In order to screen winter rapeseed lines with high resistance to pod shattering suitable for planting in Gansu Province, promote mechanized harvesting, and increase yield, the random impact method was used to identify pod shattering resistance of 43 winter rapeseed lines. The results were analyzed through systematic clustering and correlation analysis in combination with related agronomic traits. Clustering analysis revealved that the 43 materials were classified into four groups. The average pod shattering resistance index (SRI) of the Group Ⅰ was 0.861, presenting moderate resistance to shattering. The average SRI of Group Ⅱ was 0.958, presenting high resistance to shattering. The average SRI of Group Ⅲ was 0.722, presenting low resistance to shattering. The average SRI of Group Ⅳ was 0.621, presenting easy shattering. Correlation analysis showed that SRI had an extremely significantly positive correlation with pericarp thickness with a large correlation coefficient. There was no significant correlation between SRI and the other agronomic traits, indicating that pericarp thickness significantly affected pod shattering resistance of winter rapeseed, and it could be used as a morphological index for screening of pod shattering resistant varieties. Based on a comprehensive analysis of the yield, quality traits, and SRI of 43 strong-winter rapeseed lines, a total of 17 winter rapeseed lines were screened. Among them, M-8 and M-14 had a high SRI, high yield, and excellent quality traits.

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 clarify the alleviating effect of auxin regulators on low-temperature stress at seedlings stage of soybean, the variety Kennong 18 was used as the test material, and seed coating with sodium naphthaleneacetic acid (NAA-Na), potassium indolebutyrate (IBA-K), and their mixture were adopted as the treatment. From the perspectives of morphological phenotype, antioxidant defense and osmotic regulation, the alleviating effect of NAA-Na and IBA-K on the growth and yield of soybean under low temperature stress was investigated. The results showed that the coating treatment with NAA-Na and IBA-K could reduce the accumulation of reactive oxygen species and the production rate of superoxide anion (O₂^-. ), and significantly decrease the accumulation of hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂) and malondialdehyde. The osmotic regulation ability of soybean seedlings was enhanced, and the contents of soluble sugar, soluble protein, and proline increased. The activities of antioxidant enzymes such as superoxide dismutase, peroxidase, and catalase were enhanced, and the ascorbic acid-glutathione (AsA-GSH) cycle was promoted, thereby alleviating the damage of low-temperature stress to soybean seedlings. The dry matter accumulation in the aboveground and root parts of soybean seedlings increased. The adverse effects of low temperature stress on soybean yield were mitigated, and the number of pods per plant, the number of seeds per plant, 100-seed weight, and the seed weight per plant were significantly increased.

Peanut oil content is a complex trait, which is easily affected by environmental conditions. It is critically important to detect oil content of peanut kernels in peanut breeding. A total of 150 lines of recombinant inbred lines (RIL) derived from the cross between Yuhua 18 (high oil) and AT215 (low oil) were selected as materials, the spectral data of single-kernel was collected by Antaris II near infrared spectrometer, and the oil content was determined. A near-infrared (NIR) detection model on oil content for single-kernel oil content was established by partial least squares (PLS). The Root-Mean-Squares Error of Cross-Validation was 1.04 and the correlation coefficient (R²) was 0.9589. Twenty-four peanut samples with obvious difference in oil content were selected for external validation, and the R² was 0.9730. Another F₂ population from the cross between Yuhua 14 (high oil) and Huayu 20 (low oil) was used as the test population, whose oil content was determined by this model and the present single-kernel model. The variation range of predicted values from these two models was from -0.52% to 1.92%, showing a narrow variation range. This model is relatively small, and is reliable for oil content confirmation, which can be used for the oil content selection and quality detection of peanut.

To clarify the physiological mechanism of graphene oxide (GO) acting as a herbicide safener to alleviate the phytotoxicity of nicosulfuron (NIF) on sweet corn, a pair of sweet corn sister lines, HK301 (NIF-tolerant) and HK320 (NIF-sensitive), were used as experimental materials. Using water treatment as a control, the effects of GO-NIF nanocomposite on key enzymes and non-enzymatic substances involved in sugar-starch metabolism in the leaves of sweet corn seedlings were investigated. The results showed that GO-NIF treatment significantly promoted the conversion of sucrose and starch in sweet corn seedlings compared with GO and NIF treatments alone. In HK320, the root to shoot ratio and the contents of sucrose, soluble sugar, and starch under GO-NIF treatment were significantly higher than those under NIF treatment at seven days after treatment, increasing by 30.19%, 71.80%, 79.29%, and 67.87%, respectively. Furthermore, compared with NIF treatment, GO-NIF treatment significantly increased the activities of sucrose phosphate synthase, sucrose synthase, α-amylase, and β-amylase in HK320. A comprehensive evaluation of the effects of different treatments on physiological indicators revealed that HK301 exhibited moderate responses and minimal fluctuations under both NIF and GO-NIF treatments. In contrast, HK320 showed significant physiological regulatory advantages under GO-NIF treatment, particularly manifesting a synergistic enhancement in key enzyme activities of sugar metabolism and the accumulation of saccharides. In conclusion, GO as a safener for NIF can effectively promote the sugar metabolism process as well as the distribution and transport of saccharides in sensitive sweet corn.

