In order to understand the relationship between starch particle size distribution and pasting properties of wheat grains, 44 wheat varieties were used as materials in 2020-2021 and 2021-2022 to analyze the characteristics of starch particle size distribution, pasting properties and their relationship in wheat grains along the Huai River. The results showed that the volume of B-type starch granules accounted for 22.45%—45.06%, and the volume of A-type starch granules accounted for 54.94%—77.55% in wheat grains along the Huai River. The surface area of B-type starch granules accounted for 69.18%—84.45%, and the surface area of A-type starch granules accounted for 15.55%—30.82%. The number of B-type starch granules accounted for 99.76%—99.90%, and the number of A-type starch granules accounted for 0.10%—0.24%. The average peak viscosity of wheat in 2020—2021 and 2021—2022 were 888.24 and 985.64 cP, respectively, and the coefficient of variation were 18.11% and 17.98%, respectively. The average trough viscosity were 593.56 and 753.61 cP, respectively, and the coefficient of variation were 17.35% and 18.52%, respectively. The average values of final viscosity were 1 215.37 and 1 486.40 cP, and the variation coefficients were 15.20% and 15.91%, respectively. The coefficient of variation of wheat pasting parameters was greater than 10%, and the coefficient of variation of breakdown was the largest, which was 38.10% and 41.96%, respectively. Correlation analysis showed that the volume proportion of B-type starch granules was significant negatively correlated with peak viscosity (P<0.01). The volume proportion of A-type starch granules was significant positively correlated with peak viscosity, breakdown and trough viscosity (P<0.05). The results of principal component analysis showed that the proportion of A-type starch granule volume and B-type starch granule volume had a higher contribution rate to PC1 and PC2 components of the 44 wheat varieties. The results of cluster analysis showed that the 44 wheat varieties can be divided into three categories. The volume proportion of B-type starch granules in the first category of wheat varieties was the smallest, while the peak viscosity was the highest, and the final viscosity was second to the third category, including Yangmai 13 and Shengxuan 6. The second type of wheat varieties accounted for the largest proportion of B-type starch granule volume, and the peak viscosity and final viscosity were lower than those of the first and third types, including 11 wheat varieties such as Xinong 979 and Luyuan 502. The proportion of B-type starch granule volume in the third type of wheat varieties was between the first and second types, and the peak viscosity and final viscosity were higher, including 31 wheat varieties such as Yangmai 20 and Deyan 8.

To clarify the regulatory effect of nitrogen (N) fertilizer reduction and postponing on the grain yield and quality of wheat in Huang-Huai-Hai Plain, the N fertilizer experiment of wheat was established under four N application treatments: N fertilizer application 200 kg·hm^-2 of traditional farmer treatment (F₂₀₀, basal fertilizer 130 kg·hm^-2+regreening fertilizer 70 kg·hm^-2), N fertilizer application mode 1 (N₁, basal fertilizer 90 kg·hm^-2 + regreening fertilizer 90 kg·hm^-2), N fertilizer application mode 2 (N₂, regreening fertilizer 60 kg·hm^-2 + heading fertilizer 80 kg·hm^-2) and N fertilizer application mode 3 (N₃, basal fertilizer 40 kg·hm^-2+regreening fertilizer 60 kg·hm^-2 + heading fertilizer 80 kg·hm^-2) from October 2020 to June 2023 at Jiyang Experimental station of the Shangdong Academy of Agricultural Sciences in Jinan. The effects of the four N fertilizer treatments on grain yield and its components, N accumulation characteristics, grain protein and its components, and processing quality of wheat were tested. The results indicated that N fertilizer postponing was beneficial to increase grain yield and its components of wheat under the conditions of N reduction, and the best performance was under N₂ treatment; the average yield across the three years under N₂ was significantly increased by 20.5%, 13.5% and 7.6%, respectively, compared with F₂₀₀, N₁ and N₃. Compared with F₂₀₀ and N₁ treatments, N₂ and N₃ treatments significantly increased the plant N accumulation by 12.6%-20.8%, while the grain N accumulation of N₂ treatment was significantly increased by 16.4 %, 15.0 % and 5.8 %, respectively, compared with F₂₀₀, N₁ and N₃ treatments. Compared with F₂₀₀, N₁ treatment significantly reduced grain protein content, grain rigidity, test weight, flour yield and dough development time due to the lower N fertilizer, but postponing increased amount of N fertilizer under N₂ and N₃ treatments significantly increased the dough stability time, water absorption, wet gluten and sedimentation value. Therefore, although N₂ mode had the least of N application, it can achieve the production purpose of increasing yield and quality by increasing the amount of nitrogen fertilizer postponing, which was a better nitrogen application model to achieve the synergistic improvement of wheat grain yield and processing quality in the Huang-Huai-Hai Plain.

