Low temperature during early spring severely impairs maize germination, leading to significant yield losses. To elucidate the mechanisms underlying cold tolerance at the germination stage, we compared two cold-tolerant maize inbred lines (AM and CM) with a cold-sensitive line (BM) under control (25 °C) and chilling (6 °C) conditions. Phenotypic observations showed that AM and CM maintained high germination rates and exhibited enhanced coleoptile elongation under cold stress, whereas BM displayed substantial growth inhibition. Cold-tolerant lines accumulated less malondialdehyde and showed markedly higher SOD and POD activities, indicating a stronger antioxidant defense. Transcriptome profiling revealed that cold tolerance is associated with a more robust transcriptional response in AM and CM, characterized by significant activation of the phenylpropanoid and flavonoid biosynthesis pathways. Among the differentially expressed genes, the class III peroxidase gene ZmPER5 was strongly upregulated in AM and CM but only weakly induced in BM, suggesting its central role in reinforcing the cell wall structure and enhancing ROS-scavenging capacity under chilling conditions. Other lignin- and flavonoid-related genes, including ZmHCT4 and ZmCYP75, also exhibited genotype-specific induction patterns consistent with cold tolerance. qRT-PCR validation confirmed the RNA-seq expression trends. These results demonstrate that maize cold tolerance during germination relies on the coordinated enhancement of antioxidant enzyme activity, activation of phenylpropanoid-derived lignin biosynthesis, and accumulation of protective flavonoids. The identified candidate genes, especially ZmPER5, provide valuable targets for improving cold tolerance in maize breeding.

Northern corn leaf blight is caused by Exserohilum turcicum and poses a significant threat to maize yields. Therefore, it is of vital importance to explore disease-resistant genes and cultivate disease-resistant varieties. Glutathione S-transferases (GSTs) play an important role in plant defense reactions. We previously found that GST genes are significantly regulated in maize after infection with E. turcicum in a comparative RNA-seq transcriptome study, however, the function of GSTs in resisting NCLB remains unclear. In this study, 31 ZmGST genes were identified in the maize genome and were classified into the tau, phi, and zeta classes based on phylogenetic analysis. Analysis of the exon-intron structure of the ZmGST genes revealed that the number of exons ranged from 1 to 9. Promoter analysis identified 965 cis-elements associated with development-related elements, environmental stress-related components, hormone-related elements and light-responsive elements. Through a comparative RNA-seq transcriptome analysis, the expression of ZmGST1 is significantly up-regulated in the resistant maize inbred line upon E. turcicum infection compared with the susceptible maize inbred line. The full-length ZmGST1 (699 bp) was found to possess conserved GST_N and GST_C domains characteristics. The overexpression of ZmGST1 in maize enhances the resistance to E. turcicum by increasing antioxidant enzyme activities (SOD, POD, GST), reducing H2O2 content and upregulating pathogenesis-related genes (PR1, PR5, PR10.1/ 10.2). While, the EMS mutant plant showed the opposite results. We characterized 31 GST genes in maize and found that ZmGST1 is significantly induced in the resistant maize inbred line compared with the susceptible maize inbred line. Moreover, ZmGST1 can positively regulate maize resistance to E. turcicum infection through enhancing antioxidant enzyme activities and PR gene expression levels. These results uncovered that ZmGST1 is a key gene in maize defense against NCLB and provide new insights for molecular breeding of resistant varieties.

Heat shock transcription factors (HSFs) are central regulators of plant stress signaling networks, orchestrating transcriptional responses to diverse environmental cues. In this study, we performed a comprehensive genome-wide identification and evolutionary analysis of the HSF gene family in Setaria italica (foxtail millet), an emerging model for C₄ cereal crops. Twenty-Five SiHSF genes were identified and mapped across six chromosomes, displaying uneven chromosomal distribution. Phylogenetic and duplication analyses revealed that segmental duplication was the primary force driving the expansion of the SiHSF family, whereas Ka/Ks ratios indicated strong purifying selection during evolution. Promoter inspection revealed a rich repertoire of cis-elements associated with light and phytohormone signaling, particularly in response to jasmonic acid and abscisic acid. Transcriptomic profiling highlighted diverse spatiotemporal expression patterns and a notable induction of SiHSF3 under salt and drought stress. qRT-PCR assays further validated the upregulation of SiHSF3 in response to salinity, dehydration, and heat treatments. Functional characterization demonstrated that SiHSF3 possesses transcriptional self-activation activity and significantly enhances yeast tolerance to osmotic and high-temperature stress. Collectively, these findings provide novel insights into the evolutionary diversification and functional specialization of HSF genes in foxtail millet and establish SiHSF3 as a promising candidate for engineering improved abiotic stress resilience in cereal crops.

