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Copyright of Journal of Food Safety & Quality is the property of Journal of Food Safety & Quality Editorial Department and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

In this study, 13 amplification regions (amplicons) were designed by analyzing the nucleotide sequences of seven endogenous reference genes reported in previous studies. Totally 208 common maize varieties (lines) were used for high-throughput sequencing analysis of these 13 amplicons, and their sequence conservation, specificity, detection stability and dynamic detection range were evaluated to select appropriate amplicons of the endogenous reference genes for quantitative detection of maize DNA content or copy number based on next-generation sequencing technology. The results showed that the detection rates of the 13 amplicons of the seven endogenous reference genes were 94.7%–100% in the 208 maize samples, while they were not detected in 25 non-maize samples of rice, soybean, cotton and Chinese cabbage, indicating that these amplicons met the standards of high intraspecies consistency and interspecies specificity. Intraspecies conservation analysis showed that E3-UBI-1 did not contain single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) or insertion deletion (InDel), while the remaining 12 amplicons contained at least one SNP or InDel. Stability analysis showed that the most unstable amplicon in these endogenous reference genes was IVR, and the most stable one was ADH1-2. Their dynamic detection range was 0.2–200 ng. Based on these results, ADH1-2 and E3-UBI-1 are suitable amplicons of the endogenous reference genes for quantitative detection of maize DNA content or transgenic maize components on the next-generation sequencing platform.

Copyright of Shipin Kexue/ Food Science is the property of Food Science Editorial Department and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Journal of Henan Agricultural Sciences is the property of Editorial Board of Journal of Henan Agricultural Sciences and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Journal of Henan Agricultural Sciences is the property of Editorial Board of Journal of Henan Agricultural Sciences and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

To explore the differences in cadmium (Cd) bioaccumulation and translocation between maize varieties and to screen maize varieties with low seed Cd accumulation, a field experiment was carried out with 50 varieties of maize. Maize varieties with high, medium, and low accumulation of Cd in seeds were screened using cluster analysis. Representative varieties were selected to analyze the bioaccumulation and translocation factors of Cd in different plant organs. The results showed that the seed Cd content of the 50 maize varieties ranged from 0.09 to 0.85 mg.kg-1, which meets the national feed hygiene standard. The bioaccumulation factor of Cd in the seeds of varieties was <1. According to cluster analysis, three types of maize with high, medium, and low accumulation were obtained, accounting for 8% (4) 34% (17) and 58% (29）of the tested varieties, respectively. The bioaccumulation factors of Cd in soil by roots, shoots, corncobs, and seeds of high -, medium -, and low -accumulation representative varieties were <1, and the translocation factors of Cd in shoots and seeds were 1.17~1.31, 0.60~0.76; 0.90~0.96, 0.26~0.27; and 0.84~0.87, 0.08~0.10, respectively. The parts that exhibited a stronger Cd accumulation ability in the soil of representative high-, medium-, and low-accumulation maize varieties were shoots, roots, and roots, respectively, and the ability of shoots and seeds to transport Cd decreased sequentially. All 50 maize varieties were planted on strictly controlled cultivated land to produce maize feed. Among them, 29 dominant varieties with low accumulation of Cd in seeds, including Xindan 58 and Meijia 303, can be tested for priority protection and safe utilization of cultivated land to produce safe edible maize. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

【Objective】The present paper aimed to analyze the expression differences of ZmGly1 gene in different tissues in responsive to drought and high temperature stress, so as to find out its possible role in heat and drought tolerance, and finally to provide useful genetic resources for the upcoming breeding of maize varieties with higher stress tolerance.【Method】The structure, physicochemical properties and genetic relationship of ZmGly1 protein were explored using bioinformatics software such as DNAMAN 8.0, ProtParam tool, MEGA 7.0. The transcript levels of ZmGly1 was performed using qRT-PCR method.【Result】ZmGly1 was composed of 222 amino acids with a theoretical molecular weight of 24.98 kD and an isoelectric point of 6.6. The total number of amino acid residues with negative charges（Asp + Glu） and residues with positive charges（Arg + Lys） was 30 and 29, respectively. The hydrophobic coefficient was 0.448, suggesting that it was a hydrophilic protein. ZmGly1 was not a transmembrane protein and contained a Zn2+ metal binding site on the A chain and B chain, located at Gln68,Glu134 and His162,Glu208, respectively. The phylogenetic tree analysis demonstrated that ZmGly1 and SbGly1 had the highest sequence identity（92.51%）, indicating that they were closely related to each other. The qRT-PCR analysis exhibited that the transcript levels of ZmGly1 was the highest in leaves, but relatively low in roots and stems. Compared with the control, the expression pattern of ZmGly1 in the leaves under drought treatment showed a tendency of first increasing and then decreasing, while under high temperature treatment a tendency of first decreasing, then increasing and finally decreasing with the extension of time. 【Conclusion】ZmGly1 is a Zn2+ enzyme, which is closely related to SbGly1. ZmGly1 participates in the stress response of plant to drought and high temperature. The study lays the foundation for the in-depth analysis of its biological functions in the near future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Journal of Henan Agricultural Sciences is the property of Editorial Board of Journal of Henan Agricultural Sciences and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Acta Agronomica Sinica is the property of Crop Science Society of China and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Journal of Chinese Institute of Food Science & Technology is the property of Journal of Chinese Institute of Food Science & Technology Periodical Office and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Acta Prataculturae Sinica is the property of Acta Prataculturae Sinica Editorial Office and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Journal of Henan Agricultural Sciences is the property of Editorial Board of Journal of Henan Agricultural Sciences and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The increasing use of nitrogen fertilizers exerts extreme pressure on the environment (e.g., greenhouse gas emissions, GHGs) for winter wheat-summer maize rotation systems in the North China Plain. The application of controlled-release fertilizers is considered as an effective measure to improve crop yield and nitrogen fertilizer utilization efficiency. To explore the impact of one-time fertilization of controlled-release blended fertilizer on crop yield and GHGs of a wheat-maize rotation system, field experiments were carried out in Dezhou Modern Agricultural Science and Technology Park from 2020 to 2022. Five treatments were established for both winter wheat and summer maize, including no nitrogen control (CK), farmers' conventional nitrogen application (FFP), optimized nitrogen application (OPT), CRU1 (the blending ratio of coated urea and traditional urea on winter wheat and summer maize was 5:5 and 3:7, respectively), and CRU2 (the blending ratio of coated urea and traditional urea on winter wheat and summer maize was 7:3 and 5:5, respectively). The differences in yield, nitrogen fertilizer utilization efficiency, fertilization economic benefits, and GHGs among different treatments were compared and analyzed. The results showed that nitrogen application significantly increased the single season and annual crop yields of the wheat-maize rotation system ( P &lt; 0.05). Compared with those of FFP, the CRU1 and CRU2 treatments increased the yields of summer maize by 0.4% to 5.6%, winter wheat by -5.4% to 4.1%, and annual yields by -1.1% to 3.9% ( P &gt; 0.05). N recovery efficiency (NRE), N agronomic efficiency (NAE), and N partial factor productivity (NPFP) were increased by -8.6%-43.4%, 2.05-6.24 kg·kg -1 , and 4.24-10.13 kg·kg -1 , respectively. Annual net income increased by 0.2% to 6.3%. Nitrogen application significantly increased the annual emissions of soil N 2 O and CO 2 in the rotation system ( P &lt; 0.05) but had no effect on the annual emissions of CH 4 (except for in the FFP treatment in the first year). The annual total N 2 O emissions under the CRU1 and CRU2 treatments were significantly reduced by 23.4% to 30.2% compared to those under the FFP treatment ( P &lt; 0.05). Additionally, nitrogen application significantly increased the annual global warming potential (GWP) of the rotation system ( P &lt; 0.05), but the intensity of greenhouse gas emissions was reduced due to the increase in crop yields. Compared with that under FFP, the annual GWP under the CRU1 and CRU2 treatments decreased by 9.6% to 11.5% ( P &lt; 0.05), and the annual GHGs decreased by 11.2% to 13.8% ( P &gt; 0.05). In summary, the one-time application of controlled-release blended fertilizer had a positive role in improving crop yield and economic benefits, reducing nitrogen fertilizer input and labor costs, and GHGs, which is an effective nitrogen fertilizer management measure to promote cleaner production of food crops in the North China Plain.

