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<jats:sec><jats:title>Introduction</jats:title><jats:p>NF-YB transcription factor is an important regulatory factor in plant embryonic development.</jats:p></jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title>Results</jats:title><jats:p>In this study, 15 longan <jats:italic>NF-YB</jats:italic> (<jats:italic>DlNF-YB</jats:italic>) family genes were systematically identified in the whole genome of longan, and a comprehensive bioinformatics analysis of <jats:italic>DlNF-YB</jats:italic> family was performed. Comparative transcriptome analysis of <jats:italic>DlNF-YBs</jats:italic> expression in different tissues, early somatic embryogenesis (SE), and under different light and temperature treatments revealed its specific expression profiles and potential biological functions in longan SE. The qRT-PCR results implied that the expression patterns of <jats:italic>DlNF-YBs</jats:italic> were different during SE and the zygotic embryo development of longan. Supplementary 2,4-D, NPA, and PP<jats:sub>333</jats:sub> in longan EC notably inhibited the expression of <jats:italic>DlNF-YBs</jats:italic>; ABA, IAA, and GA<jats:sub>3</jats:sub> suppressed the expressions of <jats:italic>DlNF-YB6</jats:italic> and <jats:italic>DlNF-YB9</jats:italic>, but IAA and GA<jats:sub>3</jats:sub> induced the other <jats:italic>DlNF-YBs</jats:italic>. Subcellular localization indicated that DlNF-YB6 and DlNF-YB9 were located in the nucleus. Furthermore, verification by the modified 5'RNA Ligase Mediated Rapid Amplification of cDNA Ends (5' RLM-RACE) method demonstrated that <jats:italic>DlNF-YB6</jats:italic> was targeted by dlo-miR2118e, and dlo-miR2118e regulated longan somatic embryogenesis (SE) by targeting <jats:italic>DlNF-YB6</jats:italic>. Compared with CaMV35S- actuated <jats:italic>GUS</jats:italic> expression, <jats:italic>DlNF-YB6</jats:italic> and <jats:italic>DlNF-YB9</jats:italic> promoters significantly drove <jats:italic>GUS</jats:italic> expression. Meanwhile, promoter activities were induced to the highest by GA<jats:sub>3</jats:sub> but suppressed by IAA. ABA induced the activities of the promoter of <jats:italic>DlNF-YB9</jats:italic>, whereas it inhibited the promoter of <jats:italic>DlNF-YB6</jats:italic>.</jats:p></jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title>Discussion</jats:title><jats:p>Hence, <jats:italic>DlNF-YB</jats:italic> might play a prominent role in longan somatic and zygotic embryo development, and it is involved in complex plant hormones signaling pathways.</jats:p></jats:sec>

<jats:p>Plant potassium content (PKC) is a crucial indicator of crop potassium nutrient status and is vital in making informed fertilization decisions in the field. This study aims to enhance the accuracy of PKC estimation during key potato growth stages by using vegetation indices (VIs) and spatial structure features derived from UAV-based multispectral sensors. Specifically, the fraction of vegetation coverage (FVC), gray-level co-occurrence matrix texture, and multispectral VIs were extracted from multispectral images acquired at the potato tuber formation, tuber growth, and starch accumulation stages. Linear regression and stepwise multiple linear regression analyses were conducted to investigate how VIs, both individually and in combination with spatial structure features, affect potato PKC estimation. The findings lead to the following conclusions: (1) Estimating potato PKC using multispectral VIs is feasible but necessitates further enhancements in accuracy. (2) Augmenting VIs with either the FVC or texture features makes potato PKC estimation more accurate than when using single VIs. (3) Finally, integrating VIs with both the FVC and texture features improves the accuracy of potato PKC estimation, resulting in notable <jats:italic>R</jats:italic><jats:sup>2</jats:sup> values of 0.63, 0.84, and 0.80 for the three fertility periods, respectively, with corresponding root mean square errors of 0.44%, 0.29%, and 0.25%. Overall, these results highlight the potential of integrating canopy spectral information and spatial-structure information obtained from multispectral sensors mounted on unmanned aerial vehicles for monitoring crop growth and assessing potassium nutrient status. These findings thus have significant implications for agricultural management.</jats:p>