Phytophthora root and stem infection by Phytophthora sojae is a global and devastating disease of soybeans. Selecting disease-resistant varieties is the most economical and effective measure for controlling this disease. Delving into the disease resistance and defense molecular mechanisms can lay a theoretical foundation for solving this problem. Here, we screened the soybean genome and identified 78 GmDof genes distributed on nineteen chromosomes. Subcellular localization analysis revealed that the majority of GmDof proteins were located in the cell nucleus. Phylogenetic analysis categorized these genes into nine subfamilies. Gene structure analysis showed that all GmDofs contained 0 to 2 introns, and most of them did not have introns. Motif and conserved domain analysis showed that all GmDofs contained a common motif (motif-1) and a typical conserved C2-C2 domain. The prediction of cis-acting elements in promoter regions revealed numerous cis-regulatory elements responsible for stress responses, plant growth and development, plant hormone responses, and light responses. RNA-seq and quantitative real-time PCR results showed that GmDof63 (Glyma.16G145000) was specifically expressed at high levels after P. sojae infection. GmDof63 was strongly induced by SA and ETH treatments. The soybean seedlings overexpressing GmDof63 displayed enhanced resistance to P. sojae infection compared with the wild-type soybean seedlings. Further experiments indicated that the expression levels of pathogenesis-related protein genes PR1a, PR4, PR5a, and PR10 were significantly up-regulated in GmDof63-overexpressing transgenic soybean seedlings. Taken together, these findings reveal the mechanism by which GmDof63 directly or indirectly regulates the expression of PR genes to modulate the soybean response to P. sojae infection.

C2H2 zinc finger proteins (C2H2-ZFPs) constitute one of the largest transcription factor families in plants, playing crucial roles in growth, development, and stress responses. Here, we performed a comprehensive genome-wide analysis of C2H2-ZFPs in foxtail millet (Setaria italica v2.0), identifying 67 members that were unevenly distributed across all nine chromosomes. Most SiC2H2 proteins were predicted to be alkaline, stable, and nuclear-localized, with the exception of SiC2H2-11 and SiC2H2-66, which were chloroplast-targeted. Phylogenetic analysis with Arabidopsis thaliana and Oryza sativa (rice) homologs classified these genes into seven distinct subfamilies, each containing the characteristic motif1 domain. Evolutionary studies revealed 14 segmental duplication events and strong syntenic conservation with Triticum aestivum (wheat, 163 orthologous pairs), suggesting conserved functions during evolution. Promoter analysis identified multiple cis-acting elements associated with light responsiveness, hormone signaling, and stress adaptation. Transcriptome profiling and qPCR validation in the YuGu 56 cultivar identified several stress-responsive candidates, including SiC2H2-35 and SiC2H2-58 (salt tolerance), as well as SiC2H2-23 (5.19-fold induction under salt stress) and SiC2H2-32 (5.47-fold induction under drought). This study provides some valuable insights into the C2H2-ZFP family in foxtail millet and highlights potential genetic markers for improving stress resilience through molecular breeding approaches.

Members of the WRKY transcription factors (TFs) family play crucial roles in biotic and abiotic stress responses in plants, but their roles in response to drought stress in maize (Zea mays L.) have not been fully elucidated. Maize ZmWRKY82, a group IIc WRKY gene, was isolated from maize using reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). Using the UniProt online database, we found that ZmWRKY82 encodes a 222-amino protein with conserved WRKYGKK and C-X4-C-X23-H-X1-H motifs. ZmWRKY82 is strongly induced by polyethylene glycol (PEG), abscisic acid (ABA), methyl jasmonate (MeJA), salicylic acid (SA), and ethephon (ETH) treatments. The ZmWRKY82 protein was located in the cell nucleus. ZmWRKY82 had transcriptional activation capability and was able to bind to the W-box element. ZmWRKY82-overexpressing Arabidopsis and maize exhibited stronger drought resilience, which was associated with enhanced antioxidant enzyme activity and altered transcription level of drought-related genes. These findings suggest that ZmWRKY82 plays a central role in conferring drought tolerance in maize and may contribute to crop improvement and sustainable agricultural practices.

