Quantitative proteomics to study the response of wheat to contrasting fertilisation regimes

Negative environmental impacts from mineral fertilisers and pesticides used in conventional cropping have raised concern over the sustainability of arable crop production. Organic cropping uses alternatives that avoid many of these negative environmental effects; however, crop yields can be significantly reduced, possibly due to a lower proportion of plant-available nutrients. To gain insights into the molecular effects of organic compared to conventional cropping systems on plant utilisation of nutrients, we used proteomics to analyse winter wheat (Triticum aestivum). Our aim was to investigate the effects of contrasting fertility management and crop protection regimes in organic and conventional cropping systems on the wheat flag leaf proteome and the association between the proteome and physiological traits. Wheat flag leaves were flash-frozen, lyophilised and milled prior to protein extraction (TCA/acetone) and analysed using 2D gel electrophoresis and MALDI-TOF MS. The abundance of 111 protein spots varied significantly between fertilisation regimes. Flag leaf N and P composition were significant drivers of differences in protein spot abundance, including major proteins involved in nitrogen remobilisation, photosynthesis, metabolism and stress response. These results indicate that molecular-based mechanisms are involved in the effect of contrasting cropping systems on nutrient utilisation and wheat grain yield. Using a functional genomics approach, we were able to identify proteins that are linked to causal genes, enabling the potential development of functional molecular markers for crop improvement in nutrient use efficiency.     

A methodology for designing and evaluating alternative cropping systems: Application on dairy and arable farms

To improve the sustainability of agricultural systems of the Lombardia region (northern Italy), a mixed indicator-model-expert approach was used. Starting from the results of a previous assessment of current management (ACT) in dairy and arable farms, alternative management scenarios at field level were designed in order to reduce nitrogen (N) losses whilst maintaining or improving the environmental and economic sustainability at the farming system level. By working with a group of experts supported by a mechanisation model and a cropping system model, two alternative N management scenarios were defined following a step-by-step decision procedure. The first scenario (FERT) is an improvement of the current fertiliser management scheme, applied at the same crops as in ACT and aimed at maintaining the same yields. The second scenario (ROT) is based on changes in crop rotations by introducing new crops to reduce N losses and to maintain economic profitability. The sustainability of the two scenarios was assessed and compared with agro-ecological and economic indicators. The results of FERT, indicate that the application of adequate N management plans tuned to the production target and the promotion of best management practices may help to reduce N surplus and consequently to save fossil energy and to decrease the costs of production. In the ROT scenario, the introduction of alfalfa cultivation reduces N surplus on maize, whereas intensive double cropping systems (two crops harvested in 12 months) increase N surplus and require higher energy consumptions and production costs compared to cultivating a summer crop only. However, in rotational systems more favourable weed population dynamics are expected compared to ACT. Both alternative scenarios were not implemented in practice, but they are realistic and are consistent with results of experiments where management options similar to those introduced in FERT and ROT were tested.This work indicates that the rational integration between scientific tools (indicators and models) and expert knowledge is adequate to deal with complex farming and cropping systems, which require a multidisciplinary approach.     

两种典型养鸡模式的能值分析

畜禽养殖的有机化过程被认为是实现养殖业持续发展与保障食品安全的重要途径.运用能值分析方法对两种典型养鸡模式——家庭有机饲养和林地散养进行了系统分析,并结合Castellini等人对意大利所做的同类研究(工业规模化笼养和草地散养)进行了横向对比.结果表明,林地散养生产系统的能值产出率为1.11,与家庭有机饲养系统相近,而在环境负载率和可持续发展能力方面的表现,均差于家庭有机饲养生产系统,说明林地散养模式尽管通过提高系统生产空间,理论上接近畜禽养殖的有机化理念,但由于大量的禽舍建筑、医药及其饲料等方面的外部资源输入,反而使得系统的环境负载率提高,可持续性大大下降.与意大利的结果比较发现,我国两个养殖系统的社会经济成本高、对外部不可再生资源的依赖程度较高,有机化目标并没有很好的实现.因此,我国现有的有机化畜禽养殖方式和外部制度都有待进一步改进和创新.     