<jats:sec><jats:title>Introduction</jats:title><jats:p>Although pulses are nutritious foods containing high amounts of protein, fiber and phytochemicals, their consumption and use in the food industry have been limited due to the formation of unappealing flavors/aromas described as beany, green, and grassy. Lipoxygenase (LOX) enzymes are prevalent among pulse seeds, and their activity can lead to the formation of specific volatile organic compounds (VOCs) from certain polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs). As a widespread issue in legumes, including soybean, these VOCs have been linked to certain unappealing taste perception of foods containing processed pulse seeds.</jats:p></jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title>Methods</jats:title><jats:p>To address this problem in pea and as proof of principle to promote the wider use of pulses, a Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats (CRISPR) construct was designed to create null alleles (knockouts) of <jats:italic>PsLOX2</jats:italic> which had been implicated in the generation of VOCs in peas.</jats:p></jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title>Results and discussion</jats:title><jats:p>Successful CRISPR/Cas9-mediated LOX gene editing of stable transgenic pea lines (TGP) was confirmed by DNA sequencing of the wild type (WT) and TGP <jats:italic>pslox2</jats:italic> mutant lines. These lines were also assessed for LOX activity, PUFA levels, and VOCs. Compared to WT peas, the TGP lines showed a significant reduction (p &amp;lt; 0.05) in LOX activity and in the concentration of key VOCs, including hexanal, 2-hexenal, heptanal, (E)-2-heptenal, (E,E)-2,4-heptadienal, 1-octen-3-ol, octanal, (E)-2-octenal (E,E)-2,4-nonadienal and furan-2-pentyl. The content of two essential PUFAs, linoleic and α-linolenic acids, the known substrates of LOX in plants, was higher in TGP flours, indicating the efficacy of the CRISPR-mediated gene editing in minimizing their oxidation and the further modification of PUFAs and their products. The collection of VOCs from the headspace of ground pea seeds, using a portable eNose also distinguished the TGP and WT lines. Multiple regression analysis showed that LOX activity correlated with the two VOCs, heptanal and (E,E)-2,4-heptadienal in pea flours. Partial Least Squares Regression (PLS-R) plot for selected PUFAs, VOCs, and sensor responses in WT and TGP lines showed distinct clusters for WT and TGP lines. Together this data demonstrates the utility of CRISPR mediated mutagenesis of <jats:italic>PsLOX2</jats:italic> to quickly improve aroma and fatty acid (FA) profiles of pea seeds of an elite Canadian variety.</jats:p></jats:sec>

<jats:p>Southern corn rust (SCR) caused by <jats:italic>Puccinia polysora</jats:italic> Underw is a major disease leading to severe yield losses in China Summer Corn Belt. Using six multi-locus GWAS methods, we identified a set of SCR resistance QTNs from a diversity panel of 140 inbred lines collected from China Summer Corn Belt. Thirteen QTNs on chromosomes 1, 2, 4, 5, 6, and 8 were grouped into three types of allele effects and their associations with SCR phenotypes were verified by post-GWAS case-control sampling, allele/haplotype effect analysis. Relative resistance (RR<jats:sub>R</jats:sub>) and relative susceptibility (RRs) catering to its inbred carrier were estimated from single QTN and QTN-QTN combos and epistatitic effects were estimated for QTN-QTN combos. By transcriptomic annotation, a set of candidate genes were predicted to be involved in transcriptional regulation (<jats:italic>S5_145, Zm00001d01613</jats:italic>, transcription factor GTE4), phosphorylation (<jats:italic>S8_123, Zm00001d010672</jats:italic>, <jats:italic>Pgk2-</jats:italic> phosphoglycerate kinase 2), and temperature stress response (<jats:italic>S6_164a/S6_164b, Zm00001d038806, hsp101</jats:italic>, and <jats:italic>S5_211, Zm00001d017978, cellulase25</jats:italic>). The breeding implications of the above findings were discussed. </jats:p>