Calmodulins (CaMs), which are important calcium-binding proteins, play critical roles in plant stress responses. However, limited information is available regarding the biological functions of CaMs under drought stress. In this study, we identified and isolated a CaM gene, ZmCaM2, from maize (Zea mays L.) in length and encodes a 184-amino acid protein containing four EF-hand domains capable of specifically binding calcium ions (Ca2+). Subcellular localization analysis revealed that ZmCaM2 is localized to the nucleus and membrane. Functional characterization indicated that ZmCaM2 negatively regulates drought tolerance in maize by increasing malondialdehyde (MDA) and reactive oxygen species (ROS) content while decreasing antioxidant enzyme activity, proline (Pro) content, abscisic acid (ABA) content and relative water content (RWC). Moreover, ZmCaM2 reduced maize sensitivity to ABA treatment, suggesting that ZmCaM2 negatively regulates the drought tolerance of maize by relying on the ABA pathway. These findings provide new insights into the functional role of ZmCaM2 and may facilitate the development of drought-resistant maize cultivars.

Calmodulin (CaM) family members play crucial roles in the response to various abiotic stresses. However, the functions of CaMs in the response to drought stress in maize are unclear. In this study, a CaM gene, ZmCaM2-1, was isolated from the maize (Zea mays L.) inbred line B73. The coding sequence (CDS) of ZmCaM2-1 was 450 bp with a protein of 149 aa which contains four EF-hand motifs. The ZmCaM2-1 protein was located in the cell nucleus and membrane, and is able to bind to Ca2+. ZmCaM2-1 was strongly induced by drought, NaCl, and low-temperature treatments, except for abscisic acid (ABA) treatment. Overexpression of ZmCaM2-1 in Arabidopsis was found to decrease the drought tolerance with lower antioxidant enzyme activity and greater reactive oxygen species (ROS) production. Moreover, there was no significant difference in the phenotype and ABA-related gene expression levels between ZmCaM2-1-overexpressing Arabidopsis and the wild type (WT) under ABA treatment. These results indicate that ZmCaM2-1 negatively regulates the tolerance of Arabidopsis to drought stress through the ABA-independent pathway.

Drought stress is one of the important abiotic stresses that affects maize production. As an important Ca2+ sensor, calmodulin-like proteins (CMLs) play key roles in plant growth, development, and stress response, but there are a limited number of studies regarding CMLs in response to drought stress. In this study, a Calmodulin-like gene, namely ZmCML3, was isolated from maize (Zea mays L.). The coding sequence (CDS) of ZmCML3 was 474 bp and a protein of 158 aa which contains three EF-hand motifs. ZmCML3 was localized within the nucleus and plasma membrane. The expression of ZmCML3 was induced by polyethylene glycol (PEG) 6000, NaCl, methyl jasmonate (MeJA), and abscisic acid (ABA). Overexpression of ZmCML3 resulted in enhanced drought tolerance in maize through increasing proline (Pro) content and the activity of peroxide (POD) and superoxide dismutase (SOD). Meanwhile, ZmCML3 also positively regulated the expression of drought stress-responsive genes in maize under drought stress treatment. Taken together, ZmCML3 acts as a positive regulator in maize response to drought stress. These results will provide theoretical basis for breeding drought tolerance maize variety.

Northern corn leaf blight, caused by Exserohilum turcicum (E. turcicum), is one of the most destructive diseases in maize, leading to serious yield losses. However, the underlying molecular mechanisms of E. turcicum infection response in maize remain unclear. In this study, we performed comparative transcriptome analysis in resistant maize inbred line J9D207 (R) and susceptible maize inbred line PH4CV (S) after infecting with E. turcicum at 0 h, 24 h and 72 h, respectively. Compared with 0 h, 9656 (24 h) and 8748 (72 h) differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified in J9D207, and 7915 (24 h) and 7865 (72 h) DEGs were identified in PH4CV. Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) enrichment analysis showed that alpha-linolenic acid metabolism, benzoxazinoid biosynthesis, flavonoid biosynthesis and phenylpropanoid biosynthesis might be involved in maize defense reactions. Some DEGs coded for transcription factors, such as MYB-related, ERF, NAC, bZIP, bHLH and WRKY families, which indicated that they may participate in resistance against E. turcicum. In addition, DEGs involved in SA, JA, ABA and ET signaling pathways were revealed. Moreover, 75 SOD activity-related genes and 421 POD activity-related genes were identified through weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA), respectively. These results provide a novel insight into the resistance mechanism of maize in response to E. turcicum inoculation.

