Rice, a staple global food crop, requires the maintenance of its quality stability during storage. This study aimed to screen rice varieties with high storage stability and elucidate their traits. Thirty-four widely cultivated varieties were selected to examine the changes in grain quality after one-year natural storage. The normalization method, hierarchical analysis, and cluster analysis were used to identify rice varieties maintaining their grain quality during storage. Meanwhile, the yield and its components, panicle traits, grain size, grain major component content, physiological indicators (such as antioxidant enzyme activity), and key growth stages were analyzed at rice maturity. The results showed that the processing, appearance, and eating quality of rice declined after storage. Specifically, the chalkiness degree increased significantly by 32.4%, while the cooked rice appearance, texture, and taste quality decreased significantly by 18.7%, 19.1%, and 14.2%, respectively. The grain quality storage stability was evaluated using a hierarchical analysis method based on the storage stability scores of the brown rice rate, milled rice rate, head milled rice rate, chalkiness degree, cooked rice appearance, cooked rice texture, and cooked rice taste. A judgment matrix was established, determining their corresponding weights of 0.0149, 0.0369, 0.0910, 0.286, 0.060, 0.148, and 0.364, respectively. Based on cluster analysis and the normalization method, these varieties were classified into three categories: high storage stability, intermediate storage stability, and low storage stability, accounting for 26.5%, 52.9%, and 20.6%, respectively. Finally, nine rice varieties with high storage stability were screened. The validation results of the principal component analysis also indicated the reliability of this result. Correlation analysis revealed that the storage stability of the rice grain quality was significantly and negatively correlated with the amylose starch content and malondialdehyde content. The average value and median value of the amylose starch content in high-storage-stability varieties are 10.7% and 6.99% lower than those in sensitive varieties, respectively. Therefore, the major feature of rice varieties with high storage stability is a low amylose starch content. This study provides valuable theoretical insights into the safe storage of rice grains and the selection and breeding of rice varieties with high storage stability.

To screen rice varieties with high storage stability for eating quality and elucidate their traits, 34 widely grown rice varieties were selected to examine the changes in the eating quality of their grains after natural storage for one year. A hierarchical analysis, normalization method, and cluster analysis were used to identify the rice varieties that maintained their eating quality during storage. Meanwhile, the yield and its components, panicle traits, grain size, grain major component content, physiological indicators (such as antioxidant enzyme activity), and key growth stages were analyzed at rice maturity. The results showed that after storage, the values of the appearance, texture, and taste of the cooked rice decreased by 18.7%, 19.1%, and 14.2%, respectively. The storage stability of the eating quality of rice was evaluated using a hierarchical analysis based on the storage stability scores of the appearance, texture, and taste of the cooked rice. A judgment matrix was established, where the corresponding weights of the appearance, texture, and taste of the cooked rice were identified to be 0.105, 0.259, and 0.637, respectively. Based on a cluster analysis and the normalization method, these varieties were classified into three categories regarding the storage stability of their eating quality: high storage stability, intermediate storage stability, and low storage stability, accounting for 14.7%, 52.9%, and 32.4%, respectively. Finally, five rice varieties with high storage stability were screened. These varieties exhibited storage stability scores of the appearance, texture, and taste of cooked rice that were 215%, 219%, and 340% higher than those of the low storage stability type, respectively. The correlation analysis revealed that the storage stability of the eating quality of the rice was significantly and negatively correlated with amylose starch content, peroxidase activity, and malondialdehyde content. The amylose starch content, peroxidase activity, and malondialdehyde content of the high storage stability type were 12.4%, 35.9%, and 6.42% lower than those of the low-storage-stability variety, respectively. Therefore, the major features of rice varieties with high storage stability included low amylose starch content, diminished peroxidase activity, and low malondialdehyde content. This study provides valuable theoretical insights into the safe storage of rice grains and the selection and breeding of rice varieties with high storage stability.

Excessive nitrogen application may adversely impact grain yield and quality of rice. This study aimed to evaluate the impact of several nitrogen-reduction strategies on the grain yield and quality of mechanically transplanted hybrid indica rice. Field experiments were performed in 2020 and 2021 using Yixiangyou2115 and Fyou498. The research investigated variations in grain yield and quality of rice under different nitrogen-reduction strategies, including NR1, balanced N reduction; NR2, N reduction in basal fertilizer; NR3, N reduction in tillering fertilizer; and NR4, N reduction in earing fertilizer, compared to the conventional nitrogen application for high-yield cultivation (CK). Compared to CK, the grain yield of rice decreased by 1.63% to 19.71% under nitrogen-reduction strategies. Relative to NR3 and NR4, NR1 and NR2 exhibited an increase in grain yield ranging from 1.81% to 22.51%, attributed to increases in panicle number (0.61% to 13.19%) and spikelet number per panicle (1.60% to 12.28%). Meanwhile, NR1 and NR2 also had relatively high LAI and dry matter accumulation in rice plants at maturity. Compared to CK, NR1 and NR2 improved the processing quality of rice grain, while NR3 and NR4 resulted in reduced processing quality. The chalkiness rate and chalkiness degree of rice under the NR1, NR3, and NR4 treatments were reduced by 2.97% to 23.73% and 3.35% to 52.49%, respectively, in comparison to CK. Additionally, the NR1 and NR4 treatments were linked to an increase in taste value by 1.44% to 3.66% and gel consistency by 13.87% to 46.01% relative to CK. These findings suggest that balanced nitrogen reduction can maintain a high yield while improving the appearance and eating quality of mechanically transplanted hybrid indica rice. This study offers a theoretical basis for rational nitrogen reduction and high-quality cultivation in rice.

The main cause of high mortality in cancer patients is tumor metastasis. Exploring the underlying mechanism of tumor metastasis is of great significance for clinical treatments. Here, we identify the transcription factor Apt/FSBP is a suppressor for tumor metastasis. In Drosophila wing disc, knockdown of apt is able to trigger cell migration, whereas overexpression of apt hampers scrib-RNAi-induced tumor cell migration. Further studies show that loss of apt promotes cell migration through activating the JNK pathway. To investigate the role of FSBP, the homolog of Apt in mammals, we construct Fsbp liver-specific knockout mice. Knockout of Fsbp in liver does not cause any detectable physiological defects, but predisposes to tumorigenesis on DEN and CCl₄ treatment. In addition, loss of Fsbp accelerates tumor metastasis from liver to diaphragm. Taken together, this study uncovers FSBP is a novel tumor suppressor, and provides it as a considerable drug target for tumor treatment.