Copyright of China Surfactant Detergent & Cosmetics (1001-1803) is the property of China Surfactant Detergent & Cosmetics Editorial Office and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Elevated atmospheric CO2 has resulted in climate warming since the end of 21th century due to its greenhouse effect. Global warming coupled with elevated CO2 concentration could have a drastic consequence for physiological processes of maize (Zea mays L.), a stable plant with C4 photosynthetic pathway. Understanding photosynthetic processes, transpiration and water use efficiency of maize under different CO2 concentration and temperature would shed insight into how maize would respond to climate change. Using growing chambers, we measured growth, photosynthesis and water use efficiency of maize grown in six chambers with day/night temperature controlled at 25/19°Cto 37/31°C at ambient CO2 concentration (400 μmol/mol) and elevated CO2 concentration (800 μmol/mol), respectively. Other factors in the chambers were kept the same, with the relative humidity being 55% - 65%, photosynthetic photon flux density (PPFD) being 1000 μmol/m2·s, and daily 12 h photoperiod for 60 days. In each treatment, we measured the net photosynthetic rate (Pn), stomatal conductance (Gs), transpiration rate (Tr), leaf water use efficiency (WUE), using a portable photosynthesis system (Licor-6400). In addition, we also measured plant biomass, leaf area, total carbon and nitrogen contents, and soluble sugars (glucose, fructose, and sucrose) in the plant. The results showed that the temperature had a dramatic impact on growth of the maize, whereas the biomass and height of the plants grown under the elevated CO2 were almost the same as those grown under the ambient CO2. It was also found that the response of Pn to temperature was not affected by CO2 when temperature was 25/19°C and 37/31°C, while the elevated CO2 increased Pn by 16.4% (P<0.05) when temperature was risen to 37/31°C, suggesting that CO2 elevation might have improved the tolerance of maize to thermal stress thereby reducing thermal damage to maize leaves. Warming significantly increased soluble sugars concentrations, especially the concentration of fructose, when temperature was risen from 25/19°C to 31/25°C, but followed by a decline when temperature was further risen to 37/31°C, alluding that thermal stress might have suppressed the photosynthesis leading to a decrease in soluble sugars content of the leaves. At temperature 37/31°C, the elevated CO2 boosted soluble sugars in the leaves due to the increased photosynthetic rates, while a further temperature rise reduced the water use efficiency (WUE) of the leaves. The elevated CO2 enhanced WUE by ameliorating the adverse effect of temperature on WUE, but under different mechanisms. When temperature was 25/19°C and 31/25°C, the elevated CO2 improved WUE due to the reduction in Tr, while when the temperature was 37/25°C, the elevated CO2 alleviated the adverse effect of temperature on photosynthesis to improve WUE. The results suggested that climate warming may reduce Pn and WUE of maize, but the associated elevated atmospheric CO2 could alleviate the adverse impact of the warming on Pnthere by improving the WUE. These findings are helpful for adequately assessing the consequence of climate change for growth and water use efficiency of maize and have important implication for ecosystem management in response to climate change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To explore the effects of different concentrations of zinc （Zn） on the growth and root architecture classification of maize seedlings under cadmium （Cd） stress， a hydroponic experiment was conducted to study the effects of different concentrations of Zn （0， 10， 25， 50， 100， 200， and 400 μmol·L -1 ） on the growth， root architecture and classification characteristics， Cd content， root Cd uptake capacity， and photosynthetic system of maize seedlings under Cd stress （50 μmol·L -1 ） by using Zhengdan 958 as the experimental material. Principal component analysis and the membership function method were used for comprehensive evaluation. The results showed that the 50 μmol·L -1 Cd stress had a significant toxic effect on maize seedlings， which significantly reduced chlorophyll content and photosynthetic parameters. The main root length， plant height， biomass， root forks， and root tips， including the root length and root surface area of the grade Ⅰ-Ⅲ diameter range and the root volume of the grade Ⅰ-Ⅱ diameter range， decreased significantly， which hindered the normal growth and development of maize seedlings. Compared with that under no Zn application， 100 μmol·L -1 and 200 μmol·L -1 Zn application reduced the uptake of Cd by maize seedlings， significantly reduced the Cd content in shoots and roots and the Cd uptake efficiency. The toxic effect on maize seedlings was alleviated， and the fresh weight， dry weight， tolerance index， and root forks of shoots and roots were significantly increased. The photosynthesis of maize seedlings was significantly enhanced， and the photosynthetic rate and the total chlorophyll content was significantly increased. The RL， SA， and RV in the Ⅰ-Ⅱ diameter range reached the maximum at 100 μmol·L -1 Zn， and the RL， SA， and RV in the Ⅲ diameter range reached the maximum at 200 μmol·L -1 Zn， which were significantly higher than those without Zn treatment. The comprehensive evaluation of the growth tolerance of maize seedlings showed that 100 μmol·L -1 and 200 μmol·L -1 Zn had better effects on alleviating Cd toxicity. Comprehensive analysis showed that the application of appropriate concentration of Zn could reduce the Cd content in maize seedlings， the Cd uptake capacity， and Cd uptake efficiency of roots； increase the biomass accumulation of maize seedlings； reduce the effect of Cd toxicity on root architecture； reduce the effect on the light and system； and improve the tolerance of maize seedlings to Cd.

The pollution control of tetracycline antibiotics in the environment has become a hot topic, and biochar adsorption has become an important technology to remove organic pollutants. Pyrolytic biochars (BC400, BC500, and BC600) were prepared from corn straw and then were modified by KOH to obtain KBC400, KBC500, and KBC600. Among them, KBC400 was selected for secondary pyrolysis activation at 400-600℃ to obtain AKBC400, AKBC500, and AKBC600. The structure characteristics and surface properties of AKBC were also characterized. The adsorption kinetics and thermodynamic characteristics of oxytetracycline hydrochloride (OTC) in the solution by AKBC were investigated using batch experiments. Compared to that of BC400, the specific surface area and pore structure of AKBC were significantly improved, and the aromaticity was also enhanced, resulting in the notable enhancement of the adsorption capacities for OTC. The pseudo-second-order kinetics model could better fit the adsorption process, and AKBC500 had the largest adsorption rate constant and capacity. Both the intraparticle diffusion and film diffusion were the rate-limiting steps. The Langmuir, Freundlich, and Temkin models could fit the adsorption isotherms perfectly. The adsorption of OTC on AKBC was a spontaneous, endothermic, and entropy-increasing process by both physisorption and chemisorption. The pH values in the range of 3.0-7.0 were favorable for the adsorption of OTC by AKBC. The adsorption capacity decreased with the humic acid concentration over 10 mg·L -1 . The adsorption mechanism of OTC by AKBC involved pore filling, hydrogen bonding, π-π conjugation, cation-π bond, and strong electrostatic effect. AKBC still had good reusability for OTC removal after five times of regeneration. The obtained AKBC is a potential adsorbent for OTC removal from water due to the good pore structure, high adsorption capacity, and stable adsorption effect.

Since 2002, a long-term field experiment has been conducted to determine the effects of different organic fertilization treatments on the bacterial community characteristics and maize productivity in dryland red soil using high-throughput sequencing technology. The experiment consisted of four treatments:no manure, M0; low manure, M1; high manure, M2; and high manure with lime addition, M3. Our results showed that the different organic fertilization treatments(M1, M2, and M3) significantly promoted maize productivity with the highest values of pH, soil organic matter(SOM), total nitrogen(TN), and total phosphorus(TP) compared to that under the M0 treatment, and the high manure with lime addition(M3) treatment had the highest level of maize production. The different organic fertilization treatments significantly increased the Shannon index, Evenness index, Chao1 index, and ACE index and significantly shaped the composition of the bacterial community. TP and pH were the main variables determining soil bacterial diversity index based on random forest modeling analysis, whereas pH, SOM, TP, and TN were the main variables determining the structure of the soil bacterial community. Correlation analysis and structural equation modeling determined that TP and SOM indirectly affected maize productivity by varying the bacterial diversity and community structure. The results of this study provide the scientific basis for ensuring food security and sustainable agricultural development by improving the fertility and bacterial diversity in dryland red soil.

