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Background Seed storage conditions are critical determinants of rice seed viability and subsequent germination performance; however, the extent to which biochar-based seed coatings enhance storage tolerance and the underlying physiological mechanisms remain poorly understood. In this study, biochar-coated and uncoated rice seeds were stored for 0–8 months under three contrasting conditions: low temperature, room temperature with low humidity, and room temperature with high humidity. Seed germination characteristics, seedling establishment, respiratory metabolism, carbohydrate contents, activities of key starch-metabolizing enzymes, and changes in endosperm ultrastructure were systematically assessed. Results Low-temperature and room-temperature/low-humidity storage effectively maintained seed germination and seedling growth, whereas storage under room-temperature/high-humidity conditions for 4 (coated seeds) or 6 (uncoated seeds) months markedly accelerated seed deterioration. Across all storage regimes, biochar-coated seeds consistently exhibited higher germination percentages, improved emergence performance, and greater seedling biomass compared with uncoated seeds, with a pronounced delay in vigor decline under high-humidity conditions. Seed deterioration was closely associated with suppressed respiratory activity, reduced soluble protein levels, and impaired starch and sugar metabolism, as evidenced by declines in starch and soluble sugar contents, decreased activities of α-amylase, β-amylase, and sucrose synthase, and disruption of endosperm starch granule structure. In contrast, biochar coating partially maintained these metabolic processes and alleviated structural degradation of the endosperm. Conclusions Overall, biochar coating enhances the storage tolerance of rice seeds under adverse storage conditions by preserving metabolic activity and endosperm structural integrity, highlighting its potential as an effective strategy to improve seed longevity and storage performance.

Backgrounds: Objective of this study is to conduct a genome-wide association study (GWAS) of first-parity reproductive traits in Suzi pigs to identify significant single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) or candidate genes influencing these traits. Methods: This research employed technologies including the Zhongxin 50K SNP chip, simplified genome sequencing, resequencing, and the 100K SNP liquid chip to perform genome-wide SNP detection on 898 Suzi sows. Genotype data and phenotypic data were combined to do GWAS, gene annotation, and enrichment analysis. Results: Results showed that this study obtained phenotypes of 33 first-parity reproductive traits from 574 sows. GWAS results indicated there were 10 first-parity reproductive traits significantly associated with SNPs, and these traits were AFS, AFF, NNB, NH, NW, NS, NM, ND, PB, and CCN. These 10 traits were significantly associated with 60 SNPs, with 15 (25%) located on chromosome 2-the highest proportion. The SNPs significantly associated with AFS and AFF were largely identical. Genome-wide variance component analysis revealed that among the 10 traits with significantly associated SNPs in GWAS, there were 5 traits that exhibited genome-wide heritability ≥ 0.01. Trait of NM showed the highest heritability (0.65–0.7). These significantly associated SNPs annotated 20 candidate genes, including ADAMTS19, PROP1, ZNF354B, PCARE, LUZP2, VIRMA, EPHA5, AAAS, SLCO3A1-SV2B, KIF18A-BDNF, SERGEF, DYNLRB2, HNF4G, CATSPERD, HSD11B1L, DICER1, RARG, PCDHAC2, KRT79, and HSD17B2. GO analysis of candidate genes revealed that the top three biological processes were cell adhesion, positive regulation of cell projection organization, and positive regulation of neuron projection development. KEGG results showed the top three pathways were inositol phosphate metabolism, glutamatergic synapse, and phosphatidylinositol signaling system. Conclusions: These findings provide a foundation for the reproductive breeding of Suzi pigs and offer new insights into biological breeding in pigs.

Seed dormancy and germination play pivotal roles in the agronomic traits of plants, and the degree of dormancy intuitively affects the yield and quality of crops in agricultural production. Seed priming is a pre-sowing seed treatment that enhances and accelerates germination, leading to improved seedling establishment. Seed priming technologies, which are designed to partially activate germination, while preventing full seed germination, have exerted a profound impact on agricultural production. Conventional seed priming relies on external priming agents, which often yield unstable results. What works for one variety might not be effective for another. Therefore, it is necessary to explore the internal factors within the metabolic pathways that influence seed physiology and germination. This review unveils the underlying mechanisms of seed metabolism and germination, the factors affecting seed dormancy and germination, as well as the current seed priming technologies that can result in stable and better germination.