Ideotype root architecture for efficient nitrogen acquisition by maize in intensive cropping systems

The use of nitrogen (N) fertilizers has contributed to the production of a food supply sufficient for both animals and humans despite some negative environmental impact. Sustaining food production by increasing N use efficiency in intensive cropping systems has become a major concern for scientists, environmental groups, and agricultural policymakers worldwide. In high-yielding maize systems the major method of N loss is nitrate leaching. In this review paper, the characteristic of nitrate movement in the soil, N uptake by maize as well as the regulation of root growth by soil N availability are discussed. We suggest that an ideotype root architecture for efficient N acquisition in maize should include (i) deeper roots with high activity that are able to uptake nitrate before it moves downward into deep soil; (ii) vigorous lateral root growth under high N input conditions so as to increase spatial N availability in the soil; and (iii) strong response of lateral root growth to localized nitrogen supply so as to utilize unevenly distributed nitrate especially under limited N conditions.     

利用生物技术创建主要作物雄性不育杂交育种和制种的技术体系

雄性不育技术在作物杂种优势利用和杂交种生产中发挥着重要作用。基于核质互作雄性不育的“三系法”与光温敏核不育的“两系法”已经在水稻等主要作物的杂交制种中获得了广泛应用,但是存在着资源利用效率低、育性不稳定、易受外界环境影响等诸多问题。近三十年来,利用生物技术创建不同类型的植物雄性不育系取得了一系列突破性进展。主要针对玉米、水稻、小麦三大作物的基因工程雄性不育技术的最新进展进行总结,特别详细地描述了本实验室最近研究创制的玉米多控不育技术体系,以期为相关研究和产业化应用提供技术参考。     

气候变化背景下中国南方地区季节性干旱特征与适应Ⅵ.防旱避灾种植模式优化布局

南方地区是我国重要的农业种植区,季节性干旱严重影响该地区的农业生产.本文基于南方地区不同干旱分区中选取的13个典型地区1981-2007年气象资料和作物生育期、产量等资料,依据各地逐年降水量将其分为干旱年、正常年和丰水年3种不同降水年型,利用作物水分临界期需水量与降水量的耦合度、气象产量、单位面积产值以及全生育期的水分利用效率和降水量5个指标,对典型地区种植模式的综合效益进行评价,得到南方不同区域不同降水年型下的优化种植模式.结果表明: 半干旱区在干旱年型下,宜采取2种抗旱种植模式：马铃-玉米-甘薯和冬小麦-中稻-甘薯.半湿润区在干旱年型下,种植模式以冬小麦-中稻-甘薯最优,油菜-中稻-甘薯次之.在温润区(即典型的季节性干旱区),江南地区在3种年型下均以马铃薯-双季稻最优;西南地区宜搭配抗旱作物进行三熟制种植,如冬小麦-中稻-甘薯、冬小麦-玉米-甘薯、马铃薯-双季稻等.从最大程度利用水热资源角度考虑,三熟种植模式最优,以水旱轮作为主,丰水年型宜搭配水稻.     

玉米雄性不育资源的发掘与利用

植物雄性不育是指植物雄性生殖器官不能产生正常有功能花粉的现象.玉米(Zea mays L.)是重要的粮食作物之一,也是较早利用杂种优势的作物之一.当前,生产上广泛种植的玉米品种类型主要是单交种.我国玉米杂交种的播种面积常年稳定在6.2亿亩左右,年用种量10亿公斤以上,常年制种面积高达250多万亩.利用传统的人工去雄或机...     

