To clarify the resistance levels to powdery mildew and stripe rust, as well as the distribution patterns of resistance genes in wheat germplasm resources from Zhejiang Province, and to explore elite resistant resources suitable for the wheat-growing regions in the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River, this study performed seedling resistance identification on 241 wheat accessions from Zhejiang Province［177 landraces and 64 bred varieties(lines)］ using Blumeria graminis f. sp. tritici physiological race E09 and Puccinia striiformis f. sp. tritici physiological race CYR32. Molecular markers were used to analyze the composition of resistance genes. The results showed that among the 241 accessions, 57(23.65%) were resistant to powdery mildew, consisting of 51 bred varieties(lines) and 6 landraces; 66(27.39%) were resistant to stripe rust, including 24 bred varieties(lines) and 42 landraces; and 24(9.96%) showed resistance to both diseases, containing 22 bred varieties(lines) and 2 landraces. Molecular detection of seven powdery mildew resistance genes(Pm2, Pm4, Pm5e, Pm8, Pm21, Pm24, and Pm60) revealed that Pm4 and Pm21 had the highest detection rate, with 23 accessions carrying each gene, yet no target Pm genes were detected in 16 accessions. Among eight tested stripe rust resistance genes(Yr5, Yr9, Yr10, Yr15, Yr28, Yr30, Yr46, and YrZH84), Yr10 showed the highest detection rate with 23 carriers, all of which were landraces, yet 13 accessions(including 5 landraces) had no detectable target stripe rust resistance genes. Among the 24 accessions with dual resistance to powdery mildew and stripe rust, 12 carried both types of resistance genes, while Zhenongmai 7 and Zhe 21 were detected without any of the tested resistance genes. Agronomic trait analysis revealed that bred varieties(lines) had superior performance in plant height, thousand-kernel weight and other traits, which could be directly used as elite resistant donors for wheat disease resistant breeding. Based on the above results, both the wheat bred varieties(lines) and landraces in Zhejiang Province contain good resistance resources to powdery mildew and stripe rust. The resistance sources for powdery mildew and stripe rust are mainly concentrated in the bred varieties(lines) and landraces, respectively, ang show a clear differentiation characteristic.

To understand the current research and development status of wheat powdery mildew, the literature analysis software CiteSpace and VOSviewer were used to conduct a visual analysis of relevant literature from the Web of Science and CNKI databases over the past decade. The results indicated that the number of English publications had generally shown an upward trend, with China being the country with the highest number of publications in international journals. There was close international collaboration with countries such as the United States, Israel, and the United Kingdom, and researchers from different nations engaged in multifaceted cooperation, forming a stable core group of authors. The Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, the Chinese Academy of Sciences, and Northwest A&F University had the highest number of publications. In contrast, the number of Chinese publications had shown a declining trend, with limited collaboration among institutions and no stable core group of authors. Research hotspots on wheat powdery mildew both domestically and internationally primarily focused on disease resistance identification, resistance gene mining and utilization, resistance mechanism research, combined breeding, disease monitoring and prevention, etc. Comprehensive evaluation of durable resistance and resistant germplasm had emerged as a prominent research focus in recent years. Future studies would develop new resistant varieties through various approaches, elucidate the resistance mechanisms against wheat powdery mildew, and explore green, efficient, and widely applicable disease management measures through multidisciplinary collaboration.

