In recent years, the occurrence of wheat stripe rust in Henan Province has shown an increasing trend due to the prevalence race CYR34 of the stripe rust. To clarify the resistance of wheat germplasms in Henan against dominant races including CYR34, this study systematically evaluated the resistance and genetic basis of 629 local wheat germplasms at both seedling and adult plant stages. Stripe rust resistance genes (Yr5, Yr7, Yr15, Yr18, Yr78, Yr81, YrZH84, and YrZM1354) were genotyped using KASP markers. The results revealed a generally low resistance level in the tested wheat population to currently prevalent races including CYR34, with cultivars exhibiting significantly weaker adult-plant stage resistance than landraces. The adult-plant stage resistance gene Yr18 was detected at a frequency of 93.03% in the landraces, whereas it was found in only 1.95% of cultivars. Meanwhile, cultivars carried new resistant genes YrZM1354 and YrZH84. Further genetic effect analysis showed that Yr18 contributed the most to the wheat population’s phenotypic resistance, while YrZM1354 had the strongest single-gene effect. Combining YrZH84 and YrZM1354 can enhance seedling resistance. Based on these testing results, it is recommended that wheat disease resistance breeding in Henan should focus on reintroducing Yr18, accelerating the deployment of new genes such as YrZM1354, and promoting multi-gene pyramiding to broaden the genetic basis of resistance and develop durable-resistant varieties. This study provides valuable resistant source materials, genetic insights, and strategic guidance for wheat disease resistance breeding in Henan Province.

To broaden the genetic resources for salt-tolerant wheat, 96 wheat-Thinopyrum ponticum derivative lines were treated with 150 mmol·L^-1 NaCl at the seedling stage. Fourteen morphological traits were measured, and a comprehensive evaluation of salt tolerance was carried out using principal component analysis (PCA), the membership function method, and cluster analysis. The results showed that salt stress significantly inhibited both aboveground and underground growth of the seedlings. Most traits, such as shoot fresh weight and root fresh weight, decreased markedly compared to the control, with high coefficients of variation (>25%). PCA extracted five principal components, which together explained 83.85% of the total variance. Among them, a biomass factor (including shoot fresh weight, root fresh weight, total root length, root surface area, shoot dry weight, and root dry weight) had the highest contribution rate (33.15%), which can be used as a key indicator for evaluating salt tolerance at the seedling stage. Cluster analysis classified the 96 lines into five salttolerance grades, including seven highly salttolerant lines (7.1%) and 17 moderately salt-tolerant lines (17.3%). Further measurements of Na⁺ and K⁺ contents confirmed that salttolerant lines maintained a lower Na⁺/K⁺ ratio under salt stress, showing a stronger ability to regulate ion homeostasis.

Heat shock protein 90 (Hsp90) is widely involved in plant growth and development, and plays critical roles in regulating thermotolerance and responses to high-temperature stress in plants. In this study, 18 TaHsp90 genes were identified in wheat via bioinformatic analysis and designated TaHsp90-2A to TaHsp90-7D-2 according to their chromosomal locations. Chromosomal localization revealed that TaHsp90 genes were unevenly distributed across nine wheat chromosomes. Analysis of gene structures and conserved motifs divided this gene family into two structural types, all of which harbored ten conserved motifs. Intraspecific collinearity analysis of wheat identified 23 collinear gene pairs. Phylogenetic tree analysis classified the Hsp90 gene families of all tested species into three subgroups. Promoter cis-acting element detection identified a total of 31 types of cis-elements in the TaHsp90 family. Haplotype analysis indicated that individual TaHsp90 members exhibited significant differences in haplotype number, frequency, and geographical preference, with obvious signatures of adaptive differentiation. Expression profiling revealed distinct tissue-specific and drought-heat-induced expression patterns among TaHsp90 members, which could be categorized into four stress-response modes and six tissue-expression modes. Quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) of six representative genes with typical stress-responsive patterns demonstrated that TaHsp90-2B exhibited the most prominent heat-inducible expression. Under normal growth conditions, there were no obvious phenotypic differences between carrying TaHsp90-2B wheat lines and wild-type plants. However, after exposure to 42 ℃ heat stress, the overexpression lines exhibited milder wilting and lodging, accompanied by significantly higher SPAD values as well as SOD, POD, and CAT activities compared with the wild type. These results indicate that this gene can markedly improve wheat tolerance to heat stress.