Grading seeds based on grain size is an effective measure to improve population regularity degree and increase the yield of summer maize. Taking Denghai 605 as the experimental material, we set up a field experiment with treatments based on grain size: large seeds (L), medium-round seeds (MR), medium-flat seeds (MF), medium-round and medium-flat mixed seeds (MRF), and small seeds (S), with no-grading seeds as control (CK). We investigated seedling emergence rate, population regularity degree (including height, ear height and stem diameter), seedling sturdiness index, photosynthetic characteristics, dry matter accumulation and distribution characteristics, and yield. The results showed that the emergence rate followed an order of L>MR>MRF>MF>CK>S, with that of L treatment differed little from MR, MF and MRF treatments, but being significantly higher than S and CK treatments. Plant height and stem diameter population regularity degree of MRF treatment before seven-leaf stage was not different from those of L, MR, MF and S treatments, but significantly higher than those of CK. At the tasseling stage, all treatments had higher population regularity degree of plant height than other stages. Ear height population regularity degree of L, MR, MF, MRF, and S increased by 11.1%, 10.3%, 9.5%, 7.1%, and 6.4% compared with CK, respectively. The seedling sturdiness index of MRF treatment increased by 36.7% compared with S treatment, but was not significantly different from L treatment. The leaf area index of the L and MRF treatments was significantly higher than that of CK, and both had higher population photosynthetic properties. The population dry matter accumulation showed a pattern as L>MR>MRF>MF>CK>S. There was no significant difference among L, MR, and MRF treatments, but that in L being obviously higher than MF, CK, and S treatments. After seed grading, the number of harvested ears of the L and MRF treatments increased significantly, and the yield were shown as L>MR>MRF>MF>CK>S. There was no difference between the yield of MRF, MR and MF treatments. In conclusion, the performance of L treatment was improved but the number was small. Considering the grading cost and yield, the MRF treatment can save the seed amounts of sowing, realize mechanized sowing and precision sowing.

Establishing the remote sensing yield estimation model of wheat-maize rotation cultivated land can timely and accurately estimate the comprehensive grain yield. Taking the winter wheat-summer maize rotation cultivated land in Caoxian County, Shandong Province, as test object, using the Sentinel-2 images from 2018 to 2019, we compared the time-series feature classification based on QGIS platform and support vector machine algorithm to select the best method and extract sowing area of wheat-maize rotation cultivated land. Based on the correlation between wheat and maize vegetation index and the statistical yield, we screened the sensitive vegetation indices and their growth period, and obtained the vegetation index integral value of the sensitive spectral period by using the Newton-trapezoid integration method. We constructed the multiple linear regression and three machine learning (random forest, RF; neural network model, BP; support vector machine model, SVM) models based on the integral value combination to get the best and and optimized yield estimation model. The results showed that the accuracy rate of extracting wheat and maize sowing area based on time-series features using QGIS platform reached 94.6%, with the overall accuracy and Kappa coefficient were 5.9% and 0.12 higher than those of the support vector machine algorithm, respectively. The remote sensing yield estimation in sensitive spectral period was better than that in single growth period. The normalized differential vegetation index and ratio vegetation index integral group of wheat and enhanced vegetation index and structure intensify pigment vegetable index integral group of maize could more effectively aggregate spectral information. The optimal combination of vegetation index integral was difference, and the fitting accuracy of machine learning algorithm was higher than that of empirical statistical model. The optimal yield estimation model was the difference value group-random forest (DVG-RF) model of machine learning algorithm ( R 2 =0.843, root mean square error=2.822 kg·hm -2 ), with a yield estimation accuracy of 93.4%. We explored the use of QGIS platform to extract the sowing area, and carried out a systematical case study on grain yield estimation method of wheat-maize rotation cultivated land. The established multi-vegetation index integral combination model was effective and feasible, which could improve accuracy and efficiency of yield estimation.

To elucidate the agronomic and environmental effects of single basal application of controlled-release blended fertilizer in summer maize, and optimize management measures of nitrogen fertilizer for grain production in North China Plain, we conducted a field experiment in Dezhou Modern Agricultural Science and Technology Park in Shandong Province. There were four treatments: CK (no N fertilizer), FFP (farmer's fertilizing practice, 240 kg N·hm -2 ), OPT (optimized nitrogen application, 210 kg N·hm -2 ), and CRBF (controlled-release blended fertilizer with single basal application, 210 kg N·hm -2 ). We compared maize yield and reactive nitrogen loss, and quantitatively evaluated the carbon and nitrogen footprints by using life cycle assessment method. The results showed that nitrogen application significantly increased summer maize yield. Compared with FFP, OPT and CRBF increased summer corn yield by 0.7% and 2.9%, respectively, decreased the total amount of ammonia volatilization, N 2 O emission, and nitrate leaching by 13.0% and 72.7%, 13.3% and 37.5%, 20.5% and 23.5% respectively. Compared with CK, nitrogen application significantly increased the global warming potential (GWP) of summer maize production. Compared with FFP, GWP and greenhouse gas emission intensity of OPT decreased by 3.8% and 4.2%, while the reduction of CRBF were 8.7% and 12.0%, respectively. Compared with CK, nitrogen application significantly increased the carbon and nitrogen footprint of summer maize production. The production and transportation of nitrogen fertilizer and soil greenhouse gas emission were the main contributing factors of the carbon footprint, with contribution rates of 54%-60% and 24%-31%, respectively. Nitrate leaching was the main contributing factor of nitrogen footprint, with contribution rate of 57%-94%. Compared with FFP, the carbon and nitrogen footprints of OPT and CRBF were reduced by 11.0% and 16.5%, 19.6% and 28.4%, respectively. Considering the yield, reactive nitrogen loss and carbon and nitrogen footprint, we recommended the single basal application of controlled-release blended fertilizer as an effective nitrogen fertilizer management measure to promote grain clean production in the North China Plain.

The middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River is one of main grain production areas in China, which is of great significance to food security. Understanding the carbon footprint of major grain crop production is helpful to develop high-yield and low-carbon agriculture. Based on the data of yield, sown area and farmland production input of main grain crops (rice, wheat and maize) in six provinces (Jiangsu, Anhui, Jiangxi, Hubei, Hunan, and Zhejiang) in the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River from 2011 to 2020, we estimated carbon footprint in the production of the three grain crops. The results showed that from 2011 to 2020, yield per unit area, planting area, and total yield of rice, wheat and maize were the highest in Jiangsu Province. In terms of area-scaled carbon footprint, rice in the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River had the highest area-scaled carbon footprint, with an average of 2.0 t CE·hm -2 , followed by wheat and maize. The area-scaled carbon footprint of the three staple crops was increasing. In terms of yield-scaled carbon footprint, rice was the highest, with an average of 0.8 kg CE·kg -1 , followed by wheat and maize. In terms of carbon input structure, irrigation electricity, chemical fertilizers and pesticides accounted for a relatively high proportion. Irrigation electricity accounted for 35.0%, 36.3%, and 33.2% of the total carbon input of rice, wheat and maize, respectively. Chemical fertilizers accounted for 28.8%, 32.5%, and 32.5%, respectively, while pesticides accounted for 24.2%, 13.3% and 11.5%, respectively. In terms of carbon efficiency, maize had the highest (3.9 kg·kg -1 CE), followed by rice and wheat. With the green development of agriculture, carbon emission in the production of major grain crops in the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River could be reduced by improving irrigation efficiency, fertilizer utilization efficiency, pesticide utilization efficiency and mechanized operation efficiency, as well as diversification of straw returning, cultivation of new varieties and policy leverage.

Copyright of Journal of Henan Agricultural Sciences is the property of Editorial Board of Journal of Henan Agricultural Sciences and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Journal of South China Normal University (Natural Science Edition) / Huanan Shifan Daxue Xuebao (Ziran Kexue Ban) is the property of Journal of South China Normal University (Natural Science Edition) Editorial Office and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

To explore the effect of biochar on greenhouse gas emissions and the carbon footprint of a corn farmland ecosystem under drip irrigation with film in an arid region, biochar treatments with different application rates[0 (CK), 15 (C15), 30 (C30), and 45 t·hm -2 (C45)] were established. The seasonal changes in soil greenhouse gases (CO 2 , N 2 O, and CH 4 ) and their comprehensive warming potential in the maize farmland ecosystem were monitored for two consecutive years after a one-time application of biochar. The carbon emissions caused by agricultural production activities and their carbon footprint were estimated using the life cycle assessment method. Compared with that in CK, the cumulative CO 2 emissions in the crop growing season decreased by 17.6%-24.7%, the cumulative N 2 O emissions decreased by 71.1%-110.4%, and the global warming potential decreased by 19.5%-25.9%. In the second year of the crop growing season after biochar application, the cumulative CO 2 emissions were reduced by 19.2%-40.6%, the cumulative N 2 O emissions were reduced by 38.7-46.7%, and the comprehensive warming potential was reduced by 19.7%-40.5%. For two consecutive years, the treatment of C15 and C30 increased the cumulative absorption of CH 4 to different degrees, whereas the treatment of C45 significantly decreased the cumulative absorption of CH 4 . C15 and C45 were the treatments with the least carbon footprint per unit yield in the current and the succeeding year of biochar application, and their carbon footprint per unit yield was 10.1% and 26.2% lower than that of CK, respectively. Soil greenhouse gas emissions showed the most contribution to the carbon footprint of the maize farmland ecosystem (38.1%-59.2%), followed by nitrogen fertilizer production (19.8%-33.4%), electric energy production (6.7%-8.8%), and plastic film mulching (4.4%-7.4%). Biochar contributed 5.7%-13.8% to the ecosystem's carbon footprint. The application of 30 t·hm -2 biochar had a better effect on carbon reduction, carbon fixation, and yield increase in the farmland ecosystem. Improving the biochar production process and transportation route, increasing nitrogen use efficiency, and developing water-saving and energy-saving irrigation technology are important ways to reduce the carbon footprint of farmland ecosystems in arid regions.

