Search Results (16,405)

Wheat is one of the most essential food crops globally, but diseases significantly threaten its yield and quality, resulting in considerable economic losses. The identification of wheat diseases faces challenges, such as interference from complex environments in the field, the inefficiency of traditional machine learning methods, and difficulty in deploying the existing deep learning models. To address these challenges, this study proposes a multi-scale feature fusion shuffle network model (MFFSNet) for wheat disease identification from complex environments in the field. MFFSNet incorporates a multi-scale feature extraction and fusion module (MFEF), utilizing inflated convolution to efficiently capture diverse features, and its main constituent units are improved by ShuffleNetV2 units. A dual-branch shuffle attention mechanism (DSA) is also integrated to enhance the model’s focus on critical features, reducing interference from complex backgrounds. The model is characterized by its smaller size and fast operation speed. The experimental results demonstrate that the proposed DSA attention mechanism outperforms the best-performing Squeeze-and-Excitation (SE) block by approximately 1% in accuracy, with the final model achieving 97.38% accuracy and 97.96% recall on the test set, which are higher than classical models such as GoogleNet, MobileNetV3, and Swin Transformer. In addition, the number of parameters of this model is only 0.45 M, one-third that of MobileNetV3 Small, which is very suitable for deploying on devices with limited memory resources, demonstrating great potential for practical applications in agricultural production. Full article

Drought stress, being a crucial abiotic stress factor, and its recovery mechanism after rehydration are important in regulating crop production. This meta-analysis investigates the effects of drought stress followed by rewatering (DSRW) on crop productivity and water use efficiency (WUE) in Chinese cropping systems, synthesizing data from 90 studies (1997–2023) encompassing 2606 experimental observations. Results indicate that DSRW significantly reduced crop yield (CY) across plant types, with monocots (20.31% decline) outperforming dicots (23.64%) and woody plants (19.98% decline) showing greater resilience than herbaceous species (21.52%). WUE improved in woody plants (+7.81%) but declined in herbaceous crops (−9.44%), with notable increases in Chenopodiaceae (+59.39%) and Malvaceae (+11.35%). Mild drought stress (>65% field capacity) followed by short-term rewatering during early growth stages minimized CY losses (−19.60%) and WUE reduction (−6.89%), outperforming moderate or severe stress. Physiological analyses revealed DSRW-induced declines in photosynthetic parameters (e.g., net photosynthetic rate: −11.54%) but enhanced antioxidant enzyme activities (CAT: +18.21%, SOD: +10.23%) and osmoregulatory substance accumulation (proline: +16.22%). The study highlights the compensatory potential of strategic rewatering timing and intensity, advocating for early-stage, mild drought interventions to mitigate yield losses, which provide a practical value for promoting the sustainable development of water-saving agriculture. Future research should address regional climatic variability and crop quality responses to DSRW, advancing climate-resilient agricultural practices. Full article

Apple production in Western Norway faces challenges due to climatic constraints and varying phenology. It is essential for cultivars to adapt to regional ecological factors, while suitable pollinators are necessary for successful cultivation. This study examined the reproductive biology of two newly introduced apple cultivars, ‘Eden’ (Wursixo) and ‘Fryd’ (Wuranda), over two years (2022–2023). Key qualitative and quantitative parameters of reproductive biology were analyzed, including in vitro pollen germination, pollen tube growth within the style and ovary locules, flowering overlap time, and fruit set. The study involved cross-pollination between the pollen recipient cultivars ‘Eden’ and ‘Fryd’, with various pollenizers: ‘Rubinstep’, ‘Red Aroma’, ‘Elstar’, ‘Asfari’ and ‘Professor Sprenger’, as well as self-pollination and open pollination. According to the results from the progamic phase of fertilization and fruit set, the cultivars ‘Rubinstep’, ‘Asfari’, and ‘Fryd’ were the best pollenizers for ‘Eden’. In contrast, ‘Rubinstep’, ‘Eden’, and ‘Elstar’ were the best pollenizers for ‘Fryd’. Looking only at the overlapping of the flowering time between pollen recipient and pollen donor, ‘ProfessorSprenger’ and ‘Fryd’ were the best pollenizers for ‘Eden’, while ‘Professor Sprenger’ and ‘Eden’ were good pollenizers for ‘Fryd’. Full article