Northern corn leaf blight (NCLB) is one of the most important foliar disease in maize, which leads to serious yield losses. It is necessary to identify resistance genes in order to control NCLB. Mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) cascades play important roles in plant defense reactions. Ethylene-response factor (ERF) is involved in plant disease resistance in maize through phosphorylation by MAPK signaling pathway. Here, we found that ZmMPK6-1 positively regulates maize resistance against E. turcicum through enhancing the expression of defense-related genes and enzyme activities. Moreover, ZmMPK6-1 can interact with ZmERF061 which enhanced the transcriptional activation activity of ZmERF061. Taken together, our findings indicated that ZmMPK6-1 would act through improving ZmERF061 transcriptional activation activity to induce defensin gene expression in regulating the maize resistance against E. turcicum. These results revealed the molecular mechanism of ZmMPK6-1-ZmERF061 signaling pathway in response to E. turcicum, which is useful to maize E. turcicum resistance breeding.

以Non-Reid群骨干自交系PH4CV、PHB1M为基础材料,采用DH育种技术等方法,经2轮遗传改良分别育成4个改良系(J9D207、J1886、J1518、J1608).以4个改良系及2个基础系为父本,5个Reid群骨干自交系为母本,组配30个杂交组合.首先,利用SSR分子标记技术,对改良系的遗传多样性进行分析;其次,通过NCⅡ设计方法,对改良系的遗传增益、杂种优势及配合力进行分析.结果表明:基础系与改良系之间存在遗传差异性;遗传增益分析表明,第2轮改良系J1518在百粒重和单株产量上的遗传增益高于基础系12.06％和15.70％,高于第1轮改良系6.00％和7.35％;杂种优势分析表明,百粒重最高的组合为J1598×J1518;单株产量最高的组合为J1595×J1518.配合力分析表明,第2轮改良系的J1518均有较高的配合力.可见第2轮改良系J1518改良效果最好.

在"双一流"大学建设背景下,结合吉林省高校自身优势,建立完善的科技成果转化机制,提高吉林省高校科技成果转化的效率,对促进高校的快速发展具有重要意义.文章通过调查"十三五"期间吉林省高校科技成果转化的现状,深入分析了吉林省高校科技成果转化中存在的问题和制约因素,探索促进吉林省高校科技成果转化的具体措施,以期为促进我国高校科技成果的高效转化提供参考.

种业是现代农业发展的基础,对保障国家粮食安全具有重要作用.培养高质量种业人才是推动种业快速发展的重要措施.在"新农科"建设背景下,为培养适合现代种业发展需要的人才,对种子科学与工程专业人才培养模式进行探索:优化人才培养方案、建设高水平教学团队和课程、加强专业教材建设、创新教学内容与教学方式、完善课程考核、加强实验和实践教学,以期为"新农科"创新创业型种子科学与工程人才的培养和省级一流本科专业建设提供参考.

以玉米Non-Reid核心种质为基础材料,经2个轮次的遗传改良分别育成一轮改良系J9D207、J1577以及二轮改良系J1673、J1630、J1791、J1778,研究玉米大斑病抗性、籽粒长度和百粒重的遗传改良效果.首先利用SSR分子标记技术对改良系遗传多样性进行分析;其次以Non-Reid基础系及改良系为材料,研究遗传改良效果,并以此为父本,选取Reid群5个优良自交系,作5×10不完全双列杂交,进行配合力分析.遗传改良效果表明:基础系之间遗传差异较大,基础系与改良系存在相似性;一轮系J9D207、J1577,二轮系J1673和J1630表现为高抗大斑病,籽粒长度和百粒重遗传改良效果最好的是J1630;配合力分析表明:籽粒长度和百粒重GCA值最好的是J1630.通过两轮遗传改良,二轮系J1630籽粒较长和百粒重较高,抗大斑病、配合力高,可用于其他种质改良.

