Fusarium crown rot, caused by Fusarium pseudograminearum (Fp), frequently occurs and severely threatens wheat yield and food security. Identifying resistance genes and elucidating the resistance mechanisms are crucial for breeding resistant varieties. To investigate the defense response mechanisms of wheat to Fp infection, this study employed RNA sequencing to analyze the differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in varieties Ruihuamai 520 (DI=37.67) and Heshangtou (DI=93.35). The results showed that the number of DEGs in both varieties increased continuously with the duration of fungal infection, with a significantly higher number observed in the resistant variety Ruihuamai 520. Gene Ontology (GO) enrichment analysis revealed that chitinase activity, glutathione metabolism, and O-methyl transferase activity were significantly enriched in both varieties after inoculation. These findings indicate that genes related to cell wall composition, phytohormones, and redox processes play key roles in the defense response against Fp. Notably, the number of enriched genes in these pathways differed between resistant and susceptible varieties. Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathyway analysis showed that 13 of the top 20 enriched pathways in Ruihuamai 520 were also enriched in Heshangtou. However, the number of genes involved in most of these pathways was greater in Ruihuamai 520. These findings suggest that Ruihuamai 520 may enhance resistance to Fp by regulating of pathways involved in the synthesis of defense compounds, maintenance of redox homeostasis, and activation of immune responses.

In order to further analyze the regulation mechanism of avenin-like proteins in flour quality of wheat, the TaALP-7D gene was successfully cloned from Zhengmai 158 (strong dough strength). Relative expression patterns of different tissues showed that the TaALP-7D gene was highly expressed at different developmental stages of the kernels. It was suggested that TaALP-7D gene may be involved in the regulation of genes related to dough strength during wheat seed development. Six possible candidate interactive proteins of TaALP-7D were screened from Zhengmai 158 cDNA library by the yeast two-hybrid system: cysteine hydrolase 1 (XM_044496235.1), F-box protein SKP2A-like (XM_044518121.1), non specific lipid transfer protein LTP1-like (XM_044488525.1), and 1,3-β-glucosidase (XM_044596055.1), and also the ethylene response transcription factor TaERF1-like (XM_044549609.1) and jasmonic acid-induced oxidase JOX2-like (XM_044519612.1) related to plant hormone response. The rotation validation assays of the five representative candidate proteins (cysteine hydrolase 1, F-box protein SKP2A like, non-specific lipid transfer protein LTP1-like, 1,3-β-glucosidase, and ethylene response transcription factor TaERF1-like) indicated that all of them interacted with TaALP-7D. Therefore, it is speculated that TaALP-7D probably interacts with these candidate proteins and be mainly involved in the degradation of storage proteins (such as gliadins), synthesis of starch in wheat kernels, as well as other processes of plant hormone response

To elucidate the chromosomal and molecular genetic composition of the premium weak-gluten wheat variety Neimai 416, fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) and 660K wheat SNP array were employed to analyze Neimai 416 and its parental lines She 06-245 and J1094. The results showed that FISH analysis identified 42 chromosomes in the root tip cells of Neimai 416, with stable inheritance. The Oligo-pSc119.2 FISH signals on chromosomes 4A, 5A, 1B, and 6B differed from those of the maternal parent She 06-245, and except for 1B, also differed from the paternal parent J1094. The 660K SNP array results revealed that the maternal parent She 06-245 contributed 66.51% of the genetic material to Neimai 416, while the paternal parent J1094 contributed 33.49%, indicating a genetic bias towards the maternal parent in Neimai 416. At the genome level, the maternal parent She 06-245 exhibited higher genetic contributions to the A, B, and D genomes (73.84%, 60.73%, and 61.64%, respectively) compared to the paternal parent J1094. Chromosomally, except for chromosomes 1B, 6B, 4D, and 7D, She 06-245 showed greater genetic contributions than J1094 across all other chromosomes, with particularly great contributions on 7A (91.98%) and 3D (90.32%). Functional marker analysis revealed that Neimai 416 integrates multiple genes of high thousand-kernel weight (TaGS2B1, TaGW2-6B, TaGS-D1, TaSus2-2A, TaCwi, and TaGS2A1), along with superior alleles associated with disease resistance (COMT3B, 1-FEH-6B, TaDREB1, Vp1B1, and Lr34) and agronomic traits (Rht-D1b and TamybR_B1b). This study demonstrates that Neimai 416 exhibits chromosomal stability, a pronounced maternal-biased inheritance pattern, and carries multiple high thousand-kernel weight genes and resistance-related superior genes.