Temperature changes strongly affect apple development and quality. In this study, we analyze the relationships between the main factors modulating both of the aforementioned processes in the fruits of four apple cultivars. We assessed three-dimensional data concerning the expression profile (fold change) of eight genes related to fruit ripeness regulation (involved in the cell respiration process and sorbitol metabolism as well as encoding cell kinase receptors) and fruit parameters such as fruit weight, ethylene concentration, concentration of soluble solids and acidity, which are affected by seasonal temperature variations (2018–2020). We observed that low temperatures (before the apple ripening phase) promoted an increase in gene activity and improved the fruit quality of the following cultivars: early-flowering/mid-ripening ‘Pink Braeburn’ and ‘Pinokio’, early-flowering/late-ripening ‘Ligol’ and late-flowering/late-ripening ‘Ligolina’. We confirmed the positive effect of low temperatures on the activity of the AAAA1, AALA1, StG and AAXA genes and on the evaluated fruit quality parameters, and we confirmed their dependence on the genotype of the studied cultivars. The obtained results shed light on the complexity of the variability mechanism in fruit features and fruit harvest dates. This knowledge may improve breeding programs for the production of better-quality apples. Full article

Cold storage of pelargonium cuttings addresses the issue of nonoverlapping production seasons in Central Europe, where cuttings are harvested from stock plants in December, but rooting begins in mid-February/March. Here, we show an innovative system for cuttings storage using nature-based solutions. We compared post-delivery storage of unrooted cuttings in paperpots maintained in greenhouses (8/6 °C day/night) to standard rooting immediately after delivery. Key factors included genotype (Pelargonium zonale, P. peltatum, and hybrids), four delivery weeks (48–51), two growing seasons (2021 and 2022), and storage duration (up to 4 weeks). Genotype strongly influenced cold storage tolerance, with P. peltatum enduring storage for up to 4 weeks without significant loss of rooting efficiency, unlike P. zonale. The success of storage depended on stock plants’ quality and nutritional status: higher nitrogen content in 2022 cuttings compared to 2021 was associated with reduced rooting in P. zonale and hybrids. Neither delivery timing nor residual ethephon affected rooting outcomes after storage. This study demonstrates that storing pelargonium cuttings for up to two weeks using this method preserves quality while optimizing production efficiency by reducing nursery space, water, fertilizer, and pesticide use. This shift in production practices reduces per-unit costs and enhances the economic viability of bedding young plant producers. Full article

Soybean, an economically valuable oil and protein crop, is vulnerable to numerous biotic stresses throughout its growth period. Soybean mosaic virus (SMV), a destructive plant pathogen, induces substantial yield reduction and seed quality deterioration globally. In China, a total of 22 distinct SMV strains have been documented, with SMV-SC4 being a widely spread strain. The Chinese cultivar Kefeng-1 (KF) is resistant to this strain. To investigate the resistance mechanism, transcriptional analysis was performed at 0, 6, 24, and 48 h post-inoculation of SC4 in KF (Resistant) and NN1138-2 (NN) (Susceptible). A total of 1201 core differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified as active ones against SC4 infection, with most originating from the resistant cultivar at the early infection stages. Gene ontology enrichment analysis indicated that the DEGs directly involved in signal transduction and those related to plant stress response contributed to KF resistance indirectly, including protein phosphorylation, protein kinase activity, oxidation–reduction, oxidoreductase activity, catalytic activity, metal ion transport, and response to auxin. A total of 27 genes in “Signal transduction” with most of them were disease resistance conserved domains, 52 genes active in oxidoreductase activity involving in removing ROS from SMV attack, and 8 genes in “Response to auxin”, a phytohormone that plays a role in biotic stress response in addition to growth and development. These genes expressed more differentially in the resistant versus susceptible cultivar. Our findings provide insights into the molecular networks related to soybean response to SMV, which may be relevant in understanding soybean resistance against the viral infections. Full article

