In order to determine the effect of nitrogen application rate on the yield formation ofextremely late sowing winter wheat in northern Xinjiang, Xindong 18 was selected as the material and randomized block experimental design was adopted. Five nitrogen treatments of 0 kg·hm^-2 (N₀), 75 kg·hm^-2 (N₁), 150 kg·hm^-2 (N₂), 225 kg·hm^-2 (N₃) and 300 kg·hm^-2 (N₄) were set up in the field. The leaf area index, dry matter accumulation, plant nitrogen accumulation, nitrogen fertilizer absorption and utilization efficiency and their relationship with yield were systematically studied. The results showed that: with the increase the amount of nitrogen application, the leaf area index, total photosynthetic potential, the accumulation of dry matter, and the number of days of rapid accumulation of dry matter increased, among which maximum leaf area index (4.57-4.76 and 4.58-4.79) and total photosynthetic potential (181.50-206.43 m²·d·m^-2 and 185.09-208.13 m²·d·m^-2), maximum dry matter accumulation (19 903.28-21 821.78 kg·hm^-2 and 20 519.38-22 249.95 kg·hm^-2) and duration of rapid dry matter accumulation (26.2-27.3 d and 26.6-27.3 d) were significantly higher under N₃ and N₄ treatments than those under the remaining treatments. There was no significant difference between N₃ and N₄ treatments. With the increase of N application rate, nitrogen accumulation in grains at maturity was increased; nitrogen transfer before anthesis was increased, with all organs ranking as leaf > stem sheath > spike. Soil nitrogen contribution rate, nitrogen fertilizer utilization efficiency, nitrogen fertilizer absorption efficiency and nitrogen harvesting index all showed a downward trend with the increase of nitrogen application amount. The utilization efficiency of nitrogen fertilizer and nitrogen fertilizer agronological efficiency has a tendency to rise first and then decline, among which N₃ treatment was the largest (60.52%-65.64% and 6.35-12.48 kg·kg^-1). The grain yield of N₃ treatment was highest, 21.27%-40.51% higher than that of N₀ treatment. Under the conditions of this experiment, the optimum nitrogen application rate of winter wheat in extremely late sowing in northern Xinjiang was 225 kg·hm^-2 (150 kg·hm^-2 at jointing stage + 75 kg·hm^-2 at booting stage).

In order to investigate the regulatory effects of sowing date and nitrogen topdressing stage and their interaction on the population structure and grain yield of winter wheat, the field experiment was carried out using winter wheat cultivar Zhongmai 108, In this study, different sowing dates ( S1: September 29; S2: October 31 ) and nitrogen topdressing stage ( N1: Regreening stage; N2: Jointing stage ) was conducted to analyze difference of growth process, normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI), population dynamics, dry matter accumulation, agronomic traits, grain yield and its components of winter wheat among different treatments. The results showed that days from seeding emergence to regreening of S2 was 35 days less than that of S1, but days from regreening to maturity was only 1 day less than that of S1. The normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI), tillers number and dry matter accumulation amount of S1 were higher than those of S2 at each growth stage, while dry matter amount differences between S2 and S1 gradually narrowed following the growth process. The grain yield and spikes number of S1 were significantly higher than those of S2, however, the spike stem ratio, fertility rate of spikelets and grain number per spike were opposite. NDVI at jointing and late filling stage was significantly affected by nitrogen topdressing stage, which in N1 treatment was significantly higher than in N2. Nevertheless, dry matter accumulation amount at flowering and maturity stages of N2 was higher than that of N1, which increased by 6.9% and 11.4% under S1 conditions, and increased by 4.4% and 4.9% under S2 conditions, respectively. There was no significant difference in productive tiller percentage, grain yield and its components between N1 and N2. In general, under the condition of late sowing (S2), winter wheat can accelerate the growth process through self-regulation, increase dry matter production rate, spikelet seed setting rate and grain number per spike to ensure a certain yield; nitrogen topdressing at regreening stage was beneficial to improve the spring vegetation index and tillers number of late sown wheat, and nitrogen topdressing at jointing stage was favourable for promoting dry matter accumulation after anthesis.

