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Agaricus bisporus is a popular edible mushroom that is cultivated worldwide. Due to its secondary homothallic nature, cultivated A. bisporus strains have low genetic diversity, and breeding novel strains is challenging. The aim of this study was to investigate the genetic diversity and population structure of globally collected A. bisporus strains using simple sequence repeat (SSR) markers. Agaricus bisporus strains were divided based on genetic distance-based groups and model-based subpopulations. The major allele frequency (MAF), number of genotypes (NG), number of alleles (NA), observed heterozygosity (HO), expected heterozygosity (HE), and polymorphic information content (PIC) were calculated, and genetic distance, population structure, genetic differentiation, and Hardy–Weinberg equilibrium (HWE) were assessed. Strains were divided into two groups by distance-based analysis and into three subpopulations by model-based analysis. Strains in subpopulations POP A and POP B were included in Group I, and strains in subpopulation POP C were included in Group II. Genetic differentiation between strains was 99%. Marker AB-gSSR-1057 in Group II and subpopulation POP C was confirmed to be in HWE. These results will enhance A. bisporus breeding programs and support the protection of genetic resources.

Formulating biochar-based nitrogen fertilisers from charred livestock manure and urea, the two largest emitters of ammonia (NH3) may help to abate particulate matter emitted from agricultural operations. However, animal manure biochar inadequately retains carbon, thus impairing its primary role of carbon sequestration. Co-pyrolysis of animal manure with phosphorus (P) may improve quality of the biochar, but with the phosphate rock reserves expected to vanish soon, a shift to renewable P sources is desirable. Bone waste is laden with P and can be a viable replacement of the phosphate rock. In the current study, we assessed the efficiency of bone waste as a P source in the co-pyrolysis of cow dung and quantified the NH3 emitting potentials of the biochar-based urea and UHP fertilisers formulated with the co-pyrolysed biochar. Co-pyrolysis of cow dung with bone waste increased yield and carbon retentions of biochar and boosted biochar’s capacity to attenuate NH3 emissions. UHP fertilisers formulated from the co-pyrolysed biochar lessened NH3 evolutions by as high as 85.93% and were more effective in reducing NH3 volatilisations than co-pyrolysed biochar-based urea fertilisers.

Flooding is one of the major abiotic stresses which accounts for considerable damage to plant growth and development and induces multiple morpho-physiological dysfunctions in many crop plants, including buckwheat. The present study aimed to elucidate the potential stage and duration of waterlogging treatment during the various stage that had the most severe effect on yield in common buckwheat (Fagopyrum esculentum cv. Harunoibuki). The plants were subjected to flooding stress during 3 days at ES, MS, and FS with 5 cm of water depth. The results showed that the plant height, SPAD (soil plant analysis development) value, chlorophyll fluorescence, root analysis (length, surface area, and volume), and dry weight were found to be influenced when plants were exposed to flooding stress at each stage. Here it was demonstrated that root parameters were more impaired by flooding stress than shoot parameters. The findings concluded that early growth stage was more sensitive regarding physiological characteristics (value of SPAD and chlorophyll fluorescence) and root morphology (root length, surface area, volume, and dry weight) under flooding stress in common buckwheat.

