Rice consumption and demand for premium rice are increasing worldwide. However, the characterizations and how to identify the premium rice are still unclear. Small molecular metabolites have a great advantage in distinguishing subtle differences among similar agricultural products. So, we hypothesized that the metabolites would be the key to identifying the tiny differences in premium rice among similar varieties. In this study, we performed metabolomic and transcriptomic profiles to comprehensively elucidate key metabolites, genes, and formation mechanisms of premium rice. As a result, eight compounds belong to four categories, and 49 different expressional genes were identified in premium rice varieties after comparing with the second-best varieties. Moreover, the integrated analysis confirmed that the amino acid pathway, including 42 expression genes and 11 metabolites, was critical for the premium rice formation. Six genes and two metabolites had significant regulatory effects on the pathways. Furthermore, amino acid quantification confirmed the content of 12 kinds of hydrolytic amino acids, such as aspartic acid and arginine were different between premium and other varieties. These amino acids may serve as potential biomarkers for differentiating premium rice in Northeast China. Our results strongly support the possibility of differentiating premium rice and would provide essential data for premium rice identification and metabolomics-assisted breeding.

Clomazone (CMZ) is a pesticide widely used for weed control in soybean fields. However, its persistence in the environment, including soil, surface water, and groundwater, poses potential risks to subsequent crops and human health. To evaluate the ecotoxicological impacts of CMZ residues on maize growth, a comprehensive study was conducted using integrated transcriptomic and metabolomic analyses of maize seedlings. The results showed that maize seedlings absorb CMZ through the roots and translocate it to the shoots, which led to inhibited growth, reduced chlorophyll content, decreased dry weight, increased electrolyte leakage, and elevated antioxidant enzyme activities. Differentially expressed metabolites (DEMs) and genes (DEGs) were significantly altered in CMZ-stressed maize seedlings, with 1456 DEGs and 1461 DEMs in roots, and 2946 DEGs and 2999 DEMs in shoots. Metabolomic profiling revealed the accumulation of key metabolites involved in CMZ catabolism, including carbohydrates, amino acids, glutathione, and flavonoids. UPLC-Q-TOF/MS analysis identified twelve CMZ transformation products (TPs), which correlated with the activities of DEGs, DEMs, and antioxidant enzymes. These findings indicate that maize seedlings detoxify absorbed CMZ through specific pathways, including decarboxylation, and primarily via canonical phase I and phase II reactions. This study suggests that crops like maize can mitigate the toxicity and residues of CMZ, providing insights for strategies to manage and control CMZ ecotoxicity.

Soybean (Glycine max L.) yield is harmed seriously by pests. Although more and more QTLs for insect-resistance have been developed, the accuracy and validity of these QTLs are not always effective in different populations, for different traits, or by different method of data analysis. It is very important to obtain the real and effective QTL, which would provide great significance for molecular marker assisted selection. In this paper, the information on 81 QTLs related to insect-resistance was collected. All the insect-resistance QTLs were projected on the public genetic linkage map Soymap2 by BioMercator2.1, and a consensus genetic map from different maps with QTLs, genes and other loci was built. A method of meta-analysis was used to deduce the locations of true QTLs with confidence interval of 95%. Twelve and fourteen true QTLs were acquired separately by two ways of individual and integrated meta-analysis, and 6 QTLs showed consensus. All the QTLs were mapped on 9 linkages groups, which were mainly distributed on E, F, H, and M linkages groups as clusters. The QTL intervals were reduced from 15 cM to 3.67 cM in average. Most QTLs were related to resistance to multiple pests besides a soybean pod borer resistance QTL. The results narrowed down the reported QTLs, which provides the basis for QTL fine mapping and gene cloning.

Lipids play a critical role in maintaining the quality of rice. However, lipidomic profiles of japonica rice cultivars from Northeast China under practical storage conditions remain poorly characterized. The japonica rice varieties were stored at 10°C and 25°C for up to 200 days. After the periodic assessment of key quality parameters of milled rice, lipidomics by liquid chromatography‐tandem mass spectrometry (LC‐MS/MS) was performed on samples stored at 25°C on Days 0 and 140, with additional varieties used for validation. Notable changes in rice quality emerged after a 140‐day storage. Lipidomics analysis identified 349 lipids, and the levels of 19 lipids from the glycerolipid (GL) and glycerophospholipid (GP) pathways significantly reduced. Correlation analyses revealed that pentadecanoic acid (C15:0) exhibited the strongest inverse correlation with eating quality (r = −0.861). This study presents a comprehensive lipidomic profile of milled japonica rice and identifies differentially expressed lipids associated with quality loss after storage. The observed lipid after storage suggested hydrolytic processes may be associated with a decline in quality. C15:0 may serve as a candidate biomarker of quality change during storage. These insights support improved storage strategies and quality monitoring protocols for high‐value rice products.