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The CO2 flooding and sequestration technology displays significant effect in CO2 emission reduction and oil displacement, which could alleviate global warming, achieve China's dual carbon goals and sustainable development. This study reviews existing CO2-EOR projects with 100 000 tons and above, with a focus on domestic engineering cases. Specifically, we analyzed such major issues as technology matching, safety monitoring, economic constraints and legal policy preference in implementing CO2-EOR projects in China, and discussed its future prospects. The implementation of this technology shows a late start in China and still lags behind those in Europe and the USA due to a lack of large-scale commercialized projects. By drawing on foreign scholarly efforts, we need to optimize the whole process of CO2 flooding and storage through the introduction of artificial intelligence, upgrade CO2 leakage risk identification and control as well as CO2 dynamic monitoring to accelerate the commercialization and industrialization of large-scale CO2-EOR projects.

Summary: Kernel row number (KRN) is a major yield related trait for maize (Zea mays L.) and is also a major goal of breeders, as it can increase the number of kernels per plant. Thus, identifying new genetic factors involving in KRN formation may accelerate improving yield‐related traits genetically. We herein describe a new kernel number‐related gene (KRN5b) identified from KRN QTL qKRN5b and encoding an inositol polyphosphate 5‐phosphatase (5PTase). KRN5b has phosphatase activity towards PI(4,5)P2, PI(3,4,5)P3, and Ins(1,4,5)P3in vitro. Knocking out KRN5b caused accumulation of PI(4,5)P2 and Ins(1,4,5)P3, resulting in disordered kernel rows and a decrease in the number of kernels and tassel branches. The introgression of the allele with higher expression abundance into different inbred lines could increase the ear weight of the inbred lines and the corresponding hybrids by 10.1%–12.2% via increasing KRN, with no adverse effects on other agronomic traits. Further analyses showed that KRN5b regulates inflorescence development through affecting the synthesis and distribution of hormones. Together, KRN5b contributes to spikelet pair meristem development through inositol phosphate and phosphatidylinositols, making it a selecting target for yield improvement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The CO2 flooding and sequestration technology displays significant effect in CO2 emission reduction and oil displacement, which could alleviate global warming, achieve China's dual carbon goals and sustainable development. This study reviews existing CO2-EOR projects with 100000 tons and above, with a focus on domestic engineering cases. Specifically, we analyzed such major issues as technology matching, safety monitoring, economic constraints and legal policy preference in implementing CO2-EOR projects in China, and discussed its future prospects. The implementation of this technology shows a late start in China and still lags behind those in Europe and the USA due to a lack of large-scale commercialized projects. By drawing on foreign scholarly efforts, we need to optimize the whole process of CO2 flooding and storage through the introduction of artificial intelligence, upgrade CO2 leakage risk identification and control as well as CO2 dynamic monitoring to accelerate the commercialization and industrialization of large-scale CO2-EOR projects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article discusses the establishment of a genetic transformation system and gene editing platform for broomcorn millet using CRISPR/Cas12i.3 technology. Broomcorn millet is an ancient crop with desirable traits such as short life cycle, high photosynthetic efficiency, and tolerance to arid and saline-alkali soil. The researchers successfully developed a method for genetic transformation of broomcorn millet using Agrobacterium-mediated techniques. They also used the CRISPR/Cas12i.3 system to edit the BRACHYTIC2 (BR2) gene in broomcorn millet, resulting in dwarf plants with shorter internodes. This research has important implications for improving agronomic traits and developing new varieties of broomcorn millet. [Extracted from the article]

The grain moisture content of maize inbred lines at maturity is one of the most important indicators for mechanical harvesting of kernels. In this study, 116 maize inbred lines from a wide range of sources were used as research materials and 30 traits of grain moisture content were analyzed using multivariate statistical analysis. The results showed that all 30 traits had some correlations. Principal component analysis downscaled the 30 traits into 10 principal component factors, reflecting 77.674% of the information in the original traits. Cluster analysis categorized the 116 inbred lines into 5 major groups containing 26, 29, 31, 16 and 14 inbred lines. Based on the D value of the overall evaluation, discriminant analysis reclassified the maize inbred lines by principal component scores and 98 maize inbred lines were correctly discriminated with a probability of 84.48%, which can be regarded as a relatively reliable clustering result. The stepwise regression method was further used to screen seven traits: GMC2, GDR1, HMC3, NH, GDR2, CD and EL and to establish a comprehensive evaluation model for the grain moisture content of maize inbred lines. Among 116 maize inbred lines, 14, represented by H21 and MS71, had the lowest grain moisture content at maturity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Maize Ustilago maydis is a disease that severely affects maize yield and quality. In this paper, we employed transcriptome sequencing and GWAS analysis to identify candidate genes and reveal disease-resistant germplasm resources, thereby laying the foundation for further analysis of the molecular mechanism of maize Ustilago maydis resistance and genetic improvement. The results of transcriptome sequencing revealed that a considerable number of receptor kinase genes, signal-transduction-related protein genes, redox-response-related genes, WRKYs, and P450s genes were significantly upregulated. There was a wide range of mutations of Ustilago maydis in maize inbred lines. Thirty-two high-resistance maize inbred lines were selected, and 16 SNPs were significantly associated with the disease index. By integrating the results of GWAS and RNA-seq, five genes related to disease resistance were identified, encoding the chitinase 1 protein, fatty acid elongase (FAE), IAA9, GATA TF8, and EREB94, respectively. It provides a certain reference for the cloning of maize anti-tumor smut genes and the breeding of new varieties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: The Elongator complex was originally identified as an interactor of hyperphosphorylated RNA polymerase II (RNAPII) in yeast and has histone acetyltransferase (HAT) activity. However, the genome‐wide regulatory roles of Elongator on transcriptional elongation and histone acetylation remain unclear. We characterized a maize miniature seed mutant, mn7 and map‐based cloning revealed that Mn7 encodes one of the subunits of the Elongator complex, ZmELP1. ZmELP1 deficiency causes marked reductions in the kernel size and weight. Molecular analyses showed that ZmELP1 interacts with ZmELP3, which is required for H3K14 acetylation (H3K14ac), and Elongator complex subunits interact with RNA polymerase II (RNAPII) C‐terminal domain (CTD). Genome‐wide analyses indicated that loss of ZmELP1 leads to a significant decrease in the deposition of H3K14ac and the CTD of phosphorylated RNAPII on Ser2 (Ser2P). These chromatin changes positively correlate with global transcriptomic changes. ZmELP1 mutation alters the expression of genes involved in transcriptional regulation and kernel development. We also showed that the decrease of Ser2P depends on the deposition of Elongator complex‐mediated H3K14ac. Taken together, our results reveal an important role of ZmELP1 in the H3K14ac‐dependent transcriptional elongation, which is critical for kernel development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]