Appropriate adjustment of various microclimatic and nutrient conditions can improve crop productivity under greenhouse cultivation. Here, we performed non-targeted profiling to investigate metabolite variation in tomato fruits following different supplementary LED lighting (SL) (red: R; blue: B; and a combination of red and blue light: RB, for 1 h/day and 6 h/day per condition) and mineral nutrient supply (N, K, Mg). The different SL treatments affected metabolite variation in tomato fruits more significantly than mineral nutrients. Importantly, regulating the SL period induced a more distinct metabolite composition in tomato fruits than that induced by varying the SL sources. Tomato fruits cultivated under RB for 6 h/day had a relatively higher content of sugar derivatives, especially sucrose, thus influencing the gustatory characteristics of the fruit. In contrast, fruit from tomatoes cultivated under RB for 1 h/day showed a distinctive increase in the abundance of amino acids, organic acids, and several secondary metabolites, adding to its nutritional quality. Intriguingly, the different mineral supplements elicited discriminant metabolic variation in tomato fruits cultivated under reduced levels of mineral supply; however, the effects were insignificant under enhanced levels of mineral supply. Specifically, reduced level in nitrogen supply resulted in a lower abundance of amino acids, whereas reduced level in potassium supply increased metabolite levels including amino acids, sugars, and fatty acids in tomato fruits. In the present study, we employed a non-targeted metabolomics approach to unravel the effects of microclimatic parameters and mineral nutrients on fruit quality parameters of tomato plants, by which regulating the period of SL and reducing the potassium concentration were suggested to improve different nutritional qualities.

Co-pyrolysis of animal manure biomass with bone meal (BM) and soaking of the resultant biochar in urea containing solutions may offer a sustainable and cheap way of formulating slow-release nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) fertilisers. This method can lead to optimisation of the carbon sequestration capacity of the biochar, abatement of environmental pollution by P and N and alleviation of the severity of the projected future scarcity of P. A few studies have indicated that sorption can create efficient slow-release fertilisers although all of them utilised charged moieties such as ammonium ions to formulate them and as a result, there is a paucity of data concerning the efficiency of fertilisers formulated using uncharged compounds like urea. It’s against that background that we examined the possibility of leveraging co-pyrolysis and sorption with urea containing solutions to formulate slow-release N and P fertilisers along with assessing the agronomic efficiency of the formulated fertilisers through cultivating lettuce in pots for two seasons. Both urea-hydrogen peroxide (UHP) and urea were utilised as N sources. UHP (CDBM-UHP) and urea (CDBM-Urea) containing biochars averagely released 64.40% and 87.00% of the added N, respectively over the 28-day incubation period with the amount of N released decreasing with increasing concentrations of BM in the biochar. Lettuce yields and nutrient use efficiencies of N and P were higher in the CDBM-UHP than in the CDBM-Urea treatments. It’s therefore clear that sorption of UHP by BM containing biochar concomitantly slows-down releases of N and P and boosts the agronomic efficiency of the fertilisers.

We analyzed the contents of 38 primary metabolites and 9 minerals in the leaves and roots of bell pepper (Capsicum annuum L. var. angulosum) to study metabolic responses to deficiency in nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, calcium, or magnesium. Induced deficiencies of individual cations reduced the abundance of the other cations in both leaves and roots. Each nutrient-deficient condition was clearly grouped by principal component analysis, which also showed that leaves under cation-deficiency treatments were separated from those under non-cation-deficiency treatments. This was consistent with that a single cation deficiency decreased the levels of the other cations in leaves. Specifically, N deficiency reduced amino acids and organic acids in both tissues. The common response to P-, K-, Ca- or Mg-deficient conditions showed significant increases in the levels of amino acids in both tissues and organic acids in the roots. In the leaves, P- or Mg-deficient conditions reduced organic acids. Soluble carbohydrates were significantly increased under N-, K-, Ca- or Mg-deficient conditions in the leaves, whereas in roots under K deficiency. Notably, the level of γ-aminobutyric acid, an amino acid that helps protect against biotic and abiotic stresses, was increased threefold in leaves under K-deficient conditions and sixfold in roots under P-, K-, Ca-, or Mg-deficient conditions. These findings provide additional information about variations in metabolite and mineral abundance in bell pepper leaves and roots in response to mineral shortage.

