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Applied Sciences
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Advanced Plant Biotechnology in Sustainable Agriculture
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Advanced Plant Biotechnology in Sustainable Agriculture

A special issue of Applied Sciences (ISSN 2076-3417). This special issue belongs to the section "Agricultural Science and Technology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 20 July 2024 | Viewed by 8983

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Anzhen Qin

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Institute of Farmland Irrigation of CAAS, Hongli Road (East) NO.380, Xinxiang City, China
Interests: sustainable cropping system; meteorological modelling; irrigation forecast; remote sensing in agriculture
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Dongfeng Ning

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Institute of Farmland Irrigation of CAAS, Hongli Road (East) NO.380, Xinxiang City, China
Interests: plant nutrition; plant regulation; fertigation system; greenhouse gases emission; crop production

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Advanced plant biotechnology includes a series of innovative, scientific and technical methods applied to guarantee food security. Currently, food security has been facing a variety of challenges, including growing populations, water shortages, yield stagnation, climate change, and the frequent incidence of biotic and abiotic stresses, posing a severe threat to sustainable agriculture. In recent years, grain yields have nearly approached the ceiling of maximum yield potential under conventional technology, while advanced biotechnology, including genetic breeding engineering, cropping system strategies, remote sensing technology, disease detection and prevention, smart irrigation and fertilization, bioregulation, plant transformation, etc., has emerged and developed to make plants resistant to droughts, floods, pests and diseases, and other abiotic and biotic stresses. Advanced biotechnology in sustainable agriculture should effectively improve global agricultural productivity, guarantee food security, and alleviate human poverty. The Special Issue “Advanced Plant Biotechnology in Sustainable Agriculture” aims to provide an overview of the latest developments in major fields of advanced plant biotechnology. With its paramount importance in achieving the dual goals of high-quality food production and effective environmental protection, we welcome original research articles and reviews concerning all aspects related to advanced plant biotechnology in sustainable agriculture.

Dr. Anzhen Qin
Dr. Dongfeng Ning
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Applied Sciences is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • genetic engineering
  • cropping systems
  • smart fertigation
  • remote sensing
  • climate change

Published Papers (7 papers)

