Jasmonate-induced Changes in Flavonoid Metabolism in Barley (Hordeum vulgare) Leaves

The effects of jasmonic acid (JA) on secondary metabolism in barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) were investigated. A reversed-phase HPLC analysis revealed that the amount of a particular compound increased in excised barley leaf segments that had been treated with JA. This compound was purified and identified as 6´´´-feruloylsaponarin (1) by spectroscopic analyses and alkaline hydrolysis. A related compound, 6´´´-sinapoylsaponarin (2), was also found to accumulate in excised leaves independently of the JA treatment. The accumulation of these compounds was accompanied by a decrease in the saponarin (3) content. [8,9-¹³C]p-Coumaric acid and [2,3,4,5,6-²H]L-phenylalanine were effectively incorporated into the hydroxycinnamoyl moieties in 1 and 2, while the degree of incorporation of the labeled precursors into the saponarin part was small. These findings indicate that the hydroxycinnamoyl moieties of 1 and 2 are synthesized de novo from phenylalanine via the phenylpropanoid pathway, and that the saponarin part is mainly provided by the constitutive pool of 3.     

Modelling shifts in agroclimate and crop cultivar response under climate change

This paper aims: (i) to identify at national scale areas where crop yield formation is currently most prone to climate‐induced stresses, (ii) to evaluate how the severity of these stresses is likely to develop in time and space, and (iii) to appraise and quantify the performance of two strategies for adapting crop cultivation to a wide range of (uncertain) climate change projections. To this end we made use of extensive climate, crop, and soil data, and of two modelling tools: N‐AgriCLIM and the WOFOST crop simulation model. N‐AgriCLIM was developed for the automatic generation of indicators describing basic agroclimatic conditions and was applied over the whole of Finland. WOFOST was used to simulate detailed crop responses at four representative locations. N‐AgriCLIM calculations have been performed nationally for 3829 grid boxes at a 10 × 10 km resolution and for 32 climate scenarios. Ranges of projected shifts in indicator values for heat, drought and other crop‐relevant stresses across the scenarios vary widely – so do the spatial patterns of change. Overall, under reference climate the most risk‐prone areas for spring cereals are found in south‐west Finland, shifting to south‐east Finland towards the end of this century. Conditions for grass are likely to improve. WOFOST simulation results suggest that CO₂ fertilization and adjusted sowing combined can lead to small yield increases of current barley cultivars under most climate scenarios on favourable soils, but not under extreme climate scenarios and poor soils. This information can be valuable for appraising alternative adaptation strategies. It facilitates the identification of regions in which climatic changes might be rapid or otherwise notable for crop production, requiring a more detailed evaluation of adaptation measures. The results also suggest that utilizing the diversity of cultivar responses seems beneficial given the high uncertainty in climate change projections.     

Crop presence,but not genetic diversity,impacts on the rare arable plant Valerianella rimosa

Background: Intensive farming affects farmland biodiversity, and some arable plants in particular. Increasing crop genetic diversity can increase crop productivity or resilience and could also benefit rare arable plants.

Aims: We examined whether barley presence, sowing density and genetic diversity impacted the rare plant Valerianella rimosa and explored possible underlying mechanisms.

Methods: In a field study near Dundee, Scotland, we sowed plots of five single barley genotypes, and all five genotypes combined, at three densities; we also had barley-free plots. Valerianella seeds were sown into half of all plots. Measured responses included early-season cover and harvest biomass of barley and common weeds, abiotic parameters (soil moisture, light) and establishment, biomass and seed production by V. rimosa.

Results: Barley presence promoted V. rimosa establishment early in the growing season, but without barley density or genetic diversity effects. By harvest, the impact of barley presence on V. rimosa abundance was lost; there were no effects on Valerianella seed production. Barley negatively impacted common weeds, but V. rimosa did not benefit from any indirect facilitation by barley, being bigger without barley.

Conclusions: Early beneficial effects of barley on V. rimosa abundance appear offset by late-season competition. However, limited impacts of barley on V. rimosa reproductive success, and negative impacts on common weeds, indicate crops might play a role in conservation management of rare arable plants by creating space in the weed community.     

