Annals of Agricultural Science最新文献

Probiotic lactic acid bacteria (LAB) have garnered substantial attention for their potential health benefits, particularly in supporting the balance of gut microbiota. This study sought to assess LAB isolates from honeybees stomach as potential probiotics by evaluating their tolerance to acid and bile, autoaggregation, hydrophobicity, co-aggregation with pathogens, antioxidant activity, haemolysis, exopolysaccharide (EPS) production, in vitro cell adherence, and their performance in milk-based fermented products. The LAB isolates exhibited impressive resilience to gastric acid, surviving exposure to simulated gastric juice at pH 2 after 2 h of incubation. Autoaggregation and hydrophobicity, crucial for probiotic adhesion to intestinal epithelial cells, were observed in several LAB isolates. Notably, Ehb3, Ehb5, and Ehb8 displayed the highest values, indicating their potential for effective intestinal adhesion. The antioxidant activities of intracellular and cell-free lactic acid bacteria strain extracts were evaluated using DPPH (2,2-Diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl) and ABTS (2,2′-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid)) radical scavenging tests. Ehb3 and Ehb5 demonstrated outstanding antioxidant capabilities, suggesting their potential for enhancing the shelf life and health benefits of probiotic products. These lactic acid bacteria strains were also proficient in fermenting milk, maintaining viability above the technological requirements for probiotic products during storage. Finally, lactic acid bacteria isolate from honey bee stomach exhibit promising characteristics that make them suitable candidates for potential probiotics with health benefits.

Phosphorus (P) fertilizer is a significant cost in crop production. Understanding the mechanisms behind P fertilizer–soil–crop interactions can enhance phosphorus use efficiency (PUE) and increasing yield. We conducted a rice cultivation bucket experiment in red soil (pH = 5.9) and lime concretion black soil (pH = 7.8) and applied single superphosphate (SSP), calcium magnesium phosphate (CMP), diammonium phosphate (DAP), triple superphosphate (TSP), ammonium polyphosphate (APP), and a control group (CK, no P fertilizer). We analyzed rice P uptake and utilization patterns, evaluated the impact of varying P fertilizer formulations on rice root morphology, yield, and PUE, and investigated changes in soil P pools. In red soil, the APP treatment produced the greatest total root length, rice yield, PUE and increased soil Olsen-P, NaHCO₃-Pi at anthesis. In lime concretion black soil, the TSP and APP treatments had the highest rice yields and increased Olsen-P, H₂O-P, NaHCO₃-Pi at anthesis. Moreover, the TSP treatment had the greatest total root length and root surface area at anthesis and the APP treatment had the largest PUE. Random forest regression analysis revealed that residual-P and Olsen-P significantly impacted rice yield in red soil and lime concretion black soil, respectively. We recommend using APP in red soil and TSP and APP in lime concretion black soil for rice cultivation to optimize soil P pool characteristics and root morphology for nutrient uptake, ultimately leading to the highest yields and PUE.

The harvest moisture content (MC) of maize (Zea mays L.) is an important factor affecting industrial processing and harvest quality. However, higher MC levels may escalate drying expenses during production. While augmented plant density has shown potential to enhance maize yield, limited information exists regarding its impact on plant density and MC interaction. This study amassed four year of field trial data from four primary maize ecological areas in China (Longitude: 89°E to 125°E, Latitude: 35°N to 44°N) to examine the relationship between plant density and MC of maize. Our analysis revealed that increasing plant density exerted an effect on the MC of maize. This effect stemmed from a combination of uncertain grain development and premature plant senescence due to overcrowding. We categorized the relationship between plant density and MC into six types: NC-Type (No-changing), I-Type (ever-increasing), L-Type (ever-lessening), V-Type (like the valley), P-Type (like the peak), and W-Type (like a wave). On average, a variation approximately 0.053 % in MC was observed when the plant population changed by 1000 plants/ha. Moreover, different maize varieties contributed to a more substantial variation in MC. Despite the negligible impact of MC variation caused by plant density on grain quality, subsequent harvest management, and industrial production of maize, there was a significant enhancement in maize yield with increased plant density. Thus, increasing plant density presents an opportunity to boost maize output without compromising quality or grain moisture levels.

Both increased plant density and wide seedling strip planting (WSP) can improve wheat grain yield. However, whether and how greater gains in grain yield can be achieved by combining WSP with an increased plant density is unclear. In this study, two winter wheat cultivars were subjected to three plant densities (lower, normal, and higher) and two planting patterns (conventional planting [CP] and WSP). The effects of plant density, planting pattern, and their combination on the solar radiation interception and conversion, biomass accumulation, harvest index, and grain yield were investigated. In response to an increase in plant density from lower to higher and a shift from CP to WSP and their combination, grain yield increased by 15.43 %, 10.85 % and 27.62 % for cultivar Taimai198, and by 13.13 %, 8.31 % and 22.41 % for Shannong30, respectively. The larger increases in grain yield were mainly ascribed to enhanced dry matter production, in particular after anthesis with no variation or a slight decline in the harvest index. The higher plant density was the dominant driver of the enhanced radiation interception, whereas WSP was mainly responsible for ameliorating the reduction in radiation use efficiency (RUE) caused by the higher plant density. The combined effects of these two management practices in increasing grain yield were much greater than the independent effects of a shift from CP to WSP or an increase in plant density. Optimizing the planting method may thus be a promising option for further improving grain yield of a densely planted wheat population by increasing the RUE.