Marginal lands for bioenergy in China; an outlook in status,potential and management

Energy consumption and CO₂ emissions have been increasing continuously over the past few decades in China and there is a pressing need to replace the fossil fuel‐based economy with an efficient low‐carbon system, tailor‐made to future requirements. China is starting an energy transition with the aim of building an energy system for the future. China has made tremendous progress in increasing the amount of renewable energy and reducing the cost of renewable energy over the last 20 years. According to the 14th 5 year plan, China aims to incorporate 20% of renewable energy to the primary energy mix and attain 27% reduction in CO₂ emissions. Bioenergy crops constitute a significant proportion of biomass‐based bioenergy and have recently been promoted by the Chinese Government to help overcome food and fuel conflict. Steps are being taken to promote bioenergy crops on marginal lands in China, and various regions across the country with soil marginality have been evaluated for bioenergy crop cultivation. The present paper reviews the status of bioenergy in China and the potential status of marginal lands from different regions of China. It also elaborates on some of the policies, subsidies and incentives allocated by the Chinese Government for the promotion of biomass‐based energy. Land management and plant improvement strategies were discussed, which are effective in making marginal lands suitable for bioenergy crop cultivation. Managing planting strategies, intercropping and crop rotation are effective management practices used in China for the utilization of marginal lands. A national investigation is desirable for creating an inventory of technical and economic potential of biomass feedstocks that could be planted on marginal lands. This would assist with highlighting the pros and cons of using marginal lands for bioenergy production and effective policy making.     

西北干旱区利用间套作促进能源植物的高产高效

在全球性能源紧缺和我国能源植物大规模种植困难等大背景下,优质、充足的原料供应已成为制约生物质能源产业发展的主要限制因素。在确保能源植物高效生产和克服"与粮争地、与人争粮"现实的同时,挖掘我国边际土壤高产高效生产能源植物的土地优势和增产潜力。通过筛选评价适宜西北干旱地区高抗逆的新型能源植物种类,开发应用能源植物与粮经作物间套作栽培技术,实现新型能源植物对逆境资源的高效利用和可持续规模化种植,提高能源植物的生产力和优化能源物种的区域配置,增加土地产值和农民收入,缓解能源紧缺,达到经济、生态和社会效益多赢,为我国能源和粮食安全提供技术支撑。     

我国优势油脂类生物柴油植物蓖麻的种质资源发掘和生物柴油利用

发展可再生生物质能源是解决人类能源危机和环境污染的重要途径。利用边际土地发展油脂类生物质能是生物质能的重要组成部分。蓖麻因为适应性强和油脂成份独特被誉为"理想的生物柴油植物"。蓖麻是我国优势油脂类能源植物,利用边际土地,发展蓖麻产业为我国生物柴油产业化提供原料,是我国现阶段生物柴油产业化发展的相对理想而又现实的选择,而且具有重要的发展前景和巨大的发掘潜力。立足我国现阶段生物柴油产业化的瓶颈问题,着重阐述了蓖麻种质资源发掘的现状、优良品种培育的途径和发展前景,以及利用蓖麻种子油生产商业化生物柴油的现状,以期推动我国利用边际土地发展蓖麻产业以及生物柴油商业化生产。     

Characteristics of bioenergy grasses important for enhanced NaCl tolerance potential