<jats:p>Insects are vital pollinators for angiosperms, playing a crucial role in their reproductive success and fruit production. <jats:italic>Aristolochia contorta</jats:italic> is a perennial herbaceous vine that occurs in fragmented populations across East Asia. One notable feature of this plant is its trap flower, which employs a unique mechanism to attract, trap, retain, and release insects, ensuring effective pollination. The presence of this trap flower significantly influences the pollination system of <jats:italic>A. contorta.</jats:italic> Field surveys and pollination experiments were conducted to understand the processes and effectiveness of its pollination mechanism. It was allogamous and was pollinated by the species from Ceratopogonidae. During the insect attraction stage, 11.57% of the flowers contained insects, primarily Ceratopogonidae spp. Most Ceratopogonidae spp. concentrated in few flowers, indicating that although overall attraction might be modest, specific flowers acted as significant focal points for gathering. Trichomes effectively trapped Ceratopogonidae spp. inside flower tubes. In the retention stage, 26.16% of Ceratopogonidae spp. were loaded with pollen grains, but only 7.91% of those exited the flowers in the release stage. The sticky texture of the perianth’s internal cavity posed challenges during this release, leading to adhesion and clogging of the narrow perianth tube. Consequently, a significant portion of Ceratopogonidae spp. became trapped on the perianth wall and perished. This highlights that despite the significant energy and resources invested in flower development, the perianth contributes to the low pollination effectiveness. This study revealed additive factors with negative effects on pollination, including the densely clustered distribution of its pollinators within only a few flowers, insufficient pollen loading onto pollinators, hindered release of entrapped pollinators due to the perianth adhesive surface, and a high rate of defective pollen grains in <jats:italic>A. contorta</jats:italic>. These factors account for the observed phenomenon of low fruit set (7.7%) and contribute to the diminished rate of sexual reproduction in <jats:italic>A. contorta</jats:italic> populations. This might lead the species to heavily rely on asexual reproduction, which could potentially lead to gene erosion within populations. The implications of these findings extend to the ecological and conservation aspects, emphasizing the need to understand and conserve the unique pollination system of <jats:italic>A. contorta</jats:italic>.</jats:p>

<jats:p><jats:italic>Dalbergia cultrata</jats:italic> Pierre Graham ex Benth (<jats:italic>D. cultrata</jats:italic>) is a precious rosewood tree species that grows in the tropical and subtropical regions of Asia. In this study, we used PacBio long-reading sequencing technology and Hi-C assistance to sequence and assemble the reference genome of <jats:italic>D. cultrata</jats:italic>. We generated 171.47 Gb PacBio long reads and 72.43 Gb Hi-C data and yielded an assembly of 10 pseudochromosomes with a total size of 690.99 Mb and Scaffold N50 of 65.76 Mb. The analysis of specific genes revealed that the triterpenoids represented by lupeol may play an important role in <jats:italic>D. cultrata</jats:italic>’s potential medicinal value. Using the new reference genome, we analyzed the resequencing of 19 <jats:italic>Dalbergia</jats:italic> accessions and found that <jats:italic>D. cultrata</jats:italic> and <jats:italic>D. cochinchinensis</jats:italic> have the latest genetic relationship. Transcriptome sequencing of <jats:italic>D. cultrata</jats:italic> leaves grown under cold stress revealed that MYB transcription factor and E3 ubiquitin ligase may be playing an important role in the cold response of <jats:italic>D. cultrata</jats:italic>. Genome resources and identified genetic variation, especially those genes related to the biosynthesis of phytochemicals and cold stress response, will be helpful for the introduction, domestication, utilization, and further breeding of <jats:italic>Dalbergia</jats:italic> species.</jats:p>