Phytophthora root and stem rot is a worldwide soybean (Glycine max) disease caused by the soil-borne pathogen Phytophthora sojae. This disease is devastating to soybean production, so improvement of resistance to P. sojae is a major target in soybean breeding. Mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) cascades are important signaling modules that convert environmental stimuli into cellular responses. Compared with extensive studies in Arabidopsis, the molecular mechanism of MAPK cascades in soybean disease resistance is barely elucidated. In this work, we found that the gene expression of mitogen-activated protein kinase 6 (GmMPK6) was potently induced by P. sojae infection in the disease-resistant soybean cultivar 'Suinong 10'. Overexpression of GmMPK6 in soybean resulted in enhanced resistance to P. sojae and silencing of GmMPK6 led to the opposite phenotype. In our attempt to dissect the role of GmMPK6 in soybean resistance to phytophthora disease, we found that MAPK kinase 4 (GmMKK4) and the ERF transcription factor GmERF113 physically interact with GmMPK6, and we determined that GmMKK4 could phosphorylate and activate GmMPK6, which could subsequently phosphorylate GmERF113 upon P. sojae infection, suggesting that P. sojae can stimulate the GmMKK4-GmMPK6-GmERF113 signaling pathway in soybean. Moreover, phosphorylation of GmERF113 by the GmMKK4-GmMPK6 module promoted GmERF113 stability, nuclear localization and transcriptional activity, which significantly enhanced expression of the defense-related genes GmPR1 and GmPR10-1 and hence improved disease resistance of the transgenic soybean seedlings. In all, our data reveal that the GmMKK4-GmMPK6-GmERF113 cascade triggers resistance to P. sojae in soybean and shed light on functions of MAPK kinases in plant disease resistance.

Calmodulin (CaM) and Calmodulin-like (CML) genes are the primary families of Calcium (Ca2+) sensors which are found to be involved in response to various stresses. Some genes involved in Ca2+ signal transduction have been genome-wide characterized in various species. However, the detailed identification, characterization, and expression profilings of ZmCaM and ZmCML genes in maize remain poorly understood, especially in the response to drought stress. In this study, a total of 7 ZmCaMs and 46 ZmCMLs are identified in maize and unevenly located on 10 chromosomes. ZmCaM and ZmCML proteins are divided into 9 groups. Protein structures analysis shows that the EF-hand motif number of ZmCaMs/ZmCMLs ranges from 3 to 4 and 2 to 4, respectively. A large number of cis-regulatory elements are found in the promoter regions of ZmCaM and ZmCML genes. ZmCaM and ZmCML genes display highly diversified tissue-specific expression patterns. Furthermore, ZmCaM2, ZmCML3, ZmCML6, ZmCML8, ZmCML19, ZmCML24, ZmCML27, ZmCML28, ZmCML36, ZmCML39, and ZmCML40 are induced significantly under drought stress through RNA-seq data and RT-qPCR. Taken together, these results will help to understand the critical roles of ZmCaM and ZmCML genes played in drought resistance and provide valuable candidate genes that could be used to develop drought-resistant maize.

以Non-Reid群骨干 自交系为基础材料,采用DH育种技术,经2轮遗传改良分别育成J9D207、J1886、J1518、J1608 4个改良系.对抗倒伏相关性状茎秆拉力强度、穿刺强度、节间直径、节间干质量和单位茎长干物质质量的遗传改良效果进行研究.结果表明:第2轮改良系J1608的抗倒伏相关性状遗传改良效果最为明显.基础系和2轮改良系之间的茎秆拉力强度、茎秆穿刺强度、节间直径、节间干质量和单位茎长干物质质量存在显著和极显著差异,同时茎秆穿刺强度、节间直径和单位茎长干物质重随节位的上升呈下降趋势.相关分析表明,茎秆拉力强度与穿刺强度、茎秆直径、节间干质量、单位茎长干物质质量呈极显著或显著正相关,说明这4个性状可以作为判断茎秆拉力强度的重要指标.

丰富的种质资源是选育优良玉米品种的遗传物质基础,引进、改良、创新与扩增,是解决种质资源狭窄的根本途径.以Reid群外引自交系PH6WC为基础材料,经2个轮次的遗传改良,分别育成J1590、J1595和J1020、J1598,再以基础系PH6WC和4个改良系为母本,6个No-Reid群骨干自交系为父本,作5×6不完全双列杂交,进行杂种优势及配合力分析.结果表明:第2轮改良系J1598遗传增益效果最好,其单株产量、穗粗、百粒重与穗长杂种优势值均高于基础系和第1轮改良系J1590、J1595.配合力分析表明,第2轮改良系J1598的一般配合力改良效果更好,以PH6WC为基础的改良系J1590、J1595和J1598在单株产量、穗粗、百粒重和穗长等性状上易组配出较好的杂交种.综合研究结果表明,第1轮改良系J1590、J1595与第2轮改良系J1598,可以作为组配杂交种的优良种质,具有较高的利用潜力.

《种子加工与贮藏》课程是为种子科学与工程专业学生开设的一门专业课.该论文通过深入了解现代种子产业对种业人才的需求,基于启发式和参与式教学方式,结合种子科学与工程专业的人才培养方案,对课程进行改革,从而提高教学效果,有效调动学生学习的积极性,为现代种业发展培养优秀人才.