Plants regulate a number of primary metabolites, including carbohydrates, organic acids, and amino acids, in response to UV-B radiation. Therefore, it is essential to understand the time-dependent response of rice plants to UV-B stress. This study focused on the response of plants to UV-B at different leaf developmental phases (emerging, growing, and maturing) in an attempt to fully comprehend the metabolic shift. We analyzed the expression levels of genes related to starch/sucrose metabolism in the leaf blades of rice seedlings (Oryza sativa L. “Saechuchenog”) exposed to UV-B irradiation for short (1 day) and long terms (5 days) using quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction. We also examined the diurnal variations in the contents of primary metabolites using an established GCTOF-MS (gas chromatography time of flight-mass spectrometry) method. The results showed that the levels of primary metabolites were largely dependent upon the diurnal rhythm and leaf developmental phase. The young leaves (sink) produced and accumulated starch rather than sucrose. The short-term (4 h, 1 day) UV-B exposure inhibited sucrose synthesis, which could be the first target of UV-B radiation. Following short- and long-term (5 days) exposure to UV-B radiation, the dynamic response of primary metabolites was evaluated. It was found that the content of carbohydrates decreased throughout the period of exposure to UV-B stress, especially in terms of sucrose concentration. However, the content of the majority of amino acids increased after an early decrease. Our data revealed that the metabolic response, as well as the gene expression, differed with the period (intensity) of exposure to UV-B radiation and with the phase of leaf development. These findings provide new insights for a better understanding of the metabolic response of a variety of plant species exposed to a wide range of UV-B radiation.

The interplay of plant hormones is one of the essential mechanisms for plant growth and development. A recent study reported that Brassinosteroids (BR) and ABSCISIC ACID (ABA) interact antagonistically in early seedling developments through the BR-mediated epigenetic repression of ABSCISIC ACID-INSENSITIVE 3 (ABI3). However, the other physiological roles of the BR-mediated regulation of ABI3 and ABA responses beyond early seedling developments remain largely unknown. Here, we showed that the activation of BR signaling by high temperatures promotes flowering time through the suppression of ABI3 expressions. Elevated ambient temperature induced early flowering in wild type Col-0 plants, but not in BR-defective bri1-116 mutant plants. Conversely, a hyper BR biosynthetic dwf4-D mutant displayed more sensitive thermomorphic long shoot elongation and early flowering. Both expression patterns and physiological responses supported the biological roles of ABI3 in the regulation of floral transition and reproduction under high temperature conditions. Finally, we confirmed that the lowered expressions of the transcript and protein levels of ABI3 brought on by elevated temperature were correlated with warmth-induced early flowering phenotypes. In conclusion, our data suggest that the BR- and warmthmediated regulation of ABI3 are important in thermomorphic reproductive phase transitions in plants.

The wild species are considered as primary and secondary genepools for the world’s most important food crops. Here, we sequenced the complete chloroplast (cp) genome sequence of an American wild licorice, Glycyrrhiza lepidota for the first time to investigate their phylogenetic relationship among inverted-repeat-lacking clade (IRLC) legumes. The total length of the chloroplast genome is 127,939 bp, with 34.2% overall GC content. The chloroplast genome harbors 110 known genes, including 76 protein-coding genes, four ribosomal RNA genes, and 30 tRNA genes. Similar to other closely related plastomes, rpl22 and rps16 are absent. A total of 464 cp microsatellites (cpSSRs) were analyzed in the G. lepidota. The majority of the SSRs in this cp genome are penta-nucleotides (61.6%). Locally collinear blocks (LCBs) identified between the Glycyrrhiza glabra and G. lepidota cp genomes were showed that they were well conserved with respect to gene organization and order. Moreover, the phylogenetic analysis indicates that G. lepidota is closely related to its confamilial counterparts than to the other taxa of the IRLC legumes.

