Explore the vast range of titles available.

There is limited knowledge about the effects of the severity and timing of drought stress on oat (Avena sativa) yield and the critical stages at which water management could be effectively implemented. A controlled study was conducted to identify a variety-specific critical stage, and to examine the physiological mechanisms of drought stress on photosynthesis (Pn) and yield formation in two contrasting genotypes. We found that compared with sufficient water supply (AW), grain yield was reduced by 36%, 69% and 44% in ‘Shadow’, and by 31%, 33% and 41% in ‘Bia’ under the severe stress imposed either at jointing, heading or post-anthesis stage. The grain/leaf area (LA) ratio increased by 18–32% and biomass distribution to stems + leaves decreased by 5.2–6.2% of Bia under moderate stress (MS) as compared to AW. This, along with the improved harvest index, led to a comparable yield. Under AW, Shadow displayed 13–16% larger LA duration (LAD) and had significantly higher Pn at the heading and post-anthesis stages, leading to 13% to 20% more spikelets panicle−1 and 13–21% greater groat yields than Bia. It can be concluded that (1) water stress at heading for Shadow and at post-anthesis for Bia was detrimental to grain yield through reduced LA and LAD with a reduced sink size, (2) under the MS, greater grain yield of the hulled Bia was attributable to a stronger sink activity, and (3) higher groat yield of the naked Shadow under AW was associated mainly with a higher source activity and more spikelets panicle−1.

Weed segmentation is a fundamental task in precision agriculture, essential for targeted intervention and sustainable farming. However, achieving accurate segmentation remains challenging due to the high visual similarity between weeds and crops, as well as the ambiguous, fine-grained boundaries often present in complex field environments. To address this, we present WS-DINO, a novel weed segmentation network built upon the DINOv2 vision foundation model. Our framework introduces two key innovations: (1) a Feature Prior Module that leverages a Canny-guided refinement process to extract and inject fine-grained cues related to weed texture, morphology, and boundaries into specific blocks of the Vision Transformer; and (2) a Spatial Feature Fusion Module that leverages convolutional layers to generate multi-scale spatial features, which are then fused with the semantically rich token features from DINOv2, effectively compensating for the Transformer’s limitations in capturing local spatial details. Comprehensive evaluation on the public PhenoBench dataset shows that WS-DINO achieves an mIoU of 88.67% and outperforms the evaluated benchmark methods. Moreover, on the challenging MotionBlurred dataset, WS-DINO reaches 88.75% mIoU, showing stable performance under motion blur and degraded visual conditions.

The effects of foliar application of spermidine (Spd) on the physiological aspects of salt-stressed oat seedlings were studied under greenhouse conditions. At the seedling stage, the salt-sensitive variety, namely, Caoyou 1 and the salt-tolerant variety, namely, Baiyan 2 were treated with 70 and 100 mM of salt, followed by the foliar application of 0.75 mM Spd or distilled water. Results showed that Spd application increased the activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD), peroxidase (POD), catalase (CAT), and ascorbate peroxidase (APX), and reduced the rate of O 2 ⋅– production and the accumulation of H 2 O 2 and malondialdehyde (MDA). In addition, it increased the level of zeatin riboside (ZR) and the content of endogenous polyamines. The application of Spd increased the contents of soluble sugar, soluble protein, and free proline and helped maintain the osmotic balance of oat leaves. At the same time, foliar Spd treatment helped in maintaining the ion nutrition balance. Specifically, it reduced the content of Na + and thereby stabilized the ratio of Na + /K + , Na + /Ca 2+ , and Na + /Mg 2+ . The effects of Spd application were more obvious for the salt-sensitive cultivar Caoyou 1 and under the lighter 70 mM salt stress.

Drought stress inhibits oat growth and yield. The application of fulvic acid (FA) can improve the drought resistance of oats, but the corresponding molecular mechanism of FA-mediated drought resistance remains unclear. Here, we studied the effects of FA on the drought tolerance of oat leaves through physiological, transcriptomic, and metabolomics analyses, and identified FA-induced genes and metabolites related to drought tolerance. Physiological analysis showed that under drought stress, FA increased the relative water and chlorophyll contents of oat leaves, enhanced the activity of antioxidant enzymes (SOD, POD, PAL, CAT and 4CL), inhibited the accumulation of malondialdehyde (MDA), hydrogen peroxide (H 2 O 2 ) and dehydroascorbic acid (DHA), reduced the degree of oxidative damage in oat leaves, improved the drought resistance of oats, and promoted the growth of oat plants. Transcriptome and metabolite analyses revealed 652 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) and 571 differentially expressed metabolites (DEMs) in FA-treated oat leaves under drought stress. These DEGs and DEMs are involved in a variety of biological processes, such as phenylspropanoid biosynthesis and glutathione metabolism pathways. Additionally, FA may be involved in regulating the role of DEGs and DEMs in phenylpropanoid biosynthesis and glutathione metabolism under drought stress. In conclusion, our results suggest that FA promotes oat growth under drought stress by attenuating membrane lipid peroxidation and regulating the antioxidant system, phenylpropanoid biosynthesis, and glutathione metabolism pathways in oat leaves. This study provides new insights into the complex mechanisms by which FA improves drought tolerance in crops.

