In order to clarify the impact of coupling canopy morphology with other modal information on estimating winter wheat leaf chlorophyll content (LCC), two wheat varieties, Shinong 086 and Hemai 2020 were used as materials. Four nitrogen application levels (0, 120, 240, and 360 kg·hm^-2) were set up in fields. This study used a low-altitude unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) remote sensing platform equipped with a multispectral camera to obtain spectral data of winter wheat at key growth stages. The canopy morphology effect was calculated in combination with the digital elevation model (DEM), and Random Forest Regression (RF), Categorical Boosting (Catboost), and eXtreme Gradient Boosting (XGBoost) were applied to analyze the contribution of spectral information, index information, and canopy morphology information, among other multi-modal data, to the monitoring of LCC in winter wheat. The results showed that compared with spectral and vegetation index features, canopy morphology could improve the monitoring accuracy of LCC (r²=0.66), and the importance of DEM was superior to that of slope. Among the three machine learning algorithms, the LCC model constructed by Catboost could achieve high monitoring accuracy both in the case of single feature and multi-source feature coupling, especially when a single canopy morphology feature was used as the input variable. Multi-source feature coupling does not improve the monitoring accuracy of LCC, but the coupling of other features with canopy morphology features can improve the monitoring accuracy to a certain extent.

Drought is the primary agrometeorological disaster affecting spring wheat growth in the Hexi Corridor. Accurately identifying its drought characteristics is crucial for field management and disaster prevention and mitigation in local spring wheat cultivation. Based on the daily meteorological data from Wuwei Meteorological Station and the growth stage, soil relative humidity (R_sm) and yield data of spring wheat from the Agrometeorological Experiment Station during 1995-2023, the effective precipitation (P_e), crop water requirement (ET_c), and crop water deficit index (CWDI) during the growth periods of spring wheat were calculated, and regression analysis, Spearman correlation analysis, and Mann-Kendall (M-K) detection were employed to reveal the water supply-demand dynamics and drought characteristics of spring wheat. The results showed that the ET_c during the growth period of spring wheat in the Hexi Corridor significantly exceeded P_e during 1995-2023. Under non-irrigation conditions, severe water imbalance occurred, with the peak water deficit reached 58.7 mm during jointing-heading stage. Drought frequency analysis showed frequent drought occurrences across all growth stages without irrigation, particularly during the jointing-heading stage, where the frequency of severe drought reached 86%. Under irrigation, only the sowing-three leaf stage exhibited a severe drought frequency of 55%, but the actual yield reduction rate was only 2.7%-9.4%. The interannual fluctuations of CWDI were significant between 1995 and 2023, under non-irrigation conditions, continuous drought persisted throughout the growth periods, with CWDI reaching 85% during the heading-grain filling stage. The CWDI showed an extremely significant upward trend at 9.5% a^-1 (P<0.01), with an abrupt change occurring in 2014-2015. Under irrigation, the CWDI showed a monomodal pattern, with an overall increase rate slowing down to 1.4% a^-1, however significantly downward trend at 52.0% a^-1 (P<0.05) during three leaf-jointing stage. Although CWDI reached 81% during sowing-three leaf stage, winter irrigation ensured soil moisture, which basically met crop requirements. Climate change intensified water stress on spring wheat. Adopting precision irrigation technologies such as drip irrigation during the critical water requirement stages of spring wheat can effectively mitigate the adverse impacts of climate change induced spring droughts and late spring early summer droughts on crops. This approach ensures normal growth and development of spring wheat and stabilized yields.