As extreme rainfall events become more frequent, leading to increased waterlogging hazards, it is crucial to explore various drainage methods that can alleviate the adverse effects of waterlogging on crop growth, thus addressing challenges related to global food security. Field experiments were carried out to evaluate the impacts of different drainage technologies on waterlogging mitigation, rice growth, dry matter accumulation, and yield. The experimental setup included varying straw blind ditch spacings (2, 3, 4, and 5 m) and subsurface pipe drainage spacings (6, 9, and 12 m), with surface drainage serving as the control (CK). The findings revealed that, in comparison to pipe drainage treatments, blind ditch treatments enhanced subsurface drainage volume by 15.1%. Regarding groundwater levels and soil moisture, the soil moisture in the 0–90 cm soil layer and groundwater levels under the blind ditch treatments were 11.3% and 6.1% lower than those under the CK as well as 22.0% and 23.9% lower than the pipe drainage treatments, respectively. Subsurface drainage treatments led to significant improvements in rice yield, with blind ditch and pipe drainage treatments increasing the yield by 8.0% and 6.0% compared to the CK. Rice yields initially increased before decreasing as burial spacing reduced. The S3 treatment resulted in yield increases of 14.4%, 8.6%, and 10.7% over the S2, S4, and S5 treatments, respectively. The G9 treatment produced 3.6% and 10.4% higher yields compared to the G6 and G12 treatments. The highest rice yield, 7.501 Mg·ha⁻¹, was achieved with a blind ditch spacing of 3 m. Compared to the S4 and S5 treatments, the yield per hectare for the S3 treatment was higher by 0.592 Mg and 0.726 Mg, while the input cost was higher by CNY 3038 and 4560, respectively. Path analysis indicated that root biomass made the largest direct contribution (0.517) to the increase in rice yield. Subsurface drainage contributed to the regulation of soil moisture, reducing leaf biomass while increasing stem biomass, which enabled the blind ditch treatments to produce optimal rice yield. These results provide a scientific basis for agricultural drainage in waterlogged areas. Full article

Double-cropping systems in which two kinds of crops are harvested per year can elevate forage yields significantly. This is the first report on a double-cropping system in the northeastern margin of alpine pastoral areas on the Qinghai–Tibetan Plateau with an elevation of 3500 m. In this experiment, eight triticale genotypes, including five varieties (‘Gannong No. 2’, ‘Gannong No. 3’, ‘Gannong No. 4’, ‘Gannong No. 7’, and ‘Zangsi No. 1’), and three lines (C16, C23, and C25) were used as the fore crops, with the four succeeding crops being 50% of triticale mixed with 50% of forage pea (B1), 50% of triticale mixed with 50% of common vetch, 50% of oat mixed with 50% of forage pea, and 50% of oat mixed with 50% of common vetch. Over 2 years (2020–2021), among the fore crops, ‘Gannong No. 4’ had the highest average hay yield (9.00 t·ha⁻¹), crude protein content (114.97 mg·g⁻¹), and relative feeding value (91.77), as well as the lowest average neutral detergent fiber content (598.17 mg·g⁻¹). Among the succeeding crops, B1 had the highest average hay yield (11.45 t·ha⁻¹) and nutritional quality. Among the interactions between the fore and succeeding crops, the highest hay yield (21.72 t·ha⁻¹), crude protein content (262.22 mg·g⁻¹), and relative feeding value (219.34) were obtained when ‘Gannong No. 4’ was doubled with B1. The results provide a theoretical basis for carrying out a double-cropping system in the alpine pastoral areas on the Qinghai–Tibetan Plateau, and this has very important implications for crop production in this area. Full article

Precision soil sampling on larger grid sizes (≥2.0 ha) is a common practice to reduce the number of soil samples and associated sampling costs. A study was conducted to evaluate the influence of different grid sizes on the depiction of spatial nutrient variability and their influence on the accuracy of variable-rate fertilizer application and total application costs. Soil sampling was conducted in nine agricultural fields using grid sizes of 0.4, 1.0, 2.0, 3.0, and 4.0 ha, and the resulting variable-rate prescription maps for lime, P, and K were spatially analyzed and compared with a reference map (generated from high-density soil sampling; approximately 2.5 samples per hectare) to determine the amount of under-, on-target, and over-application that would occur within each field. An economic analysis was conducted including the soil sampling costs, soil analysis costs, and nutrient costs to determine the effect of grid size on total application costs. Soil sampling on a 0.4 ha grid size had the best performance in depicting the spatial variability of soil pH, P, and K within the fields, and exhibited the highest application accuracy for the variable-rate prescription maps. The general trend was that the application accuracy decreased with an increase in grid size, with the potential for the under- and over-application of nutrients significantly increasing at the larger grid sizes of ≥2.0 ha. The total application cost varied among the fields as it was largely influenced by the amount of under- and over-application associated with each grid size. In most fields, the total application costs for a 0.4 ha grid size were lower or comparable to other grid sizes. In some fields, the larger grid sizes exhibited lower application costs but at the expense of reduced application accuracy. Overall, the results suggest that the smaller grid sizes of ≤1.0 ha are optimal for soil sampling in agricultural fields to ensure accurate and cost-effective variable-rate applications for site-specific nutrient management. Full article