In order to explore the effects of layered nitrogen application on accumulation and distribution of dry matter, and yield of winter wheat, Weilong 169 was selected as the experimental variety, and controlled-release urea (nitrogen content 44%, controlled-release period of 3 months) was selected to fertilize at one time at the sowing stage. Two nitrogen application methods (N8: 8 cm basal fertilizer single-layer strip application; N121: basal fertilizer was applied to 8, 16, and 24 cm soil layers at a ratio of 1∶2∶1) were conducted with three nitrogen application rates (conventional nitrogen application: 240 kg·hm^-2; nitrogen reduction 20%: 192 kg·hm^-2; nitrogen reduction 40%: 144 kg·hm^-2). The dynamics of winter wheat population and dry matter change, dry matter assimilation and redistribution after flowering, grain yield and its components were studied. The results showed that under the same fertilization method, the dry matter accumulation and grain yield of winter wheat at maturity increased significantly with the increase of nitrogen application rate. When the nitrogen application rate was 192—240 kg·hm^-2, there was no significant difference in the number of stems and dry matter accumulation per unit area before jointing in winter wheat compared with single-layer nitrogen application treatment, the dry matter accumulation and panicle rate after jointing were significantly increased, among which the panicle rate increased by 2.2—2.5 percentage points, the dry matter accumulation at maturity increased by 11.1%—12.3%, and the grain yield increased by 10.0%—12.0%. At the same time, there was no significant difference in panicle number, dry matter accumulation and grain yield at maturity in N121 20% nitrogen reduction treatment compared with N8 conventional nitrogen application treatment. The results showed that even if the nitrogen application rate was reduced by 20%, the grain yield of the conventional nitrogen application rate of N8 treatment could be obtained, and the grain yield of winter wheat could be significantly increased by increasing the nitrogen application rate to 240 kg·hm^-2, and the yield of winter wheat could be significantly increased compared with the N8 conventional nitrogen application rate.

To identify the root characteristics of late-maturity semi-winterness wheat varieties and their relationship with yield formation, nine semi-winterness wheat varieties with different maturity were selected as experimental materials. Through the simultaneous implementation of outdoor pot and field experiments, the root morphology, quantitative and physiological characteristics of different maturity wheat varieties were comprehensively studied. The results showed that the root length, root surface area, root volume and root dry weight of late-maturity varieties were significantly higher than those of early-and medium-maturity varieties from re-greening to late maturity stage. At anthesis stage, the root length, root surface area, root volume, and root dry weight of late-maturity varieties were 43.02%, 39.26%, 48.93 and 31.01% higher than those of early-maturity varieties, and 26.13%, 24.63%, 33.72 and 20.84 higher than those of medium varieties, respectively. The root length density, root surface area density, root volume ratio, and root dry weight density of late-maturity varieties were significantly higher than those of early-and medium-maturity varieties in the 0-100 cm soil layer at anthesis. The number of nodal roots per plant of late-maturity varieties was 48.27 at anthesis, which was 6.92 and 5.07 higher than that of early- and medium-maturity varieties, respectively. The root vigor of late-maturity varieties was significantly higher than that of early- and medium-maturity varieties from wintering to late maturity stage, 36.39% and 15.02% higher than that of early- and medium-maturity varieties at jointing stage, respectively. From anthesis to late maturity stage, antioxidant enzyme activity in roots of late-maturity varieties was significantly higher than that of early- and medium-maturity varieties, while malondialdehyde (MDA) content in roots was significantly lower than that of early- and medium-maturity varieties, and the root length decay rate was significantly lower than that of early- and medium-maturity varieties, with the reduction rate of 16.19% and 10.88%, respectively. In summary, compared with early- and medium-maturity varieties, late-maturity varieties have better root traits, which are reflected in root length, root surface area, root volume, root dry weight, nodal root number, root vigor, and anti-aging ability.

