Series-Spatial Transcriptome Profiling of Leafy Head Reveals the Key Transition Leaves for Head Formation in Chinese Cabbage

Chinese cabbage is an important leaf heading vegetable crop. At the heading stage, its leaves across inner to outer show significant morphological differentiation. However, the genetic control of this complex leaf morphological differentiation remains unclear. Here, we reported the transcriptome profiling of Chinese cabbage plant at the heading stage using 24 spatially dissected tissues representing different regions of the inner to outer leaves. Genome-wide transcriptome analysis clearly separated the inner leaf tissues from the outer leaf tissues. In particular, we identified the key transition leaf by the spatial expression analysis of key genes for leaf development and sugar metabolism. We observed that the key transition leaves were the first inwardly curved ones. Surprisingly, most of the heading candidate genes identified by domestication selection analysis obviously showed a corresponding expression transition, supporting that key transition leaves are related to leafy head formation. The key transition leaves were controlled by a complex signal network, including not only internal hormones and protein kinases but also external light and other stimuli. Our findings provide new insights and the rich resource to unravel the genetic control of heading traits.

Peculiarities of growth and development and productivity of Savoy cabbage varieties (Brassica sabauda Lizg.) in the conditions of the Right-Bank Forest-Steppe of Ukraine

Purpose. To establish the peculiarities of growth and development and formation of productivity of Savoy cabbage varieties (Brassica sabauda Lizg.) in the conditions of the Right-Bank Forest-Steppe of Ukraine. Methods. The research was conducted in the Research and Production Department of Uman National University of Horticulture in the years 2018–2020. Varieties of savoy cabbage (‘Vertu 1340’ – control, ‘Sphere’, ‘Rozali’ and ‘Vertus’) were planted according to the scheme 70 × 40 cm (35.7 thousand plants/ha). Results. During the sowing of seeds (April 25) on cold ridges in a row method with a row spacing of 10 cm, mass shoots of Savoy cabbage were observed on average in early May (7–8 days), the beginning of head formation – in the middle of August, and their technical maturity in late September. Intensive growth of heads took place in the middle and late August and ended in late September. On average, over the years of research, the largest diameter of the head was observed in the cultivars ‘Vertu 1340’ – 18.7 cm, the smallest in the ‘Rosalie’ – 16.1 cm. at one level – 17.5 and 17.6 cm, respectively. The smallest in height at the level of the rosette and head were plants of the ‘Sphere’ and ‘Vertus’ varieties – 25.4 and 23.4 cm and 26.9 and 24.6 cm, respectively. The control variety ‘Vertu 1340’ was characterized by the highest indicators of height of both the rosette (40.7 cm) and the actual head (36.5 cm). Slightly lower rates were observed in the variety ‘Rosalie’ – 32.9 and 31.8 cm, respectively. The highest yields were formed by Savoy cabbage varieties ‘Vertus’ (53.1 t/ha) and ‘Sphere’ (51.8 t/ha), which exceeded the control variant by 7.4 and 6.1 t/ha, respectively (‘Vertu 1340’ – 45.7 t/ha). The least productive among the studied assortment was ‘Rosalie’ yielding 39.9 t/ha. Conclusions. When grown in the Forest-Steppe of Ukraine, the highest yields of marketable products are formed by Savoy cabbage varieties ‘Sphere’ and ‘Vertus’.

Lithostratigraphy and lithogeochemistry of Ediacaran alkaline basaltic rocks of the Musgravetown Group, Bonavista Peninsula, northeastern Newfoundland, Canada: an extensional volcanogenic basin in the type-Avalon terrane

Volcanic rocks of the Ediacaran Musgravetown Group on Bonavista Peninsula, Avalon terrane, Newfoundland, include basal ca. 600 Ma calc-alkaline basalt succeeded by continental tholeiite and alkaline rhyolite of the ca. 592 Ma Plate Cove volcanic belt (Bull Arm Formation), indicating a change from subduction-related to extensionrelated tectonic regimes during that interval. Alkalic basalts on northeastern (Dam Pond area) and southwestern (British Harbour area) Bonavista Peninsula occur below and above, respectively, the ca. 580 Ma glacial Trinity facies. Dam Pond basalt occurs in a structural dome intercalated with and flanked by fine-grained, siliciclastic deposits (Big Head Formation) overlain by Trinity facies. The British Harbour basalt occurs above the Trinity facies, in an upward- coarsening sandstone sequence (Rocky Harbour Formation) overlain by red beds of the Crown Hill Formation (uppermost Musgravetown Group). The Rocky Harbour and Big Head formations are likely stratigraphically interfingered proximal and distal deposits, respectively, derived from erosion of the Bull Arm Formation and older Avalonian assemblages.The Big Head basalts have lower SiO2, Zr, FeOT, P2O5, TiO2 and higher Mg#, Cr, V, Co and Ni contents, and are therefore more primitive than the more FeOT-, TiO2-, and P2O5-rich British Harbour basalts. Large-ionlithophile and rare-earth-element concentrations and ratios indicate that both suites originated from low degree partial melts of deep, weakly garnet-bearing, undepleted asthenospheric peridotite sources, with magma conduits likely focused along regional extensional faults. The protracted and episodic extension-related volcanic activity is consistent with a geodynamic setting that evolved from a mature arc into extensional basins with slowly waning magmatism, possibly involving slab rollback and delamination followed by magmatic underplating. The duration and variation of both volcanism and sedimentation indicate that the Musgravetown Group should be elevated to a Supergroup in order to facilitate future correlation of its constituent parts with other Avalonian basins.

