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Optimizing irrigation strategies is crucial for sustaining cotton production in the face of growing water scarcity. The three-year experimental study (2020–2022) focused on the impact of varying irrigation amounts (320, 370, and 420 mm) and frequencies (4-, 8-, and 12-day intervals) on cotton growth, yield, yield components, and fiber quality in southern Xinjiang. Employing a completely randomized design with three replications, the results indicated higher irrigation amounts resulted in numerically 2.5–7.5% higher lint yields compared to those under medium and low irrigation amounts, notably significant in 2021. Boll density emerged as the primary yield component influencing yield loss due to irrigation amount, followed by seed cotton weight boll−1. Increased boll density was associated with a greater total number of fruiting sites. Additionally, the increased seed cotton weight boll−1 could be linked to an increased seed number boll−1 and a decreased boll fraction at the lower fruiting branches with lower seed cotton weight boll−1. Higher irrigation frequency improved lint yield by increasing boll density, though a significant effect was observed only in 2020. Increased irrigation amounts generally led to longer fiber lengths but lower micronaire values, while increased irrigation frequency resulted in longer, stronger fibers and reduced micronaire values. Furthermore, the highest yield stability was observed under the condition of high irrigation amount and high frequency. This study holds certain guiding significance for water resource management in cotton production in arid regions.

More than 100 RNA chemical modifications to cellular RNA have been identified. N6-methyladenosine (m6A) is the most prevalent modification of mRNA. RNA modifications have recently attracted significant attention due to their critical role in regulating mRNA processing and metabolism. tRNA and rRNA rank among the most heavily modified RNAs, and their modifications are essential for maintaining their structure and function. With our advanced understanding of RNA modifications, increasing evidence suggests RNA modifications are important in regulating various aspects of insect life. In this review, we will summarize recent studies investigating the impact of RNA modifications in insects, particularly highlighting the role of m6A in insect development, reproduction, and adaptation to the environment.

When it comes to road environment perception, millimeter-wave radar with a camera facilitates more reliable detection than a single sensor. However, the limited utilization of radar features and insufficient extraction of important features remain pertinent issues, especially with regard to the detection of small and occluded objects. To address these concerns, we propose a camera-radar fusion with radar channel extension and a dual-CBAM-FPN (CRFRD), which incorporates a radar channel extension (RCE) module and a dual-CBAM-FPN (DCF) module into the camera-radar fusion net (CRF-Net). In the RCE module, we design an azimuth-weighted RCS parameter and extend three radar channels, which leverage the secondary redundant information to achieve richer feature representation. In the DCF module, we present the dual-CBAM-FPN, which enables the model to focus on important features by inserting CBAM at the input and the fusion process of FPN simultaneously. Comparative experiments conducted on the NuScenes dataset and real data demonstrate the superior performance of the CRFRD compared to CRF-Net, as its weighted mean average precision (wmAP) increases from 43.89% to 45.03%. Furthermore, ablation studies verify the indispensability of the RCE and DCF modules and the effectiveness of azimuth-weighted RCS.

Mitochondrial disruption in the red flour beetle leads to insects with three layers of cuticles (larval, pupal, and adult) and blocks the wing development.

Plants typically release large quantities of volatiles in response to herbivory by insects. This benefits the plants by, for instance, attracting the natural enemies of the herbivores. We show that the brown planthopper (BPH) has cleverly turned this around by exploiting herbivore-induced plant volatiles (HIPVs) that provide safe havens for its offspring. BPH females preferentially oviposit on rice plants already infested by the rice striped stem borer (SSB), which are avoided by the egg parasitoid Anagrus nilaparvatae, the most important natural enemy of BPH. Using synthetic versions of volatiles identified from plants infested by BPH and/or SSB, we demonstrate the role of HIPVs in these interactions. Moreover, greenhouse and field cage experiments confirm the adaptiveness of the BPH oviposition strategy, resulting in 80% lower parasitism rates of its eggs. Besides revealing a novel exploitation of HIPVs, these findings may lead to novel control strategies against an exceedingly important rice pest.