In order to explore the effects of different mulching methods on soil water and thermo-conditions, and dry matter accumulation of spring wheat in dryland of northwest China under different precipitation years, the dynamic changes of soil water and thermo-conditions, and growth and development of spring wheat under different treatments were studied using the spring wheat variety Xihan 3 as the material, and three treatments were set up, including straw strip mulching(SSM), plastic film mulching(PMS) and open field flat planting(CK). The results showed that compared with CK, PMS and SSM treatments significantly increased the average soil water content during the whole growth period of spring wheat, with an average increase of 4.54% and 6.78%, respectively. PMS treatment significantly increased soil temperature by 5.76%. SSM treatment significantly reduced soil temperature by 10.85%. Mulching treatment significantly increased the aboveground dry matter accumulation of spring wheat, and the increase rate ranked as PMS>SSM, while the translocation rate of dry matter to grain before anthesis in dry year was significantly increased, which was 11.81%-19.36% higher than that of CK; the increase of spike number was the main factor of yield increase. Correlation analysis showed that soil moisture had a more prominent role in promoting early dry matter accumulation and population formation in the normal water year, while the correlation between population dry matter accumulation process and yield formation was significantly enhanced in the dry year. Mulching can significantly improve the soil water and thermo-status, dry matter accumulation and grain yield of spring wheat in dryland. Among them, straw strip mulching is stable in maintaining a high proportion of grain dry matter distribution and promoting grain dry matter accumulation, without any risk of plastic film pollution. It is a green and efficient cultivation technology suitable for promotion in arid areas of northwest China.

A field experiment was conducted during the 2023-2024 growing season on the Weibei rainfed highland to investigate the effects of summer green manure sorghum-sudangrass biomass incorporation on grain yield and water use efficiency of subsequent winter wheat. A summer fallow treatment was used as the control(CK), and three incorporation treatments were established: whole biomass incorporation without mowing(M₀), incorporation of one-third mowed biomass(M₁), and incorporation of half mowed biomass(M₂). The effects of different biomass incorporation methods on soil water storage, leaf photosynthetic characteristics, aboveground biomass accumulation, grain yield, and water use efficiency of winter wheat were evaluated. The results showed that sorghum-sudangrass cultivation significantly decreased soil water storage in the 0-200 cm soil profile before winter wheat sowing, with reductions of 1.31%-1.93% compared with CK. Sorghum-sudangrass biomass incorporation significantly increased leaf net photosynthetic rate of winter wheat at anthesis and grain-filling stages, with increases of 17.34%-46.97% and 6.27%-25.33%, respectively. The leaf water use efficiency under M₁ was significantly improved by 12.72%-18.79% from jointing stage to filling stage. Biomass incorporation promoted aboveground biomass accumulation of winter wheat, with mature-stage aboveground biomass increasing by 18.47%-38.88%. The increase in grain yield was mainly attributed to enhanced spike number(7.77%-15.94%) and thousand-grain weight(2.50%-4.48%), resulting in a 6.37%-13.97% increase in grain yield and an 8.85%-23.60% improvement in yield water use efficiency. After one rotation cycle, soil water storage under M₀ and M₂ was significantly reduced by 2.22% and 2.92%, respectively, compared with CK, whereas no significant difference was observed under M₁. The M₀ and M₁ treatments significantly reduced seasonal water consumption of winter wheat, with the greatest reduction observed under M₁(6.53%). All sorghum-sudangrass incorporation treatments significantly increased winter wheat water use efficiency, and M₁ showed the greatest improvement(23.60%). Overall, summer cultivation and biomass incorporation of sorghum-sudangrass during the fallow period improved photosynthetic performance, enhanced water use efficiency, and increased grain yield of subsequent winter wheat under rainfed conditions on the Weibei highland. Among the tested incorporation methods, incorporation of one-third mowed sorghum-sudangrass biomass exhibited the most favorable agronomic performance.

To determine the optimal sowing method and drip irrigation rate combination for winter wheat in the Xinjiang region, a winter wheat variety Xindong 22 was used. A split-plot design was employed, with the main plots comprising four wide-width uniform sowing methods [30 cm row width + 30 cm row spacing(B1), 35 cm row width + 25 cm row spacing(B2), 40 cm row width + 20 cm row spacing(B3), 45 cm + 15 cm(B4)], and conventional row sowing(CK). The sub-plots were set up with three drip irrigation rates [3 555 m³·hm^-2(W1), 3 870 m³·hm^-2(W2), and 4 185 m³·hm^-2(W3)]. A comparative analysis was conducted to examine differences in the photosynthetic performance of winter wheat, dry matter accumulation, transport and allocation, soil moisture, yield, and yield components under various combinations of sowing methods and drip irrigation rates in the Xinjiang region. The results indicated that, under the same drip irrigation rates, compared with the control(CK), the leaf area index and net photosynthetic rate of winter wheat were significantly higher under wide-width uniform sowing. The increase rate of leaf area index ranged from 3.83% to 21.55%, whereas the increase rate of net photosynthetic rate during the flowering and grain-filling stages was 16.12%~34.93% and 12.34%~35.68%, respectively. Wide-width uniform sowing promotes the translocation of dry matter from vegetative organs to grains, significantly increasing winter wheat grain yield and water use efficiency. Under the same sowing method, as drip irrigation rate increased, the leaf area index, net photosynthetic rate, dry matter accumulation and translocation, yield, and its components all exhibited a trend of initial increasing and then decreasing, whilst water use efficiency showed a decreasing trend. Under the conditions of this experiment, the B3W2 treatment yielded the highest yield, reaching 8 922.34 kg·hm^-2, representing the optimal combination for achieving a synergistic improvement in both yield and water use efficiency.