Clarifying the effect of different maize straw returning methods on soil temperature is crucial for optimizing the management of farmland straw and the efficient utilization of heat resources in the black soil region of Northeast China. To investigate the impacts of straw returning methods on soil temperature, we conducted a field experiment with four treatments during 2018 and 2020, including plough tillage with straw returning (PTSR), rotary tillage with straw returning (RTSR), no-tillage with straw returning (NTSR), and a control treatment of conventional ridge tillage without straw returning (CT). We measured soil temperature and water content at the 5 cm, 15 cm and 30 cm soil layer, and the straw coverage rate during the 3-year maize growth period. We further analyzed the differences of soil temperature in different soil layer under different treatments, accumulated soil temperature and growing degree-days (GDD) above 10 ℃, daily dynamics of soil temperature, the production efficiency of air accumulated temperature among different treatments, and explored factors causing the difference of soil temperature and the production efficiency of air accumulated temperature. Our results showed that different treatments mainly affected soil temperature from the sowing to emergence stage (S-VE) of maize. The daily average soil temperature showed a trend of CT>PTSR>RTSR>NTSR. The differences of soil temperature under different treatments showed a decreasing trend as growth process advanced and soil depth increased. Compared with the CT treatment, soil temperature at 5 cm depth was decreased by 0.86, 1.84 and 3.50 ℃ for PTSR, RTSR, and NTSR treatments, respectively. NTSR significantly reduced the accumulated temperature of ≥10 ℃ in different soil layers and GDD. The accumulated temperature ≥ 10 ℃ at the 5, 15, and 30 cm soil layers decreased by 216.2, 222.7, and 165.1 ℃·d, and the GDD decreased by 201.9, 138.7 and 123.9 ℃·d, respectively. In addition, production efficiency of air accumulated temperature decreased by 9.7% to 15.6% for NTSR. Conclusively, PTSR and RTSR had significant impacts on topsoil temperature during the maize growing period from sowing to emergence, but did not affect the accumulated soil temperature and the production efficiency of air accumulated temperature. However, NTSR significantly reduced topsoil temperature and production efficiency of air accumulated temperature.

To clarify the photosynthetic mechanism contributing to the enhancement of intercropping advantages through co-ridge intercropping of maize and peanut, we conducted a field randomized block experiment under two phosphorus levels of 0(P 0 ) and 180 kg P 2 O 5 ·hm -2 (P 180 ) with flat intercropping of maize and peanut (FIC) as the control. We analyzed the effects of co-ridge intercropping of maize and peanut (RIC) and groove-ridge intercropping of maize and peanut (GIC) on crop leaf area index (LAI), SPAD values, CO 2 carboxylation ability, photosystems coordination ( Φ PSⅠ/PSⅡ ), and intercropping advantage of yield. The results showed that RIC significantly increased SPAD value at the silking stage of intercropping maize, and significantly improved the apparent quantum yield of photosynthesis (AQY), maximum electron transfer rate ( J max ), maximum rate of Rubisco carboxylation ( V c,max ), net photosynthetic rate at the CO 2 saturation ( A max ) and Φ PSⅠ/PSⅡ of intercropping maize compared with those of FIC and GIC at silking stage and milking stage, but reduced the ratio of variable fluorescence F k to amplitude F j - F o ( W k ) and the ratio of variable fluorescence F j to amplitude F p - F o ( V j ) of the functional leaf photosystem Ⅱ (PSⅡ) at the milking stage of maize. There were no significant differences in these parameters between FIC and GIC. Compared with FIC, both RIC and GIC increased LAI of intercropping peanut at late growth stage and SPAD value at pod setting stage, significantly improved V c,max , A max , and Φ PSⅠ/PSⅡ , and reduced W k and V j values of intercropping peanut functional leaves at pod expanding stage. The difference in these parameters between RIC and GIC were not significant. The land equivalent ratio and intercropping advantages of RIC were higher than those of FIC and GIC. Phosphorus application could further promote V c,max , J max , A max and Φ PSⅠ/PSⅡ of intercropping maize and peanut, and significantly improve yield advantages of intercropping. The findings indicated that co-ridge intercropping could enhance CO 2 carboxylation and fixation by improving photosynthetic electron transport and pho-tosystems coordination, improve the photosynthetic rate of functional leaves of maize and peanut, thus increase crop yield and intercropping advantages.

To investigate the effects of crop rotation and fallow on the community composition of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) and the stability of soil aggregates, AMF community and aggregates were measured using Illumina MiSeq high-throughput sequencing and wet screening methods in red soil of sloping farmland. The AMF community and its relationship with soil factors and aggregate stability were studied under the four treatments of vetch rotation corn (V-C), pea rotation corn (P-C), winter fallow corn (F-C), and annual fallow (F-F). The results showed that the aggregate content of >2 mm, R 0.25, and MWD in the F-F, V-C, and P-C treatments were significantly higher than those in F-C ( P <0.05), and the aggregate content of <0.25 mm was significantly lower than that of F-C ( P <0.05). The ACE, Chao1, and Shannon indexes of the F-F treatment were 29.56%, 35.78%, and 45.55% higher than those of the F-C treatment, respectively. Glomus was the dominant genus of AMF communities under all treatments, whereas Scutellospora showed a significant difference among the treatments ( P <0.05). PCoA analysis showed that PC1 and PC2 together explained 29.99% and 22.40% of the difference in the AMF community composition, respectively. The correlation analysis showed that there was a significant negative correlation between Scutellospora and alkaline nitrogen (AN) and organic matter (SOM) ( P <0.05), a significant positive correlation between Scutellospora and available potassium (AK) ( P <0.05), and a significant positive correlation between Glomus and alkaline nitrogen ( P <0.05). RDA analysis showed that AMF diversity (Shannon index) and Scutellospora were significantly and positively correlated with aggregate content >2 mm and 2-1 mm, respectively ( P <0.05). Therefore, annual fallow and vetch rotation corn were conducive to improving the stability of soil aggregates and changing the composition of the AMF community. The research results provide a theoretical basis and reference for the annual rotation system to improve soil quality and implement a reasonable crop rotation and fallow pattern in southern China.

To analyze the health risk assessment and environmental benchmark of cadmium in farmland soils surrounding the gangue heap of a coal mine in Chongqing, Hakanson, the ecological risk index and health risk assessment were used. Meanwhile, the soil environmental reference value of the regional cultivated land was inverted based on the species sensitive distribution model (SSD). The results showed that the dryland soil was polluted by Cd, with an over-standard rate of 55.8%, and the paddy field soil was polluted by Cd, with an over-standard rate of 31.6%. The corn was polluted by Cd, with an over-standard rate of 4.4%, and the rice was not polluted by Cd. The Hakanson ecological risk index showed that Cd was mainly characterized in soils by high ecological risk and considerable ecological risk. The health risk assessment indicated that Cd presented low non-carcinogenic risk by corn and rice; however, it showed acceptable carcinogenic risk by corn and unacceptable carcinogenic risk by rice in this study. The sensitivity analysis of health risks showed that the content of Cd was the most sensitive. The SSD inversion showed that the reference values for Cd in dryland soil of pH ≤ 5.5, 5.57.5 had HC 5 values of 0.491, 0.382, 0.376, and 0.588 mg·kg -1 , respectively, and that for Cd in paddy soil had an HC 5 value of 0.807 mg·kg -1 . The reverse analysis showed that the HC 5 of Cd in dryland soil (pH ≤ 7.5) and paddy soil was relatively relaxed and was higher than the soil risk screening values, which showed that the current standard was relatively loose. However, the HC 5 of Cd in dryland soil (pH>7.5) was lower than the soil risk screening values, which showed that the current standard was relatively strict. It is suggested that the current soil standard could be adjusted in this area.