In order to explore the management strategy of irrigation and seeding time of dryland wheat under the background of future climate change, the Agricultural Production Systems SlMulator (APSIM) was used to analyze the statistical yearbook data of spring wheat in dryland in Longzhong from 2014 to 2022. Coupled Model Intercomparison Project 5 (CMIP5) model for future climate change scenarios (RCP4.5 and RCP8.5) data, Different irrigation amounts (0, 60, 120, 180, 240 and 360 mm) and sowing dates (March 1, March 11, March 19, March 31) were set to simulate and analyze the difference of yield and biomass of spring wheat in dryland under different irrigation amounts and sowing dates. The results showed that the model could accurately simulate the yield and biomass of spring wheat in the study area after parameter calibration and verification. Under the future climate change scenario, the yield and biomass of spring wheat increased first and then decreased with the increase of irrigation amount, and the yield and biomass were the highest under the irrigation of 120 mm. The yield and biomass of spring wheat were the highest under the sowing date of March 1, and the lowest under the sowing date of March 31. Under the interaction of irrigation amount and sowing date, the yield and biomass of spring wheat treated with the irrigation water of 120 mm and the sowing date of March 1 were the highest overall. In conclusion, the yield and biomass of spring wheat in dryland can be effectively increased by increasing irrigation and sowing in advance under the future climate change scenario.

In the spring of 2022, wheat plants showed suspected viral disease symptoms of chlorosis, yellowing and dwarfing in Nanjing and Huai'an in Jiangsu Province. To verify the virus species, the pathogen molecular identification and phylogenetic analysis were carried out. The results showed a high incidence (53.6% and 86.7%) of barley yellow dwarf virus-PAV (BYDV-PAV) in the samples using the universal primer Lu-1/Lu-4 for Luteoviruses. When the universal Leu-F/Leu-R primer was used, a target fragment (624 bp) was amplified in partial samples. Sequencing analysis suggested that the four amplicons from Nanjing samples shared the highest homology (97.78%) with wheat yellow dwarf virus (WYDV), and the four amplicons from Huai'an samples had the highest homology (97.60%) with panicum distortion mosaic virus (PDMV). In order to further identify virus species, the specific primers against coat proteins (CP) of the two viruses were designed for RT-PCR detection, and the target fragments can be amplified from positive samples. The cloning and sequencing results revealed that CP gene of Nanjing isolate was 612 bp in full-length, with 98.69% homologous to WYDV Henan isolate (OK216142), and CP gene of Huai'an isolate was 615 bp in full-length, sharing 97.89% and 97.72% nucleotide identity to PDMV Hubei isolate (OM514390) and Korean isolate (LC424839), respectively. Phylogenetic analysis suggested that the two viruses were clustered into the branch of Poleroviruses. These results indicate that the two novel viruses detected in wheat from Nanjing and Huai'an are the isolates of WYDV and PDMV, respectively, which is the first report of the two viruses infected in crops in Jiangsu Province.

Highland barley sheath rot is a panicle disease caused by Dactylobotrys gramincola, which seriously affects the yield and quality of highland barley. In this study, a set of specific primers were designed and screened based on the ITS sequence of D.gramincola based on loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP). By optimizing the reaction temperature, a LAMP detection method with high sensitivity and rapid detection of D. gramincola was established. The specificity and sensitivity of the method were further evaluated, and the stem, flag leaf, and panicle tissues of the suspected diseased plants in the field were detected. The results showed that the LAMP detection system can effectively detect D. graminicola from six highland barley pathogens at 64 ℃ for 70 min. The detection sensitivity was 13.07 fg·μL^-1, which was 100 times higher than that of the conventional PCR. The tissues of the suspected diseased plants in the field were detected. Ten positive samples were detected in the panicle; eight positive samples were detected in the flag leaf; and no positive samples were detected in the stem. The detection rate was 50%.