Pyrosequencing Reveals Contrasting Soil Bacterial Diversity and Community Structure of Two Main Winter Wheat Cropping Systems in China

Microbes are key components of the soil environment, playing an important role in maintaining soil health, sustainability, and productivity. The composition and structure of soil bacterial communities were examined in winter wheat–rice (WR) and winter wheat–maize (WM) cropping systems derived from five locations in the Low-Middle Yangtze River plain and the Huang-Huai-Hai plain by pyrosequencing of the 16S ribosomal RNA gene amplicons. A total of 102,367 high quality sequences were used for multivariate statistical analysis and to test for correlation between community structure and environmental variables such as crop rotations, soil properties, and locations. The most abundant phyla across all soil samples were Proteobacteria, Acidobacteria, and Bacteroidetes. Similar patterns of bacterial diversity and community structure were observed within the same cropping systems, and a higher relative abundance of anaerobic bacteria was found in WR compared to WM cropping systems. Variance partitioning analysis revealed complex relationships between bacterial community and environmental variables. The effect of crop rotations was low but significant, and interactions among soil properties, locations, and crop rotations accounted for most of the explained variation in the structure of bacterial communities. Soil properties such as pH, available P, and available K showed higher correlations (positive or negative) with the majority of the abundant taxa. Bacterial diversity (the Shannon index) and richness (Chao1 and ACE) were higher under WR than WM cropping systems.     

DNA分子标记技术在玉米种子纯度鉴定中的应用

从常规鉴定、生化鉴定及分子标记技术鉴定等方面,阐述了玉米种子纯度鉴定的重要性。进一步对RAPD、RFLP、SSR和AFLP等分子标记技术在种子纯度鉴定和品种真实性分析中的应用潜力及存在问题进行比较,得出SSR分子标记技术是目前种子纯度和品种真实性鉴定中最适宜的技术。     

Sustainable biomass production: A comparison between Gross Energy Requirement and Emergy Synthesis methods

In this paper two methods for energy analysis and environmental accounting (Gross Energy Requirement and Emergy Synthesis) are critically discussed in order to explore their ability to provide a comprehensive evaluation of the performance and environmental sustainability of human-dominated production processes. In order to allow a quantitative comparison, two cropping systems, namely 1 ha of corn production in Italy, and 1 ha of willow production in Sweden, are investigated by means of the parallel application of both methods. The case studies are carried out by performing a quantitative inventory of both natural and economic input flows to the investigated cropping systems. Such input flows are then converted into embodied energy (MJ) as well as emergy (seJ) units. Finally, performance indicators representative for each method are calculated. Results provided by the two methods and their respective theoretical features are compared and discussed in order to point out limits and potentialities of both approaches. The study shows that the two methods account for different – although complementary – categories of input flows, use different conversion factors, and answer to different questions and concerns. Gross Energy Requirement focuses on fossil fuel use and is capable to support the development of more efficient use of commercial energy. Emergy Synthesis uses broader spatial and time frames and accounts for both natural and economic resources. In so doing, it takes into consideration different forms of energy, materials, human labor and economic services on a common basis, offering larger potentiality to explore the sustainable interplay of environment and economy.     

Detection limits of the strip test and PCR for genetically modified corn in Brazil

Brazilian legislation establishes a labeling limit for products that contain more than 1% material from genetically modified organisms (GMOs). We assessed the sensitivity of the lateral flow strip test in detection of the GMO corn varieties Bt11 and MON810 and the specificity and sensitivity of PCR techniques for their detection. For the strip test, the GMO seeds were mixed with conventional seeds at levels of 0.2, 0.4 and 0.8% for Bt11, and 0.4, 0.8 and 1.6% for MON810. Three different methodologies were assessed and whole seeds, their endosperm and embryonic axis were used. For the PCR technique, the GMO seeds of each of the two varieties were mixed with conventional seeds at levels of 20, 10, 5, 2, 1, and 0.5%. The seeds were ground and the DNA extracted. For detection of the GMO material, specific primers were used for MON810 and Bt11 and maize zein as an endogenous control. The sensitivity of the strip test varied for both maize varieties and methodologies. The test was positive for Bt11 only at 0.8%, in contrast with the detection limit of 0.4% indicated by the manufacturer. In the multiplex PCR, the primers proved to be specific for the different varieties. These varieties were detected in samples with one GMO seed in 100. Thus, this technique proved to be efficient in detecting contaminations equal to or greater than 1%.     

