibit a similar temperature sensitivity in growth?

Although phenology and growth traits of leaves or woods have been the focus of research on growth-climate relationships, more is needed regarding whether there is a consistent growth response of different organs to environmental change. However, such work is crucial to accurately assess the impact of climate change on tree growth. Here, the growth timing, duration, rate, and increment of Picea meyeri needles, shoots, and stems were examined, and the corresponding environmental effects were revealed along an altitudinal gradient (2040–2740 m a.s.l.) in North-Central China during 2016 and 2017. The three organs showed a consistent altitudinal variation in growth onset timing, but a different variation in other traits; the growth duration, rate, and increment of needles changed slightly while those of shoots and stems dropped markedly with altitude. The air temperature was the key environmental factor driving the altitudinal variation. For each 1 °C increase in air temperature, the onset timing of needle and shoot elongation and xylem cell production was synchronously advanced by 3.3–3.7 ± 0.2 days; the peak timing was advanced by 3.4 ± 0.2 days, 2.2 ± 0.1 days, and 0 days; and the cessation timing was delayed by −3.8 ± 0.0 days, 2.1 ± 0.3 days, and 2.4 ± 0.1 days. Meanwhile, the duration was lengthened by 0 days, 5.6 ± 0.3 days, and 6.4 ± 0.2 days, respectively; the average rate was improved by 0%, 7.0 ± 1.2%, and 6.5 ± 0.5%, respectively; the increment was increased by 1.3 ± 0.1%, 8.2 ± 0.4%, and 11.0 ± 0.4%, respectively. These findings suggested that the aboveground vegetative growth of P. meyeri exhibits different temperature sensitivities; stem growth will benefit more from future warming than shoot and needle growth. It adds a new clue to conducting growth-climate relationship studies, and the response difference of organ growth to temperature should be considered in revealing future climate warming on tree growth.

TBAB hydrate formation and growth in a microdevice under static and dynamic conditions

The natural gas hydrate has become one of the most promising future green energy sources on the earth. The natural gas hydrates mostly exist in the sediments with porous structure, so a solid understanding of the hydrate formation and growth processes in the porous medium is of significance for the exploitation of natural gas hydrate. The micro-packed bed device is one of the efficient microfluidic devices in the engineering field, but it has been rarely used for the hydrate-based research. In this study, a transparent micro-packed bed device filled with glass beads was developed to mimic the porous condition of sediments, and used to in-situ visualize the hydrate formation and growth habits in the pore spaces under both static and dynamic conditions. For the static experiment, two types of hydrate growth patterns in porous medium were observed and identified in the micro-packed bed device, which were the grain-coating growth and pore-filling growth. For the dynamic condition, the hydrate formation, growth, distribution habits and hydrate blockage phenomena in the pore spaces were in-situ visually captured. The impacts of flowrate and subcooling on the pressure variation of the micro-packed bed and the duration of the hydrate growth under dynamic flow condition in pores were in-situ monitored and analyzed. The higher flowrate could result in the faster hydrate growth and more severe blockage in pores, but the effect of subcooling condition might be less significant at the high flowrate.

Earthworm as a Better Feed Component for Growth And Metamorphosis of &lt;i&gt;Bufo stomaticus&lt;/i&gt;

Laboratory rearing of Bufo stomaticus tadpoles indicated that change In food types affected larval growth rate and duration of metamorphosis. Tadpoles fed with only earthworm tissue of its combination grew better and metamorphosed earlier than those fed only goat meat or its combination. Hence utilisation of earthworm tissue in place of goat meat ts suggested to prepare the mixed diet for laboratory culture of anuran tadpoles.

Grain Yield, Biomass Accumulation, and Leaf Photosynthetic Characteristics of Rice under Combined Salinity-Drought Stress

Simultaneous stresses of salinity and drought often coincide during rice-growing seasons in saline lands, primarily due to insufficient water resources and inadequate irrigation facilities. Consequently, combined salinity-drought stress poses a major threat to rice production. In this study, two salinity levels (NS, non-salinity; HS, high salinity) along with three drought treatments (CC, control condition; DJ, drought stress imposed at jointing; DH, drought stress imposed at heading) were performed to investigate their combined influences on leaf photosynthetic characteristics, biomass accumulation, and rice yield formation. Salinity, drought, and their combination led to a shortened growth period from heading to maturity, resulting in a reduced overall growth duration. Grain yield was reduced under both salinity and drought stress, with a more substantial reduction under the combined salinity-drought stress. The combined stress imposed at heading caused greater yield losses in rice compared with the stress imposed at jointing. Additionally, the combined salinity-drought stress induced greater decreases in shoot biomass accumulation from heading to maturity, as well as in shoot biomass and nonstructural carbohydrate (NSC) content in the stem at heading and maturity. However, it increased the harvest index and NSC remobilization reserve. Salinity and drought reduced the leaf area index and SPAD value of flag leaves and weakened the leaf photosynthetic characteristics as indicated by lower photosynthetic rates, transpiration rates, and stomatal conductance. These reductions were more pronounced under the combined stress. Salinity, drought, and especially their combination, decreased the activities of ascorbate peroxidase, catalase, and superoxide dismutase, while increasing the contents of malondialdehyde, hydrogen peroxide, and superoxide radical. Our results indicated a more significant yield loss in rice when subjected to combined salinity-drought stress. The individual and combined stresses of salinity and drought diminished antioxidant enzyme activities, inhibited leaf photosynthetic functions, accelerated leaf senescence, and subsequently lowered assimilate accumulation and grain yield.