NAC transcription factors are pivotal in regulating plant growth, development, and stress responses. This study aims to investigate the role of the TaNAC2 gene in wheat's adaptation to low-temperature stress and its growth development. To achieve this, we developed TaNAC2 gene overexpression and gene-edited lines using Fielder as the transformation recipient. Subsequently, we evaluated cold stress tolerance, growth development, and agronomic traits in both controlled incubator and greenhouse. The results showed that after 10 hours of low-temperature stress treatment at -5 ℃, compared to Fielder, the relative expression level of TaNAC2 genes in the T₃ overexpression lines OE8, OE11, and OE14 was significantly increased (P<0.01), while relative conductivity was significantly reduced (P<0.05); seedling survival rates increased and frost damage indices decreased, but neither showed significant differences. In the T₄-generation gene-edited line GE45 (aabbdd), the relative expression level of the TaNAC2 gene was significantly reduced (P<0.05); seedling survival rate decreased, and relative conductivity and frost injury index increased, but none of these showed significant differences; in GE91 (aaBBDD), the relative expression level of the TaNAC2 gene, relative conductivity, seedling survival rate, and frost injury index were all similar to Fielder. Under greenhouse pot conditions, compared with Fielder, except that the days from sowing to heading of OE11 were significantly reduced (P<0.05), there were no significant differences in plant height, tiller number, and spikelet number of OE8, OE14, GE45, and GE91. In summary, the TaNAC2 gene positively regulates wheat's tolerance to low-temperature stress, but has no obvious effect on agronomic traits.

Triticum aestivum L. with three pistils (TP) is characterized by three normal stamens and three fertile pistils, which can produce 2~3 seeds per floret and significantly increase the number of grains per spike. Therefore, developing specific molecular markers for early and accurate identification of the three-pistil trait is of great significance for marker-assisted selection breeding. Based on the unique structural variation in the 589.7~590.1 Mb region of chromosome 2D in three-pistil wheat, we extracted the deleted region and breakpoint sequences, and designed primers targeting the conserved sequences of normal single pistil wheat genome (SP1, SP2) and primers spanning the variant breakpoints (SV1, SV2), respectively. After PCR validation of their specificity in the Fielder×TP F₃ population, four specific markers were obtained. Subsequently, using 23 segregating populations of three-pistil wheat and their parents (a total of 255 experimental materials) as subjects, we established an early molecular identification system and verified the effectiveness of marker-assisted selection through PCR amplification and agarose gel electrophoresis, combined with field phenotypic investigation. The results showed that primer pairs SP1 and SP2 could specifically identify normal single pistil wheat genotype, whereas SV1 and SV2 were effective for distinguishing three-pistil wheat materials. Mutual validation between the two sets of markers confirmed the genotyping results and effectively reduced detection errors. The consistency between molecular detection results of the 255 materials using the developed markers and field phenotypic identification reached 96.08%. The molecular markers developed from chromosome-specific structural variations demonstrated high specificity and stability, enabling accurate early screening at the seedling stage. These markers provide valuable technical support for marker-assisted breeding and germplasm exploitation of three-pistil wheat.