Genetic association with high‐resolution climate data reveals selection footprints in the genomes of barley landraces across the Iberian Peninsula

Landraces are local populations of crop plants adapted to a particular environment. Extant landraces are surviving genetic archives, keeping signatures of the selection processes experienced by them until settling in their current niches. This study intends to establish relationships between genetic diversity of barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) landraces collected in Spain and the climate of their collection sites. A high‐resolution climatic data set (5 × 5 km spatial, 1‐day temporal grid) was computed from over 2,000 temperature and 7,000 precipitation stations across peninsular Spain. This data set, spanning the period 1981–2010, was used to derive agroclimatic variables meaningful for cereal production at the collection sites of 135 barley landraces. Variables summarize temperature, precipitation, evapotranspiration, potential vernalization and frost probability at different times of the year and time scales (season and month). SNP genotyping of the landraces was carried out combining Illumina Infinium assays and genotyping‐by‐sequencing, yielding 9,920 biallelic markers (7,479 with position on the barley reference genome). The association of these SNPs with agroclimatic variables was analysed at two levels of genetic diversity, with and without taking into account population structure. The whole data sets and analysis pipelines are documented and available at https://eead-csic-compbio.github.io/barley-agroclimatic-association . We found differential adaptation of the germplasm groups identified to be dominated by reactions to cold temperature and late‐season frost occurrence, as well as to water availability. Several significant associations pointing at specific adaptations to agroclimatic features related to temperature and water availability were observed, and candidate genes underlying some of the main regions are proposed.     

黄土旱塬区土壤水分状况与作物生长、降水的关系

土壤水分研究是统筹农业生产和生态环境建设的关键环节.本研究结合4年田间定位试验,通过对黄土高原南部长武旱塬冬小麦和春玉米2012—2015年土壤水分状况的研究,分析农田土壤干层形成情况、土壤水分对作物生长的影响、降水对土壤水库的影响以及作物对土壤水分状况的影响.结果表明: 降水年型是冬小麦地土壤干层形成的主导因素,年内降水分布不均是春玉米地土壤干层形成的主导因素.长武旱塬区冬小麦和春玉米一年一季的种植制度不会导致永久性干层的产生;相较于春玉米,冬小麦根系生长习性更符合黄土旱塬区土壤水分循环特征,黄土旱塬区土壤水分有效性可保证作物产量稳定;降水作用下,冬小麦土壤水库充、放水过程呈现收获期、休闲期和苗期连续充水、缓慢消耗期和大量消耗期连续失水相互交替的特点.0～300和300～600 cm土层土壤水库不一致性现象明显,以最大根深作为野外监测试验中土壤含水量的取样深度时,由于深层土壤水库负反馈作用,不同降水年型下,休闲期和苗期的蒸散均会被高估,缓慢消耗期和大量消耗期的蒸散均会被低估.冬小麦田间过渡层存在的范围为140～360 cm;作物生长的时间跨度影响土壤水库效应的发挥,土壤水库对冬小麦供水表现为年际间的调节作用,土壤水库对春玉米供水表现为季节间的调节作用.     

覆盖对西北旱地春小麦旗叶光合特性和水分利用的调控

2015—2016年在西北黄土高原半干旱区进行大田定位试验,以‘陇春35号’为试验材料,设全膜覆土穴播(PMS)、全砂覆盖穴播(SM)和露地穴播(CK)3个处理,分析旗叶光合特性、春小麦耗水特性和产量构成因子之间的关系.结果表明: PMS和SM 在0～300 cm土层的土壤贮水量在灌浆前分别较CK提高47.8和31.6 mm,灌浆期均较CK降低15.6 mm.PMS和SM提高春小麦挑旗-抽穗期和扬花-灌浆期的土壤耗水.PMS和SM的叶面积指数分别较CK提高59.0%～73.7%和40.1%～52.7%,叶片SPAD值分别较CK提高3.5%～28.4%和2.9%～23.9%.PMS的光合速率和气孔导度在春小麦挑旗、抽穗、扬花期分别较CK提高23.5%、33.0%、17.7%和32.6%、76.4%、66.9%,灌浆期分别较CK降低26.2%和16.4%;PMS和SM的气孔限制值在抽穗、扬花、灌浆期分别较CK降低14.6%、23.9%、22.3%和25.7%、29.8%、17.4%.叶片瞬时水分利用效率PMS在挑旗期较CK提高57.8%,扬花期降低11.2%.PMS的表观量子效率在抽穗、扬花期分别较SM和CK增加22.6%、18.7%和26.8%、14.3%.PMS和SM春小麦的株高和产量构成因子均显著高于CK,且在干旱年份增幅较大;PMS的产量较CK和SM分别提高36.2%和8.7%,水分利用效率分别提高9.4%和3.4%.因此,PMS和SM提高了小麦灌浆前土壤贮水,加剧了挑旗到抽穗和扬花到灌浆期的耗水,提高了小麦叶片SPAD值和叶面积指数,增强了小麦灌浆前旗叶光合功能,促进 “库”的建成和同化物的转运,实现增产和水分高效利用.PMS在丰水年份的增产潜力和干旱年份的适应能力比SM更强.     