Oat is considered as a moderately salt-tolerant crop that can be used to improve saline and alkaline soils. Previous studies have focused on short-term salt stress exposure, and the molecular mechanisms of salt tolerance in oat have not yet been elucidated. In this study, the salt-tolerant oat cultivar Vao-9 and the salt-sensitive oat cultivar Bai5 were treated with 6 days of 0 and 150 mmol L −1 salt stress (nNaCl:nNa 2 SO 4  = 1:1). Label-Free technology was then used to analyze the differentially expressed proteins in leaves under 0 and 150 mmol L −1 salt stress. The obtained results indicated that total of 2,631 proteins were identified by mass spectrometry in the four samples. The salt-tolerant cultivar Vao-9 mainly enhances its carbohydrate and energy metabolism through the pentose and glucuronate interconversions, and carbon fixation pathways in prokaryotes, thereby reducing the damage caused by salt stress. In addition, the down-regulation of ribosomes expression and the up-regulated expression of HSPs and CRT are all through the regulation of protein synthesis in response to salt stress. However, GABA metabolism presents a different synthesis pattern in Bai5 and Vao-9. The main KEGG function of differential expressed protein (DEP) in Bai5 is classified into protein processing in the endoplasmic reticulum, estrogen signaling pathway, antigen processing and presentation, longevity regulating pathway-multiple species, arginine and proline metabolism, beta-alanine metabolism, vitamin B6 metabolism, salmonella infection, chloroalkane and chloroalkene degradation, and limonene and pinene degradation. Moreover, the main KEGG functions of DEP in Vao-9 are classified as ribosome and carbon fixation pathways in prokaryotes, pentose and glucuronate interconversions, GABA ergic synapse, and taurine and hypotaurine metabolism. The results obtained in this study provide an important basis for further research on the underlying mechanisms of salt response and tolerance in oat and other plant species.

Stem rust, caused by Puccinia graminis f. sp. avenae ( Pga ) is a key disease affecting oat production worldwide. Silicon (Si) plays an essential role in enhancing plant resistance against pathogens. However, the scientific evidence of Si-mediated stem rust resistance of oat from the photosynthetic perspective has not been reported. The specific objective of this research was to investigate the effects of Si application on disease inhibition, photosynthetic gas exchange parameters, light response parameters, photosynthetic pigments and chlorophyll fluorescence parameters under Pga infection. Our results illustrated that Si application significantly reduced rust severity while the other parameters like net photosynthetic rate ( P n ), stomatal conductance ( Gs ), intercellular CO 2 concentration ( C i ) and transpiration rate ( T r ) were significantly increased. Si application increased maximum photosynthetic rate ( P nmax ) and light saturation point (LSP), while reduced the dark respiration rate (Rd) and light compensation point (LCP). The results also indicated that Si application significantly increased the activities of maximum fluorescence ( F m ), variable fluorescence ( F v ), maximum quantum yield of photosystem II ( F v / F m ), photochemical quenching (qP), photosynthetic performance index ( PI ABS ), actual PSII quantum yield (ΦPSII), electron transfer rate (ETR), the absorbed light energy per unit reaction center (ABS/RC) and the dissipated energy per unit reaction center (DIo/RC), whereas it decreased the minimal fluorescence ( F o ), non-photochemical quenching (NPQ), the absorbed light energy used for electron transfer per unit reaction center (ETo/RC) and the absorbed light energy used for reduction of QA per unit reaction center (TRo/RC). The contents of chlorophyll a, b and carotenoids were also increased due to the change in the activity of parameters due to Si application as mentioned above. In conclusion, the results of the current study suggests that Si imparts tolerance to the stem rust possibly by the underlying mechanisms of improving gas exchange performance, and efficiency of the photochemical compounds in oat leaves.

Drought stress poses a major constraint on oat ( L.) yield formation. Endogenous phytohormones play a crucial role in the adaptive mechanisms of oat. However, investigating the distinct parts of the oat panicle in relation to endogenous hormones remains a research gap for understanding the physiological mechanisms underlying yield formation. A two-year field experiment was conducted using ten oat cultivars to investigate the interaction between yield traits in the upper and lower parts of the oat panicle under drought stress. The ten cultivars were classified into two groups based on their drought resistance index (DI): drought-tolerant cultivars (DI ≥ 0.670) and drought-sensitive cultivars (DI ≤ 0.574). Regardless of whether cultivars were drought-tolerant or drought-sensitive, grain number per panicle served as the principal determinant of yield ( = 0.182-0.368). Yield variation among oat cultivars was primarily attributed to the difference in grain number on the lower panicles, under both drought and well-watered conditions ( = 0.879-0.923). Under drought stress, cytokinin (CTK) content significantly decreased in drought-tolerant cultivars ( < 0.001), while a reduction was observed only in the upper panicles of the drought-sensitive cultivars ( < 0.05). Under drought stress, the indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) content in the lower panicles increased in drought-tolerant cultivars ( < 0.001), while it significantly decreased in drought-sensitive cultivars ( < 0.001). These results demonstrate that IAA and CTK in drought-tolerant cultivars play a pivotal role in modulating basal grain development under water deficit conditions.