The aleurone layer of blue-grained wheat is rich in anthocyanins, which offer numerous health benefits to humans. To elucidate the molecular mechanisms underlying anthocyanin synthesis and regulation in the aleurone layer, this study compared the blue-grained wheat material E10-2B with its white-grained counterpart E10-2W using agronomic trait evaluation, molecular markers, liquid array technology, and transcriptome analysis. The results showed that compared to E10-2W, E10-2B exhibited a 15.31% reduction in plant height, indicating a dwarfing trait. However, its panicle length, 1 000-grain weight, and grain length decreased by 17.93%, 5.99%, and 4.40%, respectively. Molecular marker and liquid chip analyses revealed that E10-2B contains the complete genome of common wheat, along with the 4E chromosome from Thinopyrum ponticum. The grain color of E10-2B undergoes a transformation between 20 and 25 days post-anthesis, with 25 days post-anthesis identified as the critical time point for anthocyanin accumulation. Transcriptome sequencing analysis identified 748 and 5 246 differentially expressed genes at 20 and 25 days post-flowering, respectively. KEGG enrichment analysis indicated that the differentially expressed genes at 25 days post-flowering were significantly enriched in pathways related to phenylpropanoid, flavonoid, and anthocyanin biosynthesis, suggesting activation of the anthocyanin synthesis pathway at this stage. To further identify key genes in the anthocyanin synthesis pathway, we analyzed transcriptome data from the blue-grained wheat material Blue 1 and its white-grained control White 1, available in public databases. Comparative analysis focused on the expression patterns of anthocyanin synthesis-related genes in the two blue-grained materials (E10-2B and Blue 1). A total of 77 and 21 up-regulated anthocyanin synthesis-related genes were identified in E10-2B and Blue 1, respectively, including chalcone synthase (CHS), flavanone 3-hydroxylase (F3H), and MYB transcription factors. Notably, 15 genes showed shared up-regulation in both blue-grained materials, accounting for 19.48% of the up-regulated genes in E10-2B. Among these, three flavonoid 3′,5′-hydroxylase genes (F3′5′H) and three flavonoid 3-O-glucosyltransferase genes (UFGT) exhibited high expression levels in both materials. These co-upregulated genes likely play a pivotal role in the differential anthocyanin accumulation between blue and white wheat.

To investigate the molecular mechanism of high-temperature all-stage stripe rust resistance in Xiaoyan 6, an E3 ubiquitin ligase gene, TaPUB23, was identified based on the previous transcriptome sequencing results. This gene, which was significantly upregulated under both stripe rust infection and high-temperature conditions, has a full-length sequence of 1,272 bp, encoding 423 amino acids, and is localized in the cell membrane, cytoplasm, and nucleus. Virus-induced transient overexpression of TaPUB23 significantly reduced the stripe rust resistance of Xiaoyan 6 plant. Based on the yeast two hybrid (Y2H) system, we identified the interaction target TaDJA7 of TaPUB23 and demonstrated that TaPUB23 ubiquitinated TaDJA7. The interaction between TaPUB23 and TaDJA7 was further validated through luciferase complementation assays (LCA), bimolecular fluorescence complementation (BiFC), and Pull-down assays. These findings reveal that the E3 ubiquitin ligase TaPUB23 regulates high-temperature all-stage stripe rust resistance in wheat through ubiquitination of TaDJA7.

NF-YB transcription factors play key regulatory roles in plant growth, development, and stress responses. In this study, HMMER and BLAST were used to identify members of the wheat NF-YB gene family, and their physicochemical properties, phylogenetic relationships, and gene structures were analyzed. Using wheat varieties including Lantian 134, Longzimai 1, and Chang 6878, the expression pattern of TaNF-YB-2 at the seedling stage under drought and salt stress was examined. A total of 10 TaNF-YB family members were identified in the wheat genome and sequentially named TaNF-YB-1 to TaNF-YB-10. These proteins were unstable and acidic. The TaNF-YB members in common wheat showed high similarity to their homologs in spelt wheat, indicating evolutionary conservation. TaNF-YBs genes were mainly located on homologous groups 1 and 4, with five-gene pairs showing collinearity. Cis-element analysis suggested that TaNF-YB gene family are involved in stress responses. Under drought and salt stress, the expression of TaNF-YB-2 increased in both roots and leaves. Under drought stress, the relative expression levels of TaNF-YB-2 in three drought-resistant varieties (Lantian 134, Longzimai 1, and Chang 6878) were consistently significantly higher than in two drought-sensitive varieties (Xikemai 518 and Lanhangxuan 121). Under salt stress, the relative expression levels of TaNF-YB-2 in the three salt-tolerant varieties were significantly higher than those in the salt-sensitive materials—in leaves after 4 h and in roots after 6 h of treatment.