Investigating the Fundamental Conditions for Quantitative Growth to Obtain High-Quality WS2 Using a Process of Physical Vapor Deposition

Two-dimensional layered transition-metal dichalcogenides (2D-TMDs) have garnered significant attention due to their layer number-dependent electronic properties, making them promising candidates for atomically thin electronics and optoelectronics. However, current research has primarily focused on exfoliated TMD materials, which have limitations in size, layer number control, and yield. Therefore, a crucial challenge remains in producing large single TMD crystals with precise control over the layer number. A comprehensive understanding and precise control of the growth conditions are imperative to address this challenge. This study systematically investigated key growth conditions, including temperature, precursor flow, growth duration, material quantity, gas flow, and slide position. By optimizing these parameters, we successfully synthesized TMD materials with an impressive size of 850 µm. Notably, we achieved the preparation of monolayer WS2 single crystals on a large scale within a remarkably short duration of 10 min, exhibiting a lateral growth rate of up to 1.4 μm/s, which is comparable to the best-exfoliated monolayers. The findings from our study provide a robust pathway for the rapid growth of high-quality TMD single crystals, facilitating further advancements in this field.

Bamboo expansion promotes radial growth of surviving trees in a broadleaf forest.

Considerable evidence indicates that some trees are more vulnerable than others during bamboo (Phyllostachys edulis) expansion, which can affect plant community structure and alter the environment, but there has been insufficient research on the growth status of surviving individuals in colonized forests. In this study, we compared the annual growth increment, growth rate, and onset, cessation, and duration of radial growth of Alniphyllum fortunei, Machilus pauhoi, and Castanopsis eyrei in a bamboo-expended broadleaf forest (BEBF) and a bamboo-absent broadleaf forest (BABF) using high-resolution point dendrometers. We found that the annual radial growth of A. fortunei, M. pauhoi, and C. eyrei was 22.5%, 172.2%, and 59.3% greater in BEBF than in BABF, respectively. The growth rates of M. pauhoi and C. eyrei in BEBF were significantly higher than in BABF by13.9 μm/d and 19.6 μm/d, whereas A. fortunei decreased significantly by 7.9 μm/d from BABF to BEBF. The onset and cessation of broad-leaf tree growth was later, and the growth duration was longer in BEBF compared to BABF. For example, A. fortunei and M. pauhoi in BEBF had more than one month longer growth duration than in BABF. Additionally, the nighttime growth rates of some surviving broad-leaf trees in BEBF was significantly higher than that in BABF. These results suggest that the surviving trees have plasticity and can adapt to atmospheric changes and competitive relationships after expansion of bamboo in one of two ways: by increasing their growth rates or by modifying onset and cessation of growth to extend the growth duration of trees or avoid the period of intense competition with bamboo, thereby growing better. Our research reveals for the first time how the growth of surviving broad-leaf trees adjusts to bamboo expansion. These results provide insights into how biological expansions impact primary production and have implications for forest management in the Anthropocene.

Variability and genetic gain prediction for maintainer line improvement of hybrid rice in Bangladesh

Assessment of genetic variability in the nursery of the breeding population is essential for crop improvement successfully. Thirteen (13) maintainer lines of hybrid rice were evaluated to estimate the level of their genetic diversity and heritability of grain yield influencing parameters in the transplanted Aman, 2020 season. The studied traits were days to 50% flowering, total effective tillers plant-1, plant tallness (cm), length of flag leaf (cm), breadth of flag leaf (cm), panicle size (cm), filled grains panicle-1, unfilled grains panicle-1, growth duration (days) and grain yield (tha-1). Coefficient of variation (genotypic and phenotypic) was noticed high for most traits that revealed high variability among the studied genotypes. Broad-sense heritability ( ) was high in all traits except flag leaf breadth. Analysis of the cluster and its mean comparison showed that cluster 2 (i.e. BRRI 11B, BRRI 99B, IR 79125B and IR 79156B) represented the best agronomic traits and yield potentials. Therefore, selection of genotypes with valuable attributes from cluster 2 will be considered for maintainer line improvement programs. The use and estimation of predicted genetic gain will provide a visionary insight of the future genotypes produced after the crossing of the genotypes under study. Bangladesh Rice J. 26 (1): 69-78, 2022

Effect of Polythene Covering on Seedling Quality and It’s Carryover Effect on Field Duration and Grain Yield of Rice

