Search

Direct-seeding of rice has become popular in recent years due to its low cost and convenience, however, hypoxic condition limits seedling establishment. In this study, weedy rice WR04-6 with high germination ability under anaerobic conditions was used as a gene donor, and we successfully improved the seedling establishment rate of rice cultivar Qishanzhan (QSZ) based on selection of a new rice line R42 from the recombinant inbred line population. R42 inherited high anaerobic germination (AG) ability, and was used for isobaric tags for relative and absolute quantitation (iTRAQ)-based comparative proteomic studies with QSZ to further explore the molecular mechanism of AG. A total of 719 differentially abundant proteins (DAPs) were shared by R42 and QSZ responded to AG, and thus defined as common response DAPs. A total of 300 DAPs that responded to AG were only identified from R42, which were defined as tolerance-specific DAPs. The common response and tolerance-specific DAPs had similar biochemical reaction processes and metabolic pathways in response to anoxic stress, however, they involved different proteins. The tolerance-specific DAPs were involved in amino acid metabolism, starch and sucrose metabolism, tricarboxylic acid cycle pathway, ethylene synthesis pathway, cell wall-associated proteins and activity of active oxygen scavenging enzyme. The in silico protein-protein interactions for the top 60 DAPs indicated that tolerance-specific DAPs had relatively independent protein interaction networks in response to an anoxic environment compared with common response DAPs. The results of physiological indicators showed that α-amylase and superoxide dismutase activities of R42 were significantly increased under anoxic conditions compared with aerobic conditions. Multiple lines of evidence from western blot, physiological analysis and quantitative real-time PCR jointly supported the reliability of proteomics data. In summary, our findings deepened the understanding of the molecular mechanism for the rice response to AG.

Tillage practices are of critical importance in maintaining soil quality on cropland and for food production, with rice cultivation representing a significant portion of the world's food production and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. While numerous studies have examined the effects of reduced and no-tillage on soil GHG emissions and rice yields, the impact of adopting a rotational approach to tillage practices on the rice cultivation cycle remains uncertain. In this study, we conducted a four-year (2017–2020) field experiment in a single rice-growing area in Northeast China with the aim of investigating the effects of different tillage practices on GHG emissions from paddy fields and rice yields under full straw return conditions. We set up three experimental treatments: rotary tillage, plowing, and rotational tillage (i.e., a combination of one year of plowing and one year of rotary tillage). The results showed that averaged across all treatments, average methane (CH4, 302.6 ± 51.1 kg ha−1) and nitrous oxide (N2O, 0.86 ± 0.361 kg ha−1) emissions and rice yield (9.0 ± 0.9 t ha−1) did not exhibit significant inter-annual variability during the entire experimental period and were comparable to the average for the region. The ranking of GHG emissions during the rice-growing season was as follows: rotary tillage > plowing > rotational tillage. Across the experimental period, CH4 and N2O emissions were 9.1% and 8.5% lower in the plowing treatment and 21.2% and 13.1% lower in the rotational tillage treatment compared to the rotary tillage treatment. During the experimental period, there was no significant effect of tillage treatments on rice yield. This reduction in emissions may be attributed to changes in soil penetration resistance. In the rotational and plowing treatments, soil penetration resistance was in a range more adapted to rice growth and GHG emissions reduction compared to the rotary tillage treatment. The yield-scale GHG emission intensity was reduced by 12.7% and 26.1% in the plowing and rotational tillage treatments, respectively, in comparison to the rotary tillage treatment. This suggests that rotational tillage is a management practice that can achieve greenhouse gas emission reductions in paddy fields and stabilize or possibly increase rice yields. Consequently, the results demonstrated that a rotational alternation of multiple tillage practices is a synergistic strategy for achieving low carbon and high yield in rice in the cold rice-growing region of Northeast China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND: Recently, germinated brown rice (GBR) has gained substantial attention as a functional food because of its nutritional attributes. Notably, pulsed light technology (PLT) has emerged as a promising tool for enhancing rice germination and, consequently, has improved the nutritional and functional qualities of GBR‐derived products. However, further research is required to comprehensively understand the impact of PLT on GBR physicochemical properties. The present study aimed to investigate the stimulating effects of PLT on starch hydrolysis, starch structure and functional properties of GBR. RESULTS: The PLT substantially boosted α‐amylase activity during brown rice germination, leading to a 10.9% reduction in total starch content and a 17.3% increase in reducing sugar content, accompanied by elevated free water levels. Structural analysis indicated no changes in starch crystalline types, whereas gelatinization temperature slightly increased. Pasting properties exhibited a significant drop in peak viscosity. Scanning electron microscopy showed surface erosion of starch granules with microstructural changes. Furthermore, correlation analysis established positive links between α‐amylase activity, reducing sugar accumulation, starch structure and functional properties in GBR. CONCLUSION: The present study demonstrates that PLT enhanced the physicochemical properties of GBR starch, significantly improving the stability of GBR products, thereby contributing to expanded applicability of rice starch in the food industry. © 2023 Society of Chemical Industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]