Photosynthesis, enzyme activities and metabolite pools associated with primary carbon metabolism in leaves were studied in O. grandiglumis and O. alta (wild relatives of rice which produce high biomass) versus O. sativa (a japonica cultivar and a indica-japonica hybrid) to assess their potential for identifying traits which might be utilized to enhance rice productivity. The wild relatives had higher rates of photosynthesis on a fresh weight basis, and higher water use efficiency than the O. sativa lines. There were no striking differences in activities of a number of key enzymes in carbon and nitrogen metabolism between the wild relatives and cultivated rice lines. Along with higher rates of photosynthesis on a fresh weight basis, the leaves of the two wild species had higher nitrate content, higher levels of starch, glucose and fructose, and higher levels of organic acids (malate, succinate and acetate), compared to the O. sativa lines. The results suggested that O. grandiglumis and O. alta have differences in physiology and primary metabolism which might be exploited to improve growth and productivity of cultivated rice.

Various methods for assessing soil total nitrogen (TN) and inorganic N content have been developed to manage nutrient and to understand N cycle in soil. This paper address the technical procedures in arable soil samples to conduct soil sampling, sample preparation, and measuring total N and inorganic N. Among various methods for measuring soil total nitrogen contents, Kjeldahl distillation and Indophenol blue method have widely used due to reliability and economic advances. Also, two methods can analyze more samples at the same time compared with other nitrogen measuring methods. For evaluating inorganic N content, mainly in forms of nitrate-N (NO₃ - -N) and ammonium-N (NH₄ + -N), extraction with a single reagent such as 2M KCl has been employed, followed by Kjeldahl distillation or indophenol blue methods.

An estimation of optimal requirement of additional N by cropping pattern and growth stage is very important for greenhouse watermelon. The objectives of this study were to estimate an amount of optimal additional N based on growth, N uptake and yield of watermelon. In order to achieve these goals, we performed the study at farmer’s greenhouse with a fertigation system and watermelon was cultivated three times (spring, summer and autumn) in 2015. The levels of additional N were set up with x0.5, x0.75, x1.0 and x1.5 of the NO₃-N-based soil-testing N supply for watermelon cultivation. The trends of growth and N uptake of watermelon markedly differed from cropping pattern; spring (sigmoid), summer and autumn (linear). The yield of watermelon was the highest at summer season and followed by autumn and spring. Also, the x1.5N showed a significantly higher yield compared to other N treatments. On the basis of growth, N uptake and yield of watermelon, we estimated an optimal level of additional N by cropping pattern and growth stage as follows; 1) spring (transplanting ~ 6 WAT : 6 ~ 14 WAT : 14 ~ harvest = 5 : 90 : 5%), summer (transplanting ~ 4 WAT : 4 ~ 8 WAT : 8 ~ harvest = 25 : 50 : 25%) and autumn (transplanting ~ 4 WAT : 4 ~ harvesting : 50 : 50%). In conclusion, nutrient management, especially N, based on cropping pattern and growth stage was effective for favorable growth and yield of watermelon.

Excessive nitrogen fertilization influences crop yields and quality as well as environmental pollution. In this study, yields, nitrogen use efficiency and free sugar contents of burdock (Arctium lappa L.) were evaluated at different levels of nitrogen fertilization. Nitrogen fertilizer was applied at 5 levels (0, 50, 100, 150, 200%) based on the conventional fertilization (N = 230 kg ha -1 ), and phosphate and potassium fertilizer were treated by conventional P and K fertilization (P₂O 5 - K₂O = 140 - 210 kg ha -1 ) in all plots. The root yields of burdock were the highest in N 100~150% treatment plots. Nitrogen use efficiency and nitrogen recovery decreased from over N 150% treatment. Nitrogen uptake of root was greater than that of shoot in N 50~200% treatments. Fructose contents in root were inversely proportional to the level of nitrogen fertilization. As considering nitrogen recovery and root quality, economical burdock yield was obtained in N 230 kg ha -1 .