While forage grasses in southern China exhibit yield and nutritional advantages, the impact of nutrient solutions on alfalfa (Medicago sativa BC₄) growth and elemental accumulation remains understudied. We conducted a pot-based controlled substrate cultivation trial using a nitrogen-poor substrate to compare four treatments: MS, Hoagland, B5 nutrient solutions, and RO water (control). From the V₁ to R₁ stages, the plant height was monitored continuously, with leaf dimensions and soluble proteins (Bradford method) measured at R₁. ICP-MS quantified macro elements (Na⁺, K⁺, and Mg²⁺) and microelements (Cu²⁺, Fe²⁺, Mn²⁺, and Zn²⁺). The growth rates followed the order: MS > Hoagland > RO water > B5. Both the MS and Hoagland solutions significantly increased the leaf length at the R₁ stage (p < 0.001 vs control), with Hoagland showing the greatest leaf expansion. The soluble protein content decreased significantly in all groups (p < 0.05) except MS-treated plants. An elemental analysis revealed treatment-specific accumulation patterns, most notably 1.17-fold higher Fe and 1.48-fold higher Mn in the MS group versus control (p < 0.001). Magnesium levels showed no significant differences among treatments. These results demonstrate the MS nutrient solution’s superior efficacy in enhancing the alfalfa growth parameters (height and leaf size) while maintaining the soluble protein content and promoting Fe/Mn accumulation. The findings provide empirical evidence for optimizing alfalfa cultivation in a nitrogen-deficient soil-based mix substrate through nutrient solution selection. Full article

The high yield potential and stability of hybrid japonica rice varieties are crucial for sustainable agricultural development and food security. Rice varieties must undergo rigorous testing through multi-site regional trials before being introduced to the market in China. The assessment of these regional trials is essential for guiding rice breeding. In this study, we evaluated the yield performance of 13 hybrid japonica rice genotypes (g1–g13) across six regional trial sites (e1–e6) in Jiangsu province, China. Variance analysis revealed that genotype (G), environment (E), and genotype-by-environment (G × E) interactions significantly influenced the yield of hybrid japonica rice varieties. The effects of G × E interactions on the yield potential and stability of these tested rice varieties were further analyzed using Genotype plus Genotype-by-Environment interaction (GGE) biplot and additive main effects and multiplicative interaction (AMMI) model analyses. The results reveal that Zhegengyou2035 (g4) and Changyou20-2 (g3) exhibited superior yield potential and stability, while Huazhongyou9413 (g12) exhibited broad adaptability. Additionally, the assessment of discrimination and representativeness among regional trial sites revealed that the Wujin Rice Research Institute (e6) served as an optimal testing location. Our findings identify the most suitable rice varieties for the area and assess their potential as initial material in the selection processes for breeding new varieties. Additionally, this work contributes to the strategic selection of optimal testing locations. Full article

The effects of the combination of the light intensity and photoperiod on the yield of virus-free potato and resource utilization are still poorly understood, especially under the same daily light integral. Here, we tested the responses of virus-free potato in terms of plant growth, photosynthesis, and the tuber yield to four light intensity and photoperiod combinations (T1, 200 μmol m⁻² s⁻¹ and 16.5 h; T2, 300 μmol m⁻² s⁻¹ and 11 h; T3, 400 μmol m⁻² s⁻¹ and 8.25 h; T4, 500 μmol m⁻² s⁻¹ and 6.6 h) under the same daily light integral. The tuber number and dry weight increased with the shortening of the photoperiod. The smaller number of tubers under the T1 treatment was due to the poor transport of photosynthates in the leaves and the uneven distribution of photosynthates in the tubers during the tuber formation stage. Changes in the light intensity and photoperiod combination did not significantly impact the distribution ratio of photosynthates between plants and tubers at the tuber growth stage; they only caused adjustments in the total amount of photosynthates. In addition, the photoinhibition under T1 was caused by the long photoperiod and that under T4 was caused by the high light intensity. However, the higher content of carotene in the T4 treatment alleviated the adverse effects of photoinhibition on the tuber yield. The results showed that the number and growth of tubers were extremely negatively correlated with shoot growth and extremely positively correlated with the accumulation rate of photosynthates in the plant and the tubers per day. In terms of energy consumption and the cost of the light source, we recommend the light intensity and photoperiod combinations of 300 μmol m⁻² s⁻¹ and 11 h or 400 μmol m⁻² s⁻¹ and 8.25 h to cultivate virus-free potato in plant factories. Full article