Growing bioenergy grasses can contribute to a great extent towards the production of biomass, and it can be a potential source of renewable energy. Such grasses, if suitable for marginal land, will solve better the problem of its competition with the cultivation of food crops in arable land. Four different potential bioenergy grasses, e.g., Saccharum arundinaceum Retz., hybrid Napier var. CO-3, Saccharum spontaneum L., and Arundo donax L. were selected based on our earlier study, and these perennial grasses were subjected to NaCl stress, a characteristic feature of marginal lands. Various measurements to assess the NaCl tolerance mechanism, e.g., MDA content, antioxidant enzyme activity, photosynthetic pigments composition, chlorophyll fluorescence and photosystem I (PSI) and photosystem II (PSII) activities were analyzed after imparting NaCl stress and compared with the control plants. Among the grasses studied, a lower maximum quantum yield of PSII (F _v/F _m) and PSI and PSII activities were recorded in S. spontaneum and Napier var. CO-3 than in S. arundinaceum and A. donax. The latter two grasses showed less degradation of total chlorophyll and low MDA content. The maintenance of a better water status of A. donax and S. arundinaceum is attributed to the maintenance of favorable osmotic balance by the accumulation of the higher levels of compatible solutes, such as total soluble sugars and proline. The better performance of S. arundinaceum and A. donax under high NaCl conditions was also facilitated by the higher free radical-scavenging potential in them, as represented by the increase in peroxidase activity. These results suggest that S. arundinaceum and A. donax are better adapted to NaCl stress than S. spontaneum and Napier var. CO-3. The high NaCl tolerance potential, exhibited by S. arundinaceum and A. donax, makes them an appropriate choice for marginal lands affected by high levels of NaCl.     

Predicting the Distribution Pattern of Small Carnivores in Response to Environmental Factors in the Western Ghats

Due to their secretive habits, predicting the pattern of spatial distribution of small carnivores has been typically challenging, yet for conservation management it is essential to understand the association between this group of animals and environmental factors. We applied maximum entropy modeling (MaxEnt) to build distribution models and identify environmental predictors including bioclimatic variables, forest and land cover type, topography, vegetation index and anthropogenic variables for six small carnivore species in Mudumalai Tiger Reserve. Species occurrence records were collated from camera-traps and vehicle transects during the years 2010 and 2011. We used the average training gain from forty model runs for each species to select the best set of predictors. The area under the curve (AUC) of the receiver operating characteristic plot (ROC) ranged from 0.81 to 0.93 for the training data and 0.72 to 0.87 for the test data. In habitat models for F. chaus, P. hermaphroditus, and H. smithii “distance to village” and precipitation of the warmest quarter emerged as some of the most important variables. “Distance to village” and aspect were important for V. indica while “distance to village” and precipitation of the coldest quarter were significant for H. vitticollis. “Distance to village”, precipitation of the warmest quarter and land cover were influential variables in the distribution of H. edwardsii. The map of predicted probabilities of occurrence showed potentially suitable habitats accounting for 46 km² of the reserve for F. chaus, 62 km² for V. indica, 30 km² for P. hermaphroditus, 63 km² for H. vitticollis, 45 km² for H. smithii and 28 km² for H. edwardsii. Habitat heterogeneity driven by the east-west climatic gradient was correlated with the spatial distribution of small carnivores. This study exemplifies the usefulness of modeling small carnivore distribution to prioritize and direct conservation planning for habitat specialists in southern India.     

Bioenergy crop productivity and potential climate change mitigation from marginal lands in the United States: An ecosystem modeling perspective

Growing biomass feedstocks from marginal lands is becoming an increasingly attractive choice for producing biofuel as an alternative energy to fossil fuels. Here, we used a biogeochemical model at ecosystem scale to estimate crop productivity and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from bioenergy crops grown on marginal lands in the United States. Two broadly tested cellulosic crops, switchgrass, and Miscanthus, were assumed to be grown on the abandoned land and mixed crop‐vegetation land with marginal productivity. Production of biomass and biofuel as well as net carbon exchange and nitrous oxide emissions were estimated in a spatially explicit manner. We found that, cellulosic crops, especially Miscanthus could produce a considerable amount of biomass, and the effective ethanol yield is high on these marginal lands. For every hectare of marginal land, switchgrass and Miscanthus could produce 1.0–2.3 kl and 2.9–6.9 kl ethanol, respectively, depending on nitrogen fertilization rate and biofuel conversion efficiency. Nationally, both crop systems act as net GHG sources. Switchgrass has high global warming intensity (100–390 g CO₂eq l^?1 ethanol), in terms of GHG emissions per unit ethanol produced. Miscanthus, however, emits only 21–36 g CO₂eq to produce every liter of ethanol. To reach the mandated cellulosic ethanol target in the United States, growing Miscanthus on the marginal lands could potentially save land and reduce GHG emissions in comparison to growing switchgrass. However, the ecosystem modeling is still limited by data availability and model deficiencies, further efforts should be made to classify crop‐specific marginal land availability, improve model structure, and better integrate ecosystem modeling into life cycle assessment.     