In order to quantify the water demand and water deficit indices of drought-alkali wheat in Hebei Province at each growth stage, using the meteorological observation data of the main production areas of drought-alkali wheat, the Pearson Ⅲ type curve was used to determine the four hydrological annual types of wet year, average year, dry year and extreme dry year and the corresponding effective precipitation. Characteristics of water deficit and irrigation demand index and their spatial and temporal distribution characteristics were determined using the Penman-Monteith model, combined with the crop coefficient method and the soil correction coefficient method. The results showed that from 1988 to 2022, the water demand of drought-alkali wheat increased significantly during the whole growth period, and the precipitation, effective precipitation, and water deficit showed an increasing trend. The water deficit and irrigation demand indices increased significantly with the decrease of annual precipitation. For the four hydrological annual types, the water deficit were 97.7, 106.5, 126.2 and 149.7 mm, respectively; the irrigation demand indices were 0.56, 0.60, 0.70 and 0.79, respectively, while the difference in water demand was 181.0 mm among different year patterns. Spatially, the water demand was more in the north and less in the south, and the water deficit was more in the northwest and less in the southeast. There were obvious differences in the characteristics of water demand at different growth stages, and the water demand from the reviving stage to the grain filling stage was larger, and the water deficit was more serious. The deficit was the most serious at the reviving stage, with the water demand, water deficit and irrigation demand indices were 48.1 mm, 38.7 mm, and 0.80, respectively. As a whole, the irrigation of drought-alkali wheat can be carried out according to the hydrological year with different proportions, which can save irrigation costs and ensure the stable and high yield of drought-alkali wheat. Expansion to Mengcun, Yanshan, and Haixing counties and cities in the south can effectively expand the sowing area of drought-alkali wheat and strengthen the comprehensive utilization of saline-alkali land.

To evaluate the intercropping effects of different spring wheat varieties, four intercropping methods with different row ratios (4A∶5B, 5A∶4B, 3A∶6B, 6A∶3B) and a mixed cropping of 1∶1 seed mass ratio (ABmix) were set up, using a high stem variety Neimai 17(plant height 110 cm, A) and a dwarf stem variety Nongmai 482(plant height 76 cm, B) as materials. Two different intercropping methods were compared and analyzed for flag leaf SPAD values, net photosynthetic rate (NCP), dry matter accumulation, grain yield, and water content under different planting methods, with two varieties as controls (ACK and BCK). The results showed that the SPAD values of flag leaves in intercropped wheat were higher than those in monoculture at 18 days after flowering. The net photosynthetic rate of the post flowering population in each treatment showed a trend of first increasing and then decreasing, reaching its maximum at 6 days after flowering. Among them, the net photosynthetic rate of the population in the 4A∶5B treatment was consistently significantly higher than that in other treatments. There was no significant difference in thousand-grain weight among different intercropping treatments, but they were all significantly higher than ACK. Compared with monoculture treatment, the grain yield of ABmix treatment showed no significant change, but the grain yield of four intercropping treatments increased significantly. The 4A∶5B treatment had the highest grain yield, increased by 7.94% and 6.31% compared to ACK and BCK, respectively. The land equivalent ratio of the four intercropping methods was greater than 1. The soil water consumption and total water consumption during the entire growth period of wheat were the lowest under the 4A∶5B intercropping method, but the water use efficiency was the highest, with an increase rate of 21.0% and 20.8% compared to ACK and BCK, respectively. Under the conditions of this experiment, the high stem variety Neimai 17 and the drawf stem variety Nongmai 482 had the best yield and water saving effects under the row ratio of 4∶5 intercropping.

PBF factor is one of the protein factors regulating the expression of wheat endosperm specific gene, and plays an important role in regulating the expression of wheat seed storage protein genes. In this study, the CDS sequence of TaPBF3-5D was obtained from wheat germplasm ZY96-3 by RT-PCR, and its bioinformatics and gene expression were analyzed. The results showed that the CDS sequence of TaPBF3-5D had a total of 909 bp, encoding 302 amino acids. The encoded protein is a non-transmembrane unstable hydrophilic protein without signal peptide, and it contains 36 phosphoric acid sites. It is predicted to be located in the nucleus. Phylogenetic tree and multiple sequence alignment showed that TaPBF3-5D was more closely related to the PBF from common wheat. Quantitative fluorescence analysis showed that TaPBF3-5D gene was expressed in roots, stems, leaves, and seeds, with the highest expression in seeds, followed by leaves and stems, and the lowest expression in roots. It indicated TaPBF3-5D gene regulating the grain development of wheat through participating in the regulation of wheat grain storage protein gene expression.

In order to explore the genetic rules of important traits of the spring wheat varieties (lines) in Xinjiang in the past 40 years, 65 spring wheat varieties of different decades from 1985 to 2024 and 2 lines to be approved were used as materials. The main traits of wheat were subjected for genetic variation, correlation analysis, cluster analysis, principal component analysis, and comprehensive analysis. The agronomic traits among different varieties (lines) showed rich genetic diversity. The diversity index of 67 wheat materials ranged from 1.96 to 2.08, with the largest thousand-grain weight of 2.08 and the smallestpeduncle length of 1.96. The number of grains per spike was significantly (P<0.01) positively correlated with plant height, flag leaf width, flag leaf area, and ear length, and was significantly (P<0.05) positively correlated with peduncle diameter and flag leaf length; the number of thousand-grain weight was significantly (P<0.01) positively correlated with peduncle diameter, flag leaf width, and was significantly (P<0.05) positively correlated with flag leaf area. Principal component analysis converted 9 traits into 3 principal components, with a cumulative contribution rate of 72.049%. Combined with theweighted contribution rate of the 3 principal component factors, the top 10 materials with the highest comprehensive score were Xinchun 35, Xinchun 45, Xinchun 41, Xinhan 688, Liangchun 1571, Xinchun 8, Xinchun 20, Liangchun 1242, Xinchun 18, and Xinchun 16, which can be promoted as excellent varieties for planting.

