Against the background of global warming, extreme agrometeorological events have become more intense and frequent during the growing season of maize (
Zea mays
L.). In this study, we focused on the ...five types of extreme agrometeorological events that greatly affect maize production in Northeast China, including chilling injury, drought, rainstorm, frost, and gale. We averaged the actual timing of phenological events from the study agrometeorological stations and divided the maize growing season into four growth stages: emergence—jointing, jointing—flowering, flowering—kernel milk, and kernel milk—physiological maturity. Based on the historical weather data from 1960 to 2017 in the study region, we derived the values of pertinent indices for the five types of study extreme agrometeorological events during the four selected maize growth stages. The results showed that chilling injury and drought were relatively more frequent during the four growth stages of maize from 1960 to 2017 in the Northeast China. As time goes on during the growing season of maize, the spatial coverage of chilling injury, frost, and gale all showed a decreasing trend. By contrast, the spatial coverage of drought showed an increasing trend during the study growth stages of maize. During growth stages of maize, chilling injury was the main extreme agrometeorological event before the 2000s, while drought became the main extreme agrometeorological event after the 2000s. Identifying the main extreme climate events that could cause yield loss is imperative, and it is important for farmers to acknowledge ongoing changes in these extreme climate events in order to take preventive measures if necessary.
The stability of maize production is essential to global food security. Climate factors, such as temperature, precipitation, and solar radiation, directly affect the development of maize plants and ...hence the final grain yield. In this study, we investigated the spatial distributions and temporal trends of agro-climatic indices and severe weather indicators during the actual growing season for summer maize in Huanghuaihai region of China. The results showed that during the growing season, accumulated effective thermal time had significantly increased. From R3 to R6, accumulated effective thermal time, effective precipitation, and photosynthesis active radiation all showed an increasing trend, with the rate of 20.3 °C day, 1.1 mm, and 7.3 MJ m
−2
per decade, respectively. From VE to R3, most of the study years showed a > 50% ratio of high-temperature days to subtotal days and > 7 consecutive days without available precipitation. During most of the study years, there were at least 0.5 thunderstorm events from V6 to VT stage in the locations of study; days with strong winds accounted for more than half the subtotal days during the V6-VT stage. And potential risk of lodging may be reduced by the decrease in days with strong wind. The results of this study could be used in optimizing agricultural management in summer maize production in order to take advantage of beneficial climatic elements while combating adverse climatic elements.
In the present study,
Bacillus velezensis
(BV007, CGMCC No. 20039) was isolated from the gut of
Litopenaeus vannamei
, and the effects of BV007 on the growth performance, immune responses, and ...intestine microbiota of the shrimp were investigated. A total of 1,200 healthy shrimp (3.0 ± 0.3 cm, 0.32 ± 0.8 g) were randomly divided into four groups, and fed diets supplemented with different levels of BV007 (C: 0; BV1: 1 × 10
5
CFU/g; BV2: 1 × 10
7
CFU/g; and BV3: 1 × 10
9
CFU/g) for 8 weeks. The results showed a significantly increased final body length (FBL), length gain rate (LGR), final body weight (FBW), weight gain rate (WGR), plumpness index (PI), and specific growth rate (SGR) in shrimp fed with BV007 for 42 days compared with shrimp fed with control diet. The activity of α-amylase in hepatopancreas was also significantly increased in the BV007-administered groups. After 42 days of growth trial, the challenge test with
Vibrio parahaemolyticus
was conducted for 2 weeks. The enhanced immune responses were exhibited by shrimp fed with BV007 after
V. parahaemolyticus
challenge, particularly in respiratory bursts and superoxide dismutase, catalase, and alkaline phosphatase activities. Moreover, the administration of BV007 could considerably increase the abundance of potential probiotics (
Bacillus
) and reduced the abundances of potential pathogenic bacteria (
Vibrio
) in shrimp intestines. In conclusion, the dietary supplementation with
B. velezensis
BV007 could promote the growth performance, enhance the immune responses, and modulate the intestine microbiota of shrimp, and 10
7
CFU/g feed was recommended to be used as a feed additive to enhance the growth and health status of shrimp.
The complete mitochondrial genome sequence of Tetragonia tetragonioides (Pall.) Kuntze was assembled and characterized in the present study. The mitochondrial genome was 347,227 bp in length and had ...a GC content of 43.84%, including 24 transfer RNA (tRNA) genes and three ribosomal RNA (rRNA) genes. Phylogenetic analysis showed that T. tetragonioides was close to and Sesuvium portulacastrum.
•The double cropping system (DCS) is expanding benefited from the climate warming.•We studied whether the precipitation meet crop water demand in potential DCS region.•The highest probability of ...water deficit was found in winter crop growing season.•The probability of sufficient precipitation for DCS in study area is less than 20%.•The yield of DCS is projected to increase 11.6%–86.2% under different irrigations.