N<Subscript>2</Subscript>O and CH<Subscript>4</Subscript> emission from <Emphasis Type="Italic">Miscanthus</Emphasis> energy crop fields in the infertile Loess Plateau of China

Background

The greenhouse gas (GHG) mitigation is one of the most important environmental benefits of using bioenergy replacing fossil fuels. Nitrous oxide (N₂O) and methane (CH₄) are important GHGs and have drawn extra attention for their roles in global warming. Although there have been many works of soil emissions of N₂O and CH₄ from bioenergy crops in the field scale, GHG emissions in large area of marginal lands are rather sparse and how soil temperature and moisture affect the emission potential remains unknown. Therefore, we sought to estimate the regional GHG emission based on N₂O and CH₄ releases from the energy crop fields.

Results

Here we sampled the top soils from two Miscanthus fields and incubated them using a short-term laboratory microcosm approach under different conditions of typical soil temperatures and moistures. Based on the emission measurements of N₂O and CH₄, we developed a model to estimate annual regional GHG emission of Miscanthus production in the infertile Loess Plateau of China. The results showed that the N₂O emission potential was 0.27 kg N ha^?1 year^?1 and clearly lower than that of croplands and grasslands. The CH₄ uptake potential was 1.06 kg C ha^?1 year^?1 and was slightly higher than that of croplands. Integrated with our previous study on the emission of CO₂, the net greenhouse effect of three major GHGs (N₂O, CH₄ and CO₂) from Miscanthus fields was 4.08 t CO_2eq ha^?1 year^?1 in the Loess Plateau, which was lower than that of croplands, grasslands and shrub lands.

Conclusions

Our study revealed that Miscanthus production may hold a great potential for GHG mitigation in the vast infertile land in the Loess Plateau of China and could contribute to the sustainable energy utilization and have positive environmental impact on the region.

     

Identification of risk areas for Orobanche cumana and Phelipanche aegyptiaca in China,based on the major host plant and CMIP6 climate scenarios

Parasitic broomrape of the genus Orobanche poses a formidable threat to producing many crops in Europe, Africa, and Asia. Orobanche cumana and Phelipanche aegyptiaca are two of China''s most destructive root parasitic plants, causing extreme sunflower, tomato, melon, and tobacco damage. However, the potentially suitable areas of O. cumana and P. aegyptiaca in China have not been predicted, and little is known about the important environmental factors that affect their extension. Due to their invasiveness and economic importance, studying how climate change and host plants may affect broomrapes’ distribution is necessary. In the study, we first predicted the potentially suitable areas of the invasive weeds (O. cumana and P. aegyptiaca) and their susceptible host plants (Helianthus annuus and Solanum lycopersicon) using MaxEnt. Then, the risk zones and distribution shifts of two broomrapes under different climate conditions were identified by incorporating the distribution of their susceptible host plants. The results highlighted that the potential middle‐ and high‐risk zones for O. cumana and P. aegyptiaca amounted to 197.88 × 10⁴ km² and 12.90 × 10⁴ km², respectively. Notably, Xinjiang and Inner Mongolia were the highest‐risk areas within the distribution and establishment of O. cumana and P. aegyptiaca. Elevation and topsoil pH were the decisive factors for shaping O. cumana distribution; precipitation seasonality and annual precipitation were the dominant bioclimatic variables limiting the spread of P. aegyptiaca. The potentially suitable areas and risk zones of O. cumana would decrease significantly, and those of P. aegyptiaca would fluctuate slightly under future climate change scenarios. Overall, our study suggested that the two broomrapes’ risk zones will significantly northward to higher latitudes. The results will provide suggestions for preventing O. cumana and P. aegyptiaca.     

