The whiteness (WI) of wheat flour and its products is a key indicator influencing the commercial quality of wheat. Using 94 wheat varieties as experimental materials, the differences in flour WI and its products among different varieties and their influencing factors were investigated. The results showed significant differences in WI among wheat varieties, while the correlation analysis of flour and fresh noodle sheet color from the same material showed the same performance. Flour WI was highly significantly negatively correlated with grain hardness, grain protein content, wet gluten content, dough development time, and stability time; significantly negatively correlated with trough viscosity, final viscosity, and setback value; and positively correlated with gluten index, breakdown, and pasting temperature. Grain hardness, grain protein content, sedimentation value, pasting temperature, and breakdown accounted for 80.9% of the variation in flour WI. Gluten index, sedimentation value, pasting temperature, and breakdown had significant positive effects on flour WI, while grain protein content and grain hardness exerted significant negative effects. The negative correlation between flour WI and hardness was the strongest (r = -0.83), indicating that hardness is the key factor affecting wheat WI and color. The WI and color of flour and fresh noodle sheets from soft wheat were generally higher than those from hard wheat. The distribution frequencies of variation loci of quality-related genes, namely Pinb-D1b, Pina-D1b, Ppo-A1b, Ppo-D1a, TaPod-A1b, Lox-B1a, Psy-A1b, Psy-B1a/b, Psy-D1a, TaPds-B1b, TaZds-A1a, and TaLyc-B1b, were 54.7%, 2.2%, 21.3%, 3.9%, 8.0%, 0.0%, 0.0%, 98.9%, 96.6%, 78.5%, 5.3%, and 53.8%, respectively. Thirteen high-WI soft wheat varieties, such as Yangmai 15, Yangmai 25, Chuanmai 93, Mianmai 902, and Yangmai 45, and high-WI hard wheat varieties, such as Zhoumai 36, Huaimai 33, Yangfumai 15, and Ningmaizi 218, were screened. The WI of high-WI soft wheat varieties was higher than that of hard wheat, and the ratio of superior color gene allelic variations in these varieties was higher than that of the overall materials. By strengthening the utilization of elite parents while emphasizing the pyramiding of superior color genes and the screening of related phenotypes, the WI and color of wheat varieties can be gradually improved.

In order to investigate the influence mechanism of pH level on the growth and development of rice and nutrient uptake under different nitrogen forms, rice cultivar Guanghui 751 was grown with five pH treatments (pH 3.5, 4.5, 5.5, 6.5, and 7.5) to study the effects on the biomass accumulation, root morphology, and nutrient uptake of rice under ammonium-nitrogen and nitrate-nitrogen conditions hydroponically. The results showed that under ammonium-nitrogen conditions, the highest rice biomass accumulation was found at pH 6.5 treatment; compared with the pH 3.5 treatment, the shoot and whole-plant biomass accumulation increased by 146.6% and 142.5%, respectively. Plant height and maximum root length increased significantly; total root length, root surface area, and root volume increased by 612.6%, 317.8%, and 147.1%, respectively. The uptake of nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), potassium (K), calcium (Ca), magnesium (Mg), copper (Cu), zinc (Zn), iron (Fe), and manganese (Mn) increased by 159.5%, 114.3%, 181.9%, 241.4%, 124.4%, 74.9%, 173.4%, 366.2%, and 3058.0%, respectively. Under nitrate-nitrogen conditions, the highest rice biomass accumulation was found at pH=4.5 treatment; compared with the pH=3.5 treatment, the shoot, root, and whole-plant biomass accumulation increased by 36.7%, 49.6%, and 38.6%, respectively. Plant height and maximum root length increased significantly; total root length, root surface area, and root volume increased by 129.9%, 83.0%, and 47.5%, respectively. The uptake of N, P, K, Ca, Mg, Cu, Zn, Fe, and Mn increased by 40.0%, 27.7%, 51.0%, 78.5%, 71.2%, 53.9%, 292.1%, 1449.5%, and 695.1%, respectively. In conclusion, the optimum pH values for rice under ammonium-nitrogen and nitrate-nitrogen conditions were 6.5 and 4.5, respectively. Under their respective optimum pH conditions, ammonium-nitrogen and nitrate-nitrogen primarily increased rice biomass accumulation by promoting root growth and development and increasing nutrient uptake.