In order to investigate the sugar transport pathway involved in wheat TaSTP3 gene and its role in wheat-stripe rust interactions, TaSTP3-RNAi transgenic wheat T₂ generation plants and Fielder wheat plants were used for RNA-seq, to screen for differentially expressed genes (DEGs) and to use GO and KEGG analyses to speculate on the possible involvement of the TaSTP3 gene in the regulatory pathway and the number of genes involved. The results showed that there were 7 660 DEGs, of which 3 194 were up-regulated and 4 466 were down-regulated. GO functional enrichment revealed that the DEGs were mainly concentrated in the metabolism and synthesis of sugars, carbohydrates, and cellulose; KEGG enrichment analysis showed that the expression of genes in the metabolism and synthesis of sugars, amino acids and lipids changed significantly after TaSTP3 gene silencing, and more genes were enriched in the phytohormone signaling and phenylpropanoid biosynthesis pathways. In summary, it is hypothesized that TaSTP3 alters the distribution of sugars in stripe rust-wheat intercropping by transporting sugars, and in this way transmits molecular signals to affect the metabolism of other nutrients, phytohormone transduction, and photosynthesis, so that target genes interacting with TaSTP3 can be searched from the above pathways, and their involvement in the regulatory pathways can be verified.

Stomata affects transpiration and photosynthesis in plants by controlling the gas exchange between the internal and external environments of leaves. It plays an important role in plant growth and development, and adaptation to environmental changes. To explore the potential function of TaMUTE, a gene related to wheat stomatal development, in plant growth and development, was cloned from the common wheat and analyzed for its sequence characteristics. The expression pattern of TaMUTE gene was analyzed under drought and abscisic acid (ABA) stresses by qRT-PCR. The TaMUTE transgenic plants were obtained by transgenic technology and analyzed for their phenotype. The results showed that three TaMUTE homologs gene were cloned from common wheat, which were named TaMUTE2A, TaMUTE2B and TaMUTE2D. The open reading frame (ORF) of the wheat TaMUTE2A gene is 651 bp, encoding 216 amino acids; the ORF of the TaMUTE2B gene is 717 bp, encoding 238 amino acids; and the ORF of the TaMUTE2D gene is 648 bp, encoding 215 amino acids. Three MUTE proteins belong to the bHLH (basic helix-loop-helix) family, which are all hydrophobic and labile proteins. Their secondary structure is mainly composed of α-helix, extended chain, β-turn and irregular recoil. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that TaMUTE is more closely related to the barley MUTE. The expression of the TaMUTE was significantly enhanced after 4 h under ABA treatment. While the expression of the TaMUTE gene did not change significantly under the drought treatment conditions. Overexpression of TaMUTE genes resulted in short stature, development retardation and increased stomatal density in transgenic plant.

Wheat, as one of the main cereal crops, is the primary source of human dietary nutrition. Biological breeding methods can increase the content of vitamin E in wheat grains, especially the α-tocopherol. This study Agrobacterium-mediated transferred AtHPT and AtTC genes into hexaploid wheat Fielder, and selected the lines with high expression of AtHPT and AtTC genes in grains through qRT-PCR experiments. HPLC was performed on their tocopherol content, and the plant height, grain length, grain width, thousand grain weight, spikelet number, and grain per spike were determined. The results showed that transgenic wheat overexpression lines of AtTC gene showed no significant difference in the content of δ-tocopherol compared to Fielder, the content of α-tocopherol was significantly increased in transgenic wheat grains, β-tocopherol was no detected, and the agronomic traits of wheat were significantly increased in spike length, number of spikelets, and number of grains per spike in the offspring lines. While the transgenic wheat lines overexpressing the AtHPT gene showed no significant difference in β- or δ-tocopherols content compared to Fielder, α-tocopherol was no detected. γ-tocopherol was no detected in transgenic wheats of AtHPT and AtTC. The above results indicate that overexpression of AtTC can significumtly increase the content of α-taopheral in wheat grains without apparent negative effects on wheat yield traits.