Yield potential of Miscanthus energy crops in the Loess Plateau of China

Growing second‐generation energy crops on marginal land is conceptualized as one of the primary means of future bioenergy development. However, the extent to which marginal land can support energy crop production remains unclear. The Loess Plateau of China, one of the most seriously eroded regions of the world, is particularly rich in marginal land. On the basis of the previous field experiment of planting Miscanthus species in Qingyang of the Gansu Province, herein, we estimated the yield potential of Miscanthus lutarioriparius, the species with the highest biomass, across the Loess Plateau. On the basis of the radiation model previously developed from Miscanthus field trials, annual precipitation was introduced as an additional variable for yield estimate in the semiarid and semihumid regions of the Loess Plateau. Of 62 million hectares (Mha) of the Loess Plateau, our model estimated that 48.7 Mha can potentially support Miscanthus growth, with the average yield of 17.8 t ha^?1 yr^?1. After excluding high‐quality cropland and pasture and land suitable for afforestation, a total of 33.3 Mha of presumably marginal land were left available for producing the energy crop at the average yield of 16.8 t ha^?1 yr^?1 and the total annual yield of 0.56 billion tons. The analysis of environmental factors indicated that erosion, aridity, and field steepness were the primary contributors to the poor quality of the marginal land. The change of land uses from traditional agriculture to energy crop production may prevent further erosion and land degradation and consequently establish a sustainable economy for the region.     

Potential of Plants from the Genus Agave as Bioenergy Crops

Agave is a succulent genus within the monocot family Agavaceae. The plants have a large rosette of thick fleshy leaves, each ending generally in a sharp point, and are native to arid and semi-arid regions from the southern USA to northern South America. The most important commercial species is Agave tequilana grown for production of tequila. Several cultivated species of Agave such as Agave sislana and Agave salmiana can perform well in areas where rainfall is insufficient for the cultivation of many C₃ and C₄ crops. The key feature of the crassulacean acid metabolism photosynthetic pathway used by agaves is the stomata opening and CO₂ uptake during the night, thus allowing less water to be lost by transpiration. Alcoholic beverages, sweeteners, fibers, and some specialty chemicals are currently the main products coming from agave plants. The recovered information related to productivity, biofuel processability, by-products, etc. suggests that some Agave species have a real potential to compete economically with other bioenergy crops. But more than compete, it could complement the list of bioenergy crops due to its capacity to grow with very little rainfall and/or inputs and still reach good amount of biomass, so unused semi-arid land could be productive. Although Agave has great potential to be developed as a bioenergy crop, more laboratory and field research are needed.     

Predicting the suitable habitats of parasitic desert species based on a niche model with Haloxylon ammodendron and Cistanche deserticola as examples

Haloxylon ammodendron, an excellent tree species for sand fixation and afforestation in the desert areas of western China, is threatened by climate change and anthropogenic activities. The suitable habitat of this species is shrinking at a remarkable rate, although conservation measures have been implemented. Cistanche deserticola is an entirely parasitic herb that occurs in deserts, is a source of “desert ginseng” worldwide, and has extremely high medicinal value. Little is known about using niche models to simulate habitat suitability and evaluate important environmental variables related to parasitic species. In this study, we modeled the current suitable habitat of H. ammodendron and C. deserticola by MaxEnt based on occurrence record data of the distributions of these two species in China. We grouped H. ammodendron and C. deserticola into three groups according to the characteristics of parasitic species and modeled them with environmental factors. The results showed that bioclimate was the most important environmental parameter affecting the H. ammodendron and C. deserticola distribution. Precipitations, such as annual precipitation, precipitation seasonality, and precipitation in the driest quarter, were identified as the most critical parameters. The slope, diurnal temperature range, water vapor pressure, ground‐frost frequency, and solar radiation also substantially contributed to the distribution of the two species. The proportions of the most suitable areas for Groups 1, 2, and 3 were 1.2%, 1.3%, and 1.7%, respectively, in China. When combined with cultural geography, five hot spot conservation areas were determined within the distribution of H. ammodendron and C. deserticola. The comprehensive analysis indicated that by using MaxEnt to model the suitable habitat of parasitic species, we further improved the accuracy of the prediction and coupled the error of the distribution of a single species. This study provides a useful reference for the protection of H. ammodendron forests and the management of C. deserticola plantations.     