Dry direct seeding of rice has emerged as an effective method for reducing the excessive water demand associated with conventional rice transplantation, presenting significant potential for enhancing sustainability. However, this cultivation method is hindered by high seed usage and often inconsistent and low seedling emergence. Seed priming, a pre-sowing treatment, has been employed to mitigate these issues, but the inconsistent effects of exogenous priming agents remain a concern. Currently, there is limited molecular-level information on the uneven seedling emergence and effective screening methods for priming agents. In this study, we employed a metabolomics approach using advanced chromatography and mass spectrometry technology to identify differential accumulation of metabolites (DAMs) in seeds with varying germination energies. The seed priming technique was also used to validate the identified DAMs. We investigated the proportion of different specific gravity seeds and the corresponding germination energy across 20 varieties and established a relationship between different specific gravity seeds and germination energy. Our results showed that seeds with high and low germination energy differed in several metabolites, including amino acids, organic acids, and others. We further confirmed the critical role of these DAMs in determining seed germination energy under dry direct seeding. This research provides valuable insights into the metabolic mechanisms associated with germination energy and offers a useful approach for screening effective endogenous seed priming agents.

The application of high-quality seeds ensures successful crop establishment, healthy growth, and improved production in both quantity and quality. Recently, biochar-based seed coating has been recognized as a new, effective, and environmentally friendly method to enhance seed quality, seedling uniformity, and nutrient availability. To study the impact of biochar coating on the surface mechanical properties of coated seeds, rice emergence and growth, and related physical and physiological metabolic events, laboratory experiments were performed on two water-saving and drought-resistance rice (WDR) varieties (Huhan1512 and Hanyou73) using biochar formulations with varying contents (20%–60%). The results showed that the appropriate concentration of biochar significantly improved emergence traits and seedling performance of the two rice varieties, compared to the uncoated treatment, and that the optimal percentage of biochar coating was 30% (BC30). On average, across both varieties, BC30 enhanced emergence rate (9.5%), emergence index (42.9%), shoot length (19.5%), root length (23.7%), shoot dry weight (25.1%), and root dry weight (49.8%). The improved germination characteristics and vigorous seedling growth induced by biochar coating were strongly associated with higher water uptake by seeds, increased α-amylase activity and respiration rate, and enhanced accumulation of soluble sugar and soluble protein. Moreover, the evaluation results of mechanical properties related to seed coating quality found that increasing the proportion of biochar in the coating blend decreased the integrity and compressive strength of the coated seeds and reduced the time required for coating disintegration. In conclusion, biochar coating is a cost-effective strategy for enhancing crop seed quality and seedling establishment.

Mycoplasma hyopneumoniae (M. hyopneumoniae, Mhp) is the causative agent of mycoplasma pneumonia of swine (MPS). M. hyopneumoniae infection causes inflammation in pigs and leads to considerable economic losses in the pig industry. Pregnane X receptor (PXR) is a pluripotent gene regulatory protein that plays an important role in regulating cytochrome P-450 (CYP) in pigs in the context of inflammatory responses, drug metabolism, homeostasis, etc. We previously reported that cytochrome P450 3A29 (CYP3A29) expression was significantly upregulated in pigs infected with M. hyopneumoniae compared with healthy control pigs. This experiment mainly focused on identifying the role of PXR in the regulation of CYP3A29 and inflammatory factors after M. hyopneumoniae infection by establishing pig alveolar macrophage (PAM) cells in which PXR was overexpressed or silenced. Our results showed that the overexpression of PXR could significantly improve the protein and the mRNA expression levels of CYP3A29 with and without M. hyopneumoniae infection in PAM cells. After the expression of PXR was inhibited, protein and mRNA expression levels of CYP3A29 were significantly reduced with and without M. hyopneumoniae infection in PAM cells. Moreover, PXR can regulate the mRNA expression levels of IL-6 and IL-8 during M. hyopneumoniae infection of PAM cells. In conclusion, these results suggest that PXR positively regulates CYP3A29 expression during the inflammatory response caused by M. hyopneumoniae infection.

Kynurenine (KYN) is a primary tryptophan derivative found in the human body and fermented foods. Previous studies have shown that KYN is an aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AHR) agonist and is important in regulating various physiological activities, including female reproduction. Progesterone is a vital steroid hormone that facilitates embryo implantation and maintains pregnancy. However, whether KYN affects its biosynthesis remains unclear. To gain understanding, in vitro luteinized porcine granulosa luteal (pGL) cells were treated with KYN. The results showed that KYN disrupted progesterone biosynthesis by decreasing the expression of steroidogenic acute regulatory protein (STAR) and 3beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase (HSD3B) in pGL cells. In addition, the expression of three transcription factors of STAR and HSD3B (GATA4, GATA6, and CEBPB) decreased after KYN treatment. Furthermore, the AHR blockade results showed comparable effects to those of KYN treatment, and subsequent knockdown experiments confirmed these results. These findings suggest that KYN inhibits progesterone biosynthesis in pGL cells by downregulating GATA4, GATA6, and CEBPB expression through AHR. Thus, our results showed for the first time a previously unknown connection between KYN and progesterone biosynthesis. Summary Sentence These findings suggest that KYN inhibits progesterone biosynthesis in pGL cells by downregulating GATA4, GATA6, and CEBPB expression through AHR. Graphical Abstract