<jats:p>Maize (<jats:italic>Zea mays</jats:italic> L.) is one of the most important crops, influencing food production and even the whole industry. In recent years, global crop production has been facing great challenges from diseases. However, most of the traditional methods make it difficult to efficiently identify disease-related phenotypes in germplasm resources, especially in actual field environments. To overcome this limitation, our study aims to evaluate the potential of the multi-sensor synchronized RGB-D camera with depth information for maize leaf disease classification. We distinguished maize leaves from the background based on the RGB-D depth information to eliminate interference from complex field environments. Four deep learning models (i.e., Resnet50, MobilenetV2, Vgg16, and Efficientnet-B3) were used to classify three main types of maize diseases, i.e., the curvularia leaf spot [<jats:italic>Curvularia lunata</jats:italic> (Wakker) Boedijn], the small spot [<jats:italic>Bipolaris maydis</jats:italic> (Nishik.) Shoemaker], and the mixed spot diseases. We finally compared the pre-segmentation and post-segmentation results to test the robustness of the above models. Our main findings are: 1) The maize disease classification models based on the pre-segmentation image data performed slightly better than the ones based on the post-segmentation image data. 2) The pre-segmentation models overestimated the accuracy of disease classification due to the complexity of the background, but post-segmentation models focusing on leaf disease features provided more practical results with shorter prediction times. 3) Among the post-segmentation models, the Resnet50 and MobilenetV2 models showed similar accuracy and were better than the Vgg16 and Efficientnet-B3 models, and the MobilenetV2 model performed better than the other three models in terms of the size and the single image prediction time. Overall, this study provides a novel method for maize leaf disease classification using the post-segmentation image data from a multi-sensor synchronized RGB-D camera and offers the possibility of developing relevant portable devices.</jats:p>

<jats:p>Understanding the signaling pathways activated in response to these combined stresses and their crosstalk is crucial to breeding crop varieties with dual or multiple tolerances. However, most studies to date have predominantly focused on individual stress factors, leaving a significant gap in understanding plant responses to combined biotic and abiotic stresses. The bHLH family plays a multifaceted regulatory role in plant response to both abiotic and biotic stresses. In order to comprehensively identify and analyze the bHLH gene family in rice, we identified putative OsbHLHs by multi-step homolog search, and phylogenic analysis, molecular weights, isoelectric points, conserved domain screening were processed using MEGAX version 10.2.6. Following, integrative transcriptome analysis using 6 RNA-seq data including Xoo infection, heat, and cold stress was processed. The results showed that 106 OsbHLHs were identified and clustered into 17 clades. Os04g0301500 and Os04g0489600 are potential negative regulators of Xoo resistance in rice. In addition, Os04g0301500 was involved in non-freezing temperatures (around 4°C) but not to 10°C cold stresses, suggesting a complex interplay with temperature signaling pathways. The study concludes that Os04g0301500 may play a crucial role in integrating biotic and abiotic stress responses in rice, potentially serving as a key regulator of plant resilience under changing environmental conditions, which could be important for further multiple stresses enhancement and molecular breeding through genetic engineering in rice.</jats:p>

<jats:p>Most Trichoderma species are beneficial fungi that promote plant growth and resistance, while Fusarium genera cause several crop damages. During the plant-fungi interaction there is a competition for sugars in both lifestyles. Here we analyzed the plant growth promotion and biocontrol activity of <jats:italic>T. asperellum</jats:italic> against <jats:italic>F. verticillioides</jats:italic> and the effect of both fungi on the expression of the maize diffusional sugar transporters, the SWEETs. The biocontrol activity was done in two ways, the first was by observing the growth capacity of both fungus in a dual culture. The second one by analyzing the infection symptoms, the chlorophyl content and the transcript levels of defense genes determined by qPCR in plants with different developmental stages primed with <jats:italic>T. asperellum</jats:italic> conidia and challenged with <jats:italic>F. verticillioides</jats:italic>. In a dual culture, <jats:italic>T. asperellum</jats:italic> showed antagonist activity against <jats:italic>F. verticillioides</jats:italic>. In the primed plants a delay in the infection disease was observed, they sustained chlorophyll content even after the infection, and displayed upregulated defense-related genes. Additionally, the <jats:italic>T. asperellum</jats:italic> primed plants had longer stems than the nonprimed plants. SWEETs transcript levels were analyzed by qPCR in plants primed with either fungus. Both fungi affect the transcript levels of several maize sugar transporters differently. <jats:italic>T. asperellum</jats:italic> increases the expression of six SWEETs on leaves and two at the roots and causes a higher exudation of sucrose, glucose, and fructose at the roots. On the contrary, <jats:italic>F. verticillioides</jats:italic> reduces the expression of the SWEETs on the leaves, and more severely when a more aggressive strain is in the plant. Our results suggest that the plant is able to recognize the lifestyle of the fungi and respond accordingly by changing the expression of several genes, including the SWEETs, to establish a new sugar flux. </jats:p>