Exome sequences and multi‐environment field trials elucidate the genetic basis of adaptation in barley

Broadening the genetic base of crops is crucial for developing varieties to respond to global agricultural challenges such as climate change. Here, we analysed a diverse panel of 371 domesticated lines of the model crop barley to explore the genetics of crop adaptation. We first collected exome sequence data and phenotypes of key life history traits from contrasting multi‐environment common garden trials. Then we applied refined statistical methods, including some based on exomic haplotype states, for genotype‐by‐environment (G×E) modelling. Sub‐populations defined from exomic profiles were coincident with barley's biology, geography and history, and explained a high proportion of trial phenotypic variance. Clear G×E interactions indicated adaptation profiles that varied for landraces and cultivars. Exploration of circadian clock‐related genes, associated with the environmentally adaptive days to heading trait (crucial for the crop's spread from the Fertile Crescent), illustrated complexities in G×E effect directions, and the importance of latitudinally based genic context in the expression of large‐effect alleles. Our analysis supports a gene‐level scientific understanding of crop adaption and leads to practical opportunities for crop improvement, allowing the prioritisation of genomic regions and particular sets of lines for breeding efforts seeking to cope with climate change and other stresses.     

有色大麦种质芽期耐盐性鉴定

以44份有色大麦种质为试材,通过测定发芽势、发芽率、发芽指数、萌发活力指数结合两个颜色指标YU(颜色亮度和浓度)进行芽期的耐盐性鉴定,并运用相关性分析、主成分分析、聚类分析等方法对有色大麦材料进行多指标耐盐性综合评价。结果表明,发芽率和发芽指数对盐胁迫响应最为敏感,芽长和根长对盐胁迫响应较为迟钝;粒色亮度与耐盐性综合评价F值呈显著负相关;粒色浓度与耐盐性综合评价F值呈显著正相关;综合指标F值相关分析表明,颜色越深,耐盐性越强;用综合指标F值,可将44份有色大麦分为4类,其中强耐盐材料包括XZDM-1401、XZDM-1404、XZDM-1543、XZDM-1546等4份,中等耐盐性包括XZDM-926、XZDM-957、XZDM-972等16份,弱耐盐性包括XZDM-815、XZDM-1606、XZDM-1030等12份,敏盐性包括XZDM-973、XZDM-1042、XZDM-1318等12份。     

分子生物学技术在热泉地质微生物学研究中的应用

陆地热泉是一类典型的极端生命-环境互作的地质系统,是我们认识生命与环境协同演化的天然实验室。然而,受限于有限的研究手段,热泉中仍存在大量未解密的微生物"暗物质"。这种困境随着技术的革新得到了改善,尤其是近几年来基于组学、探针和同位素标记的多元化检测手段在嗜热微生物多样性的挖掘、新物种和新代谢途径的发现以及嗜热微生物对元素地球化学循环的调控和响应等方面取得了一系列令人瞩目的研究成果,使得热泉极端微生物和地质环境内在联系的研究也成为地质微生物学研究的热点。立足于前人研究成果,本文将简述常用于热泉地质微生物学研究的分子生物学手段的发展,重点总结其在挖掘热泉微生物多样性和热泉微生物的环境功能研究中的应用及进展,最后对未来研究方向提出展望。