Kynurenine (KYN) is a primary tryptophan derivative found in the human body and fermented foods. Previous studies have shown that KYN is an Aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AHR) agonist and is important in regulating various physiological activities, including female reproduction. Progesterone is a vital steroid hormone that facilitates embryo implantation and maintains pregnancy. However, whether KYN affects its biosynthesis remains unclear. To gain understanding, in vitro luteinized porcine granulosa luteal (pGL) cells were treated with KYN. The results showed that KYN disrupted progesterone biosynthesis by decreasing the expression of STAR and HSD3B in pGL cells. In addition, the expression of three transcription factors of STAR and HSD3B (GATA4, GATA6, and CEBPB) decreased after KYN treatment. Furthermore, the AHR blockade results showed comparable to those of KYN treatment, and subsequent knockdown experiments confirmed these results. These findings suggest that KYN inhibits progesterone biosynthesis in pGL cells by downregulating GATA4, GATA6, and CEBPB expression through AHR. Thus, our results showed for the first time, a previously unknown connection between KYN and progesterone biosynthesis.Kynurenine (KYN) is a primary tryptophan derivative found in the human body and fermented foods. Previous studies have shown that KYN is an Aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AHR) agonist and is important in regulating various physiological activities, including female reproduction. Progesterone is a vital steroid hormone that facilitates embryo implantation and maintains pregnancy. However, whether KYN affects its biosynthesis remains unclear. To gain understanding, in vitro luteinized porcine granulosa luteal (pGL) cells were treated with KYN. The results showed that KYN disrupted progesterone biosynthesis by decreasing the expression of STAR and HSD3B in pGL cells. In addition, the expression of three transcription factors of STAR and HSD3B (GATA4, GATA6, and CEBPB) decreased after KYN treatment. Furthermore, the AHR blockade results showed comparable to those of KYN treatment, and subsequent knockdown experiments confirmed these results. These findings suggest that KYN inhibits progesterone biosynthesis in pGL cells by downregulating GATA4, GATA6, and CEBPB expression through AHR. Thus, our results showed for the first time, a previously unknown connection between KYN and progesterone biosynthesis.

Coherent optical sensing technology faces significant challenges in practical applications due to the extremely weak signal light, necessitating highly sensitive coherent receivers. A high-sensitivity, highly integrated, and low-noise coherent receiver module based on germanium-silicon photonic chips has been developed. A testing system was constructed to assess the performance of the coherent receiver module, revealing a reception sensitivity of -70dBm, with physical dimensions of 33×40×8.6 mm 3 and an output noise voltage of ±4mV. Additionally, a distributed sensing system based on optical frequency domain reflectometry (OFDR) was established to verify the module’s application in OFDR systems, achieving a spatial resolution of 1mm.

The proliferation and migration of porcine trophectoderm (pTr) cells are crucial processes during the early stages of embryo implantation in sows. The effects of deoxynivalenol (DON) and chlorogenic acid (CGA), a plant-derived compound, on pTr cells are currently unclear. In this study, pTr cells were treated with DON at different times (24, 48, and 72 h) and different concentrations (0.5, 1, and 2 µg/mL) to construct a pathological model of DON-induced pTr cells by detecting the expression levels of genes related to cell proliferation, migration, and oxidative stress, as well as the cell viability and the cell migration ability. Subsequently, CGA intervention experiments revealed that CGA could promote the proliferation, migration, and antioxidant ability of pTr cells and alleviate the damage induced by DON in pTr cells. Finally, RNA-seq technology combined with experiments illustrated that CGA might alleviate the damage of DON-induced pTr cells by regulating the PI3K/AKT signaling pathway. In conclusion, this study explored the toxicological effect of DON and the alleviation effect of CGA on DON at the pTr cells level, which provided new insights and an experimental basis for using CGA to alleviate the reproductive toxicity induced by DON. Summary Sentence CGA alleviates DON-induced pTr cells damage. Graphical Abstract