Thousand-kernel weight is one of the key yield components in modern wheat breeding where significant progress has been made through genetic improvement. It is crucial to conduct in-depth research on the important genes controlling wheat kernel weight and their functions. In this study, molecular markers for five genes related to wheat kernel weight (TaSus2-2B, TaGW8-B1, TaCwi-A1, TaGS-D1, and TaGW2-6A) were used to test 263 new wheat varieties (lines) collected from the 2023-2024 national trials in the Huanghuai wheat region. Among these varieties (lines), all kernel weight-related genes existed in combinations. There were nine types of combinations for the five prior haplotypes, specifically: TaGW8-B1a+TaGW2-6A-A, TaSus2-2Ba+TaGW8-B1a+TaGW2-6A-A, TaGW8-B1a+TaGS-D1a+TaCwi-A1a, TaGW8-B1a+TaGS-D1a+TaGW2-6A-A, TaGW8-B1a+TaCwi-A1a+TaGW2-6A-A, TaSus2-2Ba+TaGW8-B1a+TaGS-D1a+TaGW2-6A-A, TaGW8-B1a+TaGS-D1a+TaCwi-A1a+TaGW2-6A-A, TaSus2-2Ba+TaGW8-B1a+TaCwi-A1a+TaGW2-6A-A, and TaSus2-2Ba+TaGW8-B1a+TaGS-D1a+TaCwi-A1a+TaGW2-6A-A. Among these combinations, the TaSus2-2Ba+TaGW8-B1a+TaGW2-6A-A combination had the lowest frequency at 1.90%, while the TaGW8-B1a+TaGS-D1a+TaCwi-A1a+TaGW2-6A-A combination had the highest frequency at 31.56%. Further evaluation and analysis of kernel traits in 2023 in Zhengzhou and Zhumadian and in 2024 in Xinxiang revealed that among these nine gene combination types, the TaGW8-B1a+TaGW2-6A-A combination exhibited a relatively weak effect on increasing wheat kernel weight, whereas the combination type with five pyramided superior kernel weight-related alleles(TaSus2-2Ba+TaGW8-B1a+TaGS-D1a+TaCwi-A1a+TaGW2-6A-A) showed a relatively strong effect on improving wheat kernel weight. The results of this study indicated that increasing the number of superior kernel weight-related genes(haplotypes) could effectively enhance the kernel weight of wheat varieties in the Huanghuai wheat region.

Wheat powdery mildew, caused by Blumeria graminis f. sp. tritici, is a devastating foliar disease that significantly threatens wheat production. In this study, molecular marker and Sanger sequencing were adopted to analyse the composition or sequence variation of 17 cloned or common powdery mildew (Pm) resistance genes in 40 wheat varieties mainly from Yuncheng city. Molecular markers were used to identify the 15 Pm loci, and the results showed that five loci (Pm2, Pm6, Pm8, Pm30 and Pm52) were identified as single gene or gene pyramiding. The frequency of Pm2, Pm6, Pm8, and Pm30 in the tested varieties was 35%, 20%, 20%, and 10%, respectively. Five varieties (Yunmai 2008, Jimai 22, Zhongmai 30, GA20015, and Liangxing 99) have both Pm2 and Pm6, and combination of Pm8 and Pm30 was only detected in Yunhei 1619 and Jinzimai 33. To analyse the variation of partial resistance gene Pm46, a pair of specific primers was designed to amplify the full-length genomic sequence of Pm46 in the 40 varieties. A predicted 4 708 bp DNA fragment was obtained in 34 varieties whereas no amplicon was obtained from the remaining six colored wheat varieties. By marker analysis, the six varieties all carry 4Ag (4E) chromosome of blue-grained wheat, which is the donor of ThMYC4E. Pm46 gene was sequenced in the 34 varieties and 3 haplotypes were identified, all of which encode susceptible proteins. Additionally, allelic variation analysis of Pm5 gene in the tested materials revealed that only Linnuo 178 carries the resistant allele Pm5b, while the resistant allele Pm5e was not detected. The phenotypic identification results show that germplasm carrying the Pm6 and germplasm carrying the blue-grained wheat 4Ag chromosome exhibit good resistance to the local powdery mildew races in Yuncheng, which can be further used for future wheat genetic improvement.

To elucidate the variation sites, dwarf gene composition and dwarfing effect of a dwarf mutant Yutong 194, the wild type variety Zhoumai 18 was used as the control. Exome capture sequencing was employed to verify the authenticity of the mutation and mine variation sites. Molecular detection of dwarf gene, gibberellin (GA₃) sensitivity tests at the seedling stage, and analyses of plant height and yield-related traits were conducted. The results showed that a 99.63% genetic identity between Yutong 194 and Zhoumai 18. SNPs were predominantly enriched on chromosomes 2B (52.62%), 5A (11.49%), and 2D (6.25%). On chromosome 2B, 96.93% of the differential loci (253 loci) were concentrated within four regions, spanning a total length of 38.42 Mb. Both lines carried the Rht2, Rht9, and Rht24 genes, while Yutong 194 additionally carried the Rht8. Gibberellin sensitivity tests indicated that both lines are insensitive to exogenous GA₃, consistent with the characteristic response of Rht2+Rht24 gene combination. Under different planting conditions, the plant height of Yutong 194 was significantly lower than Zhoumai 18(9.83% reduction in hill-drop sowing, and 11.98% in plot). The dwarfing primarily resulted from shortening of the basal three internodes and the penultimate internode (12.09% -29.08%). The dwarfing did not negatively affect yield traits such as grains per spike or 1 000-grain weight. Instead, it significantly increased the tiller-to-ear ratio (15.5% increase in tillers per plant and 8.63% increase in spike number under hill-drop sowing), ultimately leading to a yield increase rate of 3.88% . This study confirms that Yutong 194 is a dwarf mutant of Zhoumai 18 and demonstrates its potential for synergistically reducing plant height and enhancing yield.