This study investigated the interannual, regional, and varietal variations in the quality characteristics of wheat in Henan Province in recent years, along with their interactions. Based on the quality inspection data of wheat kernel samples organized by the Henan Provincial Bureau of Grain and Material Reserves from 2021 to 2025, as well as some data from the regional test of wheat varieties, this report systematically analyzed the interannual changes, regional differences, variety characteristics and interaction effects of key quality properties, including grain protein content and test weight, along with flour properties such as wet gluten content, water absorption, dough stability time, extension area and maximum resistance. The results of data statistical analysis show that the overall quality properties of wheat samples in Henan Province were relatively stable and increasing, and the production potential of strong gluten wheat in Yubei and Yuzhong was outstanding. The interannual fluctuations affected by climate factors were significant. Regional differences were closely related to ecological conditions. Variety (genotype) is a key factor in determining wheat kernel quality. It is suggested that further measures could be addressed by further improving the ecological zoning of wheat production in Henan Province, refining the layout of high-quality wheat varieties, breeding new high-quality varieties with strong adaptability, and formulating corresponding cultivation measures. The relevant industrial departments should formulate wheat production targets based on local conditions, and grain processing enterprises should control raw grain procurement, product development and quality according to actual production conditions, so as to ultimately improve the efficiency of the wheat processing industry and achieve high quality, high yield, high efficiency, and sustainable development of the wheat industry in Henan Province.

To efficiently explore the genetic potential of barley germplasm resources and broaden the genetic basis for barley genetic improvement in China, this study utilized 79 domestic and foreign barley accessions introduced from Kazakhstan, Japan, Russia, Australia, and other countries, as well as domestic sources. Major agronomic traits, quality traits, and grain morphological indicators were systematically measured, and comprehensive evaluations were conducted using methods such as the Shannon-Wiener genetic diversity index, correlation analysis, principal component analysis, and cluster analysis. The results indicated that the genetic variation of the tested barley accessions was substantial, with coefficients of variation ranging from 4.69% (grain width) to 42.99% (grains per spike), and Shannon-Wiener diversity indices ranging from 1.26 (grain length-to-width ratio) to 2.08 (grain surface area and grain width). For domestic barley from different sources, the coefficients of variation for major traits ranged from 0.85% (plant height) to 24.39% (yield), while for foreign barley, they ranged from 0.91% to 23.54%. Barley from Kazakhstan exhibited the tallest plant height, and barley from Russia had the highest protein content on a dry basis. Correlation analysis showed that grain starch content was significantly negatively correlated with crude protein content and fiber content, while crude protein content was significantly positively correlated with fiber content. Thousand-grain weight was significantly positively correlated with grain surface area, grain perimeter, grain length, and grain width (P<0.01). A regression model constructed based on stepwise regression analysis indicated that plant height, peduncle length, flag leaf length, fiber content, thousand-grain weight, and grain perimeter could serve as key comprehensive evaluation indicators for screening high-quality barley germplasm. Principal component analysis of 17 traits extracted seven principal components, with a cumulative contribution rate of 86.257%, effectively capturing the main information of the original data. Combined with the membership function to calculate comprehensive scores (D-values), the top five accessions ranked by D-values were D-76, Wangchuan P148, 2163, HBL002, and Fengnongpi 1, which can be utilized as high-quality parental materials for barley genetic improvement. Cluster analysis classified the tested materials into three groups.