Impact of Land Use Intensity on the Species Diversity of Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi in Agroecosystems of Central Europe

The impact of land use intensity on the diversity of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) was investigated at eight sites in the “three-country corner” of France, Germany, and Switzerland. Three sites were low-input, species-rich grasslands. Two sites represented low- to moderate-input farming with a 7-year crop rotation, and three sites represented high-input continuous maize monocropping. Representative soil samples were taken, and the AMF spores present were morphologically identified and counted. The same soil samples also served as inocula for “AMF trap cultures” with Plantago lanceolata, Trifolium pratense, and Lolium perenne. These trap cultures were established in pots in a greenhouse, and AMF root colonization and spore formation were monitored over 8 months. For the field samples, the numbers of AMF spores and species were highest in the grasslands, lower in the low- and moderate-input arable lands, and lowest in the lands with intensive continuous maize monocropping. Some AMF species occurred at all sites (“generalists”); most of them were prevalent in the intensively managed arable lands. Many other species, particularly those forming sporocarps, appeared to be specialists for grasslands. Only a few species were specialized on the arable lands with crop rotation, and only one species was restricted to the high-input maize sites. In the trap culture experiment, the rate of root colonization by AMF was highest with inocula from the permanent grasslands and lowest with those from the high-input monocropping sites. In contrast, AMF spore formation was slowest with the former inocula and fastest with the latter inocula. In conclusion, the increased land use intensity was correlated with a decrease in AMF species richness and with a preferential selection of species that colonized roots slowly but formed spores rapidly.     

Switchgrass Biofuel Production on Reclaimed Surface Mines: I. Soil Quality and Dry Matter Yield

Growing food crops for biofuel on productive agricultural lands may become less viable as requirements to feed a growing human population increase. This has increased interest in growing cellulosic biofuel feedstocks on marginal lands. Switchgrass (Panicum virgatum L.), a warm-season perennial, is a viable bioenergy crop candidate because it produces high yields on marginal lands under low fertility conditions. In other studies, switchgrass dry matter (DM) yields on marginal croplands varied from 5.0 to 10.0 Mg ha^?1 annually. West Virginia contains immense areas of reclaimed surface mined lands that could support a switchgrass-based biofuel industry, but yield data on these lands are lacking. Field experiments were established in 2008 to determine yields of three switchgrass cultivars on two West Virginia mine sites. One site reclaimed with topsoil and municipal sludge produced biomass yields of 19.0 Mg DM ha^?1 for Cave-in-Rock switchgrass after the sixth year, almost double the varieties Shawnee and Carthage, at 10.0 and 5.7 Mg ha^?1, respectively. Switchgrass yields on another site with no topsoil were 1.0 Mg ha^?1 after the sixth year, with little variation among cultivars. A second experiment was conducted at two other mine sites with a layer of topsoil over gray overburden. Cave-in-Rock was seeded with fertilizer applications of 0, 34, and 68 kg N-P₂O₅-K₂O ha^?1. After the third year, the no fertilizer treatment averaged biomass yields of 0.3 Mg ha^?1, while responses to the other two rates averaged 1.1 and 2.0 Mg ha^?1, respectively. Fertilization significantly increased yields on reclaimed mine soils. Where mine soil fertility was good, yields were similar to those reported on agricultural soils in the Northeastern USA.     

