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Crop biomass is the reservoir of carbon (C), a valuable input to the soil, thus supporting the soil fauna and enhancing soil health. There are limited studies that compared the major cereal crops for C storage for regenerative agriculture and to optimize C sequestration strategies. The objective of this study was to quantify the extent of variation in biomass allocation and C storage between maize (Zea mays L.), sorghum (Sorghum bicolor [L.] Moench), and wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) for crop production, and C sequestration potential. The study used metadata from 40 global studies that reported on the allocation of plant biomass and C between roots and shoots of the major cereal crops. Key statistics were computed to determine the variability between genotypes for total plant biomass (Pb), shoot biomass (Sb), root biomass (Rb), root‐to‐shoot biomass ratio (Rb/Sb), total plant carbon content, shoot carbon content, root carbon content, total plant carbon stock (PCs), shoot carbon stock, root carbon stock, and root‐to‐shoot carbon stock ratio (RCs/SCs). Maize exhibited the highest variability for Pb (with a coefficient of variation [CV] of 31.2% and a mean of 4.2 ± 1.3 Mg ha−1 year−1), followed by wheat (CV of 24.2% and a mean of 1.5 ± 0.4 Mg ha−1 year−1) and sorghum (CV of 16.8% and a mean of 2.0 ± 0.8 Mg ha−1 year−1), respectively. A similar trend was observed for PCs, with maize (CV of 40.1% and mean of 1.6 ± 0.7 Mg ha−1 year−1) showing the highest total plant C stock variability, followed by wheat (24.4% and 0.2 ± 0.1 Mg ha−1 year−1) and sorghum (16.3% and 0.9 ± 0.3 Mg ha−1 year−1), respectively. Maize (with a CV of 24.4% and mean of 0.1 ± 0.03 Mg ha−1 year−1) exhibited the highest variability for Rb/Sb, while wheat (30.92% and 0.2 ± 0.05 Mg ha−1 year−1) exhibited the highest variability for RCs/SCs. Correlation analysis revealed the following significant associations: Pb and mean annual temperature (MAT) (r = −0.47), and Sb and MAT (r = −0.43), and Pb and mean annual precipitation (MAP) (r = −0.34), and Sb and MAP (r = −0.30). Rb had a strong, significant positive correlation with MAT (r = 0.72) and MAP (r = 0.85). The meta‐analysis revealed that maize and sorghum have the highest variability for Pb and plant carbon stocks, while wheat exhibited the highest variability for the below‐ground biomass and carbon stocks. The data aided in crop selection and suggested that the best cultivars could be developed and identified for production and C sequestration potential for cultivation by farmers, land rehabilitation, and climate change mitigation. Core Ideas: There is sufficient genetic variation in maize, sorghum, and wheat cultivars for manipulation of biomass and carbon allocation.Root carbon is a major contributor to soil organic carbon.Above‐ground biomass is important for atmospheric carbon sequestration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Trichothecenes are sesquiterpenoid toxins produced by diverse ascomycetes, including Fusarium. The trichothecene analog deoxynivalenol (DON) produced by the Fusarium head blight (FHB) pathogen Fusarium graminearum is a virulence factor on wheat and a major food and feed safety concern. In Fusarium, the trichothecene biosynthetic gene (TRI) cluster consists of 7–14 genes. Most TRI cluster genes are conserved and their specific roles in trichothecene biosynthesis have been determined. An exception is TRI14, which is not required for DON synthesis in vitro but is required for spread of F. graminearum in wheat heads. In the current study, gene expression analyses revealed that TRI14 was highly induced in infected wheat heads. We demonstrated that TRI14 was not only required for F. graminearum spread but also important for initial infection in wheat. Although a prior study did not detect DON in infected seeds, our analyses showed significantly less DON and fungal biomass in TRI14-mutant (designated ∆tri14)-inoculated heads than wild-type-inoculated heads. Gene expression comparison showed that the level of expression of TRI genes was similar in the wheat tissues infected with ∆tri14 or the wild type, indicating the reduced toxin levels caused by ∆tri14 may be due to less fungal growth. ∆tri14 also caused less lesion and grew less in wheat coleoptiles than the wild type. The growth of ∆tri14 in carboxymethylcellulose medium was more sensitive to hydrogen peroxide than the wild type. The data suggest that TRI14 plays a critical role in F. graminearum growth, and potentially protects the fungus from plant defense compounds. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, we investigated the genetic mapping of root biomass and root/shoot ratio. We utilized a large (n = 345) bi‐parental recombinant inbred line (RIL) population from the 'Penny' × 'Yecora‐Rojo' cross to investigate the partitioning of biomass above‐ and belowground and to identify the quantitative trait loci (QTL) that influence root biomass and root/shoot ratio. Genotyping of 345 RILs by using genotyping by sequencing produced 2918 single‐nucleotide polymorphism markers by which a genome‐wide map of 3507 cM was constructed. Phenotyping was conducted in an augmented design with large pots in controlled environment. We identified two significant QTL regions, QRt.peye‐5A and QRt.peye‐5B, which control root biomass and the root/shoot ratio. QRt.peye‐5A, marking a 3.15 Mbp region on chromosome 5A, explained 11% of variations in root biomass and 9.5% of variations in root/shoot ratio, with the narrow region harbouring 28 genes. QRt.peye‐5B, marking a 12.2 Mbp region on chromosome 5B, explained 7% of variations in root/shoot ratio and harbours 104 genes. The root/shoot ratio enhancing alleles at QRt.peye‐5A and QRt.peye‐5B come from 'Penny' and 'Yecora‐Rojo' respectively. These QTL regions contains genes such as the two MADS box transcription factors on the 5A QTL that are candidate genes for Vrn1 locus, and other genes previously postulated for root traits such as a COBRA‐like COBL2 and landmark hormonal responses genes such as IAA16, IAA4 and BRI1, DREB2A‐INTERACTING PROTEIN2 (DRIP2) and bHLH92 which has a role in amelioration of stress conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: How plants distribute biomass among organs influences resource acquisition, reproduction and plant–plant interactions, and is essential in understanding plant ecology, evolution, and yield production in agriculture. However, the genetic mechanisms regulating allocation responses to the environment are largely unknown.We studied recombinant lines of wheat (Triticum spp.) grown as single plants under sunlight and simulated canopy shade to investigate genotype‐by‐environment interactions in biomass allocation to the leaves, stems, spikes, and grains. Size‐corrected mass fractions and allometric slopes were employed to dissect allocation responses to light limitation and plant size.Size adjustments revealed light‐responsive alleles associated with adaptation to the crop environment. Combined with an allometric approach, we demonstrated that polymorphism in the DELLA protein is associated with the response to shade and size. While a gibberellin‐sensitive allelic effect on stem allocation was amplified when plants were shaded, size‐dependent effects of this allele drive allocation to reproduction, suggesting that the ontogenetic trajectory of the plant affects the consequences of shade responses for allocation.Our approach provides a basis for exploring the genetic determinants underlying investment strategies in the face of different resource constraints and will be useful in predicting social behaviours of individuals in a crop community. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The intermittent ozone (O3) exposure of crops to alternating high and low concentrations is common in fields, but its impact on crop production has not been thoroughly investigated. In this study, two widely planted and O3-sensitive crops, winter wheat and soybean, were intermittently exposed to elevated O3 concentrations in open-top chambers. The results showed that the winter wheat and soybean yields significantly decreased with O3 exposure (AOT40, cumulative hourly O3 concentration above 40 ppb) (p < 0.001). The relative yield losses were 0.99% per AOT40 for winter wheat and 1.2% per AOT40 for soybean, respectively. The responses of the crop biomasses to elevated O3 concentrations were lower than that of crop yield. Although the O3-induced crop yield and biomass losses under continuous O3 exposure were greater than those under intermittent O3 exposure, the differences were not statistically significant. Therefore, we can conclude that the effects of elevated O3 concentrations on crops are closely related to the exposure dose but not significantly related to the temporal distribution of elevated O3 concentrations. This study improves our understanding of how crop production responds to intermittent O3 exposure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Perennial wheat yields for several years after sowing, and develops a deep and dense root system, thereby improving soil structure and preserving soil fertility. It is also drought resistant, which increases its future potential under the ongoing climate change. Moreover, perennial wheat offers and effective strategy for carbon sequestration through increasing soil carbon stocks. However, the effect of perennial wheat on soil properties remains uncertain in the conditions of south-eastern Kazakhstan due to the lack of data. To fill this gap, we conducted a study in which five varieties of perennial wheat were grown in the Almaty region in soils of different fertility for two years. As a result, in the plot where topsoil was removed to a depth of 25 cm, total carbon increased by nearly three times, from 0.54% to 1.42%, and the number of microorganisms increased from 715.1x103±0.2x103 to 48.0x103±0.6x103 colony forming units per ml of soil. The photosynthetic performance of perennial wheat varieties in the experimental plot was not negatively affected by the removal of top soil suggesting that perennial wheat can successfully restore soil fertility and replenish soil with chemical elements involved in photosynthesis. Our results confirm that in the conditions of the south-eastern Kazakhstan perennial wheat makes a significant contribution to the soil carbon stock accumulation and development of soil biota; in our study, these effects were particularly strong in the case of degraded soil. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Wheat yield and nitrogen use efficiency (NUE) have improved simultaneously with the genetic development of wheat varieties. However, wheat selection is carried out routinely in N‐rich field conditions, with breeding progress limited under low soil available nitrogen. Thus, we performed a 2‐year field investigation using eight milestone winter wheat varieties released between 1947 and 2017 in the Huang‐Huai‐Hai region of China with two N applications—normal (CK; 220 kg N ha−1) and reduced (RN; 110 kg N ha−1)—in Shaanxi, China, to examine changes in wheat yield, NUE, water use efficiency (WUE) and root biomass. Our findings revealed average annual yield increases of 49.615 kg ha−1 and 36.905 kg ha−1 under CK and RN, respectively. Notably, the NUE trend mirrored yield, increasing with the release year of wheat varieties, with average annual increases in NUE of 0.192 and 0.336 kg kg−1 under CK and RN, respectively. In the RN treatment, N uptake efficiency (UPE) increased with year of release, while N utilization efficiency (UTE) had no significant relationship. In the CK treatment, UTE increased with year of release, while UPE had no significant relationship. Across the 2‐year experiment, surface root biomass (0–20 cm layer) increased with year of release under CK but had no relationship under RN, while deep root biomass (20–200 cm layer) decreased with year of release under CK and increased under RN. The roots of modern wheat varieties responded better to soil nitrogen levels and produced higher yields, NUE and WUE than earlier varieties by adjusting root biomass distribution in soil. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Roots are the main sensing organ, initiating multiple signaling pathways in response to abiotic factors, including nutrients, drought, and salt stress. A focus on improving the root system architecture is a key strategy to mitigate these stresses in wheat crop. In the present study, a diversity panel comprising indigenous landraces and historical cultivars from Pakistan was characterized for the root system architecture (RSA) and important loci were identified using a genome‐wide association study (GWAS). RSA of the diversity panel was characterized 30 days after sowing in brunch tubes, and root images were taken. A high‐throughput root imaging analysis using Rhizovision software was performed by setting the scale to extract the eight RSA traits and four plant biomass‐related traits. GWAS identified 323 association signals for 12 root and biomass traits present on all wheat chromosomes, while the most important and reliable genetic loci (based on pleotropic loci and candidate genes) were identified on chromosomes 2A, 2B, 5A, 5D, 6A, 7B, and 7D for RSA. SNP annotation and transcriptome profiling identified nine candidate genes regulating the RSA and plant biomass traits, including ROOTLESS WITH UNDETECTABLE MERISTEM1, MYB TRANSCRIPTION FACTOR4, BRASSINOSTEROID INSENSITIVE1, SLENDER RICE1, AUXIN‐RESPONSIVE FACTOR25, SCARECROW, NARROW LEAF2, PIN‐FORMED1 AND PHOSPHATE TRANSCRIPTION FACTOR1. This study provided pre‐breeding information for deep‐rooting genotypes and associated markers that will accelerate the incorporation of such traits in breeding. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Climate change‐induced drought stress (DS) poses a significant threat to crop production, emphasizing the need for innovative strategies to mitigate its adverse effects. Prior studies have demonstrated the distinct capacities of salicylic acid (SA) and sodium hydrosulfide (NaHS) to augment plant resilience against drought‐related stressors. However, little is known about how they work together or the specific processes by which they increase DS tolerance. The purpose of this research was to determine how SA and NaHS affected the performance of wheat plants during the growing seasons of 2021–2022 and 2022–2023, when there was a drought. The research employed a block‐randomized experimental layout with split plots, where the primary factors included two irrigation levels: full irrigation (IW1, 100% of water requirement) and deficit irrigation (IW2, 50% of water requirement). Secondary factors included the application of mock control, 0.5 mM SA, and 0.3 mM NaHS, an H2S donor, either individually or in combination, administered before the onset of DS. The application of SA, NaHS, or their combination significantly enhanced wheat plant resistance to DS. Significant increases in a number of physiological markers, including proline content, relative water content (RWC), Fv/Fm, chlorophyll content, and antioxidant enzyme activity, demonstrated this improvement. Furthermore, in drought‐stressed wheat plants, SA and NaHS treatments decreased the amounts of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), malondialdehyde (MDA) content, and electrolyte leakage (EL). In conclusion, our study highlights the possibility of SA and NaHS, whether applied individually or in combination, to improve drought resistance in wheat plants, presenting a viable approach to lessen the effects of climate change on agricultural yield. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• This study proposes a model capable of identifying the phenological stages of wheat. • The camera combined with unmanned aerial vehicle are employed for biomass estimation. • The wheat biomass estimating accuracy is improved by identifying phenological stages. • The model demonstrates good adaptability under various treatments. Conventional models for estimating crop biomass are influenced by the wheat fertility process and often result in large errors, limiting the accurate crop biomass monitoring throughout the reproductive period. In this study, we developed a ResNet-Wheat model to extract phenological information from wheat and used this information to establish an aboveground biomass (AGB) estimation model. Using the spectral information obtained from unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), we inverted the coefficients (k, b) of the biomass estimation model to construct a new wheat biomass estimation model (FIWheat-AGB). The ResNet-Wheat model achieved overall recognition accuracy of 94.4 % at various phenological stages, proving it to be a dependable, accurate source of fertility period index (FI) for the FIWheat-AGB model. By combining the Lasso model with six vegetation indexes (VIs) with strong correlations with AGB, we could invert the biomass coefficients (k, b) with an R2 above 0.86 in all five phenological periods. The RMSE and MAE also remained stable. The FIWheat-AGB model utilized phenological information and VIs, leading to a high degree of precision in predicting AGB with an R2 range of 0.84–0.91, maintaining RMSE at 1.69–2.11 t/ha, and consistently maintaining an MAE of less than 1 t/ha over several periods. Thus, compared with the multi-period segmentation model (with an R2 range of 0.57–0.75) that is directly monitored by spectra, the suggested model is better suited for monitoring the entire wheat phenological period, and it provides a higher accuracy in estimating whole fertility biomass compared with the common spectral biomass estimation model and the crop simulation model. The proposed techniques can aid in estimating agronomic parameters in other crops throughout the fertility period. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Antecedentes: la producción de forraje verde hidropónico (FVH) bajo invernadero es una alternativa que ha tomado importancia ante el cambio climático, porque en cortos períodos de tiempo se tiene producción sin la afectación de plagas y enfermedades que se presentan en cultivos a campo abierto. Objetivo: evaluar la dinámica de crecimiento de gramíneas como forraje verde hidropónicos bajo el sistema de bandejas para la alimentación animal en trópico alto. Métodos: se emplearon 5 gramíneas: maíz (Zea mays), raigrás (Lolium hybridum), avena (Avena sativa), trigo (Triticum sp.) y cebada (Hordeum vulgare) en hidroponía de bandejas, por un periodo de 18 días en el invernadero de la unidad experimental del semillero en el municipio de Chía, Cundinamarca. Se realizaron mediciones de altura (A) de la planta, número de hojas (NH), ancho de la hoja (AH) y biomasa (g FVH/bandeja). El diseño experimental empleado fue de bloques completos al azar distribuidos en 5 bloques, 5 tratamientos y 3 repeticiones, a los datos de las variables evaluadas se les hizo ANOVA y se empleó la prueba de Tukey para detectar diferencia significativa entre tratamientos en el paquete estadístico SAS. Se empleó el modelo de Gompertz para las curvas de crecimiento de cada una de las especies vegetales: altura al punto de inflexión (API), edad al punto de inflexión (EPI) y la tasa media de crecimiento (TMC). Resultados: se encontró diferencia significativa entre los tratamientos para todas las variables evaluadas. Las especies de mayor altura en promedio para el período evaluado fueron avena (14,66 cm), cebada (13,77 cm) y trigo (13,29 cm), el maíz tuvo mayor número y ancho de las hojas. La mayor biomasa fue para el raigrás y el trigo (7,8 vs 7,2 kg FVH/ bandeja). La mayor API fue para maíz 6,66 cm a los 20 días (EPI). La mayor TMC la tuvo la avena 2,0 cm/día. Conclusiones: el FVH raigrás y trigo ofertan la mayor biomasa, y la avena la mayor tasa de crecimiento, por lo cual estas especies se constituyen en una alternativa de alimentación como gramíneas para los animales. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]