Multiple reduced height (Rht) genes in wheat had been identified but only a few were applied in breeding programs. Therefore, identifying and utilizing new Rht genes remains a prerequisite for breeding high-yield and stable wheat varieties. In this study, we constructed an F₂ mapping population by crossing an elite dwarf wheat germplasm 11003 with Yangmai 20, a leading variety in the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River. Genetic analysis indicated that the lower plant height of 11003 was controlled by a pair of recessive major alleles. The Rht gene, designated as QPh.aaas-4D, was mapped to a physical interval of 16.64-25.97 Mb on chromosome 4D by using bulked-segregant analysis sequencing (BSA-Seq). Subsequently, high-density KASP makers were developed and mapped the QPh.aaas-4D to a 2.67 Mb candidate interval (18.95-21.62 Mb). Then we used the functional marker KP-Rht2 to test individuals of the F₂ population and assumed the candidate gene underlying QPh.aaas-4D was the classical Rht gene, Rht2. Based on this study, reduced height of the novel wheat germplasm 11003 is likely related to the Rht2 gene located on chromosome 4D, which can be used in wheat breeding.

In order to screen for high callus induction rate wheat and improve the efficiency of wheat anther culture in vitro, 22 wheat materials were selected for callus induction rate using W14mf medium. Based on W14mf medium, different concentrations of 2,4-D (1.0, 1.5, 2.0, 2.5, and 3.0 mg·L^-1), 6-BA (0, 1.0, 2.0, 3.0, and 4.0 mg·L^-1), ABA (0, 0.2, 0.3, and 0.4 mg·L^-1), and arabinogalactan protein (0, 10.0, 50.0, 200.0, and 400.0 mg·L^-1) were added to analyze the effects of hormones and carbon sources on callus induction rate of different wheat genotypes (Jimai 262, Jimai 38, and Jinuo 116). The results showed that five materials with callus induction rates over 50% (Jimai 221001, Yannong 1212, Shimai 366, Jimai 35, and Yannong 999) were screened using W14mf medium, with callus induction rates of 132%, 87%, 84%, 81%, and 76%, respectively. When only adjusting the concentration of 2,4-D, Jimai 262 had the highest callus induction rate in the tested materials at 2.0 mg·L^-1, while Jimai 38 and Jinuo 116 had the highest callus induction rates at 1.0 mg·L^-1 and 1.5 mg·L^-1, respectively. When only adjusting the concentration of 6-BA, Jimai 262 had the highest callus induction rate at 1.0 mg·L^-1, while Jimai 38 and Jinuo 116 had the highest callus induction rates at 0 mg·L^-1 and 2.0 mg·L^-1, respectively. When only adjusting the concentration of ABA addition, the highest callus induction rate was observed for Jimai 4072 at 0.2 mg·L^-1, and for Jinan 17 at 0 mg·L^-1 addition. The results indicate that the addition levels of 2,4-D, 6-BA, and ABA are greatly influenced by genotype, and the concentrations of addition vary among different varieties. When only adjusting the concentration of arabinogalacto protein (AGP) addition, all tested materials showed the highest callus induction rate at 400.0 mg·L^-1, and compared to 0 mg·L^-1 addition, the callus induction rate of Jimai 38 and Jimai 4075 were increased by 1.5 and 8.0 times under 400.0 mg·L^-1 AGP. The callus induction rate of Jimai 22 was 4.5% under 400.0 mg·L^-1 AGP, achieving a breakthrough of 0 callus induction rate in the original culture medium W14mf. In addition, the callus induction rates of the four wheat materials tested were also improved. This result indicates that AGP can break the genotype limitation and effectively improve the callus induction rate of wheat anther culture.

In order to provide a reference for the genetic improvement of wheat quality, 17 specific molecular markers were used to analyze the main quality-related genes such as HMW-GS, LMW-GS, flour color and 1BL/1RS translocation in the wheat varieties (lines) selected in Henan Province in the past 10 years. The results showed that: (1) A total of 9 allele variants and 19 gene combinations were detected in HMW-GS, among which the majority genes at Glu-A1, Glu-B1 and Glu-D1 are Ax1 (80.20%), By8 (44.42%) and Dx2+Dy12 (69.54%), respectively. The main combinations were Ax1/Bx7+By9/Dx2+Dy12 (29.44%) and Ax1/Bx7+By8/Dx2+Dy12 (23.60%). (2) A total of 8 allele variants and 12 gene combinations were detected in LMW-GS, and the majority genes at Glu-A3 and Glu-B3 are Glu-A3c (53.30%) and Glu-B3d (23.35%). The main combination is Glu-A3c/Glu-B3d (14.47%). (3) Among the genes related to flour color, Ppo-A1a (63.45%) and Psy-A1a (73.60%) are the main genes with high yellow pigment content. (4) The proportion of 1BL/1RS translocation varieties (lines) is high, and the frequency is 71.07%. In conclusion, the quality-related genes of wheat varieties (lines) in Henan Province have rich diversity, the frequency of different gene combinations is very different. It is suggested that in wheat quality breeding, genes with complementary subunit effects should be selected according to the improvement goal for polymerization, and the selection and application of Ppo-A1b and Psy-A1b should be strengthened.