Natural Variation of Flowering Time and Vernalization Responsiveness in Brachypodium distachyon

Dedicated bioenergy crops require certain characteristics to be economically viable and environmentally sustainable. Perennial grasses, which can provide large amounts of biomass over multiple years, are one option being investigated to grow on marginal agricultural land. Recently, a grass species (Brachypodium distachyon) has been developed as a model to better understand grass physiology and ecology. Here, we report on the flowering time variability of natural Brachypodium accessions in response to temperature and light cues. Changes in both environmental parameters greatly influence when a given accession will flower, and natural Brachypodium accessions broadly group into winter and spring annuals. Similar to what has been discovered in wheat and barley, we find that a portion of the phenotypic variation is associated with changes in expression of orthologs of VRN genes, and thus, VRN genes are a possible target for modifying flowering time in grass family bioenergy crops.     

Lignocellulosic‐based bioenergy and water quality parameters: a review

High rates of crop residue removal as biofuel feedstocks could increase losses of nonpoint source pollutants, negatively affecting water quality. An alternative to residue removal can be growing dedicated bioenergy crops such as warm season grasses (WSGs) and short‐rotation woody crops (SRWCs). Yet, our understanding of the implications of growing dedicated bioenergy crops on water quality is limited. Thus, we (i) synthesized and compared the impacts of crop residue removal, WSGs, and SRWCs on water quality parameters (i.e., sediment and nutrient runoff, and nutrient leaching) and (ii) identified research gaps for growing dedicated energy crops. Literature indicates that residue removal at rates >50% (residue retention up to 4.71 Mg ha^?1) can increase runoff by 5–15 mm, sediment loss by 0.2–7 Mg ha^?1, NO₃–N by 0.58–1 kg ha^?1, and sediment‐associated C by 0.3–57 kg ha^?1 per rainstorm event compared to no residue removal. Crop residue removal may also increase nutrient leaching. Studies on the impacts of growing WSGs as dedicated bioenergy crops at field scale on water quality parameters are few. However, WSGs when used as conservation buffers reduce losses of sediment by 66–97%, nutrients by 21–94%, and contaminants by 9–98%. This suggests that if WSGs were grown as dedicated bioenergy crops at larger scales, they could reduce losses of nonpoint source pollutants. Literature indicates that SRWCs can consistently reduce NO₃–N leaching. More modeled than field data are available, warranting further field research on (i) field data collection from WSGs and SRWCs from marginal lands, (ii) growing monoculture or polyculture of WSGs, and (iii) large‐scale production of energy crops. Overall, dedicated bioenergy crops, particularly WSGs, can reduce losses of nonpoint source pollutants compared to residue removal and be an important strategy to improve water quality if grown at larger scales.     

Genetic Diversity and Population Structure of Miscanthus sinensis Germplasm in China

Miscanthus is a perennial rhizomatous C4 grass native to East Asia. Endowed with great biomass yield, high ligno-cellulose composition, efficient use of radiation, nutrient and water, as well as tolerance to stress, Miscanthus has great potential as an excellent bioenergy crop. Despite of the high potential for biomass production of the allotriploid hybrid M. ×giganteus, derived from M. sacchariflorus and M. sinensis, other options need to be explored to improve the narrow genetic base of M. ×giganteus, and also to exploit other Miscanthus species, including M. sinensis (2n = 2x = 38), as bioenergy crops. In the present study, a large number of 459 M. sinensis accessions, collected from the wide geographical distribution regions in China, were genotyped using 23 SSR markers transferable from Brachypodium distachyon. Genetic diversity and population structure were assessed. High genetic diversity and differentiation of the germplasm were observed, with 115 alleles in total, a polymorphic rate of 0.77, Nei’s genetic diversity index (He) of 0.32 and polymorphism information content (PIC) of 0.26. Clustering of germplasm accessions was primarily in agreement with the natural geographic distribution. AMOVA and genetic distance analyses confirmed the genetic differentiation in the M. sinensis germplasm and it was grouped into five clusters or subpopulations. Significant genetic variation among subpopulations indicated obvious genetic differentiation in the collections, but within-subpopulation variation (83%) was substantially greater than the between-subpopulation variation (17%). Considerable phenotypic variation was observed for multiple traits among 300 M. sinensis accessions. Nine SSR markers were found to be associated with heading date and biomass yield. The diverse Chinese M. sinensis germplasm and newly identified SSR markers were proved to be valuable for breeding Miscanthus varieties with desired bioenergy traits.     

