Agronomy

The grain-filling stage is crucial for determining yield and quality in rice. This process, and the pronounced disparity in development between superior and inferior grains, is orchestrated by a dynamic network of endogenous phytohormones. However, an integrated synthesis of their synthesis, transport, signaling, and crosstalk—particularly in the context of modern high-yield cultivation—is lacking. This review comprehensively analyzes the roles of auxin, cytokinin, gibberellin, abscisic acid, ethylene, brassinosteroids, and polyamines, with emphasis on their spatiotemporal dynamics and interactions in shaping grain fate. We explicitly link these hormonal mechanisms to agronomic and chemical regulation practices, such as nitrogen management and alternate wetting-drying irrigation. By synthesizing this knowledge, we aim to propose a unified model of grain filling regulation. This framework provides an actionable theoretical foundation for designing precise strategies to manipulate hormonal balances, thereby improving grain filling uniformity, yield, and quality in rice.

Rapid and accurate identification of crop leaf diseases is essential for informed agricultural decision-making. However, achieving reliable classification remains challenging under conditions such as extreme lighting, complex color variations, and intricate structural backgrounds, particularly when early-stage symptoms are subtle and easily masked by surrounding tissues. To address these challenges, this study proposes a novel network architecture, SREM-Net, which incorporates stylistic and multiscale feature extraction strategies. Specifically, the model introduces the style recalibration MBconv (SRMB) to mitigate feature dilution caused by the coexistence of lesions and complex backgrounds. In addition, the EMF dynamically adjusts the receptive field, enabling the model to capture lesion distributions across the entire leaf while simultaneously emphasizing morphological details, edges, and fine-scale features. To improve interpretability, Gradient-weighted Class Activation Mapping (Grad-CAM) was employed to generate visual explanations of the detected diseases. On our self-constructed, weather-augmented MCCD dataset, the experimental results demonstrate that SREM-Net outperforms state-of-the-art networks such as LWMobileViT, MobileNetV3-CA, and LWDN, achieving F1-score improvements of 2.13%, 1.21%, and 1.18%, respectively.

Grasshoppers and their allies (Orthoptera) are numerous and diverse insects globally, while being significant components of biodiversity and nutrient cycling. They are variously responsive to environmental change but are paradoxical, as some species are major pests while others are threatened or even extinct. Most orthopteran species are somewhere in between, with their assemblage composition shifting in response to changing conditions and according to the response traits of the constituent species. With global concern over the impact of conventional agriculture on biodiversity, there is currently a strong transition to agroecology. The agroecological approach is two-fold: to set aside land and to better manage the overall landscape. Both approaches aim to boost the numbers and diversity of most orthopterans, while reducing the impact of the pest species using biologically based pesticides instead of chemical pesticides as part of an integrated pest management program. Set-aside land is present at various spatial scales for conservation action, involving a diversity of practical approaches. Management depends on understanding orthopteran responses to change, and harnessing the positive responses using, for example, improved grazing, fire management, and vegetation diversification for maximizing habitat heterogeneity. These initiatives also recognize the additional interactive effect of climate change and extreme weather events. Importantly, improvement of orthopteran abundance and diversity is an integral component of overall biodiversity conservation. New technologies, both aerial and genomic, are advancing the field of orthopteran biology and ecology greatly. We review advances being made in the field that hold the most promise and suggest ways forward based on three themes: appreciating orthopteran value, recognizing the adverse drivers of orthopteran abundance and diversity, and better design and management of agroecosystems.