To screen out sweet-waxy maize varieties with low accumulation characteristics suitable for planting in lead (Pb) and cadmium (Cd) complex contaminated soils, 39 maize varieties were selected, and the enrichment characteristics and differences of grains and straws on Pb and Cd were studied through field trials. Maize yield, bioaccumulation factors, and soil Pb and Cd risk thresholds were used as evaluation indicators for screening low accumulation maize varieties. The results showed that there were significant differences between the yield and Pb and Cd contents in grains and straws of different varieties of maize ( P <0.05). Bioaccumulation factors of grains for Pb and Cd were in the range of 0.00003-0.00230 and 0.01-0.15, respectively, and those of straws for Pb and Cd were in the range of 0.003-0.065 and 0.64-4.28, respectively. Through the cluster analysis of bioaccumulation factors, the soil Pb and Cd risk thresholds of different varieties of maize were comprehensively obtained:Huitian 5, Xinmeitian 818, and Yunuo 9 could be safely produced in the farmland with Pb and Cd content exceeding the risk control value, and Tianguinuo 937 and Jinwannuo 2000 could be safely produced in the farmland with Cd content exceeding the risk screening value. Huitian 5, Xinmeitian 818, and Yunuo 9, as low Pb and Cd accumulation varieties, were suitable to be popularized on Pb and Cd polluted soil in Guangxi, China. Tianguinuo 937 and Jinwannuo 2000, as low grain and high Cd accumulation varieties, are suggested to be used as phytoremediation resources.

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[Objective] Primers were designed based on the differerence of sequence alignment of sbel and bt2, according to the results of HRM-PCR, the regulation and control mechanism of candidate genes related to maize grain starch synthesis were found to provide a theoretical reference for genetic improvement and molecular design breeding of maize. [Method] Hie entire sequence of bt2,sbel in 1121 and Zin-uo96-619 by sequencing of PCR products and splicing were obtained. [Result] Sequence alignment results of genes between two parents showed that there were 20 SNPs. By means of high resolution melting (HRM) technology, 171 individuals in BC5F2:3 population were geno-typed. [Conclusion] The advantages and disadvantages of sequencing method and HRM technology were summarized in order to provide a reference for large-scale SNPs screening technology in this paper. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Journal of Agro-Environment Science is the property of Journal of Agro-Environment Science Editorial Board and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Microplastics are a new contaminant that are causing worldwide concern. However, an understanding of their impact on agricultural seed germination remains inadequate. To investigate the effects of combined microplastic and heavy metal contamination on crop seed germination and growth, the effects of exposure to different single and combined concentrations of lead (Pb) and three microplastics[polyethylene (PE), polypropylene (PP), and polyvinyl chloride (PVC)] on maize seed germination and growth were investigated using maize seeds. The results showed that:the inhibition of maize seed germination by Pb single exposure generally increased with Pb concentration. Compared with that in CK, 500, 1000, and 1500 mg·L -1 PE exposure significantly inhibited maize seed germination, but 100 and 300 mg·L -1 exposure had no significant effect (except at d 5). All PP concentration exposures significantly inhibited maize seed germination, with higher concentrations resulting in stronger inhibition. Compared to that under PP and PE exposure, PVC single exposure inhibited maize germination less, and 500, 1000, and 1500 mg·L -1 exposures produced a facilitative effect at the later stages of germination. The germination index, germination potential, and vigor index of maize seeds decreased with the increase in the single exposure concentration of lead and three types of microplastics, significantly decreased compared with that of CK under the combined exposure of Pb and PE, and did not change significantly under the combined exposure of PP and Pb or PVC and Pb. Among the three types of microplastics, PVC had the least effect on corn seed vigor. Both single exposures of 10 mg·L -1 Pb and 100 mg·L -1 of the three microplastics promoted maize stalk and root growth, whereas other concentrations showed mostly inhibitory effects. When the PE concentration was 500 mg·L -1 , the 10 and 20 mg·L -1 Pb exposures both promoted maize seed stalk and root growth; however, the combined PP and Pb exposures did not produce significant inhibition, whereas 500 mg·L -1 PVC and 10 mg·L -1 Pb showed the strongest inhibition of maize stalk and root growth under combined PVC and Pb exposures. The effects of combined exposure to microplastics and Pb on the germination and growth of maize seeds were essentially antagonistic, thus slowing down the toxic effects of their respective single exposures on maize seeds.

To explore the effects of mulching and the application of organic and chemical fertilizer on N 2 O, CO 2 , and CH 4 emission; maize yield; water use efficiency (WUE); and nitrogen fertilizer use efficiency under the conditions of the same nitrogen fertilizer input in summer maize farmland, an experiment was conducted in the Guanzhong Plain of China. In this experiment, the two main experimental factors were mulching (M) and no-mulching, and the secondary experimental factors included no fertilizer application (CK), organic fertilizer substituting chemical fertilizer at 0% (T0, 0.00 kg·hm -2 organic fertilizer and 225.00 kg·hm -2 chemical fertilizer), 25% (T25, 56.25 kg·hm -2 organic fertilizer and 168.75 kg·hm -2 chemical fertilizer), 50% (T50, 112.50 kg·hm -2 organic fertilizer and 112.50 kg·hm -2 chemical fertilizer), 75% (T75, 168.75 kg·hm -2 organic fertilizer and 56.25 kg·hm -2 chemical fertilizer), and 100% (T100, 225.00 kg·hm -2 organic fertilizer and 0.00 kg·hm -2 chemical fertilizer), for a total of 12 treatments. The results showed as follows:1 both mulching and fertilizer application (with or without mulching) factors significantly increased soil N 2 O and CO 2 emissions and reduced soil uptake of CH 4 ( P <0.05). Compared to chemical fertilizer treatments, the organic fertilizer treatments reduced soil N 2 O emission by 11.8% to 52.6% and 14.1% to 68.0% and increased soil CO 2 emission by 5.1% to 24.1% and 15.1% to 48.7% under mulching and no-mulching conditions, respectively ( P <0.05). Compared to that under no-mulching, the global warming potential (GWP) under mulching increased by 140.7% to 206.6%. Compared to that in the CK treatment, the GWP of fertilized treatments increased by 36.6% to 67.6% and 31.2% to 89.1% under mulching and no-mulching conditions ( P <0.05), respectively. Combined with the yield factor, the greenhouse gas intensity (GHGI) under the mulching condition increased by 103.4% to 166.2% compared to that under the no-mulching condition. Therefore, GHG emissions could be reduced by increasing yields. 2 The mulching treatments increased maize yield by 8.4% to 22.4% and WUE by 4.8% to 24.9% ( P <0.05). Fertilizer application significantly increased maize yield and WUE. The organic fertilizer treatments increased yield by 2.6% to 8.5% and WUE 13.5% to 23.2% under the mulching condition compared to that in the MT0 treatment and increased yield by 3.9% to 14.3% and WUE 4.5% to 18.2% under the no-mulching condition compared to that in the T0 treatment. 3 In the 0-40 cm soil layer, the total nitrogen content of mulching treatments was increased by 2.4% to 24.7% compared with that of the no-mulching treatments. Fertilizer application treatments increased the total nitrogen content by 18.1% to 48.9% and 15.4% to 49.7% under the mulching and no-mulching conditions, respectively. Mulching and fertilizer application promoted nitrogen accumulation and nitrogen fertilizer use efficiency in maize plants ( P <0.05). Compared to that in chemical fertilizer treatments, the organic fertilizer treatments increased nitrogen fertilizer use efficiency by 2.6% to 8.5% and 3.9% to 14.3% under mulching and no-mulching conditions, respectively. Combining ecological and economic benefits, the MT50 under mulching conditions and T75 under no-mulching conditions can be recommended as planting models to guarantee stable yield and achieve green and sustainable agricultural production.