Specific metabolic network responses to mineral starvation are not well-defined. We examined a detailed broad-scale identification of metabolic responses of tomato leaf and root to N, P or K starvation. Tomato plants were grown hydroponically under optimal (5 mM N, 0.5 mM P, or 5 mM K) and starved (0.5 mM N, 0.05 mM P, or 0.5 mM K) conditions and metabolites were measured by LC-MS and GC-MS. Overall, the levels of metabolites (lipids, nucleotides, peptides and secondary metabolites) presented in this paper largely showed mineral- and tissue-specific responses. Most strikingly, G3P (glycerol-3-P), GPC (glycerol-P-choline) and choline phosphate responded differently to a type of mineral; an increase in N or K starvation and a decrease in P starvation. A dramatic increase in the levels of secondary metabolites, in particular, rutin and chlorogenate in both tomato tissues during N starvation were observed. Based on these data, it is necessary to clearly elucidate an unknown event taking place in a variety of abiotic impacts, and we are now studying to expand our knowledge on metabolic- and proteomic-responses using GS-MS and LC-MS.

In general, greenhouse cultivation involves the rampant application of chemical fertilizers, with the aim of achieving high yields. Oversaturation with mineral nutrients that aid plant growth, development, and yield may lead to abiotic stress conditions. We explore the effects of excess magnesium on tomato plant metabolism, as well as tomato fruit quality using non-targeted mass spectrometry (MS)-based metabolomic approaches. Tomato plants were subjected to three different experiments, including high magnesium stress (MgH), extremely high magnesium stress (MgEH), and a control with optimal nutrient levels. Leaves, roots, and fruits were harvested at 16 weeks following the treatment. A metabolic pathway analysis showed that the metabolism induced by Mg oversupply was remarkably different between the leaf and root. Tomato plants allocated more resources to roots by upregulating carbohydrate and polyamine metabolism, while these pathways were downregulated in leaves. Mg oversupply affects the fruit metabolome in plants. In particular, the relative abundance of threonic acid, xylose, fucose, glucose, fumaric acid, malic acid, citric acid, oxoglutaric acid, threonine, glutamic acid, phenylalanine, and asparagine responsible for the flavor of tomato fruits was significantly decreased in the presence of Mg oversupply. Altogether, we concluded that Mg oversupply leads to drastically higher metabolite transport from sources (fully expanded leaves) to sinks (young leaves and roots), and thus, produces unfavorable outcomes in fruit quality and development.

Glutathione (GSH) plays diverse roles in the physiological processes, stress defense, growth, and development of plants. This study investigated the effects of exogenous GSH on the biochemical responses of reactive oxygen species and antioxidant levels in rice (Oryza sativa L. cv Dasan) seedlings under arsenic (As) stress. As treatment inhibited the growth; increased the level of superoxide, hydrogen peroxide, and malondialdehyde; and enhanced the uptake of As by the roots and shoots in hydroponically grown 14-day old seedlings. Furthermore, it reduced GSH content and GSH redox ratios, which have been correlated with the decrease in ascorbate (AsA) redox state. Whereas, the exogenous application of GSH in As-treated seedlings reduced As-induced oxidative stress, improved antioxidant defense systems by maintaining antioxidant and/or redox enzymes homeostasis and increased the AsA and GSH contents. The GSH application also increased the As translocation from the roots to the shoots. These results indicated that the increase in GSH redox state can be linked to an increase in the AsA redox ratio via the induction of the AsA-GSH cycle. Therefore, the results suggest that exogenous GSH application should be a promising approach to enhance As-stress resistance in rice plants.