Morphology and yield performance of edible mushrooms on different substrates

Edible mushrooms were studied for morphology and yield performance.Oyster mushroom,milky mushroom and paddy straw mushroom were studied for spawn run ,pin head formation and fruiting bodies.Sugarcane bagasse,coconut coir, mixture of sorghum and maize stalk, saw dust were used as substrate.Highest yield observed on mixture of sorghum and maize stalk for P.sajor-caju (800.16g) followed by P.ostreatus (675.14g). C.indica has good yield on paddy straw (500g). V.volvacea has good yield on (550.18 g).These mushrooms can be further explored for medicinal properties.

Impacts of allopolyploidization and structural variation on intraspecific diversification in Brassica rapa

Background Despite the prevalence and recurrence of polyploidization in the speciation of flowering plants, its impacts on crop intraspecific genome diversification are largely unknown. Brassica rapa is a mesopolyploid species that is domesticated into many subspecies with distinctive morphotypes. Results Herein, we report the consequences of the whole-genome triplication (WGT) on intraspecific diversification using a pan-genome analysis of 16 de novo assembled and two reported genomes. Among the genes that derive from WGT, 13.42% of polyploidy-derived genes accumulate more transposable elements and non-synonymous mutations than other genes during individual genome evolution. We denote such genes as being “flexible.” We construct the Brassica rapa ancestral genome and observe the continuing influence of the dominant subgenome on intraspecific diversification in B. rapa. The gene flexibility is biased to the more fractionated subgenomes (MFs), in contrast to the more intact gene content of the dominant LF (least fractionated) subgenome. Furthermore, polyploidy-derived flexible syntenic genes are implicated in the response to stimulus and the phytohormone auxin; this may reflect adaptation to the environment. Using an integrated graph-based genome, we investigate the structural variation (SV) landscapes in 524 B. rapa genomes. We observe that SVs track morphotype domestication. Four out of 266 candidate genes for Chinese cabbage domestication are speculated to be involved in the leafy head formation. Conclusions This pan-genome uncovers the possible contributions of allopolyploidization on intraspecific diversification and the possible and underexplored role of SVs in favorable trait domestication. Collectively, our work serves as a rich resource for genome-based B. rapa improvement.

INFLUENCE OF A COMPLEX MICROFERTILIZER RAUACTIVE ON SUNFLOWER YIELD ON LEACHED BLACK SOIL

In conditions of 2019, on leached black soil in the central natural-climatic zone of the Krasnodar region, we applied agrochemical Rauactive for foliar fertilizing of sunflower plants twice in the phases of 3–4 leaf pairs formation and at the beginning of head formation in doses 1.0 and 2.0 l/hа and in a dose 2.0 l/hа singly in a phase of 3–4 leaf pairs formation. It positively influenced on indicators of yield structure (head diameter, amount of fully formed seeds in a head, 1000 seed weight) and increased seed yield by 0.14–0.24 t/hа, oil content in seeds – by 0.7–1.2 % and oil yield – by 83–143 kg/hа compares to control.

LINCking the Nuclear Envelope to Sperm Architecture

Nuclear architecture undergoes an extensive remodeling during spermatogenesis, especially at levels of spermatocytes (SPC) and spermatids (SPT). Interestingly, typical events of spermiogenesis, such as nuclear elongation, acrosome biogenesis, and flagellum formation, need a functional cooperation between proteins of the nuclear envelope and acroplaxome/manchette structures. In addition, nuclear envelope plays a key role in chromosome distribution. In this scenario, special attention has been focused on the LINC (linker of nucleoskeleton and cytoskeleton) complex, a nuclear envelope-bridge structure involved in the connection of the nucleoskeleton to the cytoskeleton, governing mechanotransduction. It includes two integral proteins: KASH- and SUN-domain proteins, on the outer (ONM) and inner (INM) nuclear membrane, respectively. The LINC complex is involved in several functions fundamental to the correct development of sperm cells such as head formation and head to tail connection, and, therefore, it seems to be important in determining male fertility. This review provides a global overview of the main LINC complex components, with a special attention to their subcellular localization in sperm cells, their roles in the regulation of sperm morphological maturation, and, lastly, LINC complex alterations associated to male infertility.