Interactions of maize and Italian ryegrass in a living mulch system: (1) Shoot growth and rooting patterns

It has been demonstrated that the use of living mulches solves some of the environmental problems associated with the conventional cropping of maize (Zea mays L.). However, plant growth and yield are often reduced in such a cropping system. Since shoot competition between the main crop and the cover crop can be avoided by regular cutting of the cover crop, it was hypothesized that decreases in maize growth and yield in a living Italian ryegrass (Lolium multiflorum Lam.) mulch must be related to below ground interactions between the two species and that these may be traced back to the characteristics of their root systems. Two cropping systems, maize grown alone in bare soil (conventional cropping, BS) or together with a living Italian ryegrass mulch (LM), were studied in lysimeters (1.0 m² surface area and 1.1 m depth) placed outdoors, near Zurich Switzerland, for a duration of three years. In the LM treatment a strip, 0.3 m wide, in the center of the plot around the maize row was free of grass. For comparison, an Italian ryegrass (RG) treatment, managed as the LM treatment but without maize plants, was also included in the study. Minirhizotrons (54 mm inner diameter) were horizontally installed at ten soil depths between 0.0 and 1.0 m, perpendicular to the orientation of the maize rows. The development of the maize shoot and the rooting patterns were observed non-destructively. LM strongly modified the maize crop by decreasing growth and duration of the leaf area, and thus biomass and grain yield at harvest by as much as 78 and 72%, respectively. Maximum root densities in the three treatments were observed around the time of maize anthesis. However, BS maize was unable to build up root densities similar to those observed in Italian ryegrass plots at the time of maize sowing. The root densities of the LM and the RG treatments were usually similar. The inability of the maize plants to establish a competitive root system in the LM limits the supply of nutrients and water and therefore reduces growth and yield. Improving the productivity of maize in living mulches will depend on the ability to achieve a better separation of the rooting volumes of the two species, so that specific steps to facilitate the main crop and control the living mulch can be taken.     

Effects of genetically modified herbicide-tolerant cropping systems on weed seedbanks in two years of following crops

The Farm Scale Evaluations (FSEs) showed that genetically modified herbicide-tolerant (GMHT) cropping systems could influence farmland biodiversity because of their effects on weed biomass and seed production. Recently published results for winter oilseed rape showed that a switch to GMHT crops significantly affected weed seedbanks for at least 2 years after the crops were sown, potentially causing longer-term effects on other taxa. Here, we seek evidence for similar medium-term effects on weed seedbanks following spring-sown GMHT crops, using newly available data from the FSEs. Weed seedbanks following GMHT maize were significantly higher than following conventional varieties for both the first and second years, while by contrast, seedbanks following GMHT spring oilseed rape were significantly lower over this period. Seedbanks following GMHT beet were smaller than following conventional crops in the first year after the crops had been sown, but this difference was much reduced by the second year for reasons that are not clear. These new data provide important empirical evidence for longer-term effects of GMHT cropping on farmland biodiversity.     

基于能值的绿洲种植业系统可持续性及敏感性评价——以新疆渭干河流域为例

利用能值理论与方法对2000～2006年新疆渭干河流域种植业系统的可持续性与敏感性进行分析,研究结果表明:(1)种植业系统的能值总投入逐年上升,不可更新工业辅助能与可更新自然资源能是种植业系统主要的能值投入类型,地均能值投入在上、中、下游呈递增趋势;(2)种植业系统的能值总产出呈现逐年上升趋势,地均能值产出在上、中、下游依次增加,棉花是中游与下游重要的能值产出作物,玉米、小麦是上游主要的能值产出作物;(3)中游种植业系统的可持续发展指数较高,近年来基本处于稳定状态;上游与下游可持续发展能力偏低,并且表现为连续下降的趋势,形成上、下游可持续发展指数偏低的本质原因差别较大;(4)种植业系统对可更新自然资源能的变化响应较弱,对不可更新工业辅助能变化的响应最为明显;下游种植业系统在环境改善或恶化的情景下响应最为敏感,上游种植业系统对环境变化的响应较弱.     