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Research

13 pages, 6204 KiB  
Article
Fulvic Acid Alleviates the Toxicity Induced by Calcium Nitrate Stress by Regulating Antioxidant and Photosynthetic Capacities and Nitrate Accumulation in Chinese Flowering Cabbage Seedlings
by Xue Wu, Ying Zhang, Yufeng Chu, Yifei Yan, Cuinan Wu, Kai Cao and Lin Ye
Appl. Sci. 2023, 13(22), 12373; https://doi.org/10.3390/app132212373 - 15 Nov 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 707
Abstract
Continuous cropping can lead to an excessive accumulation of nitrate in facility-cultured soil. Excessive accumulation of nitrate gradually becomes the main reason for crop failure in vegetables and endangers human health. Therefore, the exploration of effective measures to decrease abundant nitrate accumulation in [...] Read more.
Continuous cropping can lead to an excessive accumulation of nitrate in facility-cultured soil. Excessive accumulation of nitrate gradually becomes the main reason for crop failure in vegetables and endangers human health. Therefore, the exploration of effective measures to decrease abundant nitrate accumulation in Chinese flowering cabbage is indispensable. In this study, a kind of plant growth regulator, fulvic acid (FA), was used to study its positive effect on alleviating the growth inhibition induced by excessive Ca(NO3)2 in Chinese flowering cabbage. Meanwhile, we conducted hydroponic cultivation and measured the growth indices, photosynthetic and oxidation-reduction characteristics of Chinese flowering cabbage with different treatments. After determining the optimal treatment concentration, we mainly designed four treatment groups, including Con, FA, Ca(NO3)2 and FA + Ca(NO3)2 cotreatment, to explore the regulatory mechanism by which FA alleviates Ca(NO3)2 stress in Chinese flowering cabbage. The results showed that FA can effectively alleviate the inhibitory effect of excessive Ca(NO3)2 on the growth of Chinese flowering cabbage seedlings. FA recovered the photosynthetic capacity of seedlings under Ca(NO3)2 stress. In addition, FA depressed the accumulation of O2·−, H2O2, malondialdehyde (MDA) and relative electrical conductivity, but increased the activity of antioxidant enzymes, including SOD, POD, CAT and APX, which finally enhanced the stress resistance of Chinese flowering cabbage to Ca(NO3)2. The expression of nitrate-related transporters, BcNRT1.1 and BcNRT1.5, was depressed by FA, which inhibited redundant nitrate absorption and restricted more nitrate from being stored in the roots instead of being transferred to the shoot. Ultimately, nitrate accumulation in the edible part was reduced in Chinese flowering cabbage seedlings. In general, exogenous FA may alleviate nitrate stress by improving oxidation resistance, photosynthetic capacity and redundant Ca(NO3)2 accumulation in Chinese flowering cabbage. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Plant Biotechnology in Sustainable Agriculture)
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23 pages, 5096 KiB  
Article
The Effect of Phosphorus Fertilization on Transcriptome Expression Profile during Lentil Pod and Seed Development
by Ekaterini Koura, Adamantia Pistikoudi, Margaritis Tsifintaris, George Tsiolas, Evangelia Mouchtaropoulou, Christos Noutsos, Triantafyllos Karantakis, Athanasios Kouras, Athanasios Karanikolas, Anagnostis Argiriou, Irini Nianiou-Obeidat, Photini V. Mylona and Alexios N. Polidoros
Appl. Sci. 2023, 13(20), 11403; https://doi.org/10.3390/app132011403 - 17 Oct 2023
Viewed by 833
Abstract
Seed coat hardness and water permeability, which are determined by the accumulation of tannins through the phenylpropanoid pathway in the seed, are important lentil quality characteristics. The impact of seeds’ developmental stage and phosphorus (P) fertilization levels on tannin accumulation is still under [...] Read more.
Seed coat hardness and water permeability, which are determined by the accumulation of tannins through the phenylpropanoid pathway in the seed, are important lentil quality characteristics. The impact of seeds’ developmental stage and phosphorus (P) fertilization levels on tannin accumulation is still under research. Through RNA sequencing, this study explored the effect of three P treatments (P0, 6 mg kg−1; P1, 15 mg kg−1; and P2, 21 mg kg−1) and three seed maturity stages (S1, immature 2 mm seed in a flat pod; S2, fully developed seed within the pod; and S3, mature seed at the beginning of the pod’s discoloration) on lentil gene expression. The key findings highlighted a significant influence of the seed maturity stage on phenylpropanoid genes, with S1 displaying the highest expression levels, and on phosphorus-related Gene Ontology (GO) terms that presented the highest number of downregulated genes in the S3 to S1 comparison. P exhibited a targeted effect on the flavanone 3-hydroxylase (F3H) and flavonol synthase (FLS) genes and specific gene clusters, as shown by the differential gene expression analysis. This study investigates the molecular mechanisms related to phosphorus fertilization and seed maturity stages that influence tannin accumulation, offering valuable information for the enhancement of lentil product quality through breeding programs. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Plant Biotechnology in Sustainable Agriculture)