The function of branching spike genes has been successfully suppressed during the development process of barley inflorescence. Gene mutations can reactivate the development of branching spikes in barley, leading to an ectopic expression of the spikelet and its florets on the rachis nodes of branched-spike, an increase in single-floret spikelet per spike and a decrease in flower fertility. Barley branched-spike is a recessive trait genetically controlled by a pairs of nuclear genes. The reported branched-spike genes in barley are distributed on Chr2HS, Chr3HL, and Chr4HS, belonging to different transcription factor gene families, with difference in genetic function, expression mode and interaction characteristic. This article summarized the research progress on the creation methods, agronomic and genetic characteristics of the reported branched-spike mutants, as well as the functions, expression characteristics and transcriptional regulation relationships of the branched-spike genes. We also explored the scientific problems that need to be elucidated and their solution strategies in the genetic research of barley branched-spike mutants.

As the only cereal accumulating triterpenoid saponins and steroidal saponins, oat has many medicinal and health functions. In this review, the research on saponins in oat was reviewed by systematically summarizing the relevant literature. The configuration and content of saponins in oat varied among different organ tissues and growth stages. The underground part of oat mainly contains triterpenoid saponins, while the aboveground part dominantly contains steroid saponins. The synthesis and accumulation of oat saponins are regulated by genotype, and also influenced by environmental factors and cultivation measures. The key steps of oat saponin biosynthesis pathway were summarized, and related enzymes (such as squalene cyclase, farnesyl pyrophosphotransferase, glycosyltransferase and so on) involved in the key steps were mined to promote the deep development and utilization of oat.

To understand the current situation of disease resistance breeding in wheat in the middle and lower reaches of Yangtze River, and to identify and screen excellent disease resistant strains, in this study, the resistance of 414 advanced wheat lines from the national regional trial in the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River and the regional trial in Jiangsu Province in the past six years was identified, and the molecular markers of Fhb1 and Pm21/PmV genes were used for genotyping. The results of resistance showed that: 42 advanced wheat lines were resistant to Fusarium head blight (FHB)） (R), 262 advanced lines were moderate resistant (MR), accounting for 10.1% and 62.3%, respectively, among which Yang 15-9, Yang 17021, and Ning 20419 were resistant to FHB for two consecutive years. Most FHB resistance culticars/lines were derived from Ningmai 9, Yangmai 158, and their derivative varieties through analysis of pedigree. A total of 97 advanced lines were immune (IM) to powdery mildew; 8 advanced lines were high resistant (HR) and 35 strains were moderate resistant (MR), accounting for 23.4%, 1.9%, and 8.5%, respectively. Among them, Yang 15-9, Ruihumai 505, Yanmai 0916, Ninghong 1761, Yan H1902 and Dongmai 1901 were immune (IM) to powdery mildew for three consecutive years. A total of 15 advanced lines with simultaneous resistance (R) or immunity (IM) to FHB and powdery mildew can be used as resistant parents in wheat breeding. The results of detection of resistance gene combining with resistance phenotypy showed that: 63 advanced lines carried Fhb1 gene, accounting for 15.1% of the tested materials, and 88.0% of the advanced lines had resistance above MR. Fhb1 gene was detected in only 35.7% of advanced lines with resistance to FHB (R). Only 14.9% of the advanced lines with moderate resistance to FHB were detected to carry Fhb1 gene. 143 advanced lines carried Pm21/PmV genes, accounting for 34.5% of the tested materials, of which 73 advanced lines were identified as immune (IM) to high resistance (HR) to powdery mildew. 70.1% of the 97 advanced lines that were immune to powdery mildew carried Pm21/PmV genes, and 29.9% of the other advanced lines were resistant to powdery mildew with the unknown genes to be discovered. 10 advanced lines carried both Fhb1 and Pm21/PmV genes, and the resistance to both diseases was above MR, which can be directly used as resistance sources. This study suggested that Pm21/PmV genes can be continuously used in wheat disease resistance breeding in the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River. Combining Fhb1 gene with FHB resistance gene of Yangmai variety can improve the FHB resistance.

Dwarf male-sterile wheat is a specific germplasm with phenotypic genetic markers closely linked to the dominant nuclear sterile gene (Ms2) and dominant dwarf gene (Rht-D1c), and is an ideal tool for population improvement and related genetic research. The breeding technology system constructed by dwarf male-sterile wheat is continuously developed, innovated and improved in wheat breeding practice. This technology, combined with haploid breeding and molecular marker assisted selection, can quickly cultivate introgression lines with target traits, achieve the aggregation of multiple target genes in a favorable genetic background, and orientingly construct a recurrent selection population, so as to accelerate the improvement speed of important wheat traits. It is of great value for breeding new varieties with breakthrough traits and creating excellent breeding materials with various genetic backgrounds.