Intensive agriculture erodes β-diversity at large scales

Biodiversity is declining from unprecedented land conversions that replace diverse, low-intensity agriculture with vast expanses under homogeneous, intensive production. Despite documented losses of species richness, consequences for β-diversity, changes in community composition between sites, are largely unknown, especially in the tropics. Using a 10-year data set on Costa Rican birds, we find that low-intensity agriculture sustained β-diversity across large scales on a par with forest. In high-intensity agriculture, low local (α) diversity inflated β-diversity as a statistical artefact. Therefore, at small spatial scales, intensive agriculture appeared to retain β-diversity. Unlike in forest or low-intensity systems, however, high-intensity agriculture also homogenised vegetation structure over large distances, thereby decoupling the fundamental ecological pattern of bird communities changing with geographical distance. This ~40% decline in species turnover indicates a significant decline in β-diversity at large spatial scales. These findings point the way towards multi-functional agricultural systems that maintain agricultural productivity while simultaneously conserving biodiversity.     

Molecular Improvement of Tropical Maize for Drought Stress Tolerance in Sub-Saharan Africa

The C4 grass Zea mays (maize or corn) is the third most important food crop globally after wheat and rice in terms of production and the second most widespread genetically modified (GM) crop, after soybean. Its demand is predicted to increase by 45% by the year 2020. In sub-Saharan Africa, tropical maize has traditionally been the main staple of the diet, 95% of the maize grown is consumed directly as human food and as an important source of income for the resource—poor rural population. However, its growth, development and production are greatly affected by environmental stresses such as drought and salinization. In this respect, food security in tropical sub-Saharan Africa is increasingly dependent on continuous improvement of tropical maize through conventional breeding involving improved germplasm, greater input of fertilizers, irrigation, and production of two or more crops per year on the same piece of land. Integration of advances in biotechnology, genomic research, and molecular marker applications with conventional plant breeding practices opens tremendous avenues for genetic modifications and fundamental research in tropical maize. The ability to transfer genes into this agronomically important crop might enable improvement of the species with respect to enhanced characteristics, such as enriched nutritional quality, high yield, resistance to herbicides, diseases, viruses, and insects, and tolerance to drought, salt, and flooding. These improvements in tropical maize will ultimately enhance global food production and human health. Molecular approaches to modulate drought stress tolerance are discussed for sub-Saharan Africa, but widely applicable to other tropical genotypes in Central and Latin America. This review highlights abiotic constraints that affect growth, development and production of tropical maize and subsequently focuses on the mechanisms that regulate drought stress tolerance in maize. Biotechnological approaches to manage abiotic stress tolerance in maize will be discussed. The current status of tropical maize transformation using Agrobacterium as a vehicle for DNA transfer is emphasized. This review also addresses the present status of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) regulation in sub-Saharan Africa.     