To identify suitable plant growth regulators in flax production, enhance lodging resistance and increase yield, different levels of paclobutrazol [975 (D1), 1125 (D2), 1275 g/ha (D3)], uniconazole [750 (X1), 900 (X2), 1050 g/ha (X3)] and chlormequat [1200 (A1), 1800 (A2), 2400 mL/ha (A3)] were applied. The changes of plant growth and development, lodging resistance, seed yield and related traits of flax at different levels were studied with clear water as control (CK). The results showed that spraying three plant growth regulators affected the main agronomic traits of flax. Compared with CK, the number of effective branches of D1 treatment decreased, and the number of effective branches and the number of effective capsules per plant of A1 treatment were lower than those of CK. There was no significant difference in root length among the treatments. The root diameter of A2 treatment was significantly higher than that of CK, and the number of seeds per capsule of each treatment was lower than that of CK. The yield per plant of X2 and A2 treatments was significantly higher than that of CK, and the 1000-grain weight of D1 treatment was significantly lower than that of CK. The plant height and center of gravity height of X3 treatment decreased the most, which were 13.63% and 10.34%, respectively. The stem diameter of each treatment was increased compared with CK, and the D2 treatment increased the most, which was 17.5%. There was no significant difference in yield between any treatment and CK. The stem breaking resistance of A2 treatment was significantly higher than that of CK, and there was no significant difference between the other treatments and the control. The lodging index of each treatment was lower than that of CK, except for D1 and D2 treatments, the other treatments were significantly different.The correlation analysis showed that the effective number of capsules per plant, effective branch number, breaking resistance and root diameter were significantly correlated with the yield per plant, and the fresh weight and crown weight were significantly correlated with the lodging index. Through comprehensive analysis, uniconazole was better than chlormequat, chlormequat was better than paclobutrazol, and uniconazole 900 g/ha had better effect in flax production.

Progesterone is a steroid hormone found in plants, which is closely related to plant growth and development and plays a positive role in stress resistance. The growth status of wheat roots directly affects yield and stress resistance. This study investigated the effects of exogenous progesterone on the elongation growth of wheat roots and preliminarily analyzed their regulatory pathways. The results showed that different concentrations of exogenous progesterone exerted varying regulatory effects on wheat root growth: low concentrations (0.001 and 0.01 μmol/L) promoted root elongation, whereas high concentrations (0.1 and 1.0 μmol/L) inhibited growth. Exogenous progesterone treatment significantly affected the glucose content and phosphofructokinase (PFK) activity in the roots of wheat seedlings. With increasing progesterone concentration, the root glucose content first decreased and then increased, while the trend of PFK activity was opposite. Further research found that under 10 μmol/L glucose treatment, the root glucose content decreased and PFK activity increased; under 10 000 μmol/L glucose treatment, the root glucose content increased and PFK activity was inhibited. In addition, the application of 0.1 μmol/L progesterone significantly promoted root glucose accumulation under low-concentration glucose treatment and inhibited the induction effect of glucose on PFK activity. Conversely, the application of 0.001 μmol/L progesterone significantly inhibited root glucose accumulation under high-concentration glucose treatment and alleviated the inhibitory effect of glucose on PFK activity. These findings suggest that exogenous progesterone may affect the glycolysis process by acting on PFK, a key rate-limiting enzyme in the glycolytic pathway, thereby regulating the glucose content in roots and regulating wheat root elongation growth.

