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Ratooning is an important cultivation practice in sugarcane production around the world, with underground buds on the remaining stalk acting as the source for establishment of a subsequent ratoon crop. However, the optimal depth of cutting during harvest in terms of yield and root growth remains unknown. We carried out a two-year field study to determine the effects of three cutting depths (0, 5 and 10 cm below the surface) ratoon cane root and yield. Results showed that cutting to a depth of 5 cm increased the root fresh weight and root volume by 21-59% and 41-127%, respectively, compared to cutting depths of 0 and 10 cm. Remarkably, cutting to a depth of 5 cm also had a significant effect on the development of fine roots, which is closely linked to cane yield. The effect was particularly noticeable in terms of two root traits, root volume and the surface area of roots with a diameter of 1.0-2.0mm, and root length and the number of root tips in roots with a diameter of 0-0.5mm. As a result, a cutting depth of 5 cm below the surface increased cane yield by 43 and 28% compared to depths of 0 and 10 cm below the surface, respectively. Overall, these findings suggest that a cutting depth of 5 cm is optimal in terms of sugarcane yield, largely due to the enhanced effect on root traits, especially the development of fine roots. These findings will help optimize sugarcane ratoon management and improve the ratoon cycle., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

Drought is an important factor which limits growth of sugarcane. To elucidate the physiological and biochemical mechanisms of tolerance, a pot experiment was conducted at Sugarcane Research Institute, Kaiyuan, China. Two genotypes (Yuetang 93-159-sensitive and Yunzhe 05-51-tolerant), were subjected to three treatments; 70±5% (control), 50±5% (moderate drought) and 30±5% (severe drought) of soil field capacity. The results demonstrated that drought induced considerable decline in morpho-physiological, biochemical and anatomical parameters of both genotypes, with more pronounced detrimental effects on Yuetang 93-159 than on Yunzhe 05-51. Yunzhe 05-51 exhibited more tolerance by showing higher dry biomass, photosynthesis and antioxidant enzyme activities. Compared with Yuetang 93-159, Yunzhe 05-51 exhibited higher soluble sugar, soluble protein and proline contents under stress. Yunzhe 05-51 illustrated comparatively well-composed chloroplast structure under drought stress. It is concluded that the tolerance of Yunzhe 05-51 was attributed to improved antioxidant activities, osmolyte accumulation and enhanced photosynthesis. These findings may provide valuable information for future studies on molecular mechanism of tolerance., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

Introduction: More than 80% of schistosomiasis patients in China live in the lake and marshland regions. The purpose of our study is to assess the effect of a comprehensive strategy to control transmission of Schistosoma japonicum in marshland regions., Methodology/principal Findings: In a cluster randomized controlled trial, we implemented an integrated control strategy in twelve villages from 2009 through 2011 in Gong'an County, Hubei Province. The routine interventions included praziquantel chemotherapy and controlling snails, and were implemented in all villages. New interventions, mainly consisting of building fences to limit the grazing area for bovines, building safe pastures for grazing, improving the residents' health conditions and facilities, were only implemented in six intervention villages. Results showed that the rate of S. japonicum infection in humans, bovines, snails, cow dung and mice in the intervention group decreased from 3.41% in 2008 to 0.81% in 2011, 3.3% to none, 11 of 6,219 to none, 3.9% to none and 31.7% to 1.7%, respectively (P<0.001 for all comparisons). In contrast, there were no statistically significant reductions of S. japonicum infection in humans, bovines and snails from 2008 to 2011 in the control group (P>0.05 for all comparisons). Moreover, a generalized linear model showed that there was a higher infection risk in humans in the control group than in the intervention group (OR = 1.250, P = 0.001) and an overall significant downward trend in infection risk during the study period., Conclusions/significance: The integrated control strategy, designed to reduce the role of bovines and humans as sources of S. japonicum infection, was highly effective in controlling the transmission of S. japonicum in marshland regions in China., Trial Registration: Chinese Clinical Trial Registry ChiCTR-PRC-12002405.

Engagement of T-cell immunoglobulin mucin (Tim)-1 on T cells with its ligand, Tim-4, on antigen presenting cells delivers positive costimulatory signals to T cells. However, the molecular mechanisms for Tim-1-mediated regulation of T-cell activation and differentiation are relatively poorly understood. Here we investigated the role of Tim-1 in T-cell responses and allograft rejection using recombinant human Tim-1 extracellular domain and IgG1-Fc fusion proteins (Tim-1-Fc). In vitro assays confirmed that Tim-1-Fc selectively binds to CD4(+) effector T cells, but not dendritic cells or natural regulatory T cells (nTregs). Tim-1-Fc was able to inhibit the responses of purified CD4(+) T cells that do not express Tim-4 to stimulation by anti-CD3/CD28 mAbs, and this inhibition was associated with reduced AKT and ERK1/2 phosphorylation, but it had no influence on nTregs. Moreover, Tim-1-Fc inhibited the proliferation of CD4(+) T cells stimulated by allogeneic dendritic cells. Treatment of recipient mice with Tim-1-Fc significantly prolonged cardiac allograft survival in a fully MHC-mismatched strain combination, which was associated with impaired Th1 response and preserved Th2 and nTregs function. Importantly, the frequency of Foxp3(+) cells in splenic CD4(+) T cells was increased, thus shifting the balance toward regulators, even though Tim-1-Fc did not induce Foxp3 expression in CD4(+)CD25(-) T cells directly. These results indicate that Tim-1-Fc can inhibit T-cell responses through an unknown Tim-1 binding partner on T cells, and it is a promising immunosuppressive agent for preventing allograft rejection.