To establish an efficient protocol for isolating high-quality protoplasts from barley leaf epidermal tissue, thereby providing technical support for studies on stomatal development, gene functional validation, and molecular breeding for stress resistance, this study used leaves of barley (Hordeum vulgare ‘Golden Promise’) at the three-leaf stage as experimental material. An orthogonal experimental design was employed to systematically optimize key parameters, including the concentrations of Cellulase R-10 and Macerozyme R-10, digestion time, and osmotic pressure. The results showed that enzyme concentration and digestion time significantly affected protoplast yield and morphology. The low-concentration enzyme combination (1.5% Cellulase R-10+0.75% Macerozyme R-10) failed to effectively release protoplasts. Increased enzyme concentrations (2% Cellulase R-10+1% Macerozyme R-10) improved yield, but levels remained relatively low. When the Macerozyme R-10 concentration was increased to 1.5% combined with a 6 h digestion, cell wall degradation was most complete, leading to significantly enhanced yield and improved morphological integrity. Osmotic pressure optimization revealed that increasing the mannitol concentration from 54.7 g·kg^-1 to 98.4 g·kg^-1 (resulting in an enzyme solution osmolality slightly higher than the leaf tissue osmotic potential of 630 mmol·kg^-1) increased protoplast yield from 4.8×10⁵ cells·mL^-1 to 5.8×10⁵ cells·mL^-1. Furthermore, protoplast morphology transitioned from irregular shapes with debris to intact, uniformly spherical forms. The optimal conditions were determined to be 2% Cellulase R-10, 1.5% Macerozyme R-10, a 6 h digestion time, and a mannitol concentration of 98.4 g·kg^-1, under which the protoplast yield was highest and the protoplasts were intact and uniformly spherical. This system is not only applicable to the lower epidermis of barley leaves but is also highly efficient for mesophyll tissue, providing reliable technical support for related cell biology and molecular biology research.

Highland barley, a characteristic cereal crop widely cultivated on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, riched in protein and various amino acids is an important functional food ingredient. The nutritional value of protein highly dependent on its amino acid composition. This paper systematically reviews the research progress on amino acids in highland barley:(1) Regarding composition and content, highland barley contains 18 amino acids, including 8 essential amino acids, generally exhibiting the characteristics of rich total amount and balanced proportions, with lysine being the first limiting amino acid. Significant differences in amino acid content are observed among different varieties and grain colors. (2) Regarding synthesis and regulation, the biosynthetic pathways of major amino acids and their molecular regulatory basis are outlined. (3) Regarding nutritional and health benefits, it focuses on elucidating the potential roles of functional components such as lysine and γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) in supporting plateau residents' adaptation to high-metabolic and hypoxic environments, including providing high-quality protein, regulating blood glucose, and alleviating stress. (4) Regarding stress physiology, it reveals the key regulatory roles of amino acid metabolism, particularly the aromatic amino acid pathway, in highland barley's response to core plateau environmental stresses such as UV radiation, low temperature, and drought. (5) It summarizes the effects of different processing methods on the content, composition, and nutritional value of amino acids.

To investigate the relationship between grain-filling characteristics and grain weight of different wheat varieties in rice-wheat cropping area along the Huaihe River, 23 cultivars were used in this study. The grain-filling process was simulated using the Richards model, to analyze the relationships between grain weight, grain-filling characteristics, and grain phenotype. Results indicated that grain weight and grain-filling parameters were predominantly governed by genotype. The theoretical thousand-kernel weight (TKW) predicted by the Richards model closely aligns with the field-measured values. Significant differences were observed among cultivars of differing grain-weight classes in terms of maximum single-grain filling rate and average single-grain filling rate. Whereas, no significant differences were detected in filling duration, number of active filling days, or the timing of peak filling rate. Differences in grain-filling rates among the three grain-weight classes high-, medium-, and low-grain-weight were primarily confined to the rapid grain-filling phase. The average grain-filling rate of high-grain-weight and medium-grain-weight cultivars increased by 16.94% and 10.34%, respectively, compared with the low-grain-weight cultivars. The average grain-filling rate per single grain of the high-grain-weight and medium-grain-weight types increased by 16.01% and 10.46%, respectively. Grain morphological traits including grain length, grain width, perimeter, and surface area also significantly differed among grain-weight classes, consistently following the order: high-grain-weight>medium-grain-weight>low-grain-weight, whereas there was no significant difference for the grain length-to-width ratio among the cultivar groups. Correlation analysis revealed that TKW was significantly and positively correlated (P<0.05) with grain length, grain width, perimeter, surface area, and grain-filling rate, with correlation coefficients ranging from 0.88 to 0.99. In summary, this study indicates that the synergistic differences in grain size (e.g., grain length and width) and the rapid grain filling rate during the rapid growth period are the main reasons for the grain weight differentiation among different grain weight types of wheat varieties.