To clarify the effects of different tillage and straw return practices on soil nutrients, microorganisms and crop yield, six treatments were conducted under the field soil conditions of the Huang-Huai-Hai winter wheat-maize rotation system: shallow rotary tillage without straw return(SN), shallow rotary tillage with straw return(SR), shallow rotary tillage with biochar application(SC), deep tillage without straw return(DN), deep tillage with straw return(DR), and deep tillage with biochar application(DC). The study compared the effects of different tillage practices and straw return methods on soil nutrient status, enzyme activity, and bacterial abundance, as well as on dry matter accumulation and yield components of wheat and maize. The results showed that under deep plowing conditions, combining straw incorporation or straw biochar incorporation effectively increased nutrient contents in the 0-40 cm soil layer, including total nitrogen, available nitrogen, total phosphorus, available phosphorus, and available potassium. Compared with the SN treatment, the other treatments significantly increased soil enzyme activity, particularly sucrase, phosphatase, and urease, indicating that the effect of straw return, tillage measures and their incorporation are beneficial for enhancing soil biological activity and nutrient cycling efficiency. Tillage practices and straw return significantly influenced soil microbial abundance. Compared with SN, all other treatments increased the populations of bacteria, fungi and actinomycetes. At the same time, deep plowing combined with straw return or straw biochar application promoted dry matter accumulation in winter wheat and summer maize, thereby increasing crop yields. Therefore, deep plowing, straw return, and straw biochar application are beneficial for improving soil fertility and increasing dry matter and yield of wheat and maize.

This study aimed to investigate the effects of nano-titanium dioxide(nTiO₂) priming on seed germination and seedling growth of barley under drought stress, and to determine the optimal combination of priming time and concentration. Using a barley cultivar Ganpi 8 as material, drought stress was simulated with 22% polyethylene glycol-6000. Three priming times(12, 24, and 36 h) and five nTiO₂ concentrations(0, 250, 500, 750, and 1 000 mg·L^-1) were set, and the diifferences in 13 indices including germination rate, germination potential, germination index, vigor index, root length, shoot length, root fresh weight, shoot fresh weight, root dry weight, shoot dry weight, root-shoot ratio, root number, and coleoptile length among different treatments were compared and analyzed. Two-way ANOVA showed that priming time, concentration, and their interaction had significant effects on most indices(P<0.05 or P<0.01), with significant interaction effects between time and concentration. Compared with the unprimed control(CK), hydro-priming(HP) significantly improved some germination and growth indices. Under 12 h priming time, 750 mg·L^-1 nTiO₂ treatment showed the best effect, with germination rate, germination potential, germination index, and vigor index significantly increased by 8.0 percentage points, 44.7 percentage points, 69.4%, and 145.8%, respectively, compared with hydro-priming, and root length and shoot length increased by 72.5% and 5.2%, respectively. Under 24 h priming time, 500 mg·L^-1 nTiO₂ treatment performed best, with the above germination indices significantly increased by 18.7 percentage points, 10.7 percentage points, 28.9%, and 102.9%, respectively, and root fresh weight and root length increased by 40.5% and 7.0%, respectively. When priming time was extended to 36 h or concentration increased to 1 000 mg·L^-1, nTiO₂ showed inhibitory effects, with germination rate and root growth indices significantly lower than those of hydro-priming. This indicates that appropriate time and concentration of nTiO₂ priming can effectively promote barley seed germination and seedling growth under drought stress, where 12 h priming with 750 mg·L^-1 nTiO₂ and 24 h priming with 500 mg·L^-1 nTiO₂ showed better effects under the experimental conditions, especially the comprehensive effect of 24 h priming with 500 mg·L^-1 nTiO₂ showing the best overall performance.