To elucidate the effects of nitrogen application rate and N-P-K ratio on the source-sink characteristics of small-seed hybrid rice, a field experiment was conducted using the small-seed hybrid rice variety Zhuoliangyou 0985 as material. The experiment involved four nitrogen application levels [120 (N1), 150 (N2), 180 (N3), and 210 kg/ha (N4)] and three NPK ratios [1.0:0.5:0.8 (F1), 1.0:0.5:1.0 (F2), and 1.0:1.0:1.0 (F3)]. The results showed that leaf area index (LAI), high-efficiency LAI, relative content of chlorophyll (SPAD values), and dry matter accumulation increased with increasing nitrogen application rate. There were no significant differences between N3 and N4 treatments, but both were significantly higher than the N1 treatment. Among different N-P-K ratios, the F3 treatment generally resulted in higher values, though the differences were not significant. Total spikelets and total sink capacity increased with the increase of nitrogen application rate, and the available filled ratio of sink capacity followed the order of N1 > N3 > N2 > N4. Under different N-P-K ratios, the effective filling degree of sink capacity was generally the highest in F2, though the difference was not significant. Effective panicles increased with the increase of nitrogen application rate, while the number of grains per panicle initially increased and then decreased. Both seed-setting rate and 1000-grain weight decreased with the increase of nitrogen application rate, but these differences did not reach a significant level. Yield showed a trend of first increasing and then decreasing with the increase of nitrogen application, with the N3 treatment producing the highest yield. Among the interaction treatments, N3F2 achieved the highest yield, followed by N3F1. Correlation analysis indicated that LAI, high-efficiency LAI, leaf SPAD value, dry matter accumulation, total spikelets, total sink capacity, and effective panicles were extremely significantly and positively correlated with yield. The available filled ratio of sink capacity and seed-setting rate were negatively correlated with yield, while the number of grains per panicle was significantly and positively correlated with yield. No significant correlations were found between 1000-grain weight, grain-leaf ratio, and yield. Under the conditions of this experiment, N3F1 was considered the optimal treatment for Zhuoliangyou 0985. It had a relatively large leaf area, a high number of grains per panicle, a large sink capacity, and a high available filled ratio of sink capacity, with a moderate grain-leaf ratio, which coordinated source-sink relationship and achieved the dual effects of fertilizer saving and yield increase.

Using 19 quinoa varieties from Hebei and Xinjiang as experimental materials, the total polyphenol and total flavonoid contents of quinoa sprouts during 21-49 d were analyzed, and their antioxidant activities were evaluated by DPPH (1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl) and ABTS [2,2'-azino-bis (3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid)] methods. The results showed that with the change of growth period, plant height and fresh weight of quinoa sprouts increased significantly; the total polyphenol and total flavonoid contents showed an overall downward trend; and the antioxidant activity also changed accordingly and was significantly positively correlated with the total polyphenol and total flavonoid contents. Combined with the results of cluster analysis, it was found that when the quinoa varieties Y1-Y10 from Hebei Province grew to 35 d, the total polyphenol (10.38-12.71 mg GAE/g DW) and total flavonoid (21.92-26.28 mg RE/g DW) contents were relatively high, and they exhibited certain antioxidant activities (DPPH scavenging activity: 11.65-15.64 mg TE/g DW; ABTS scavenging activity: 24.56-33.98 mg TE/g DW). Furthermore, these varieties showed high biological yields (plant height: 27.97-33.93 cm; fresh weight: 8.81-29.17 g/plant) and relatively tender quality.

To investigate the species and pathogenicity of wheat root rot pathogens, diseased plants with symptoms of wheat root rot were collected from 16 sampling sites in six prefecture-level cities in Heilongjiang Province during 2022-2023. A total of 432 fungal isolates were obtained using the tissue isolation method. By combining morphological identification and molecular identification based on 5.8S rDNA-ITS or β-tubulin gene sequence analyses, the pathogens were identified as four species: Bipolaris sorokiniana, Fusarium avenaceum, Fusarium equiseti, and Fusarium proliferatum. The number of isolates for each species was 334, 24, 12, and 3, respectively, with B. sorokiniana being the most frequent, accounting for 77.31% of the total. Verification of Koch’s postulates demonstrated significant differences in pathogenicity among the four species, with both the disease index and disease incidence of B. sorokiniana being higher than those of the three Fusarium species. In summary, B. sorokiniana is the dominant pathogen of wheat root rot in Heilongjiang Province, with the three Fusarium species acting as secondary pathogens.

