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Heavy metal-contaminated farmland, especially for cadmium (Cd), is being used for agricultural production in large scale due to the increasing food demand. Thus, minimizing the influx of Cd to the human food chain is urgently needed. Screening for stably low Cd and moderately high micronutrient wheat cultivars is one of the most feasible and effective approaches to ensure food safety and quality. Here, the Cd accumulation by 72 wheat cultivars was identified in field 1, and the stability of Cd accumulation in these cultivars was tested in fields 2 and 3. The effects of Cd on micronutrient (zinc (Zn), copper (Cu), iron (Fe), manganese (Mn), and boron (B)) uptake in grains were also investigated. Nine of the 24 low-Cd wheat cultivars identified by screening showed stably low-Cd and moderately high micronutrient concentrations in grain. Nine cultivars exhibited unstable low-Cd accumulation characteristics, and another five cultivars contained significantly lower Zn concentrations in grain in at least two experimental fields. One low-Cd cultivar also had low Zn, Cu and Mn concentrations in grain. The accumulation of Cd in wheat grain had little effects on the uptake of Fe. Grain Cd concentration correlated positively with the dry weight of stem and root, and negatively with the spike length. There was no correlation between grain Cd concentration and wheat yield. The selected cultivars with stably low-Cd accumulation and moderately high micronutrient concentrations in grain are recommended for cultivation in slightly to moderately Cd-contaminated farmland to ensure food safety for the growing human population. Image 1 • Nine cultivars were screened for stably low-Cd and high micronutrient in grain. • Nine of 24 low-Cd cultivars exhibited unstable low Cd accumulation characteristics. • Some low-Cd cultivars also contained significantly lower Zn concentration in grain. • Accumulation of Cd in wheat grain had little effects on the uptake of Fe. • Grain [Cd] correlated negatively with spike length, positively with root dry weight. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Study on kiwifruit ( Actinidia chinensis and A. deliciosa ) color mainly concentrated in green and yellow-fleshed cultivars, less about molecular mechanism of red-fleshed trait formation, rarely in all red-fleshed fruit. Using ‘Tianyuanhong’ and ‘Yongfengyihao’ (‘TY’, a kind of all red-fleshed cultivar, from Actinidia arguta ; ‘YF’, a kind of all green-fleshed cultivar, also from Actinidia arguta ) as experimental material, we performed RNA-seq to obtain 202,742 unigenes with an average length of 603 bp and N50 of 873 bp via transcriptome data analysis. Of these unigenes, 72,508 (35.76%) were annotated and 997 were assigned to secondary metabolic pathways, of which 104 unigenes were involved in flavonoid and anthocyanin biosynthesis. According to the parameter log2fold-change and p-adjusted, 12 differentially expressed structural genes were selected for performing expression profiles and cluster analysis. Physiological traits including color ration, hue angle, and anthocyanin content were also investigated. From the results, we concluded Aa LDOX (genes encoding leucoanthocyanidin dioxygenase) maybe the key gene controlling anthocyanin biosynthesis in flesh of ‘TY’ kiwifruit, which promoted accumulation of anthocyanin, finally leading to the red flesh coloration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The ethylene-responsive VII (ERF-VII) transcription factors are crucial in regulating plant waterlogging tolerance. However, the positive role of ERF-VII genes in kiwifruit waterlogging tolerance is rarely reported. In this study, we cloned the AvERF75 gene from the waterlogging-tolerant genotype KR5 (Actinidia valvata) and explored its roles in response to waterlogging stress. Subcellular localization showed AvERF75 protein was localized in cytoplasm and nucleus, and transactivation assays indicated it exhibited transactivation activity. Overexpression of AvERF75 significantly improved the waterlogging tolerance of transgenic plants (both tobacco and kiwifruit) by scavenging ROS. furthermore, we identified AvLOB41 as an interacting partner of AvERF75 protein by Y2H screening and BiFC assay. Taken together, this study confirms the positive role of AvERF75 in regulating waterlogging tolerance and reveals a new regulatory network in response to waterlogging stress. • This study proposes a putative model of AvERF75 and AvLOB4 in modulating waterlogging tolerance in kiwifruit. • Overexpression of AvERF75 enhanced waterlogging tolerance of transgenic plants. • AvLOB41 is involved in the waterlogging tolerance mediated by AvERF75. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Monodisperse Li 4 Ti 5 O 12 (LTO) microspheres with different primary crystallite sizes were synthesized using the same cetyltrimethylammonium bromide-assisted hydrothermal method but different post-calcination temperatures (600 and 700 °C). The two different LTO microspheres have the same diameter about 4 μm, but smaller primary crystallite size and higher surface area are obtained at 600 °C (LTO600). The specific capacities at 0.1C are both close to the theoretical capacity of LTO for the two samples; higher specific capacity is obtained with LTO600 at high C-rate, indicating beneficial effect of smaller primary crystallite size and larger surface area. Notably, LTO600 exhibits superior rate performance and excellent cyclic stability. The charge specific capacities at 5C, 10C, 20C and 50C are up to 158, 154, 153 and 148 mAh g −1 , respectively. More importantly, the capacity retention after 400 cycles at 5C is as high as 150 mAh g −1 . [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]