Marginal Land-based Biomass Energy Production in China

Fast economic development in China has resulted in a significant increase in energy demand. Coal accounts for 70% of China's primary energy consumption and its combustion has caused many environmental and health problems. Energy security and environmental protection requirements are the main drivers for renewable energy development in China. Small farmland and food security make bioenergy derived from corn or sugarcane unacceptable to China: the focus should be on generating bioenergy from ligno-cellulosic feedstock sources. As China cannot afford biomass energy production from its croplands, marginal lands may play an important role in biomass energy production. Although on a small scale, marginal land has already been used for various purposes. It is estimated that some 45 million hm² of marginal land could be brought into high potential biomass energy production. For the success of such an initiative, it will likely be necessary to develop multipurpose plants. A case study, carried out on marginal land in Ningnan County, Sichuan Province with per capita cropland of 0.07 ha, indicated that some 380 000 tons of dry biomass could be produced each year from annual pruning of mulberry trees. This study supports the feasibility of producing large quantities of biomass from marginal land sources.     

Recent Advances in Genome-wide Analyses of Plant Potassium Transporter Families

Plants require potassium (K⁺) as a macronutrient to support numerous physiological processes. Understanding how this nutrient is transported, stored, and utilized within plants is crucial for breeding crops with high K⁺ use efficiency. As K⁺ is not metabolized, cross-membrane transport becomes a rate-limiting step for efficient distribution and utilization in plants. Several K⁺ transporter families, such as KUP/HAK/KT and KEA transporters and Shaker-like and TPK channels, play dominant roles in plant K⁺ transport processes. In this review, we provide a comprehensive contemporary overview of our knowledge about these K⁺ transporter families in angiosperms, with a major focus on the genome-wide identification of K⁺ transporter families, subcellular localization, spatial expression, function and regulation. We also expanded the genome-wide search for the K⁺ transporter genes and examined their tissue-specific expression in Camelina sativa, a polyploid oil-seed crop with a potential to adapt to marginal lands for biofuel purposes and contribution to sustainable agriculture. In addition, we present new insights and emphasis on the study of K⁺ transporters in polyploids in an effort to generate crops with high K⁺ Utilization Efficiency (KUE).     

Simulation of the potential distribution of rare and endangered Satyrium species in China under climate change

Satyrium is an endangered and rare genus of plant that has various pharmacodynamic functions. In this study, optimized MaxEnt models were used in analyzing potential geographical distributions under current and future climatic conditions (the 2050s and 2070s) and dominant environmental variables influencing their geographic distribution. The results provided reference for implementation of long‐term conservation and management approaches for the species. The results showed that the area of the total suitable habitat for Satyrium ciliatum (S. ciliatum) in China is 32.51 × 10⁴ km², the total suitable habitat area for Satyrium nepalense (S. nepalense) in China is 61.76 × 10⁴ km², and the area of the total suitable habitat for Satyrium yunnanense (S. yunnanense) in China is 89.73 × 10⁴ km² under current climatic conditions. The potential suitable habitat of Satyrium is mainly distributed in Southwest China. The major environmental variables influencing the geographical distribution of S. ciliatum were isothermality (bio3), temperature seasonality (bio4), and mean temperature of coldest quarter (bio11). Environmental variables such as isothermality (bio3), temperature seasonality (bio4), and precipitation of coldest quarter (bio19) affected the geographical distribution of S. nepalense; and environmental variables such as isothermality (bio3), temperature seasonality (bio4), and lower temperature of coldest month (bio6) affected the geographical distribution of S. yunnanense. The distribution range of Satyrium was extended as global warming increased, showing emissions of greenhouse gases with lower concentration (SSP1‐2.6) and higher concentration (SSP5‐8.5). According to the study, the distribution of suitable habitat will shift with a change to higher elevation areas and higher latitude areas in the future.