This study analyzed the changes in yield and quality of the approved weak gluten wheat varieties in China over the past two decades, along with the correlations among key agronomic and quality traits, to clarify the trend of yield and quality during variety replacement. The findings provide references for breeding high yield and high quality weak gluten wheat and innovating cultivation practices. Data on yield and quality were systematically collected from 174 released weak gluten wheat varieties across China's major wheat-producing provinces and municipalities from 2000 to 2024. Based on the winter wheat production zoning, these varieties were classified into those from the Yangtze River winter wheat area and the Southwest winter wheat area. The yield, yield components, and quality traits were evaluated. Results showed that the number of approved weak gluten wheat varieties exhibited a fluctuating upward trend, with 71 and 103 varieties approved in the Yangtze River winter wheat area and Southwest winter wheat area, respectively, averaging 3.55 and 5.15 varieties per year. Yield and quality traits demonstrated areal differences. The varieties in Yangtze River winter wheat area had a higher average yield, though it showed a declining trend over time. In contrast, the varieties in Southwest winter wheat area displayed a consistent annual increase in yield, with an average rise of 0.01 t·hm^-2 each year. In terms of quality, the Yangtze River winter wheat area experienced significant annual reductions in both protein content and wet gluten content, with average decrease rates of 0.06% and 0.20%, respectively. The Southwest winter wheat area showed annual increases of 0.05% and 0.06% in these two indicators. Correlation analysis revealed a significant positive relationship between spike number, thousand-grain weight and yield in both areas. The protein content of weak gluten wheat is significantly positively correlated with the wet gluten content. In the Yangtze River winter wheat area, spike number was identified as a key determinant of high yield. Enhancing the number of grains per spike and thousand-grain weight through breeding and agronomic measures could further increase yield. In the Southwest winter wheat area, efforts should focus on increasing spike number while optimizing crop management practices to improve processing quality, thereby achieving simultaneous improvements in both yield and quality.

To provide a reference for breeding high-yield, high-quality, and green wheat varieties in the Huainan region of Jiangsu, this study conducted a systematic analysis of agronomic traits (growth period, plant height, spike number, grains per spike, thousand-kernel weight, and disease resistance) and quality traits of 116 wheat varieties approved in Jiangsu from 2010 to 2024. The pedigree information of these varieties was traced, and their genetic relationships were studied using phylogenetic and cluster analysis. The results showed that agronomic traits and quality of the approved wheat varieties in the Huainan region from 2010 to 2024 exhibited significant improvement trends. The average growth period of varieties was 207 days, a decrease of 3 to 5 days compared to early-maturity varieties; plant height remained stable at 80-88 cm, averaging 84.51 cm. Among the three yield components, spike number per hm² increased by 4.31%, thousand-kernel weight improved by 9.64%, and grains per spike remained relatively stable. Quality improvements shifted toward medium to strong gluten, with a notable increase in medium to strong gluten wheat varieties. In terms of disease resistance, varieties maintained moderate resistance to fusarium head blight, but showed enhanced resistance to powdery mildew and yellow mosaic virus disease. However, varieties resistant to sharp eyespot remained relatively scarce. Genetic relationship analysis revealed that the genetic similarity coefficients of parentage (COP) for 6 670 pairs among the 116 varieties ranged from 0 to 0.66, with an average COP of 0.32. Cluster analysis based on phylogenetic relationships divided the tested wheat varieties into four groups, with key parental varieties such as Ningmai 9, Ningmai 13, Yangmai 158, Zhenmai 9, and Zhenmai 168 forming three major core clusters, accounting for 86.21% of the approved varieties. The study indicated that while yield and quality traits of varieties in the Huainan region of Jiangsu have significantly improved, but their genetic foundation remains relatively narrow. The repeated utilization of key parental varieties like Ningmai 9, Yangmai 158, and Zhenmai 9, along with limited incorporation of new external parents, has led to insufficient genetic diversity in the developed varieties of the Huainan region in Jiangsu.