Multiple cropping systems have been widely used in China as smart strategies to address climate change to ensure that increasing food demand is met. In the context of climate warming, the climate-based boundaries of multiple cropping systems are moving northward, and the potential crop yield is projected to increase due to continuous cropping that will be possible with increased light and heat resources. However, increasing demands for crop water have further aggravated the severity of water shortages in Northern China. In this study, we determine the impacts of climate change on the double cropping system (DCS) in Northern China using the annual accumulated temperature above 0 °C. The northern climate-based boundaries of the DCS have moved significantly northward and westward in Liaoning, Hebei, Gansu, Shaanxi and Shanxi Provinces. At the same time, the annual crop water requirement has increased by 198–403 mm in the planting areas sensitive to climate change areas where the cropping system can potentially be transformed from a single cropping system (SCS) to a DCS. The highest probability of water deficit exceedance was found during the winter wheat growing season. In addition, the difference in crop yields between the two planting patterns was analyzed using the Agricultural Production Systems Simulator (APSIM) model. The annual output per arable land unit in the potential DCS region, which benefited from the increase in winter crops, increased by 11.6–86.2% under different irrigation scenarios. The increase in crop production is related to irrigation. In the water-saving irrigation scenarios of Irrigation-Wheat (180 mm for winter wheat critical growth periods) and Irrigation-Wheat & Maize (180 mm for winter wheat critical growth periods and 50 mm for maize sowing), the annual output reached approximately 74–80% of the potential high yield in the Full Irrigation scenario. Our research provides suggestions for adjusting planting patterns under climate change. In the future, it will be necessary to develop multiple cropping practices that include innovative water-saving techniques and breeding technologies.
•Double-cropping system (DCS) will further expand under RCP 4.5 and 8.5 Scenarios.•The increase in precipitation will not always support the DCS moving northward.•The northeast face the lowest risk ...of precipitation deficiency in the marginal area.•The negative effect of insufficient precipitation on potential yield is above 56 %.•Potential yield tended to be stable when annual precipitation reached 600 mm.
Northern China is the major grain-production region in the country. To adapt to climate change and ensure food security with a fixed area of arable land, utilizing a multiple cropping frequency each year is regarded as an efficient method of offsetting the projected negative yield impacts on staple crops. Given that climate warming prolongs the potential growing season and benefits the expansion of multi-cropping systems, this research investigated whether changes in precipitation will keep pace with temperature in the marginal double-cropping area of northern China under two scenarios (RCP4.5 and RCP8.5). Our results indicated that northern China will experience consistent warming, which will cause the limits of the double-cropping system to move remarkably towards the northeast and northwest in this century. However, the increased precipitation may not be sufficient to alleviate the water deficiency in the double-crop rotation and support the realisation of double-cropping benefits due to increasing heat resources. Although the potential yield will be considerable in the marginal double-cropping area after future expansion, the instability of rain-fed yields will gradually increase with the decrease in precipitation in the marginal region unless supplemental irrigation is applied. The insufficient precipitation was projected to negatively affect the potential yield in this area by 56–67 %. Moreover, the coefficient of variation of yield was great due to the large spatial distribution difference in the cumulated precipitation. After adopting limited irrigation in key wheat growth periods, this negative effect was predicted to be alleviated by approximately 10–12 %. In the entire marginal region, the northeast faces the lowest risk of precipitation deficiency during double-cropping system expansion. It was concluded that the double-cropping system is an efficient adaptation strategy worth encouraging in the context of climate change; however, this approach should be considered only after considering the local cumulative precipitation and the condition of the water supply.
•Lishu county foxtail millet yield would decrease under future climate scenarios.•Adopting climate-smart management practices to combat climate change is important.•Adjusting sowing dates and ...optimizing irrigation offer limited benefits.•Introducing new varieties may help to offset future foxtail millet yield reduction.
In China, foxtail millet (Setaria italica) is one of the main cereal crops. Due to its rich nutrition, foxtail millet has also been widely used as Traditional Chinese Medicine in dietary therapy. The spatial distribution of foxtail millet production plays an important role in domestic cropping pattern. Cropping pattern needs to be continually adjusted in order to combat ongoing climate change in China. Such adjustments could greatly affect national foxtail millet production. Under future climate scenarios, adopting climate-smart management has become the general trend to achieve a high and stable foxtail millet production. In this case study, we used DSSAT (Decision Support System for Agrotechnology Transfer) to assess the potential impacts of future climate change on foxtail millet production in Lishu county of Jilin province in Northeast China. According to these potential impacts, we proposed corresponding measures to adapt local foxtail millet production to future climate change. As compared to the base period (1988–2018), foxtail millet grain yield in Lishu county would change by 15.3% (-8.9%) during the 2020s, -8.8% (-10.5%) during the 2030s, -17.7% (0.4%) during the 2040s, and -25.0% (-18.3%) during the 2050s under RCP4.5 (RCP8.5). Under future climate scenarios, climate-smart management (e.g., adjusting sowing date, supplementing irrigation) could partially offset the adverse impact of climate change on foxtail millet yield. However, adopting climate-smart management alone may only provide temporary relief to the potential stresses local foxtail millet production could be facing. In order to achieve a high and stable foxtail millet yield in the future, we suggest local producers adopt new varieties in addition to using climate-smart management.
