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Trait-based approaches are increasingly used to understand crop yield improvement, although they have not been widely applied to anatomical traits. Little is known about the relationships between root and leaf anatomy and yield in wheat. We selected 20 genotypes that have been widely planted in Luoyang, in the major wheat-producing area of China, to explore these relationships. A field study was performed to measure the yields and yield components of the genotypes. Root and leaf samples were collected at anthesis to measure the anatomical traits relevant to carbon allocation and water transport. Yield was negatively correlated with cross-sectional root cortex area, indicating that reduced root cortical tissue and therefore reduced carbon investment have contributed to yield improvement in this region. Yield was positively correlated with root xylem area, suggesting that a higher water transport capacity has also contributed to increased yields in this study. The area of the leaf veins did not significantly correlate with yield, showing that the high-yield genotypes did not have larger veins, but they may have had a conservative water use strategy, with tight regulation of water loss from the leaves. This study demonstrates that breeding for higher yields in this region has changed wheat's anatomical traits, reducing the roots' cortical tissue and increasing the roots' xylem investment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Hydrogeology & Engineering Geology / Shuiwendizhi Gongchengdizhi is the property of Hydrogeology & Engineering Geology 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.)

Soil is the foundation of land ecosystems, and its reconstruction is of great importance for land reclamation, land quality improvement, and ecological environment restoration. Two methods, literature and comparative analyses, were adopted to analyze the basic concepts and implications of soil reconstitution, soil reconstitution techniques, and the operational mechanisms of soil and water properties in China. The results showed the following：based on a comparative analysis of the research object, research purpose, filling materials, and key technologies, the concepts and implications of soil reconstruction and organic reconstruction were observed to have overlapping and inclusive relationships. The research objectives and purposes of both approaches were the recycling of damaged and defective land, and ecosystem restoration. The key technology focused on the reconstruction of the soil profile structure and function; reconstruction materials belonged to an inclusive relationship. In addition, the filling materials for soil organic reconstruction were primarily organic and biological materials, including the by-products of mining areas. Based on the characteristics of soil damage, soil profile reconstruction could be divided into four types：soil function degradation, soil damage, soil structure disorder, and soil pollution. Correspondence between the selection of soil-reconstituting materials and the local circumstances was recommended. Soil reconstruction technology also attached great importance to reducing structural damage; soil compaction should be reduced so that damage to the topsoil is reduced and soil productivity is improved. Soil reconstruction focused on land reclamation in mining areas, and its impact on soil-water characteristics focused on model simulation and soil water retention. Moisture and solute transport in the soil are blocked by the reconstructed soil to a certain extent, which is not conducive to precipitation infiltration. Studies on soil-water movement during a short time series and its mechanism under different soil remodeling patterns should also be taken into consideration in soil reconstruction. Further theoretical and technical studies on the research and development of ecological materials for soil reconstruction, the coupling mechanism between the soil and other elements, the integration of complete process monitoring and information technology, and the reconstruction of soil in rural areas and the urban landscape should be conducted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Coal Science & Technology (0253-2336) is the property of Coal Science & Technology 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.)

Phosphorus (P) is one of the macroelements necessary for plant growth, second only to nitrogen (N) in importance. Most studies have shown that phosphorus is easily adsorbed by soil particles or forms insoluble precipitates with some substances in the soil (Fe, Al, and Ca), leading to the less biological availability of phosphorus. A large amount of phosphorus fertilizer is also applied to the soil for the needs of crops in practice. As such, the content of total phosphorus and Olsen-P in farmland soil has continued to rise in recent years in China. For instance, the average available phosphorus content in farmland soil was ranging from only 7.4 to 24.7 mg/kg from the 1980s to 2007. Excessive application of phosphorus fertilizer has posed a great threat to the physical and chemical properties of soil structure. This study aims to reveal the effect of phosphorus addition on the one-dimensional vertical infiltration characteristics of soil water. A series of soil infiltration experiments of adding phosphorus with water (CK, P1, P2, P3, P4) and cultivating soil infiltration experiments with phosphorus (ICK, IP1, IP2, IP3, IP4) were carried out. Five P gradients were set for each experiment, which were 0, 0.075, 0.15, 0.225, 0.3 g/kg. The results showed that: 1) Phosphorus application with water presented no significant effect on the soil infiltration during the infiltration process; 2) The water infiltration capacity was significantly enhanced after the soil was incubated with the phosphorus addition for 90 days. Compared with the control ICK, the cumulative infiltration amount of IP1, IP2, IP3, and IP4 increased by 7.82%, 8.85%, 9.82%, and 11.21%, respectively, whereas, the corresponding infiltration time decreased by 7.77%, 14.56%, 22.33%, and 27.18%, respectively. The cumulative infiltration amount and the migration speed of the wetting front increased significantly, with the increase of the phosphorus concentration. There was an excellent linear relationship between the infiltration parameters and phosphorus concentration in the fitted Kostiakov and the migration distance-time formula of the wetting front; 3) The IP3, and IP4 treatments presented a significantly larger amount of 0.25-2 mm particle size aggregates, compared with the control ICK without phosphorus. The amount increased by 35.9%, and 51.28%, respectively, indicating the addition of phosphorus significantly increased the proportion of large aggregates of 0.25-2 mm in the soil, thus changing the one-dimensional vertical infiltration characteristics of soil water. In summary, the duration of phosphorus addition in the soil was closely related to the change in soil structure. Phosphorus addition also increased the proportion of large aggregates of 0.25-2 mm in the soil, thereby enhancing the infiltration capacity of the soil. It is very necessary to consider the effect of phosphorus fertilizer on soil structure, especially in the case of excessive application of phosphorus fertilizer. Therefore, the phosphorus application can be combined with the soil infiltration capacity, in order to reveal the effect of phosphorus addition on the soil moisture and infiltration capacity. The finding can provide a theoretical basis for the rational and standardized phosphorus application. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lepus yarkandensis specifically lives in arid climate with rare precipitation of Tarim Basin in western China. Aquaporins (AQPs) are a family of channel proteins that facilitate water transportation across cell membranes. Kidney AQPs play vital roles in renal tubule water permeability and maintenance of body water homeostasis. This study aimed to investigate whether kidney AQPs exhibit higher expression in arid-desert living animals. Immunohistochemistry results revealed localization of AQP1 to the capillary endothelial cells in glomerulus and epithelial cells in proximal tubule and descending thin limbs, AQP2 to the apical plasma membrane of principal cells in the cortical collecting duct (CCD), outer medullary collecting duct (OMCD), and IMCD cells in the initial inner medullary collecting duct (IMCD1) and middle IMCD (IMCD2), and AQP3 and AQP4 to the basolateral plasma membrane of principal cells and IMCD cells in CCD, OMCD, IMCD1, and IMCD2 in L. yarkandensis kidneys. Quantitative real-time PCR analysis showed higher mRNA levels of AQP1 , AQP2 , AQP3 , and AQP4 in L. yarkandensis kidneys compared with Oryctolagus cuniculus. Similar results were obtained by western blotting. Our results suggested that higher expression levels of AQP1, AQP2, AQP3, and AQP4 in L. yarkandensis kidneys favored for drawing more water from the tubular fluid. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The reduction of the regular tribute grains from Jiangsu and Zhejiang provinces in the early Tongzhi reign was widely recorded in official documents and local gazetteers. The ensuing reduction of the subsidies for sea transportation and transformation of the canal assisting fee, which was crucial to the reform of the deep-rooted corruption of the tribute grain transportation, had far-reaching influence, however, it can not be found in the Veritable Records nor do modern scholars mention it in their research on the funding of sea transportation. This paper revisits this important issue in the tribute grain transportation of the Qing, reexamines its origins and developments, and explores the subjective and objective causes for the ultimate abolishment of the allowance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article investigates a series of projects for the improvement of shipping conditions of the Upper Yangzi in 1805-'40. The enterprise was undertaken by two Hankou merchants, one of whom published his 'Brief Account of the Taming of the Rapids'. An analysis of the detailed data of this source provides insights into navigation conditions and rates of environmental change on a major river, and into a major infrastructure project undertaken as merchant philanthropy. This paper proposes a perspective on water transport in pre-industrial China against a wider temporal and cultural backdrop, with a particular reference to private philanthropy as a set item within the moral economy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The vadose zone serves as a connection and transformation link between the atmosphere, plants, soil, surface water and groundwater. It is considered to be an important component of the geosphere and has sensitive interactions with the hydrosphere, biosphere, and atmosphere, which greatly impacts the environment and human health. This study was conducted in the Achnatherum splendens grassland of the Qinghai Lake Basin, NE Qinghai–Tibet Plateau, China, and can provide references and guidance for research on the mechanisms governing the circulation and evolution of vadose-zone water in cold arid regions. Precipitation, dustfall, and vadose zone samples were collected to investigate transport in the vadose zone water using stable isotopes of hydrogen (δ2H) and oxygen (δ18O) as well as chloride as environmental tracers. The results showed that precipitation was the main source of chloride in the research area, accounting for 86.5% of total chloride deposition. The soil water in the vadose zone was mainly recharged by local precipitation. Strong evaporation occurred before the precipitation infiltrated and recharged soil water. The soil water, chloride content, and isotope values in the soil profile varied across different depths. The annual potential recharge from precipitation to the vadose zone soil water was 9.20 mm/yr, accounting for 2.17% of the local precipitation. The actual recharge from precipitation to groundwater was 26.29 mm/yr, accounting for 6.19% of the local precipitation. The infiltration recharge from preferential and piston flow accounted for 66.40% and 33.60% of the total infiltration recharge to groundwater, respectively, indicating that preferential flow was the main source of groundwater recharge in the studied grassland. The results of this study were compared with those of other relevant studies. The recharge mechanisms of the vadose zone soil water and groundwater varied between different regions and were controlled mainly by the spatiotemporal distribution of precipitation, topographic characteristics, and soil structure. These findings provide a reference and guidance for research on the circulation and evolution of vadose-zone water in the Qinghai Lake Basin and Qinghai–Tibet Plateau. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the continuous growth of economic water consumption in arid regions, many endorheic rivers and terminal lakes have desiccated. As an important ecological engineering measure, water transport in arid regions has vital ecological significance for protecting the regional ecological environment and delaying desertification. In this study, Qingtu Lake, the terminal lake of Shiyang River, was selected to analyze the ecological effects of water transport by means of remote sensing interpretations and current year field investigations. The results demonstrated that, in July 2018, the water surface had formed and recovered to 5.68 km². Additionally, Qingtu Lake formed a spatial gradient distribution in groundwater depth. The depth increased in gradient from the waterside to the desert edge. There was a significant increase in the overall regional vegetation coverage, which mainly occurred in the water areas because of the extensive growth in Phragmites australis , which reached 10.54 km² in area in 2018. Furthermore, the regional vegetation formed a gradient distribution, which transitioned from hygrophytes to xerophytes. This study can provide guidelines for the protection and restoration of lakes in arid regions., Competing Interests: The authors declare no conflict of interest.