In order to established a quality evaluation system and variety breeding for Daqu-making wheat, 214 wheat materials for Daqu-making were studied, focusing on six common quality evaluation indicators: hardness index, amylopectin ratio, total starch content, protein content, wet gluten content, and test weight. Through comprehensive evaluation and correlation analysis of the six indicators for each sample, materials that met all the requirements for Daqu-making were selected to establish an evaluation group. Statistical analysis was used to determine the range values for individual indicators of Daqu-making wheat. Using 13 commonly used Daqu-making wheat varieties as a validation group, the optimal selection ranges for each indicator were adjusted and determined. Preliminary screening identified 22 materials with potential for Daqu-making that met all the required indicators. Correlation analysis showed that hardness index was significantly positively correlated with protein and wet gluten (P<0.01), but significantly negatively correlated with total starch (P<0.001). Protein was significantly positively correlated with wet gluten (P<0.01), but significantly negatively correlated with total starch (P<0.001). Based on the validation results from the validation group, the optimal selection ranges for the characteristic indicators of Daqu-making wheat were determined as follows: hardness index between 19.37% and 25.93%, total starch content between 66.82% and 72.80%, amylopectin ratio between 87.16% and 90.60%, protein content between 11.07% and 13.35%, wet gluten content between 23.77% and 28.45%, and test weight between 776.29 and 805.87 g·L^-1.

To clarify the relationship between root morphology at seedling stage and drought resistance characteristics of different wheat varieties (lines), this study simulated drought conditions using 20% polyethylene glycol (PEG-6000) to assess the drought resistance of 300 domestic and foreign winter wheat samples at the seedling stage. Eight root morphological indicators were determined: root tip number, root volume, root surface area, total root length, root average diameter, longest root length, root dry weight and root fresh weight, and a comprehensive evaluation of root traits was conducted using various statistical methods (correlation analysis, membership function method, cluster analysis, and principal component analysis). The results showed compared with the normal treatment, the measured indicators of wheat root under drought stress treatment decreased significantly (P<0.01). Indicating that drought stress at the seedling stage significantly inhibited the root growth of wheat. The comprehensive drought resistance evaluation D value for the tested wheat varieties was between 0.09 and 0.86. Cluster analysis categorized the tested materials into five types of drought resistance: Neixiang 5 and Wan 23094 were classified as highly drought-resistant, 21 samples including Yumai 49, Wanmai 38 and C39 were drought resistant type, 70 samples including Jimai 20, Mantol and Yangmai 10 were moderately drought resistant type, and 114 samples including Zhongmai 895, Huaimai 18 and RE714 were drought sensitive type, P3 samples including Fan 6, Ningmai 9 and Aca 801 were classified as highly drought sensitive. Comparing the distribution frequency of different drought resistance types across wheat growing regions revealed that the Huang-Huai winter wheat area is an important region for screening elite drought-resistant germplasm. Principal component analysis indicated that the assessment of seedling stage drought resistance refers to root surface area, root volume, root fresh weight and average root diameter. The results of this study may provide reference for the screening and utilization of drought-resistant germplasm in wheat.