Guizhou Province is the province with the largest Hg production and reserves in China, and maize is the second largest grain crop in Guizhou Province. It is necessary to identify the status of soil Hg content in Guizhou Province and evaluate the safety of maize production. A total of 990 soil-maize samples and 270 single soil samples were collected in the main maize-producing areas to determine soil pH, cation exchange capacity (CEC), and organic matter content (SOM), as well as Hg content in soil and maize. The results showed that the pH of dryland soil in Guizhou Province ranged from 3.93 to 9.82, the geometric mean of ω (SOM) was 27.5 g·kg -1 , and the geometric mean of CEC was 11.7 cmol·kg -1 . Soil ω (Hg) ranged from 0.005 to 686 mg·kg -1 , the geometric mean was 0.632 mg·kg -1 , and the over-standard rate was 7.22%. Among them, the soil Hg pollution in Tongren was the most prominent, with the exceedance rate of 21.3%. At the county level, Danzhai County, Qiandongnan Miao and Dong Autonomous Prefecture, and Tongren City Wanshan District and Bijiang District had high exceedance rates of Hg. According to the Limit of Pollutants in Food according to National Standards for Food Safety (GB 2762-2017), the exceedance rate of Hg content in maize grains was 1.11%, and the exceedance points were mainly distributed around industrial and mining activity areas such as Wanshan District in Tongren City and Xixiu District in Anshun City. According to the results, there was serious soil Hg pollution in Guizhou Province. On the whole, maize can be safely planted, but it is necessary to pay close attention to the Hg content in grains and the Hg exposure risk of residents around industrial and mining areas.

Biorefinery of chemicals from straw is an effective approach to alleviate the environmental pollution caused by straw burning. In this paper, we prepared gellan gum immobilized Lactobacillus bulgaricus T15 gel beads (LA-GAGR-T15 gel beads), characterized their properties, and established a continuous cell recycle fermentation process for D-lactate (D-LA) production using the LA-GAGR-T15 gel beads. The fracture stress of LA-GAGR-T15 gel beads was (91.68±0.11) kPa, which was 125.12% higher than that of the calcium alginate immobilized T15 gel beads (calcium alginate-T15 gel beads). This indicated that the strength of LA-GAGR-T15 gel beads was stronger, and the strain was less likely to leak out. The average D-LA production was (72.90±2.79) g/L after fermentation for ten recycles (720 h) using LA-GAGR-T15 gel beads as the starting strain and glucose as the substrate, which was 33.85% higher than that of calcium alginate-T15 gel beads and 37.70% higher than that of free T15. Subsequently, glucose was replaced by enzymatically hydrolyzed corn straw and fermented for ten recycles (240 h) using LA-GAGR-T15 gel beads. The yield of D-LA reached (1.74±0.79) g/(L·h), which was much higher than that of using free bacteria. The wear rate of gel beads was less than 5% after ten recycles, which indicated that LA-GAGR is a good carrier for cell immobilization and can be widely used in industrial fermentation. This study provides basic data for the industrial production of D-LA using cell-recycled fermentation, and provides a new way for the biorefinery of D-LA from corn straw.

Objective: To explore the dose-effect and mechanism of the protective effect of corn peptide(CP) on nonalcoholic fatty liver disease(NAFLD)., Methods: Seventy male SD rats were randomly divided into control group, model group, CP group, puerarin positive control group, low-, medium-, high-dose corn peptide group, the experiment started after 1 week of adaptive feeding. The control group and CP group were fed with ordinary feed and others were fed with high-fat feed, while the control group was given intragastric administration of purified water, the CP group and the low-, medium-, high-dose corn peptide group were given intragastric administration of corn peptide(800, 400, 600 and 800 mg/(kg·d), respectively), and the puerarin positive control group was given intragastric administration of 300 mg/(kg·d) of puerarin, for 10 weeks. The body weight and general condition of rats were recorded every week, after 10 weeks, the indexes of 7 groups were compared., Results: Compared with the model group, the liver index(3.67, 3.29, 3.19 and 3.04, P&lt;0.05) of the rats in the three doses of corn peptide groups decreased. The homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance(13.66, 11.82, 11.55 and 10.53, P&lt;0.05) decreased. The serum triglyceride(TG)(0.59, 0.42, 0.34 and 0.28, P&lt;0.05), total cholesterol(TC)(2.57, 2.10, 1.67 and 1.46, P&lt;0.05), free fatty acid(FFA)(0.66, 0.44, 0.40 and 0.36, P&lt;0.05), and leptin(10.64, 9.87, 9.43 and 9.05, P&lt;0.05) decreased. The serum interleukin-6(74.61, 61.66, 51.12 and 35.68, P&lt;0.05) and tumor necrosis factor-α(100.18, 74.13, 67.44 and 48.46, P&lt;0.05) decreased. The serum aspartate aminotransferase(41.38, 19.41, 14.98 and 8.44, P&lt;0.05) and alanine aminotransferase(25.14, 13.10, 11.57 and 7.48, P&lt;0.05) activity decreased. The liver TG(9.89, 5.55, 4.73 and 3.13, P&lt;0.05), TC(1.73, 0.97, 0.80 and 0.50, P&lt;0.05) and FFA(1.81, 1.11, 0.77 and 0.70, P&lt;0.05) decreased. The serum malondialdehyde(MDA)(21.36, 15.24, 12.75 and 10.87, P&lt;0.05) level and liver MDA(11.87, 8.27, 6.33 and 4.98, P&lt;0.05) level decreased. The serum and liver superoxide dismutase and glutathione peroxidase activity increased(P&lt;0.05), and the effect is related to the intervention dose of corn peptide. The size of the liver became smaller, the liver color gradually changed from light yellow to light red., Conclusion: Corn peptide has a certain preventive effect on NAFLD in rats, and the preventive effect of corn peptide is related to its intervention dose.

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The effects of nitrogen fertilizer and biochar on topsoil quality in the drylands of northwest China were studied in field trials for two years. A split plot design with two factors was adopted, with five nitrogen rates (0, 75, 150, 225 and 300 kg N·hm -2 ) as main plots, and two rates of biochar (0 and 7.5 t·hm -2 ) as submain plots. We collected soil samples at 0-15 cm depth after two years of winter wheat-summer maize rotation and measured physical, chemical, and biological properties. The minimum data set (MDS) was established by using principal component analysis and correlation analysis to analyze the responses of soil quality to nitrogen fertilizer and biochar addition. The results showed that the combined application of nitrogen fertilizer and biochar could improve soil physical properties, increase macroaggregate content, reduce soil bulk density, and increase soil porosity. Both fertilizer application and biochar application had a significant effect on soil microbial biomass carbon and nitrogen. The application of biochar could improve soil urease activity and the contents of soil nutrients and organic carbon. Six out of 16 indicators (urease, microbial biomass carbon, total phosphorous, total nitrogen, pH, and available potassium) relating to soil quality were used to construct MDS, and soil quality index (SQI) was calculated. The variation range of SQI was 0.14-0.87, with that of 225 and 300 kg N·hm -2 nitrogen application combined with biochar application being significantly higher than other treatments. Soil quality could be significantly improved by application of nitrogen fertilizer and biochar. Interactive effect was observed, which was particularly stronger under high nitrogen application rate.

In this study, rice straw, soybean straw, wheat straw, and corn straw were chosen as raw materials, and biochars were prepared through the pyrolysis method at 550℃ under oxygen-limited conditions to investigate the physicochemical properties of biochars derived from the straws, the migration and transformation characteristics of heavy metals (HMs) (Cr, Ni, Cu, As, Cd, and Pb) after pyrolysis, and their leaching behaviors in different leaching solutions. The results showed that the physicochemical properties and elemental composition of the biochars were basically consistent. However, compared with that of biochars derived from other straws, biochar derived from wheat straw had a higher ash content (22.48%) and H/C radio (0.06). Meanwhile, biochar derived from corn straw had a smaller micropore volume (0.006 cm 3 ·g -1 ) and a correspondingly smaller specific surface area (110.120 m 2 ·g -1 ), which was consistent with the SEM image. After pyrolysis, the content of HMs (except Cd) increased by 14.04% to 410.81%, especially that of Cu and As. However, the content of Cd in soybean straw and corn straw decreased by 20.49% and 8.20% after pyrolysis, respectively, due to the low boiling point of Cd. Furthermore, most of the HMs (except Cd and Pb) tended to transform from unstable (acid-soluble/exchangeable and reducible forms) to stable forms (oxidizable and residual forms), implying that pyrolysis facilitated the stabilization of the HMs. The HMs in biochar were not leached or were leached in small amounts in ultra-pure water and buffered salt solutions, as opposed to leaching in relatively larger amounts in acetic acid solution and humic acid solution. Cr and Ni showed low leaching capacity in all leaching solutions. Cu showed relatively high leaching capacity in acetic acid solution, with the leaching amount ranging from 2.601 mg·kg -1 to 4.224 mg·kg -1 , and As showed a relatively high leaching capacity in humic acid solution, with the leaching amount ranging from 0.074 mg·kg -1 to 0.166 mg·kg -1 . After pyrolysis, the environmental quality index (PI i ) and the Nemerow pollution index (NPI) values of various HMs increased by different degrees. However, the pollution of single HMs remained at a safe level, and the integrated pollution of biochars was at the level of "clean". Due to the significant increase in potential ecological risk factors ( E r ) of Ni, Cd, and Pb after pyrolysis, the potential ecological risk index (RI) of biochar derived from the rice straw increased slightly. However, the potential ecological risk indexes of biochars derived from other straws significantly decreased after pyrolysis, owing to the stabilization of HMs.