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19 pages, 4524 KiB  
Article
Effects of Configuration Mode on the Light-Response Characteristics and Dry Matter Accumulation of Cotton under Jujube–Cotton Intercropping
by Tiantian Li, Peijuan Wang, Yanfang Li, Ling Li, Ruiya Kong, Wenxia Fan, Wen Yin, Zhilong Fan, Quanzhong Wu, Yunlong Zhai, Guodong Chen and Sumei Wan
Appl. Sci. 2023, 13(4), 2427; https://doi.org/10.3390/app13042427 - 13 Feb 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1268
Abstract
The current study evaluated the canopy cover competition for light and heat in a jujube–cotton intercropping system to measure the growth and yield performance of cotton, and the optimal cotton planting configuration. In this study, a two-year field experiment (2020 and 2021) was [...] Read more.
The current study evaluated the canopy cover competition for light and heat in a jujube–cotton intercropping system to measure the growth and yield performance of cotton, and the optimal cotton planting configuration. In this study, a two-year field experiment (2020 and 2021) was studied with different spacing configuration modes designed as follows: two rows of cotton (CM1) planted 1.4 m apart, four rows of cotton (CM2) planted 1.0 m apart, and six rows of cotton (CM3) planted 0.5 m apart, spacing intercropped jujube trees, respectively. The control treatment consisted of monocultured cotton (CK). The light-response curve was plotted using an LI-6400 XT photosynthesis instrument. Based on the modified rectangular hyperbola model, the photosynthetic characteristics were fitted, and the dry matter distribution characteristics and yield were compared. The results showed that with the increase in photosynthetically active radiation, the net photosynthetic rate (Pn) of each growth phase decreased first and then increased rapidly in the range of 0–200 μmol·m−2·s−1 and then decreased slightly after the inflection point (light saturation point). The light-response curves of stomatal conductance and transpiration rate showed a linear relationship. The trend in the intercellular CO2 concentration response curve was opposite to that of Pn. The maximum Pn (Pmax) of intercropped cotton was significantly impacted by configuration modes, of which CM2 treatment generated 1.8% and 22.8% higher Pmax than the CM1 and CM3 treatments. The cotton yield in the two years ranked as CK > CM3 > CM2 > CM1, and the average land equivalent ratio of CM2 was significantly higher than that of CM3 (22.4%) and CM1 (95.9%). The six-row configuration resulted in greater competition with the trees, which affected the accumulation of below-ground dry matter, while the four-row configuration formed a reasonable canopy structure, which ensured that more photosynthetic substances were distributed to the generative organs. The reasonable four-rows configuration mode may improve the photosynthetic efficiency of intercropped cotton economic yield. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Plant Biotechnology in Sustainable Agriculture)
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16 pages, 7766 KiB  
Article
Growth Response of Tartary Buckwheat to Plastic Mulching and Fertilization on Semiarid Land
by Yanjie Fang, Xianfeng Yu, Huizhi Hou, Hongli Wang, Yifan Ma, Guoping Zhang, Kangning Lei, Jiade Yin and Xucheng Zhang
Appl. Sci. 2023, 13(4), 2232; https://doi.org/10.3390/app13042232 - 09 Feb 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 931
Abstract
Integrated hole-sowing, fertilization, and plastic mulching techniques are common agronomic practices applied to collect rainwater and to improve rainwater utilization in semiarid rain-fed regions. However, little is known about the growth responses of tartary buckwheat (Fagopyrum tataricum L.) to the practices adopted [...] Read more.