Determination of apple attitude is a key technology for apple picking robots to achieve automatic picking. This paper proposes a joint estimation method for apple pose estimation by segmenting apples and their calyx basin and designs an improved YOLO11s segmentation network (SCH-YOLO11s) to address challenges posed by small, darker calyx basin targets and image degradation. The SCH-YOLO11s network combines the Simple Attention Module (SimAM) with C3k2 into the C3k2_SimAM module, the Conv in the backbone network is replaced with the CMUNeXt Block, and the Histogram Transformer Block (HTB) is added to the C2PSA module. The trained model segmented the apple and the calyx basin and acquired the point cloud data of the segmented region. The center of the apple point cloud was determined by least squares sphere fitting, and the center of the calyx basin point cloud was calculated using the mean value method. The vector connecting these two centers was defined as the apple’s pose. The SCH-YOLO11s network achieves a segmentation AP50 of 97.1% and 94.7% on the apple and calyx basin, and the mAP is improved by 1.8% and 2.7% compared to the unimproved version, respectively. Real apple pose data were obtained for experimental comparison with the estimated pose data. The average error angle of the real pose data compared with the estimated data is 12.3 degrees. The algorithm’s runtime per image is approximately 0.08 s. It shows that the proposed pose estimation scheme has the capability to be applied in a real apple picking robot system. Full article

This study developed a nitrogen management framework that simultaneously addresses photosynthetic limitations and water scarcity challenges, providing a scalable solution for sustainable wheat production in arid farming systems. Focusing on Xinjiang’s arid region, we investigated how different ratios of basal to topdressed nitrogen fertilization affect photosynthetic mechanisms in drip-irrigated spring wheat. We implemented a split-plot design during the 2020–2021 growing seasons, using two wheat cultivars as main plots: strong-gluten Xinchun 37 (XC37) and medium-gluten Xinchun 6 (XC6). The subplots consisted of five N application treatments: N00: (no nitrogen application, control), N28 (base fertilizer 20%, top dressing 80%, and so on), N37 (3:7), N46 (4:6), and N55 (5:5). The vast majority of indicators performed best under N37 treatment. And LAI, RuBPC (ribulose-1,5-diphosphate ribulose carboxylase) activity, net photosynthetic rate (P_n), yield, and its composition were higher than the rest of the treatments by 0.21~31.75%, 6.94~25.21%, 7.42~40.78%, 0.86~25.44%, and 0.44~12.02%. And intercellular CO₂, concentration (C_i) was lower than other treatments by 7.63~50.60%. Yield showed q highly significant positive correlation with P_n, G_s, T_r, Φ_PSⅡ, and chlorophyll fluorescence parameters, but a negative correlation with C_i. Stepwise regression analysis showed that LAI, P_n, C_i, and RuBPC activity had a significant impact on yield and its compositions. In addition, all index performances of XC37 were better than XC6. Under drip irrigation in arid zones, allocating 30% basal + 70% topdressed N optimally enhances photosynthetic capacity and yield formation in spring wheat, offering a practical pathway for sustainable intensification in water-limited agroecosystems. Full article

Vitamin C industrial residue after evaporation (RAE) acts as both a rapid-release carbon source and a microbial activity promoter. A two-year maize field experiment assessed the effectiveness of RAE in improving soil quality in degraded semi-arid regions. The RAE formulation was applied via drip irrigation during the sixth true leaf unfolded (BBCH 24), fourteenth true leaf unfolded (BBCH 38), and middle of grain filling (BBCH 66) stages, which consisted of three treatments: (1) untreated control (CK), (2) low RAE rate (LR: 150 L/ha), and (3) high RAE rate (HR: 300 L/ha). Soil physicochemical properties, enzyme activities, maize nutrient accumulations, and yields were comprehensively analyzed at the maize maturity stage. RAE application significantly improved the following soil nutrients: dissolved organic carbon (10.40–25.92%), ammonium nitrogen (14.04–70.67%), nitrate nitrogen (14.80–78.63%), and available phosphorus (11.79–42.55%). Soil enzyme activities also increased: sucrase (12.38–30.25%), amidase (1.95–25.69%), peptidase (0.56–48.79%), β-1,4-N-acetylglucosaminidase (3.11–9.48%), protease (17.41–226.29%), and acid phosphatase (8.73–60.04%). These changes enhanced maize nitrogen (17.63–40.73%) and phosphorus (20.09–42.11%) uptake, increasing yield by 7.12–13.46%. Statistical analysis showed strong correlations between yields and nutrient accumulations (r = 0.82, p < 0.01), particularly phosphorus (r = 0.91, p < 0.001). RAE enhances crop productivity in degraded agricultural systems by improving soil nutrient availability and plant assimilation, making it a viable alternative to conventional fertilizers. Full article