The optimization of annual straw management can improve the yield, income, and carbon and nitrogen efficiency of wheat-maize double cropping systems. Based on a long-term positioning trial started in 2012, five straw management methods were considered, C100 (100% return), C75 (75% return+25% harvest), C50 (50% return+50% harvest), C25 (25% return+75% harvest), and C0 (100% harvest). We analyzed the effects of farmland carbon and nitrogen inputs and their ratios on crop yield, carbon and nitrogen use efficiency, and economic benefits in wheat and maize anniversaries with different straw managements. The results showed that: ① the amount of straw returning to the field resulted in a significant difference in carbon and nitrogen input. The annual carbon and nitrogen inputs from crop residues decreased by 1.76 t·hm -2 and 34.28 kg·hm -2 , respectively, with a 25% reduction in straw returning. The C/N ratios under the C100-C0 treatment were 18.62, 17.03, 15.64, 12.54, and 9.61, respectively. ② Grain yield first increased and then decreased with the decrease in the C/N input ratio, and the effect of straw management on wheat yield was greater than that on maize. Compared with that under C100 and C0, the average grain yield of wheat and maize under the C50 treatment increased by 13.34%-13.67% and 16.10%-17.71%, respectively, and the total grain yield of wheat and maize increased by 14.98% and 15.68%. ③ The annual grain yield and carbon agronomy efficiency were the best with the C/N input ratio of 15.64 (in the C50 treatment), which were 15.71% and 0.29 kg·kg -1 , respectively. The carbon production efficiency continued to increase with the decrease in the C/N input ratio, and there was a significant negative correlation between them. The nitrogen production efficiency increased first and then decreased with the decrease in the C/N input ratio. The nitrogen production efficiency of the C50 treatment was the highest (0.64 kg·kg -1 ), which was significantly higher than that of C100 by 32.63%. ④ The C50 treatment had the highest economic income and net income, which were 46200 yuan·hm -2 and 33400 yuan·hm -2 , respectively. Compared with that of C100, the economic income of grain and straw feed increased by 5600 yuan·hm -2 and 3200 yuan·hm -2 , respectively. In conclusion, the optimal C/N input ratio can be achieved by optimized straw management; 50% straw returning and 50% harvest in a wheat-maize double-cropping intensive production system can promote carbon agricultural efficiency and nitrogen production efficiency and obtain the maximum grain yield and economic benefits.

In order to understand the distribution characteristics of As content in dryland soils and maize seeds in Guizhou province and to evaluate the safety of maize cultivation, 468 natural soil samples, 1260 dryland surface soil samples, and 980 corresponding maize seed samples were systematically collected to determine their As content and basic physicochemical properties. The degree of contamination of the samples was evaluated by using the single-factor contamination index method. The results showed that: ① the range of ω (As) in dryland soil was 0.35-758.53 mg·kg -1 , with a geometric mean of 23.28 mg·kg -1 . The independent sample T -test showed that the As content of dryland soil in Guizhou province was significantly higher than that of natural soil ω (As) 21.29 mg·kg -1 ( P <0.01), indicating the existence of arsenic accumulation effects in dryland soil; compared with the screening value of the "Agricultural Land Soil Pollution Risk Management and Control Standard" (GB 15618-2018), the excess rate of soil samples was 33.81%. ② Corn seed ω (As) ranged from 0.001 to 0.868 mg·kg -1 , with a mean value of 0.064 mg·kg -1 , and 0.61% of the corn seed samples exceeded the limit value of "Limits of Contaminants in Foods" (GB 2762-2017), with the exceeding points distributed in Bijie City, Qianxinan Prefecture, and Tongren City. ③ When corn seeds were used as feed and grain, maize could be safely grown in dryland soils in Guizhou province. This study showed that the soil As pollution in the dryland of Guizhou province was relatively serious, and overall safe maize cultivation can be achieved; however, the cultivation of maize around the As-related non-ferrous metal mining areas is still of concern.

In the present study, we investigated the systematically induced production of defense-related compounds, including DIMBOA, total phenol, trypsin inhibitors (TI) and chymotrypsin inhibitor (CI), by Tetranychus cinnabarinus infestation in Zea mays. The first leaves of two corn inbred line seedlings, the mite-tolerant line 'H1014168' and the mite-sensitive line 'H1014591', were sucked by T. cinnabarinus adult female for seven days, and then the contents of DIMBOA, total phenol, TI and CI were measured in the second leaf and in the roots, respectively. Results showed that as compared to the unsucked control, all contents of DIMBOA, total phenol, TI and CI induced by T. cinnabarinus sucking were significantly higher in the second leaf of both inbred lines as well as in the roots of the mite?tolerant 'H1014168'. However, in the roots of 'H1014591', these defense compounds had different trends, where there was a higher induction of TI and a lower level of total phenol than that of the healthy control, while had almost no difference in DIMBOA and CI. These findings suggested that the infestation of T. cinnabarinus could systematically induce accumulation of defense-related compounds, and this effect was stronger in the mite-tolerant inbred line than in the mite-sensitive inbred line. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To clarify the effects of tillage with mulching on potato yield and soil water and heat characteristics, we conducted a field experiment for two consecutive years in arid region of southern Ningxia. The results showed that tillage depths and mulching materials had significant impacts on soil water storage at 0-100 cm layer during the potato sowing period. The interactive effects of tillage depths and mulching materials were not significant. In 2019, the highest soil water storage was obtained in the subsoiling 30 cm with plastic film mulching, while soil water storage under the subsoiling 40 cm with straw mulch was the highest in 2020. Subsoiling 30 cm with plastic film mul-ching and subsoiling 40 cm with straw mulch significantly increased soil water storage by 16.9% and 33.4% compared with the plowing 15 cm with no mulch (CK), respectively. Tillage depths and mulching materials significantly affected soil water storage in the key growth period of potato. Among the tillage systems, the straw mulching plots and plastic film mulching plots had the strongest effect of soil water conservation. Irrespective of the mulching materials, soil water storage was significantly improved in the subsoiling 30-40 cm plots. Mulching materials and the interaction between tillage depths and mulching materials significantly affected soil effective accumulated temperature at 0-25 cm soil layer after sowing to budding. Among the tillage systems, the plastic film mulching plots significantly increased the average soil effective accumulated temperature by 9.3%, whereas the straw mulching plots significantly reduced the temperature by 18.7%, in comparison with no mulching plots. The highest soil effective accumulated temperature during the whole growth period was obtained in the subsoiling 30 cm with plastic film mulching and subsoiling 40 cm with plastic film mulching treatments in 2019 and 2020. The highest potato tuber yield and economic benefit in 2019 were found in the subsoiling 30 cm with straw mulching treatment, respectively, being 84.6% and 107.9% higher than CK. In 2020, the improvement effect of subsoiling 40 cm with straw mulch on potato tuber yield and economic benefit was the strongest, respectively, which were significantly increased by 81.7% and 105.7%, compared with CK. Tillage depths and mulching materials had significant interactive effects on the water and heat use efficiency of crop. The higher water use efficiency was obtained in the subsoiling 30-40 cm with straw mulch treatments, whereas the accumulated temperature use efficiency was increased significantly under different tillage depths with straw mulching treatments compared with CK. Soil water and effective accumulated temperature during the tuber formation stage were the main factors affecting potato total yield, with stronger effect of soil water than that of soil effective accumulated temperature. Therefore, the treatments of subsoiling 30-40 cm with straw mulch could improve soil moisture and heat condition, and realize potato yield and income increase and efficient use of water and heat resources, which have application and popularization value in dryland potato cultivation of southern Ningxia.