To improve the sowing quality of quinoa and increase the field emergence and seedling retention rates, the optimal pelleting coating formula for quinoa was screened. Using Longli 1 and Longli 5 as materials, various pelleting formulas were developed using different filling materials and different addition amounts of binders. The optimal formula was identified by evaluating the pelleting and germination indexes of pelleted quinoa seeds under different formulations. Furthermore, the agronomic and yield traits of quinoa sown with the optimal formula were measured in field trials. The results showed that the optimal formula consisted of 80% talcum powder and 20% bentonite as filling materials, with the addition of 2.5% sodium carboxymethyl cellulose. For this formula, the average germination rate was 91.33%, the average germination potential was 86.00%, and the physicochemical properties of the pelleted seeds were optimal (seed rate 97.33%, single seed rate 95.00%, disintegration rate 93.33%, compressive strength 317.28 g, and 1000-grain weight 14.27 g). Field production trials indicated that this formula had no significant effect on the agronomic traits of quinoa, but it could promote germination and enhance yield. The quinoa seed pelleting formula screened in this study meets all quality indicators and contains green and safe ingredients. It can regularize seed shape, effectively promote seed germination and yield improvement, and provide a theoretical basis for the research and application of quinoa seed pelleting as well as mechanized precision sowing.

To address the issues of unreasonable chemical fertilizer management, low fertilizer use efficiency, and escalating environmental risks in the maize production areas of Inner Mongolia, field plot experiments were conducted in two typical production areas, namely the black soil region of Northeast China and the Tumochuan Plain. Six treatments were established: no nitrogen control (CK), 100% chemical fertilizer (M0), and organic fertilizer replacing 25% (M25), 50% (M50), 75% (M75), and 100% (M100) of chemical nitrogen, to clarify the effects of different substitution ratios on maize yield, dry matter accumulation, fertilizer use efficiency, and nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), and potassium (K) nutrient uptake. The results showed that the M25 treatment significantly increased maize yield, with an increase of 4.69%-36.80% compared with other treatments. The M0 treatment exhibited the highest dry matter accumulation of various organs during the early growth stages of maize; however, the M25 treatment showed a distinct advantage from the large bell-mouth stage to maturity. The M25 treatment promoted the uptake of N, P, and K nutrients and enhanced their utilization efficiency; the partial productivity of fertilizer in M25 was 2.77%-50.51% higher than those of other treatments. In conclusion, the response of maize to organic fertilizer substitution in the Tumochuan Plain was superior to that in the Black Soil Region of Northeast China, and replacing 25% of chemical nitrogen with organic fertilizer can achieve a synergistic improvement in maize yield and fertilizer use efficiency.

Field sampling of quinoa (Chenopodium quinoa) was conducted at different growth stages to measure changes in major agronomic traits, dry matter accumulation, and nutrient element content. The results indicated that dry matter accumulation in quinoa followed an S-shaped curve, with a critical period between 60 and 90 days after emergence. There were significant differences in the dry matter allocation ratio and nutrient uptake rates among different parts of quinoa (roots, stems, leaves, panicles) at various growth stages. Notably, the uptake of nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), and potassium (K) peaked between 60 and 80 days of growth, with K having the highest absorption rate, followed by N, and then P, at a ratio of 4.88:1.00:11.00. The distribution of nutrients in quinoa exhibited dynamic change regularity over time, and nutrients were mainly concentrated in leaves and stems during the early growth stage and shifted more towards the panicles in the later stage. Additionally, the agronomic traits of quinoa were also found to be significantly correlated with dry matter accumulation. Root weight, stem weight and panicle weight were positively correlated with plant height, stem diameter and leaf length.

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.

Using ʻHongnuo 16ʼ sorghum as the experimental material and under equivalent nutrient input conditions, six treatments were established: no fertilization (CK), conventional fertilization (HF), and nitrogen organic fertilizer substitution ratios for nitrogen of 25% (NF25), 50% (NF50), 75% (NF75), and 100% (NF100). The results showed that compared with CK treatment, increasing the ratio of organic fertilizer substitution led to varying degrees of improvement in soil organic matter, total nitrogen, alkaline hydrolyzed nitrogen, available phosphorus, and available potassium contents. The activities of alkaline phosphatase, urease, and sucrase in soils treated with organic manure substitutions were significantly increased by an average of 40.8%, 13.6%, and 61.6%, respectively. Sorghum yield could be well fitted with a quadratic equation, with the highest yield obtained when applying cow manure at a nitrogen rate of 92.5 kg/ha theoretically. In this experiment, the treatment NF50 not only improved soil physicochemical properties and enhanced soil enzyme activity but also maintained sorghum at high productivity. Considering the responses in terms of sorghum yield and soil fertility as well as soil enzyme activity under different levels of organic manure substitution, it was suggested that an organic nitrogen substitution ratio of 50% was suitable for optimal application rates.