Plant cell walls have two constituent parts with different components and developmental stages. Much of the mystery concerning the mechanisms of synthesis, decomposition, modification, and so forth, has been resolved using omics and microscopic techniques. However, it still remains to be determined how cell wall development progresses over time after leaf emergence. Our focus in the present study was to expand our knowledge of the molecular mechanisms associated with cell wall synthesis in rice leaf blade during three distinct stages (sink, sink-to-source transition, and source). The RNA-seq, quantitative reverse transcription PCR (qRT-PCR) and carbohydrate concentrations were evaluated using developing fifth leaf blades harvested at different time points. The results revealed that some of the essential genes for the primary cell wall (PCW) were highly upregulated in the sink-to-source transition compared to the sink stage, whereas those essential to the secondary cell wall (SCW) displayed relatively higher levels (p &lt, 0.05) during the source stage. The concentrations of soluble carbohydrates differed via type rather than stage, we observed higher monosaccharides during the sink stage and higher di- and oligo-saccharides during the sink-to-source transition and source stages. In conclusion, our findings suggest that the transcriptional regulation of plant cell wall biosynthesis genes are both synchronistic with and independent of, and directly and indirectly governed by, the abundance of soluble carbohydrates in the developing leaf blade, and, finally, raffinose is likely to play a transport role comparable to sucrose.

This study was conducted to evaluate the amount of nitrogen (N) top dressing based on the normalized difference vegetation indices (NDVI) by ground based sensors for leaf perilla under the polyethylene house. Experimental design was the randomized complete block design for five N fertilization levels and conventional fertilization with 3 and 4 replications in Gumsan-gun and Milyang-si field, respectively. Dry weight (DW), concentration of N, and amount of N uptake by leaf perilla as well as NDVIs from sensors were measured monthly. Difference of growth characteristics among treatments in Gumsan field was wider than Milyang. SPAD-502 chlorophyll meter reading explained 43.4% of the variability in N content of leaves in Gumsan field at 150 th day after seedling (DAS) and 45.9% in Milyang at 239 th DAS. Indexes of red sensor (RNDVI) and amber sensor (ANDVI) at 172 th day after seedling (DAS) in Gumsan explained 50% and 57% of the variability in N content of leaves. RNDVI and ANDVI at 31 th DAS in Milyang explained 60% and 65% of the variability in DW of leaves. Based on the relationship between ANDVI and N application rate, ANDVI at 172 th DAS in Gumsan explained 57% of the variability in N application rate but non significant relationship in Milyang field. Average sufficiency index (SI) calculated from ratio of each measurement index per maximum index of ANDVI at 172 th DAS in Gumsan explained 73% of the variability in N application rate. Although the relationship between NDVIs and growth characteristics was various upon growing season, SI by NDVIs of ground based remote sensors at top dressing season was thought to be useful index for recommendation of N top dressing rate of leaf perilla.

With increasing social concerns for healthy food, the studies on the cultivation of crops to increase accumulation of functional metabolites in crops have been investigated. Accumulation of the metabolites in crops is highly affected by various types of stress, such as nutrient deficiency, water deficit (WD), extreme temperature and UV-B radiation as well as their own life cycle. This review summarizes the previous studies on the effects of environmental stresses, especially WD and UV-B radiation, on accumulation of functional metabolites in crops. UV-B radiation and WD during specific period (mainly at maturation stage) activates the adaptation and/or defense system in crops, thereby increasing biosynthesis of the metabolites. Although WD and UV-B radiation tend to decrease in crop yield, the decrease can be compensated by the production of high value crops having high content of functional metabolites.

The objectives of fertilizer recommendation are to prevent the application of excessive fertilization and to produce target yields. Also, optimal fertilization is important because crop quality can be influenced by fertilization. In this study, yields and fertilizer use efficiency of Taro (Colocasia esculenta Schott) were evaluated in different level of NPK fertilization. N, P and K fertilizer application rates were 5 levels (0, 50, 100, 150, 200%) by practical fertilization (N-P₂O 5 -K₂O = 180-100-150 kg ha -1 ), respectively. In the N treatment, the yields of Taro tuber were about 33 Mg ha-1 from 90 to 360 kg ha -1 N fertilization. However, the ratio of tuber to total biomass decreased with increasing N fertilization rate. In the P and K treatments, yields of Taro tuber were the highest at 150 kg ha -1 fertilization. Fertilizer use efficiency was decreased by increase of N and K fertilization. Crude protein of Taro tuber was the highest at practical fertilization. Sucrose content of tuber was influenced by phosphate application.