The change of protein expression profiles from maize leaves of abuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) inoculation under arsenic (As) stress was studied by the method of proteomics. The maize leaves were used as the experimental materials. The differentially expressed proteins in the maize leaves of AMF inoculation after As stress were separated by 2-DE and identified by mass spectrometry and searching for NCBInr database. The results showed that 18 proteins in the maize leaf differentially expressed. Of them，6 proteins were successfully identified, including protein phosphatase 2C, ornithine carbamoyltransferase, PEP carboxylase, two ATP synthase CF1 beta subunits and one hypothetical protein. This study was helpful to understand the influence of As stress on AM inoculation at the level of protein and the mechanism of resistance of AM plants to arsenic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Agroecosystems are a significant source of nitric oxide (NO), a potent atmospheric pollutant. It has been well documented that the NO emissions from upland cropping systems and their emission factors are large relative to those from paddy fields. However, a clear understanding of their uncertainty and regulating factors is still lacking. To date, various field experiments have been conducted to investigate NO emissions and mitigation, providing an opportunity for a Meta-analysis. The aims of this study were to 1 investigate the uncertainty and regulating factors of NO emissions and emission factors from maize-winter wheat rotations, non-waterlogging period in rice-winter wheat rotations, vegetable fields, tea plantations, and fruit orchards across China by extracting data from peer-reviewed publications, and 2 quantify the mitigation potential of management practices, such as reducing nitrogen fertilizer input, organic substitution with chemical fertilizers, and application of enhanced-efficiency nitrogen fertilizers or biochar by performing a pairwise Meta-analysis. A total of 49 references (published from 2006 to 2021) were collected. The results showed that annual NO emissions from the maize-winter wheat rotations, tea plantations, and fruit orchards averaged 1.44, 7.45, and 0.92 kg·hm -2 , respectively, with significant differences among the three cropping systems ( P <0.05). The seasonal NO emissions from the non-waterlogging period in rice-winter wheat rotations and vegetable fields within a single growth period averaged 2.13 kg·hm -2 and 2.09 kg·hm -2 , respectively. The NO emissions positively related to nitrogen inputs in the maize-winter wheat rotations, non-waterlogging period in rice-winter wheat rotations, and tea plantations ( P <0.01) but not in the vegetable fields and fruit orchards. The emission factors averaged 0.31%, 0.71%, 0.96%, 1.74%, and 0.13% in the maize-winter wheat rotations, non-waterlogging period in rice-winter wheat rotations, vegetable fields, tea plantations, and fruit orchards, respectively, with significant differences among the cropping systems ( P <0.01), except between the maize-winter wheat rotations and non-waterlogging period in rice-winter wheat rotations or vegetable fields ( P >0.05). Considering the substantial differences in emission factors among the cropping systems, a specific emission factor for each system should be applied when estimating an agricultural NO budget at a regional or national scale. Reducing nitrogen input only mitigated NO emissions (by 36%) at a reducing nitrogen ratio above 25% but did not impact emission factors. An optimal reducing nitrogen ratio has to be further evaluated without crop productivity penalties. Organic substitution in soils with organic carbon content<15 g·kg -1 or pH<7 and application of enhanced-efficiency fertilizers in the maize-winter wheat rotation simultaneously mitigated NO emissions (by -46%- -38%) and emission factors (by -62%- -45%). By contrast, biochar amendment had no significant effects on either NO emissions or emission factors. These findings highlight a possibility of choosing an effective NO mitigation strategy under specific field conditions.

A field experiment was carried out to study the effects of winter cover cropping on soil greenhouse gas emissions in dryland maize. Four cover crop treatments, namely oat, lentil, a mixture of oat and lentil, and no cover crops (CK), were included during the winter fallow period. Greenhouse gas emission fluxes from soil were measured using the static chamber-gas chromatograph technique. The results showed that:both soil CO 2 and N 2 O were emitted, but the soil acted as a sink for CH 4 . Compared with the that in CK, oat and lentil had no effect on the cumulative amount of soil CO 2 emissions during the winter fallow period and increased the cumulative amount of soil CO 2 emissions by 7.77% and 25.7% ( P <0.05) in the spring maize growing period, respectively; the mixture increased the cumulative amount of soil CO 2 emissions by 19.1% and 14.5% ( P <0.05) during the winter fallow and spring maize growing periods. In the winter fallow and spring maize periods, compared with that in CK, oat declined the cumulative amount of soil N 2 O emissions by 11.6% and 14.7% ( P <0.05), and lentil increased the cumulative amount of soil N 2 O emissions by 31.9% and 14.9% ( P <0.05), respectively. Compared to that in the CK, the mixture declined the cumulative amount of soil N 2 O emissions by 19.2% ( P <0.05) in the winter fallow period but had no effect in the spring maize period. Compared with the CK, oat, lentil, and their mixture resulted in a declined cumulative amount of soil CH 4 uptake by 37.9%, 23.6%, and 29.6% ( P <0.05) in the winter fallow period and by 19.4%, 33.5%, and 31.5% ( P <0.05) in the spring maize growing period, respectively. Compared with the CK, oat had no effect on global warming potential (GWP), maize yield, and greenhouse gas intensity (GHGI). Lentil and the mixture increased GWP, and lentil showed a greater increase in GWP than that of the mixture. Compared with the CK, lentil and the mixture increased maize yield by 20.3% and 15.4% ( P <0.05), respectively, and had no effect on GHGI. The findings from this study show that the lentil and oat mixture can significantly increase maize yield and decrease GHGI.

Meteorological disaster is one of the main factors restricting agriculture development in China. It is important to clarify the risk of summer maize agrometeorological disaster for disaster prevention and mitigation. Based on the natural disaster risk theory, we collected meteorological data and maize yield data from 1981 to 2018 in a typical area in the northern mountainous area of Sichuan Basin (Wangcang County). The main disaster-causing factors affecting summer maize production were determined. A comprehensive agro-meteorological disaster risk assessment model for summer maize was constructed in combination with the sensitivity of pregnant environment and vulnerability of disaster bearing to evaluate the agrometeorological disasters risk of summer maize production in the northern mountainous area of Sichuan Basin. The results showed that during the study period, high temperature in mature period, rainstorm in flowering period, rainstorm in mature period, continuous rain in filling period and drought in booting stage were the main agrometeorological disasters affecting the growth and development of summer maize. The agrometeorological disaster risk of maize generally distributed in a southwest-northeast pattern, with the distribution areas of high-risk and higher-risk areas accounting for half of the total area of Wangcang County. The high-risk areas were mainly located in the southwest of the county, which was basically consistent with the high-value areas of hazard-pregnant environment sensitivity. The low-risk areas were mostly concentrated in the western part of county territory, which were also low-risk areas of high temperature in mature period, rainstorm in mature period, and rainstorm in flowering period disasters.

The lack of carbon sources severely inhibits denitrification in wastewater with a low C/N ratio. Corncob and rice straw were chosen as supplementary carbon sources to bring into the wetland system to supplement the carbon sources needed for denitrification, and the enhancing effects of the two carbon sources on nitrogen removal from the wetland were studied. The cumulative release of carbon was in the order of rice straw[(145.17±9.44) mg·g -1 ]>corncob[(57.41±5.04) mg·g -1 ] based on the 11-day pure water extraction and release experiment, whereas the cumulative release of nitrogen was in the order of rice straw[(2.31±0.09) mg·g -1 ]>corncob[(0.66±0.08) mg·g -1 ]. The average carbon/nitrogen ratios released and accumulated by corncob and rice straw during the observation period were 94.78 and 63.64, respectively. Corncob was more suited as an additional carbon source than rice straw. COD concentrations in the effluent from the corncob and straw constructed wetlands were found to be below 50 mg·L -1 for the 58-day pilot test of subsurface flow constructed wetlands, except on days 8 to 12. The NO 3 - -N removal rates of the corncob-added built wetlands were 93%-99% over the observation period, with good denitrification performance. In comparison, the lowest NO 3 - -N removal rate of the constructed wetland with the addition of rice straw was only 76.8% at the late stage of operation, and the denitrification rate dropped dramatically. The control group removal rates of NO 3 - -N were only 76.2%-77.7%, indicating a clear lack of carbon sources. The accumulation of NO 2 - -N was also induced by a lack of carbon supply. NO 2 - -N effluent concentrations were 2.5-6 times and 6-26 times higher in the constructed wetlands with rice straw and the control groups, respectively, than those in the wetlands constructed with corncob. The addition of corncob resulted in a more substantial reduction in NO 2 - -N content in the constructed wetland than the addition of rice straw ( P <0.05). The TN removal rates of wetlands constructed with corncob and rice straw and the control group were 83.75%-93.49%, 76.59%-78.85%, and 67.85%-72.56%, respectively, with significant differences among the three ( P <0.01). Finally, pretreatment with dilute alkali heating raised the cumulative carbon release of corncob to (93.73±17.49) mg·g -1 and the carbon/nitrogen ratio to 175.8, significantly improving the carbon release performance of corncob and demonstrating that it is a suitable source of extra carbon.