Divergence of three BRX homoeologs in Brassica rapa and its effect on leaf morphology

The leafy head characteristic is a special phenotype of Chinese cabbage resulting from artificial selection during domestication and breeding. BREVIS RADIX (BRX) has been suggested to control root elongation, shoot growth, and tiller angle in Arabidopsis and rice. In Brassica rapa, three BrBRX homoeologs have been identified, but only BrBRX.1 and BrBRX.2 were found to be under selection in leaf-heading accessions, indicating their functional diversification in leafy head formation. Here, we show that these three BrBRX genes belong to a plant-specific BRX gene family but that they have significantly diverged from other BRX-like members on the basis of different phylogenetic classifications, motif compositions and expression patterns. Moreover, although the expression of these three BrBRX genes differed, compared with BrBRX.3, BrBRX.1, and BrBRX.2 displayed similar expression patterns. Arabidopsis mutant complementation studies showed that only BrBRX.1 could rescue the brx root phenotype, whereas BrBRX.2 and BrBRX.3 could not. However, overexpression of each of the three BrBRX genes in Arabidopsis resulted in similar pleiotropic leaf phenotypes, including epinastic leaf morphology, with an increase in leaf number and leaf petiole length and a reduction in leaf angle. These leaf traits are associated with leafy head formation. Further testing of a SNP (T/C) in BrBRX.2 confirmed that this allele in the heading accessions was strongly associated with the leaf-heading trait of B. rapa. Our results revealed that all three BrBRX genes may be involved in the leaf-heading trait, but they may have functionally diverged on the basis of their differential expression.

The effect of nitrogen fertilizers and their tank mixtures with herbicides and fungicides on spring wheat productivity

The study was carried out in 2018 and 2019 in the southern forest-steppe area of the Omsk region. The soil of the experimental plot was chernozem-meadow, medium and heavy loamy. The crop rotation was as follows: ‘black’ fallow – spring wheat – spring wheat – spring wheat – barley, the forecrop was second wheat. It was a two-factor field trial, the area of the plots was 50 and 25 m2, with three-fold sequence. The purpose of the current work was to estimate the effect of nitrogen fertilizer as a basic one and in the form of top dressing combined with fungicidal and herbicidal treatment on the productivity of spring wheat grain. There was identified a positive effect of the factor of nitrogen fertilization N35 on the productivity of spring wheat grain when sown in ‘black’ fallow. In 2018 there was productivity increase on 0.43, and in 2019 it was 0.74 t/ha, or 25.1 and 39.2%, respectively, according to the control. The utilization of the mixture of herbicides and carbamide (5 kg/ha) had only a tendency to productivity increase in comparison with herbicide control. The additional top dressing of 5 and 10 kg/ha of carbamide in ‘head formation period’ increased productivity by 0.32 and 0.42 (in 2018) and 0.45 and 0.47 t/ha (in 2019). The best results were obtained from the combination ‘herbicides + carbamide (tillering) + fungicide (head formation)’, the average productivity increase was 0.60 (in 2018) and 1.83 t/ha (in 2019).

Specification of axial identity by Hoxa2 distinguishes between a phenotypic and molecular ground state in mouse cranial neural crest cells

Hox genes play a key role in head formation by specifying the axial identity of neural crest cells (NCCs) migrating into embryonic pharyngeal arches. In the absence of Hoxa2, NCC derivatives of the second pharyngeal arch (PA2) undergo a homeotic transformation and duplicate structures formed by first arch (PA1) NCCs. Current models postulate that PA1 represents a NCC ‘ground state’ and loss of Hoxa2 causes a reversion of PA2 NCCs to the PA1 ‘ground state’. We use bulk and single-cell RNAseq to investigate the molecular mechanisms driving this phenotypic transformation in the mouse. In Hoxa2-/- mutants, PA2 NCCs generally maintain expression of the PA2 transcriptional signature and fail to strongly upregulate a PA1 transcriptional signature. Our analyses identify putative HOXA2 targets and suggest that subsets of NCCs may respond to HOXA2 activity in distinct manners. This separation of phenotypic and molecular states has significant implications for understanding craniofacial development.