Boro rice cultivation is often limit due to lack of a farmer's friendly technique for raising quality seedling in irrigated ecosystem. Experiment was conducted in Boro 2019-20 at R/S Rangpur to compare different polythene covering treatment on raising quality seedling of BRRI dhan88 and BRRI dhan89 and to measure it’s carryover effect on growth duration and grain yield of rice. The treatments were as T1: Day polythene cover (from10:00 am to Sunset), T2: Night polythene cover (Sunset to Sunrise), T3: Day-night polythene cover but round shape opening (30 cm diameter) at both sides and T4: No polythene cover (control). Seedbed was covered by transparent polythene from seeding to 30 days after seeding (DAS). Seedling strength was higher on 01 December seeding than 15 December in both the tested varieties. Day cover always had the lowest seedling strength in both varieties. Day-night polythene cover treatment (T3) produced significantly tallest seedling than other polythene covering treatments for both the plantings dates. Seedling mortality was higher in 30 January planting than 15 January planting for both the tested varieties due to prevailing low temperature (below 10°C for eight days). In 15 January planting, BRRI dhan88 and BRRI dhan89 produced higher number of tillers with day cover and night cover treatment, respectively. In 30 January planting, BRRI dhan88 produced higher tiller with day-night and control treatment but day cover had the lowest. Tiller production rate was sharply increased from 35 – 45 DAT and then decreased. Up to 45 DAT, it was statistically similar in both the varietiers with all treatments. Although, tiller number was higher in T1, T2 and T4 than T3 but productive tiller (%) was satistically similar among the treatments for both the varieties and planting dates. There was no significant difference in grain yield among the treatments for planting dates and varieties. Day-night polythene cover treatment (T3) reduces growth duration by 2-3 days over other treatments. This treatment (T3) is farmer's friendly for raising quality seedling in cold prone areas of Bangladesh. Bangladesh Rice J.26 (1): 59-68, 2022

Identification of E1-E4 allele combinations and ecological adaptability of soybean varieties from different geographical origins in China.

The duration of soybean growth and development is regulated by E1-E4 allele genes, which form the basis for ecological adaptation related to biomass accumulation, flowering and pod formation, maturation, and yield. To elucidate the effects of different combinations of E1-E4 allele genes on soybean ecological adaptation, this study conducted competitive allele-specific PCR (KASP) analysis and photoperiod gene typing on 101 main soybean cultivars from different latitudes in China. The ecological adaptation of these cultivars in Sichuan was also investigated. The results showed that within a certain range (60-95 days), soybean varieties with a genotype combination of E1/e2-ns/E3/E4 exhibited a longer growth period and demonstrated higher biomass and yield, displaying overall better performance. These varieties showed strong ecological adaptation in the Chengdu Plain region and are suitable for introduction in similar low to mid-latitude areas like the Chengdu Plain (30°N~32°N). Conversely, soybean varieties carrying a higher number of recessive alleles of E1-E4 are not suitable for introduction in this region.

Visual screening of potassium solubilizing bacteria for increasing the solubilization of potassium minerals

Research on potassium solubilizing bacteria (KSB) has recently gained attention, most of it has been focused on the size of the halo zone; however, information regarding KSB growth duration and their potential to reduce the use of chemical fertilizers for sustainable agriculture and to be used as a biofertilizer are still lacking. The aim of this study was to offer a complete, long-term observation of KSB growth. We monitored the growth of two KSB strains that were isolated from the rhizosphere for 7 days on Modified Aleksandrov Medium (MAM) plates. We specifically designed the observation times. These methods were used to distinguish KSB’s capability to solubilize potassium minerals. The results indicated that KSB-12 isolate was capable of producing organic acid and thus solubilizing potassium faster than KSB-19 isolate at 1-4 days of incubation. Interestingly, the solubilizing zone of the KSB-12 isolate decrease after 5 days of incubation, while KSB-19 isolate continued to grow, maintain cell numbers, produce organic acids, and continuously release potassium. Different types of volatile and non-volatile organic acids have an effect on this phenomenon. In conclusion, we provided a well-designed time series study regarding the potassium solubilization efficiency of KSB, determining the fastest and longest strains of potential KSBs.

Improving rice eating and cooking quality by enhancing endogenous expression of a nitrogen-dependent floral regulator.

Improving rice eating and cooking quality (ECQ) is one of the primary tasks in rice production to meet the rising demands of consumers. However, improving grain ECQ without compromising yield faces a great challenge under varied nitrogen (N) supplies. Here, we report the approach to upgrade rice ECQ by native promoter-controlled high expression of a key N-dependent floral and circadian clock regulator Nhd1. The amplification of endogenous Nhd1 abundance alters rice heading date but does not affect the entire length of growth duration, N use efficiency and grain yield under both low and sufficient N conditions. Enhanced expression of Nhd1 reduces amylose content, pasting temperature and protein content while increasing gel consistence in grains. Metabolome and transcriptome analyses revealed that increased expression of Nhd1 mainly regulates the metabolism of carbohydrates and amino acids in the grain filling stage. Moreover, expression level of Nhd1 shows a positive relationship with grain ECQ in some local main cultivars. Thus, intensifying endogenous abundance of Nhd1 is a promising strategy to upgrade grain ECQ in rice production.