To gain a compound microbial seed coating formulation with synergistic efficacy against wheat crown rot, Bacillus paralicheniformis ZYGT1811 and Bacillus atrophaeus ZY1825 were selected as the primary active components of the seed coating agent. Single-factor experiments, orthogonal tests, and the filter paper disc diffusion method were employed to screen for the optimal dispersant, film-forming agent, and the optimal mixing ratio of the seed coating agent. The results indicated that no significant mutual antagonism was observed between ZYGT1811 and ZY1825, providing a basis for their compounding. When the ratio of ZYGT1811 to ZY1825 was 2∶1, the synergistic inhibition rate against Fusarium pseudograminearum MC-7 reached 64.17%, which was significantly higher than the inhibition rates of the single-strain treatments(58.12% and 60.20%, respectively). Furthermore, the optimal auxiliary system formulation for the seed coating agent was determined as follows: 4% sodium lignosulfonate, 5% hydroxypropyl methylcellulose, 1.5% ethylene glycol, 0.1% xanthan gum, and 2% scarlet dye. Physicochemical property tests demonstrated that the compound microbial seed coating complied with GB/T 17768-1999 and relevant industrial standards. Its shelf life was up to 90 days, and the pot control efficacy against wheat crown rot was 60.56%.

To elucidate the functions of the wheat mitogen-activated protein kinase genes TaMAPK1-6A, TaMAPK1-6B, and TaMAPK1-6D in seedling drought tolerance and the additive effects among these homeologous genes, this study utilized the spring wheat cultivar Fielder and its CRISPR/Cas9 mediated single-gene mutants-mapk1-aa, mapk1-bb, and mapk1-dd-generated in the Fielder genetic background. Through hybridization, self-pollination, and genotyping of segregating progeny, double-gene knockout mutants and triple-gene knockout homozygous mutants (hereafter referred to as double and triple mutants) were successfully developed. The drought tolerance at the seedling stage was systematically evaluated for these single, double, and triple mutants, along with the wild-type Fielder control. The results demonstrated that loss-of-function mutations in single TaMAPK1 genes significantly reduced drought tolerance in wheat seedlings, manifested as decreased leaf water retention, reduced accumulation of osmotic adjustment substances, and enhanced membrane lipid peroxidation. Further investigation revealed that drought tolerance was further impaired in double and triple mutants, with the deterioration of physiological and biochemical indicators intensifying as the number of mutated gene copies increased. In summary, the TaMAPK1 gene positively regulates drought tolerance at the wheat seedling stage, and its homeologous genes exhibit cumulative regulatory effects.

The R2R3-MYB transcription factor family, the largest subfamily of MYB transcription factors, plays critical roles in various plant stress responses. However, its function under low-phosphate (P) stress remains poorly characterized. In this study, a total of 127 R2R3-MYB genes were identified in the barley MorexV3 genome using bioinformatic approaches and designated as Hv2RMYB-1 to Hv2RMYB-127. These genes were predominantly distributed on the 7 barley chromosomes and were found to harbor hormone-responsive cis-acting elements in their promoter regions. Physicochemical analysis revealed that most members encode acidic and unstable proteins. Phylogenetic and collinearity analyses classified the barley R2R3-MYB family into five distinct clades, including 16 pairs of tandemly duplicated genes. Based on transcriptomic data (RNA-Seq) and quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR), 10 barley R2R3-MYB genes showed differential expression under low-Phosphorus stress, among which Hv2RMYB-48 was notably upregulated. Further investigation confirmed that Hv2RMYB-48 localizes to the nucleus and can bind to the MYB-ABRE-MYBcis-element.