Increasing Cropping System Diversity Balances Productivity,Profitability and Environmental Health

Balancing productivity, profitability, and environmental health is a key challenge for agricultural sustainability. Most crop production systems in the United States are characterized by low species and management diversity, high use of fossil energy and agrichemicals, and large negative impacts on the environment. We hypothesized that cropping system diversification would promote ecosystem services that would supplement, and eventually displace, synthetic external inputs used to maintain crop productivity. To test this, we conducted a field study from 2003–2011 in Iowa that included three contrasting systems varying in length of crop sequence and inputs. We compared a conventionally managed 2-yr rotation (maize-soybean) that received fertilizers and herbicides at rates comparable to those used on nearby farms with two more diverse cropping systems: a 3-yr rotation (maize-soybean-small grain + red clover) and a 4-yr rotation (maize-soybean-small grain + alfalfa-alfalfa) managed with lower synthetic N fertilizer and herbicide inputs and periodic applications of cattle manure. Grain yields, mass of harvested products, and profit in the more diverse systems were similar to, or greater than, those in the conventional system, despite reductions of agrichemical inputs. Weeds were suppressed effectively in all systems, but freshwater toxicity of the more diverse systems was two orders of magnitude lower than in the conventional system. Results of our study indicate that more diverse cropping systems can use small amounts of synthetic agrichemical inputs as powerful tools with which to tune, rather than drive, agroecosystem performance, while meeting or exceeding the performance of less diverse systems.     

Comprehensive evaluation of multiple cropping systems on upland red soil

According to the principles and methods of ecology and system engineering,we set up an evaluation indicator system for multi-component and multiple crop-ping systems,evaluated the comprehensive benefits of multi-component and multiple cropping systems using grey relation clustering analysis and screened out the opti-mized model based on research done in the upland red soil in Jiangxi Agricultural University from 1984 to 2004.The results show that the grey relation degree of "cabbage/ potato/maize-sesame" was the highest among 23 multi-component and multiple cropping systems and was clustered into the optimized system.This indicates that "cabbage/potato/maize - sesame" can bring the best social,economic and ecological benefits,increase product yield and farmers' income and promote sustainable development of agricultural production.Therefore,it is suitable for promotion on upland red soil.The grey rela-tion degree of "canola/Chinese milk vetch/maize/mung bean/maize" was second,which is suitable for imple-mentation at the city outskirts.In conclusion,these two planting patterns are expected to play important roles in the reconstruction of the planting structure and optimiza-tion of the planting patterns on upland red soil.     

Trade-off assessments between environmental and economic indicators in cropping systems of Pampa region (Argentina)

An overall sustainability assessment should include changes in the economic return, the social benefits and the human intervention on the biophysical resources in order to highlight potential trade-off or synergies among them. In this work, we studied the performance of 36 cropping systems (CS) of the Pampa region, Argentina, which include three different crops, three increasing levels of technology adoption in four contrasting site conditions. For each CS, we simultaneously assessed 1) the ecosystem energy flow using the emergy synthesis; 2) the pesticide ecotoxicity using a simple dose-response model; and 3) the economic profit, in order to evaluate the influence of crop identity, technological level, and site location on the indicators values as well as to detect potential trade-offs between indicators. Results revealed that maize crop entailed the most sustainable indicator profile by exhibiting relative high emergy return, low non-renewable emergy use, low pesticide ecotoxicity, and high gross income. In addition, results showed a significant trade-off between economic profit and ecotoxicological risk in the CS studied. Further studies should be conducted for including more contrasting indicators in order to explore the potential trade-off among other ecosystem components as a promising way to identify sustainable crop management regimes for different production zones.     

填闲种植及其在黄土高原旱作农业区的可行性分析

在主要粮食作物系统休闲期间种植填闲作物可兼顾环境与经济效益。综述了填闲种植对农田土壤水分、养分和后续粮食作物生产力形成等生态过程的影响及其具有的固碳减排、减少淋溶、控制侵蚀等环境与经济效益,并在此基础上从土壤水分限制、养分提高和产量经济效益等角度探讨了填闲种植在黄土高原旱作农业区的可行性,指出今后应重点加强填闲种植系统的水肥生产力形成机制、关键环境效益的形成机理、填闲作物与管理措施选择、生态经济效益评价以及气候变化背景下的填闲种植系统综合效益评估等方面展开定位观测与模型模拟研究,为填闲种植在黄土高原旱作农业区的推广提供科学依据。