GL6.1 integrates grain length regulation and disease resistance via OsWRKY53-mediated signaling in rice
October 2025
Grain size is a crucial factor influencing both rice yield and appearance quality. In this study, we identified GL6.1 as a gene associated with rice grain size by map-based cloning. The GL6.1 encodes...
Sustainable transition for cereal-based agri-food systems in China: Prospective advantages of whole-grain adoption
October 2025
A dietary transition from refined to whole grains would optimize grain processing, reduce food loss and emissions, and increase food nutritional contents. The results of systematical analysis and calculations...
Prolonged endosperm filling and embryo enlargement phases contribute to the impaired development of inferior grains in japonica rice
October 2025
Inferior grains exhibit delayed developmental processes and reduced metabolic activities compared to superior grains, leading to unstable rice yield and quality. While significant advancements have...
Low-nitrogen-tolerant maize cultivar improves photosynthesis and yield by optimizing nitrogen allocation to increase electron transport under low-nitrogen and low-light stress
October 2025
This study aimed to identify the physiological mechanisms enabling low-N-tolerant maize cultivar to maintain higher photosynthesis and yield under low-N, low-light, and combined stress. In a three-year...
Prediction of hybrid maize adaptation in China using extensive climatic-phenotypic data and machine learning
October 2025
The environment has an important impact on maize (Zea mays L.) production, making it necessary to identify plant adaptation regions that are suitable for different maize varieties. Traditional methods...
Characterization of adult plant leaf rust resistance loci in an international wheat collection using a re-sequencing genotyping system
October 2025
Leaf rust, caused by the fungus Puccinia triticina, is one of the most destructive diseases affecting global wheat production. Developing disease-resistant wheat varieties is the most cost-effective...
Good things come in pairs: Crop disease resistance from sensor–helper to sensor–executor pairs
Available online 30 October 2025
Optimal interspecific distance maintains soybean yield by promoting canopy–root synergy in a maize–soybean relay strip cropping system
Available online 27 October 2025
Maize–soybean relay cropping increases land-equivalent ratio, but shading often limits soybean productivity. Optimizing strip relay configurations improves the light environment for soybean, enhancing...
Harnessing meiotic crossover control to increase crop breeding efficiency
Available online 25 October 2025
A predictive model of meiotic crossover engineering would increase precision in crop breeding. We review the biophysical principles underlying crossover formation and chromosomal distribution, hierarchical...
Foliar nano-molybdenum application mitigates cadmium-induced apoplastic H2O2 burst in rice roots by optimizing the antioxidant system
Available online 23 October 2025
Cadmium (Cd2+) exhibits pronounced phytotoxicity and poses significant risks to human health through bioaccumulation in agricultural products. This study investigates the mitigative effects of foliar-applied...
DKP-ADS: Domain knowledge prompt combined with multi-task learning for assessment of foliar disease severity in staple crops
Available online 23 October 2025
Staple crops are the cornerstone of the food supply but are frequently threatened by plant diseases. Effective disease management, including disease identification and severity assessment, helps to...
Optimizing sowing dates to increase maize yield across the Huanghuaihai Plain in China
Available online 20 October 2025
With the aim of adapting agricultural practices to climate warming, this study projected sowing dates for summer maize in the 2030 s (2031–2040) across the Huanghuaihai Plain by analyzing key photo-thermal...
Rapid elongation of stems during the bolting stage reduces the lodging resistance of late-sown rapeseed
Available online 20 October 2025
In the rice–rapeseed cropping system in the Yangtze River Basin, late rapeseed sowing increases lodging. To identify the mechanisms of reduced lodging resistance, a two-year field experiment compared...
Green manure returning improves wheat yield and N utilization efficiency by minimizing N loss in Oasis irrigation area of China
Available online 17 October 2025
Improving crop yield and N utilization while mitigating environmental pollution is a key goal in sustainable agriculture. Integrating green manure with reduced chemical N application is a promising...
Cultivar difference in rice leaf color change during the later reproductive stage and its relationship with grain filling and nitrogen level
Available online 15 October 2025
To study the relationship between rice leaf color change and grain filling, two indica-japonica hybrids with distinct leaf colors were grown under three N fertilizer dosages (LN 0 kg ha−1; MN 150 kg...
faCRSA: An automated pipeline for high-throughput analysis of crop root system architecture
Available online 15 October 2025
Optimizing root system architecture (RSA) is essential for plants because of its critical role in acquiring water and nutrients from the soil. However, the subterranean nature of roots complicates the...
Biomolecular condensates: Emerging regulatory mechanisms for crop improvement
Available online 15 October 2025
Global climate change seriously threatens food security. To address this challenge, breeders have achieved remarkable results using multiple breeding strategies and technologies. In recent years, the...
Root hairs and lateral root proliferation enhance rice seedling rhizosheath development and ABA accumulation under soil water deficit
Available online 15 October 2025
Rhizosheath development benefits drought resistance in many upland crops. Although water-saving irrigation techniques induce rice rhizosheath formation, how and whether root hairs and different root...
Salvia miltiorrhiza-derived carbon dots confer resistance to Sclerotinia sclerotiorum in Brassica napus L.
Available online 15 October 2025
Sclerotinia sclerotiorum, a fungus that causes a devastating fungal disease of rapeseed (Brassica napus), causes significant yield losses globally. Carbon dots (CDs), a class of carbon-based nanomaterials,...
Optimizing rice productivity using controlled-release blended fertilizers in the Yangtze River Delta of China
Available online 15 October 2025
Rice productivity faces critical sustainability challenges from stagnating yields and inefficient fertilizer use, particularly in intensive agricultural regions like the Yangtze River Delta (YRD) of...
GiMYB76, a MeJA-inducible R2R3-type transcription factor, regulates licochalcone A biosynthesis in licorice (Glycyrrhiza inflata)
Available online 5 October 2025
Licochalcone A (LCA) is a characteristic compound in licorice Glycyrrhiza inflata and is widely utilized in pharmaceutical and cosmetic industries. However, the biosynthetic pathway and regulatory mechanisms...
ROS-scavenging Mn3O4 nanozymes increase cotton alkaline tolerance by increasing the stability of actin filaments and reducing Na+ content
Available online 2 October 2025
Alkaline stress in saline soil limits cotton production that may be improved by using emerging nanobiotechnology approaches. Here, we applied poly acrylic acid coated Mn3O4 nanoparticles (PMO) on cotton...