As a commonly used bulk medicinal material in China, Astragalus membranaceus has seen increasing demand in recent years. However, the breeding and propagation of superior varietals are relatively weak, and currently cultivated varietals are inconsistent in quality and suffer from severe degeneration. Therefore, the breeding of superior strains of A.membranaceus is crucial for promoting the high-quality and sustainable development of the industry. In this study, using field-cultivated A. membranaceus as material, three new strains were bred from 2013 to 2023 using the “mass selection method” of systematic breeding based on agronomic traits such as stem color, pod characteristics, seed characteristics, and the number of leaflets. A systematic comparative analysis was conducted on their agronomic traits and active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs). The results showed that strains 13-1 and 13-2 had green stems and pods, while 13-3 had anthocyanins-purple stems and light red pods. Strain 13-2 had the highest number of leaflets (27.9) and seeds (4.5). The fresh root yield of strain 13-2 was greater than that of 13-1 and 13-3 in the Weiheyanchuan and Beishan ecological areas; however, the yield of 13-3 was greater than that of 13-2 and 13-1 in the Southern Eryinshan area. Moreover, the disease incidence of 13-2 was lower than that of the other two strains in all three ecological areas. Additionally, 13-2 had the highest content of extracts and astragaloside IV, with the content of calycosin- 7-O-glucoside 2.6 times that specified in the Pharmacopoeia of the Peopleʼs Republic of China. Comprehensive analysis indicates that 13-2 performs better in agronomic traits, APIs, yield, and disease resistance, and has potential for application and promotion. This study also lays a foundation for the breeding of superior new varietals of A.membranaceus by providing germplasm material.

To investigate the resistance levels to currently prevalent races and new isolates, as well as the distribution of stripe rust resistance genes in released and candidate wheat varieties from Longnan, Gansu, 73 wheat varieties (lines) were evaluated for seedling resistance against the prevalent races CYR32, CYR34, and ZS asexual isolate and ZS sexual isolate. Meanwhile, molecular markers linked to all-stage resistance genes Yr5, Yr9, Yr10, Yr15, Yr26, and the adult-plant resistance gene Yr18 were utilized for molecular detection. The results indicated that among the 73 tested wheat varieties (lines), 11 (15.07%), 11 (15.07%), 13 (17.81%), and nine (12.33%) exhibited seedling resistance to CYR32, CYR34, and the asexual and sexual isolates of ZS, respectively. Among all tested materials, only Zhongliang 14 exhibited seedling resistance to all the provided isolates of stripe rust. Molecular detection results revealed that the number of wheat varieties (lines) carrying Yr5, Yr9, Yr10, Yr18, and Yr26 was 1, 27, 3, 3, and 16, respectively, accounting for 1.37%, 36.99%, 4.11%, 4.11%, and 21.92% of the total tested materials. Three materials carried two resistance genes, and Zhongliang 14 carried three resistance genes. The Yr15 gene was not detected in any of the tested varieties (lines), and 28 materials carried none of the six tested resistance genes.

To investigate the characteristics of aerial roots in maize inbred lines with different genetic backgrounds and their relationship with lodging resistance, 56 maize inbred lines were used as experimental materials. Eight aerial root traits were comprehensively analyzed using correlation analysis, path analysis, and cluster analysis. Stalk anti-thrust was measured using a plant stem strength tester as an evaluation index for lodging resistance, and the relationship between aerial root traits and lodging resistance was analyzed. The results showed that the coefficients of variation (CV) for all aerial root traits were relatively large, with the CV of the aerial root angle being the largest (31.70%) and that of the aerial root emergence time being the smallest (10.77%). Among the aerial root traits, all except emergence time and puncture resistance exhibited significant correlations with one another. Specifically, the number of aerial roots and the aerial root anchoring radius were highly significantly and positively correlated with stalk anti-thrust, with correlation coefficients of 0.560 and 0.522, respectively. Additionally, aerial root puncture resistance and the number of aerial root tiers also showed significant positive correlations with stalk anti-thrust. Path analysis indicated that both the direct and indirect effects of the number of aerial roots and the aerial root anchoring radius on the lodging resistance evaluation indicators were relatively large. Therefore, strengthening the selection and improvement of these two traits in lodging resistance breeding would help enhance the lodging resistance of maize varieties. Cluster analysis classified the tested inbred lines into four groups. Inbred lines in Group II, such as Xun M6968 and LH190, were characterized by high mean values for both stalk anti-thrust and aerial root traits, providing a germplasm foundation for the breeding of new lodging-resistant varieties.