This study aimed to systematically compare the differences in the aggregation effects of large-spike and large-grain traits between dwarf male-sterile wheat and common wheat using the novel large-spike germplasm Luoxin 001 and large-grain germplasm Luomai 76. Additionally, it sought to screen elite recombinant materials, providing a theoretical basis for efficiently aggregating superior traits using dwarf male-sterile wheat. Zhoumai 22 and its near-isogenic dwarf male-sterile wheat line (dwarf male-sterile Zhoumai 22) were used as female parents to hybridize with Luoxin 001 and Luomai 76, constructing common wheat and dwarf male-sterile wheat populations. Twelve spike and grain related traits were evaluated in the initial segregating generations. Diversity analysis, correlation analysis, principal component and cluster analysis were comprehensively used to assess the impact of dwarf male-sterile wheat on selection populations and progeny lines, and the elite recombinant materials were identified. Both selection populations exhibited high diversity indices (5.47-5.60), indicating abundant variation across traits. Significant differences were observed between the two populations for all traits except spike length, number of spikelets, spikelet density, and thousand-kernel weight. The dwarf male-sterile selection population showed higher coefficients of variation (>10%) in spike-related traits (except number of spikelets), stronger positive correlations among most spike and grain traits, and enhanced potential for breaking trait linkages. Based on principal component analysis (four components, cumulative contribution rate 89.29%), cluster analysis divided the populations into seven groups. Groups Ⅳ and Ⅶ exhibited transgressive segregation for the combination of large-spike and large-grain traits: Group Ⅳ exhibited transgressive superiority in spike traits, while group Ⅶ excelled in grain traits. Group Ⅳ (77.19% from the dwarf male-sterile wheat population) was identified as the ideal target, demonstrating the superiority of dwarf male-sterile wheat in aggregating large-spike and large-grain traits.

To identify elite wheat germplasm resistant to Fusarium head blight (FHB) and accelerate resistance breeding, 1 022 wheat accessions from domestic and international sources were evaluated. Single floret injection and grain spawn inoculation were employed across four field environments over two consecutive growing seasons (2022—2024) to assess FHB resistance. Genotype was conducted using seven molecular markers associated with the resistance genes Fhb1, Fhb2, Fhb4, and Fhb5, while agronomic traits such as plant height, spikelet number, and thousand-kernel weight were also investigated. Among the 1 022 accessions, four lines with percentage of scabbed spikelets ranging from 15.45% to 18.81% showed resistance comparable to the highly resistant cultivar Sumai 3. Genotyping results revealed that 106 accessions carried Fhb1, with a mean diseased spikelets rate of 51.76%, which was significantly lower than that of Fhb1-absent accessions (61.19%). In total 48 accessions exhibited stable and high levels of resistance, with percentage of scabbed spikelets below 30%; Molecular marker analysis indicated that among these, 13 carried one resistance gene, 19 possessed two or more gene combinations—most frequently Fhb2+Fhb5, and 16 lacked known resistance genes, suggesting the presence of novel resistance sources. From these 48 accessions, eight lines combining strong FHB resistance with favorable agronomic traits were identified, sunch as Laoqianmai and Sanyuehuang and othe landraces.

Autophagy is an evolutionarily conserved lysosome/vacuole degradation pathway, which can wrap unneeded organelles and damaged proteins in cells and transport them to vacuoles for degradation and recycling. Autophagy plays an important role in maintaining plant growth and resisting biotic and abiotic stresses. At present, studies on plant autophagy mainly focus on the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana, whereas research in wheat remains relatively limited. In this review, the research progress of autophagy in wheat has been systematically elaborated from the aspects of function, detection method, regulation mechanism and application prospect, so as to provide theoretical support for the screening and identification of eminent wheat germplasm resources and variety breeding.

The excessive application of fertilizers in the Hetao Irrigation Area of Inner Mongolia has led to soil degradation and posed challenges to sustainable agricultural development. To identify a suitable fertilization model that achieves the dual goals of reduced fertilizer application and high yield and efficiency for spring wheat in this region, a two-factor split-plot experimental design was employed to systematically explore the effects of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) and nitrogen fertilizer interactions on nitrogen uptake, utilization, and yield of spring wheat. The results showed that the application of AMF significantly increased spring wheat yield (P<0.05) by 4.87%, mainly due to increases in the number of spikes and thousand-grain weight. The application of AMF optimized nitrogen distribution patterns and utilization efficiency, as evidenced by a significant increase in nitrogen translocation before anthesis (from 73.83 kg·hm^-2 to 78.09 kg·hm^-2) and post-anthesis nitrogen contribution rate (from 29.83% to 38.80%). In addition, the application of AMF significantly improved the diversity of the AMF community in the rhizosphere soil, with community diversity promoted by low nitrogen application, but inhibited by high nitrogen application. Under AMF application, the optimal nitrogen application range for spring wheat was 114.17-217.93 kg·hm^-2, which is 30%-50% lower than that of the traditional fertilization rate. Based on the above results, the yield and nitrogen use efficiency of spring wheat in Hetao irrigation area can be increased simultaneously by reasonable application of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi and nitrogen fertilizer.