The application of organic amendments to saline-alkaline soil has been recommended as an agricultural strategy to improve crop productivity and soil health. However, there has been limited research on how organic soil amendment strategies affect the health of oats and their associated rhizosphere fungal communities in saline-alkaline conditions. Thus, the objectives of this study were to understand the effects of oat cultivars with contrasting saline-alkaline tolerances and different amendments on plant morphologies, root exudates (soluble sugars and organic acids), and rhizosphere fungal communities in a saline-alkaline environment. Experiments were conducted on a saline-alkaline tolerant cultivar, Baiyan2, and a saline-alkaline sensitive cultivar, Caoyou1, under four different organic amendment strategies: 1. control (no amendment application), 2. bio-fertilizer application, 3. rotten straw application, and 4. a co-application of bio-fertilizer and rotten straw. Results showed that plant morphological characters of Baiyan2 were better than Caoyou1, and that soluble sugar and organic acid levels in the rhizosphere of Baiyan2 were significantly lower than Caoyou1. Compared to the control, oat root and plant development was significantly improved by the combined bio-fertilizer and rotten straw amendment. Bio-fertilizer application promoted malic and citric acid levels, contributing to a higher total organic acid level, and significantly increased the abundance of Rhizopus arrhizus and decreased the abundance of the fungal pathogens Alternaria , Cladosporium , Sarocladium and Heydenia of Ascomycota in both oat cultivars. All amendment treatments containing rotten straw, except the combined amendment in Baiyan2, significantly increased the relative abundance of Ascomycota (specifically Gibberella , Talaromyces , Fusarium , and Bipolaris ) and decreased the relative abundance of R . arrhizus by reducing soluble sugar and organic acid levels. For the combined amendment in Baiyan2, there were no significant changes in Gibberella and Rhizopus between the control and amendment treatment. Our results suggest that co-application of bio-fertilizer and rotten straw, combined with a tolerant oat cultivar, is an effective method to increase crop productivity and enhance soil health in a saline-alkaline environment.

Wheat constitutes a significant agricultural crop in China and shows a notable tendency to easily bioaccumulate cadmium (Cd) when cultivated in contaminated soils, thereby posing substantial risks to human health. Foliar barrier agents can reduce Cd levels in the edible portions of wheat, facilitating compliance with the established safety standards for human consumption. In the present study, spring wheat was grown in pots in moderate to lightly Cd-contaminated soil. Five treatments with four foliar barrier agents, namely P, silicon-organic fertilizer (SOF), mancozeb (MZ), and microencapsulated fertilizer (MEF), were established to determine their impact on Cd content and cumulative Cd uptake and distribution across wheat organs. All four agents reduced Cd in wheat kernels, with SOF and MZ showing the most substantial reductions of 77.7% and 77.2%, respectively, and a 12% reduction in Cd distribution across wheat organs. These agents primarily block Cd transfer from stems and leaves to grain, ensuring food safety. MZ and SOF most effectively reduced Cd accumulation in wheat. All four agents reduced the target hazard quotient, with SOF yielding the greatest decrease. Thus, SOF is the optimal foliar barrier agent for wheat, supporting safe production on Cd-contaminated farmlands and advancing food security and sustainable agricultural development.

The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of different preservatives and drying methods on the nutrient composition and mould counts of oat hay and oat pellets. Oat hay and oat pellets were divided into 5 groups: CON (without additives, control), CAP (with 5% calcium propionate), CUR (with 5% curcumin), SKU (with 5% Scutellaria baicalensis ) and KC (with 2% potassium carbonate). The nutrients and mould counts of each group were determined after air drying, drying at 50 °C and drying at 50 °C with forced air for 48 h and 96 h, respectively. Compared with air drying, drying at 50 °C and drying at 50 °C with forced air significantly increased the dry matter content of oat. Under different drying times and methods, the addition of preservatives at air-drying for 96 h was more effective at improving the crude protein content of oat hay but was not positive for oat pellets. In addition, under different drying times and methods, the addition of preservatives to oat hay dried at 50 °C for 48 h was more effective at reducing the contents of neutral detergent fibres and acidic detergent fibres. The addition of CUR to oat pellets dried at 50 °C was the most effective at reducing the neutral and acidic detergent fibres of oat pellets. Under different drying times and methods, the addition of preservatives during air drying and drying at 50 °C for 48 h was more effective in reducing mould counts in oat hay and oat pellets. In addition, CUR resulted in higher CP contents and lower mould counts not only in oat hay dried at 50 °C for 48 h but also in oat pellets air dried for 48 h, which indicates its potential use in oat hay production.