Lectins are a superfamily of carbohydrate-recognition proteins that bind to specific carbohydrate structures and play significant roles in immune recognition and clearance of invaders. In the study, ...we investigated the potential mechanisms of PAMP binding and opsonic activities of a c-type lectin and a sialic acid-binding lectin from manila clam Venerupis philippinarum (designed as VpCTL and VpSABL). Both recombinant proteins (rVpCTL and rVpSABL) could bind LPS, PGN, glucan and zymosan in vitro. Coinciding with the PAMPs binding assay, a broad agglutination spectrum was displayed by rVpSABL including gram-positive bacteria Staphyloccocus aureus, gram-negative bacteria Escherichia coli, Vibrio parahaemolyticus, Vibrio harveyi, Pseudomonas putida, Proteus mirabilis and fungi Pichia pastoris, while no agglutinative activities on P. mirabilis and P. putida was observed in rVpCTL. Moreover, the phagocytosis and encapsulation ability of hemocytes could be significantly enhanced by rVpCTL and rVpSABL. More remarkable, VpCTL and VpSABL were highly detected in all the examined tissues, especially in gills and hepatopancreas. All the results showed that VpCTL and VpSABL could function as pattern recognition receptors (PRRs) with distinct recognition spectrum, perhaps involved in the innate immune responses of V. philippinarum.
•Both rVpCTL and rVpSABL could bind LPS, PGN, glucan and zymosan in vitro.•A broad agglutination spectrum was displayed by recombinant lectins, especially by rVpSABL.•The phagocytosis and encapsulation ability of hemocytes could be significantly enhanced by rVpCTL and rVpSABL.
Abstract Background aims Bone marrow–derived mesenchymal stromal cells (BMSCs) are a promising therapeutic option for treating Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD). Myogenic differentiation occurs in ...the skeletal muscle of the mdx mouse (a mouse model of DMD) after BMSC transplantation. The transcription factor bone morphogenic protein 4 (BMP4) plays a crucial role in growth regulation, differentiation and survival of many cell types, including BMSCs. We treated BMSCs with BMP4 or the BMP antagonist noggin to examine the effects of BMP signaling on the myogenic potential of BMSCs in mdx mice. Methods We added BMP4 or noggin to cultured BMSCs under myogenic differentiation conditions. We then injected BMP4- or noggin-treated BMSCs into the muscles of mdx mice to determine their myogenic potential. Results We found that the expression levels of desmin and myosin heavy chain decreased after treating BMSCs with BMP4, whereas the expression levels of phosphorylated Smad, a downstream target of BMP4, were higher in these BMSCs than in the controls. Mdx mouse muscles injected with BMSCs pretreated with BMP4 showed decreased dystrophin expression and increased phosphorylated Smad levels compared with muscles injected with non-treated BMSCs. The opposite effects were seen after pretreatment with noggin, as expected. Conclusions Our results identified BMP/Smad signaling as an essential negative regulator of promyogenic BMSC activity; inhibition of this pathway improved the efficiency of BMSC myogenic differentiation, which suggests that this pathway might serve as a target to regulate BMSC function for better myogenic differentiation during treatment of DMD and degenerative skeletal muscle diseases.
Li2FeSiO4 and its derivates Li2Fe1-xMnxSiO4 (x = 0.0, 0.2, 0.4, 0.6 and 0.8) are prepared by a simple hydrothermal reaction using FeCl2•4H2O, MnCl2•4H2O, LiOH•H2O and SiO2 as starting materials. ...During the sample preparation, the crystallite size of Li2FeSiO4 is controlled by the particle size of SiO2 precursor. The as-prepared samples can be identified as orthorhombic phase with the space group of Pmn21, consisting of LiO4 and FeO4 tetrahedras linked to silicate SiO44- oxo-anions in distorted hexagonal packing of oxygen ions with half of tetrahedral sites taken by Li, Fe, and Si. Electrochemical results show that Li2FeSiO4 prepared with smaller SiO2 particles shows higher reversible capacity and better cycle calendar life. The initial charge capacity and discharge capacity for Li2FeSiO4 prepared by 15 nm SiO2 particles are 126.4 and 123.4 mAh/g, respectively. By replacement of Fe by Mn in the structure of Li2FeSiO4, a series of orthorhombic Li2Fe1-xMnxSiO4 samples with x = 0.2, 0.4, 0.6 and 0.8 are hydrothermally prepared with 5 nm SiO2 particles and compared with each other. As a result, Mn-doped Li2Fe1-xMnxSiO4 samples show different variations on reversible capacity, capacity retention and cycling performance. It can be found that Li2Fe1-xMnxSiO4 samples with low Mn doping content (x = 0.0 and 0.2) can improve the reversible lithium storage capacity and capacity retention ability of iron-based orthosilicates. Among all the compounds, Li2Fe0.8Mn0.2SiO4 can deliver the highest lithium storage capacity of 107.4 mAh/g with the corresponding capacity retention of 83.0 % after 20 cycles.
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