Summary: Tassel branch number (TBN) is one of the important agronomic traits that directly contribute to grain yield in maize (Zea mays L.), and identification of genes precisely regulating TBN in the parental lines is important for maize hybrid breeding. In this study, a quantitative trait nucleotide (QTN), Q^Dtbn1, related to tassel branch number was identified using a testcrossing association mapping population through association mapping with the Indels/SNPs in the 5′‐UTR (untranslated region) of Zm00001d053358, which encodes a Kelch repeat‐containing F‐box protein. Q^Dtbn1 was further confirmed to be associated with TBN by a dominant model using an F₂ population, and over‐expressing of the candidate gene resulted in a decreasing of TBN, implying that Q^Dtbn1 was governed by the candidate gene with a negative model. This makes Q^Dtbn1 very useful in maize hybrid breeding. Q^Dtbn1 could interact with a maize Skp1‐like protein and a SnRK1 protein, and the SnRK1 could also interact with a SnRK2.8 protein. In addition, quantitative real‐time PCR assay showed that five substrates of SnRK2 were down‐regulated in the over‐expressed plants. These imply that the SCF (Skp1/Cul1/F‐box protein/Roc1) complex and ABA signal pathway might be involved in the modulation of TBN in maize.

Optimizing the path of livestock manure used for farmland is a hugely significant issue, which not only improves the utilization efficiency of manure but also reduces the cost of the transportation of manure. However, some factors such as different terrains and the density of surrounding farmland may lead to more difficulty in further improving the resource utilization rate. Therefore, this paper aims to establish a transport network optimization model for a complex livestock manure distribution scheme. Using basic information from livestock and poultry farms, cultivated land, water areas and forestland in Xinzhou District, Wuhan City, Hubei Province, the relationship between farmland and livestock farms is divided into farm-intensive and water-intensive farmland areas by using the Voronoi diagram subdivision method. Then, according to the supply–demand balance of manure and crop demand, an optimization model is proposed to discuss the manure return scheme for these two types of terrain. The results show that our model can help significantly improve manure utilization efficiency under different terrain situations, which is proposed comprehensively, considering the economic and environmental benefits.

Soluble sugars are the key photo-assimilates in higher plants, playing critical roles in growth, development, and stress regulation. The transport of sugars in plants involves the coordinated action between several sugar transporter families, including the SUT, STP, pGlcT, VGT, TMT, INT, PLT, SFP, and SWEET families. Over recent decades, numerous studies have elucidated the molecular functions of major sugar transporters. Phylogenetic and evolutionary analyses support the conservation of substrate specificity and transport direction, at least to some extent. Structural analyses have provided key insights into the structural–function relationships of important transporters (e.g., OsSWEET2b and AtSTP10), which can be effectively leveraged for artificial intelligence (AI)-enabled protein structure prediction and rational design. Advances in omics technologies now enable low-cost, routine transcriptome profiling and cutting-edge techniques (e.g., single-cell multi-omics and spatiotemporal RNA-seq), providing unprecedented ways to understand how sugar transporters function coordinately at multiple levels. Here, we describe the classification of major sugar transporters in plants and summarize established functional knowledge. We emphasize that recent groundbreaking advances in AI-enabled protein analyses and multi-omics will revolutionize molecular physiology in crops. Specifically, the integration of functional knowledge, AI-based protein analyses, and multi-omics will help unravel the orchestration of different sugar transporters, thereby enhancing our understanding of how sugar transportation and source–sink interactions contribute to crop development, yield formation, and beyond, ultimately boosting carbohydrate transport- related crop improvement.

XYLEM CYSTEINE PROTEASE 1 (XCP1) is a cysteine protease that plays a critical role in xylem differentiation and tracheary element (TE) formation. Our previous study demonstrated that TE remodeling occurs at the graft union in the Arabidopsis thaliana (At)/Nicotiana benthamiana (Nb) interfamilial graft. Here, we identify that the AtXCP1 transcript is specifically localized in TEs at the graft interface of the incompatible At/Nb interfamilial grafts, and its expression is reduced in these incompatible grafts compared to the compatible grafts. Analysis of AtXCP1pro::GFP reporter lines revealed that AtXCP1 expression is rapidly induced by wounding at the graft interface in At/Nb interfamilial grafts during the early grafting stage. Notably, AtXCP1 expression was significantly stronger in At/Nb heterografts than in At/At homografts, and GFP fluorescence was observed in the stock xylem at 7 days after grafting (DAG) in heterografts, a dynamic process absent in At/At homografts. We found that the Atxcp1 mutant promoted the survival of At/Nb interfamilial grafts during the early grafting stage but decreased the survival after several months, indicating delayed incompatibility. Anatomical examination revealed that large cellular deposits accumulated at the graft interface in Atxcp1/Nb interfamilial grafts and exhibited abnormal TE morphology at later stages. Our findings identify AtXCP1 as a key regulator of xylem reconnection and delayed incompatibility in At/Nb interfamilial grafts.