Integrated hole-sowing, fertilization, and plastic mulching techniques are common agronomic practices applied to collect rainwater and to improve rainwater utilization in semiarid rain-fed regions. However, little is known about the growth responses of tartary buckwheat (Fagopyrum tataricum L.) to the practices adopted in semiarid areas of Loess Plateau in Northwest China. To address the concerns, a long-term field experiment was conducted in 2015–2017. Four fertilization levels, namely, high fertilization level (N–P2O5–K2O: 120–90–60 kg ha−1, HF), moderate fertilization level (80–60–40 kg ha−1, MF), low fertilization level (40–30–20 kg ha−1, LF), and zero fertilization level (ZF), were applied to hole-sown tartary buckwheat with whole plastic mulching, in comparison to the control with no-mulching and zero fertilization (CK). Several key growth-influencing indicators were measured in the consecutive experimental years, including soil temperature (Ts), soil water storage (SWS), leaf area index (LAI), dry matter (DM), and grain yield. The results showed that in different precipitation years, 2015 (193 ± 23 mm), 2016 (149 ± 19 mm), and 2017 (243 ± 28 mm), the ZF, LF, MF, and HF treatments had the potential to optimize Ts in 0~25 cm soil layers (at 5 cm interval). The four treatments improved SWS in 0~300 cm soil layers by 3.5% and increased soil water consumption in the pre-anthesis period by 22.4%, compared with CK. Moreover, the four treatments shortened the pre-anthesis growth period by 0.4~5.4 d, while extended the post-anthesis growth period by 5.7~10.0 d, giving rise to an overall extension of 0.6~5.0 d for a whole growth period of tartary buckwheat. Furthermore, the ZF, LF, MF, and HF treatments increased LAI by 4.4~225.3% and DM weight by 41.5~238.0%. The rain yield of the four treatments was increased by 14.0~130.4%, and water use efficiency (WUE) was improved by 11.3~102.7%, especially for the LF treatment, compared with CK. The study indicated that the technique of hole-sowing and plastic mulching combined with a low fertilization rate was an effective measure for tartary buckwheat to optimize crop growth and to boost grain yield and WUE on semiarid lands. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Plant Biotechnology in Sustainable Agriculture)
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16 pages, 4072 KiB  
Article
Preliminary Results Detailing the Effect of the Cultivation System of Mulched Ridge with Double Row on Solanaceous Vegetables Obtained by Using the 2ZBX-2A Vegetable Transplanter
by Tengfei He, Hui Li, Song Shi, Xuechuan Liu, Hu Liu, Yupeng Shi, Wei Jiao and Jilei Zhou
Appl. Sci. 2023, 13(2), 1092; https://doi.org/10.3390/app13021092 - 13 Jan 2023
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1370
Abstract
China is the largest vegetable producer in the world, and vegetable production is more geographically concentrated in the Huang-Huai-Hai region and the Yangtze River Basin. There are significant challenges ahead for increasing the average yields of the vegetables in this region. The effects [...] Read more.
China is the largest vegetable producer in the world, and vegetable production is more geographically concentrated in the Huang-Huai-Hai region and the Yangtze River Basin. There are significant challenges ahead for increasing the average yields of the vegetables in this region. The effects of a cultivation system, a mulched ridge with a double row (MRDR), were evaluated by using the 2ZBX-2A vegetable transplanter newly designed in this paper. The key parameters of the equipment were designed and optimized by using the human–computer interaction method and the discrete element method according to agronomy requirements. Compared with the traditional ridge (TR) system on two typical solanaceous vegetables (eggplant and capsicum), the uniformities of the plant spacing and the planting depth in the MRDR system were significantly improved. Finally, the fresh fruit yield in the MRDR system increased significantly (p < 0.05) by 40.8% and 35.3% compared with that in the TR system for eggplant and capsicum, respectively. In addition, the water use efficiency (WUE) was also 54.9~59.7% higher under the MRDR system than under the TR system. All the results indicate that the MRDR system has the potential to improve the yields and WUE of solanaceous vegetables in the Huang-Huai-Hai Plain of China. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Plant Biotechnology in Sustainable Agriculture)
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13 pages, 2516 KiB  
Article
Effect of Border Width and Micro-Sprinkling Hose Irrigation on Soil Moisture Distribution and Irrigation Quality for Wheat Crops
by Shengfeng Wang, Pengwei Ji, Xinqiang Qiu, Haochen Yang, Yanping Wang, Hengkang Zhu, Min Wang and Hongdong Li
Appl. Sci. 2022, 12(21), 10954; https://doi.org/10.3390/app122110954 - 28 Oct 2022
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1188
Abstract