To clarify the effects of different mulching measures on the soil microecology and spring wheat yield in dryland terraces of Longzhong, a field experiment was conducted at the Dingxi Experimental Station of the Gansu Academy of Agricultural Sciences. A single-factor randomized block design was adopted with three mulching treatments: plastic film mulching (PM), straw residue mulching and incorporation (SR), and strip mulching with intact straw (SM), with no mulching (CK) as the control. The changes of these mulching measures on soil physicochemical properties, enzyme activities, ecosystem multifunctionality (EMF), and spring wheat yield were investigated. The results showed that, compared with CK, SR treatment significantly increased soil organic carbon, total nitrogen, total phosphorus, available nitrogen, and available phosphorus contents by 18.4%, 16.9%, 14.6%, 16.6%, and 12.7%, respectively. SM treatment significantly increased soil organic carbon, available nitrogen, and available phosphorus by 13.3%, 28.4%, and 9.6%, respectively. All three mulching treatments significantly improved soil water content, with the highest increase observed under PM (93.3%). SR treatment had the most pronounced effect on soil enzyme activities, followed by PM and SM. The ranking of soil EMF was SR>PM>SM>CK. PM and SR treatments significantly increased spring wheat yield by 13.4% and 18.2%, respectively. Overall, straw residue mulching and incorporation proved to be the most suitable mulching practice for the region.

To explore the feasibility of using remote sensing technology and deep learning methods to achieve early and accurate prediction of winter wheat yield on a large scale, the northern Henan region of China was taken as the research area. Using the normalized difference vegetation index, temperature, sunshine hours, precipitation and county-level yield during the period from re-greening to maturity of winter wheat from 2013 to 2022 as characteristic parameters. The Long Short-term memory (LSTM)-Convolutional Neural Networks (CNN) was used to estimate the winter wheat yield in the northern Henan region. By training the CNN-LSTM yield estimation models at different growth stages one by one, their early yield estimation ability was compared. The results showed that the CNN-LSTM yield estimation model in re-greening-maturity stages had relatively strong robustness. The average coefficient of determination (R²) in the five-fold cross-validation was 0.86, and the average root mean square error (RMSE) was 402.76 kg·hm^-2. There was a significant improvement in the yield estimation accuracy compared with the corresponding LSTM model, with the average R² increased by 0.18, and the average RMSE decreased by 188.05 kg·hm^-2. The CNN-LSTM yield estimation model in re-greening-maturity stages was a model with high stability and strong generalization ability. The R², RMSE, and mean absolute percentage error (MAPE) for yield estimation of the 2022 test set were 0.91, 337.25 kg·hm^-2, and 4.25%, respectively. Among the 32 counties (districts) in northern Henan, 75% of them had a relative error less than 5% in yield prediction, of which 21.875% had a relative error of 5% to 10% in yield prediction, and only one county (district) in Linzhou City had a relative error of 15% to 20% in yield prediction. The CNN-LSTM yield estimation model had early yield estimation ability. The R² and RMSE of the CNN-LSTM yield estimation model during the heading-anthesis stage were 0.83 and 431.98 kg·hm^-2, respectively. This model had the ability to predict winter wheat yield one month in advance. Therefore, the CNN-LSTM could be used to establish a stable and accurate winter wheat yield estimation model, thus providing strong support for agricultural decision-making.

In order to clarify the pathogen composition and pathogenicity of wheat crown rot in different ecological regions of Gansu province, more than 40 samples with typical symptoms of wheat crown rot were collected from 22 sampling sites in 11 counties and districts, including Longnan Huicheng Basin, Longdong Dry Plateau and Hexi Irrigation District in Gansu Province from grain filling to milk ripening stage. The pathogens were isolated and purified by tissue separation method. The pathogens were identified by morphological and molecular biology, and the pathogenicity of representative strains were determined by inoculation. The results showed that 76 isolates of Fusarium were screened from 104 cultures by Fusarium specific primers, and identified by morphology and TEF sequences analysis. There were 48 isolates of Fusarium pseudograminearum (63.2%), 10 isolates of F. graminearum (13.2%), 8 isolates of F. sinensis (10.5%), 6 isolates of F. equiseti (7.9%), and 4 isolates of F. acuminatum (5.2%). The pathogenicity of these isolates were significantly different, among which, that of F. pseudograminarum was the strongest, with an average disease index of 84.37; F. graminearum was the second with an average disease index of 67.06; the mean disease index of F. equiseti and F. sinensis were 66.83 and 33.97, respectively. The pathogenicity of F. acuminatum was the weakest, with an average disease index of 17.83. Combined with the isolation frequency and pathogenicity, five pathogens were identified to cause wheat crown rot in Gansu province, among which the dominant pathogen is F. pseudograminearum.