Zymoseptoria tritici is the causative fungal pathogen of septoria tritici blotch (STB) disease of wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) that continuously threatens wheat crops in Ireland and throughout Europe. Under favorable conditions, STB can cause up to 50% yield losses if left untreated. STB is commonly controlled with fungicides; however, a combination of Z. tritici populations developing fungicide resistance and increased restrictions on fungicide use in the EU has led to farmers relying on fewer active substances. Consequently, this serves to drive the emergence of Z. tritici resistance against the remaining chemistries. In response, the use of resistant wheat varieties provides a more sustainable disease management strategy. However, the number of varieties offering an adequate level of resistance against STB is limited. Therefore, new sources of resistance or improved stacking of existing resistance loci are needed to develop varieties with superior agronomic performance. Here, we identified quantitative trait loci (QTL) for STB resistance in the eight-founder “NIAB Elite MAGIC” winter wheat population. The population was screened for STB response in the field under natural infection for three seasons from 2016 to 2018. Twenty-five QTL associated with STB resistance were identified in total. QTL either co-located with previously reported QTL or represent new loci underpinning STB resistance. The genomic regions identified and the linked genetic markers serve as useful resources for STB resistance breeding, supporting rapid selection of favorable alleles for the breeding of new wheat cultivars with improved STB resistance.

Forecasting large earthquakes along active faults is of critical importance for seismic hazard assessment. Statistical models of recurrence intervals based on compilations of paleoseismic data provide a forecasting tool. Here we compare five models and use Bayesian model-averaging to produce time-dependent, probabilistic forecasts of large earthquakes along 93 fault segments worldwide. This approach allows better use of the measurement errors associated with paleoseismic records and accounts for the uncertainty around model choice. Our results indicate that although the majority of fault segments (65/93) in the catalogue favour a single best model, 28 benefit from a model-averaging approach. We provide earthquake rupture probabilities for the next 50 years and forecast the occurrence times of the next rupture for all the fault segments. Our findings suggest that there is no universal model for large earthquake recurrence, and an ensemble forecasting approach is desirable when dealing with paleoseismic records with few data points and large measurement errors.

We have developed PotatoMASH (Potato Multi-Allele Scanning Haplotags), a novel low-cost, genome-scanning marker platform. We designed a panel of 339 multi-allelic regions placed at 1 Mb intervals throughout the euchromatic portion of the genome. These regions were assayed using a multiplex amplicon sequencing approach, which allows for genotyping hundreds of plants at a cost of 5 EUR/sample. We applied PotatoMASH to a population of over 700 potato lines. We obtained tetraploid dosage calls for 2012 short multi-allelic haplotypes in 334 loci, which ranged from 2 to 14 different haplotypes per locus. The system was able to diagnose the presence of targeted pest-resistance markers, to detect quantitative trait loci (QTLs) by genome-wide association studies (GWAS) in a tetraploid population, and to track variation in a diploid segregating population. PotatoMASH efficiently surveys genetic variation throughout the potato genome, and can be implemented as a single low-cost genotyping platform that will allow the routine and simultaneous application of marker-assisted selection (MAS) and other genotyping applications in commercial potato breeding programmes.

Western mothers use more mental state talk with children than do Chinese mothers (e.g., “think”, “like”, “happy”). The present study aimed to examine whether Western mothers not only produced a greater amount of mental state talk, but also used a wider range of mental state terms (i.e., greater lexical variety) compared to Chinese mothers. We compared maternal mental state talk in 271 mother-child dyads from New Zealand, Australia and China, and coded both quantity (i.e., frequency) and quality (i.e., type, variety, valence) of mothers’ mental state talk to their 2.5- to 5-year-olds. Western mothers produced more talk about cognitions and emotions, as well as modulations of assertions, but a similar amount of desire talk, compared to Chinese mothers, with the same patterns found in the variety of talk. Western mothers produced an overall higher amount of mental state talk and a greater variety of mental state terms, but crucially, still produced more MS talk after controlling for the variety. Neither the amount nor the variety of maternal MS talk was correlated with children’s theory of mind. These findings shed light on the diverse ways that mothers construe and describe mental states in different cultures, and highlight the importance of examining different aspects of maternal mental state talk and their impact on children’s theory of mind in future longitudinal studies.

The Royal Society Te Apārangi Early Career Researcher (ECR) forum represents researchers in Aotearoa New Zealand across various research sectors encompassing Crown Research Institutes (CRIs), Industry Training Organisations (ITOs), and universities to better support ECR career development. Despite recommendations to integrate these research sectors, the system is still segmented with rising numbers of PhD graduates, limited post-doctoral opportunities, and challenges associated with a changing research system. Recent efforts, including funding reforms and new fellowship schemes, aim to address these issues but remain insufficient. This paper highlights ongoing disparities and the need for a framework that fosters ECR mobility and professional growth. It calls for strategic reforms in training and funding systems, supporting integrated pathways, equitable opportunities, and fostering of ECRs across diverse research environments.