Micro-sprinkling irrigation is a small-flow irrigation technology that uses the grouped outlets on the micro-sprinkling hoses to spray the pressure water evenly in the field. Plants’ barriers during the middle to late growth period of winter wheat significantly reduce the irrigation quality of [...] Read more.
Micro-sprinkling irrigation is a small-flow irrigation technology that uses the grouped outlets on the micro-sprinkling hoses to spray the pressure water evenly in the field. Plants’ barriers during the middle to late growth period of winter wheat significantly reduce the irrigation quality of the micro-spray system. It is still unclear whether soil border width in wheat fields can alleviate the negative effect. In this study, a popularly-used variety (c.v. ZM 369) was adopted to test the mitigation effect of soil borders on irrigation quality, as well as soil moisture distribution, in wheat fields. Two irrigation quotas (i.e., 75 mm and 45 mm per time) and three border widths (i.e., 2.3 m, 3.3 m, and 5.3 m) were arranged in a randomized block design in the experimental years of 2020–2022. Soil moisture distribution and irrigation quality during the middle to late growth period of winter wheat (i.e., jointing to heading stage and grain filling stage) were investigated, as well as the effects on grain yield and water use efficiency (WUE). The results showed that irrigation water distribution in the direction perpendicular to micro-spray tapes generally decreased with the distance from tapes increasing. The maximum difference between the irrigation amount and water collected under the canopy was 134 mm. The uniformity coefficient of soil moisture distribution was increased by 25.8% with a 5.3 m border width compared to a 2.3 m width. Although an irrigation quota of 75 mm was beneficial for ensuring better irrigation uniformity and more stable grain yield, grain yield and WUE were produced with an irrigation quota of 45 mm. In conclusion, it is appropriate to increase border width and adopt a small quota for the micro-spray system in the North China Plain for wheat crops. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Plant Biotechnology in Sustainable Agriculture)
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15 pages, 3016 KiB  
Article
Hybrid Genetic Algorithm−Based BP Neural Network Models Optimize Estimation Performance of Reference Crop Evapotranspiration in China
by Anzhen Qin, Zhilong Fan and Liuzeng Zhang
Appl. Sci. 2022, 12(20), 10689; https://doi.org/10.3390/app122010689 - 21 Oct 2022
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1403
Abstract
Precise estimation of reference evapotranspiration (ET0) is of significant importance in hydrologic processes. In this study, a genetic algorithm (GA) optimized back propagation (BP) neural network model was developed to estimate ET0 using different combinations of meteorological data across various [...] Read more.
Precise estimation of reference evapotranspiration (ET0) is of significant importance in hydrologic processes. In this study, a genetic algorithm (GA) optimized back propagation (BP) neural network model was developed to estimate ET0 using different combinations of meteorological data across various climatic zones and seasons in China. Fourteen climatic locations were selected to represent five major climates. Meteorological datasets in 2018–2020, including maximum, minimum and mean air temperature (Tmax, Tmin, Tmean, °C) and diurnal temperature range (∆T, °C), solar radiation (Ra, MJ m−2 d−1), sunshine duration (S, h), relative humidity (RH, %) and wind speed (U2, m s−1), were first subjected to correlation analysis to determine which variables were suitable as input parameters. Datasets in 2018 and 2019 were utilized for training the models, while datasets in 2020 were for testing. Coefficients of determination (r2) of 0.50 and 0.70 were adopted as threshold values for selection of correlated variables to run the models. Results showed that U2 had the least r2 with ET0, followed by ∆T. Tmax had the greatest r2 with ET0, followed by Tmean, Ra and Tmin. GA significantly improved the performance of BP models across different climatic zones, with the accuracy of GABP models significantly higher than that of BP models. GABP0.5 model (input variables based on r2 > 0.50) had the best ET0 estimation performance for different seasons and significantly reduced estimation errors, especially for autumn and winter seasons whose errors were larger with other BP and GABP models. GABP0.5 model using radiation/temperature data is highly recommended as a promising tool for modelling and predicting ET0 in various climatic locations. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Plant Biotechnology in Sustainable Agriculture)
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