Crop Ecophysiology: From Lab to Field, 2nd Volume

Topic Information

Dear Colleagues,

Following the successful completion of Volume I of “Crop Ecophysiology: From Lab to Field” and the great interest in this research topic, we are pleased to announce the launch of Volume II. Increasing crop productivity is an important goal in agriculture. Despite extensive research on the effects of abiotic and biotic stressors on plant growth and development processes, several questions still remain. This topic focuses on crop ecophysiology, seeking ways to help producers to understand crop growth and overcome the risks associated with external factors. Studies on crop growth and development, including seed germination and dormancy, seedling development, photosynthesis, plant water use, mineral nutrition, source–sink relations, and harvest index, are within the scope of this topic. Studies on the mechanism of crop response to environmental stress under controlled or field conditions (high temperature, cold stress, drought stress, high salinity, and combined stresses), pests, pathogens, and other plants are also welcome. In addition, agricultural practices that improve the use efficiency of resources such as water, radiation, N₂, and CO₂, and reduce dependence on external energy input (soil tillage, agrochemicals and mineral fertilizers, etc.) will also be considered for this topic. Original research manuscripts as well as reviews are accepted.

Dr. Hua Bai
Dr. Dimitra A. Loka
Dr. Wei Hu
Topic Editors

Keywords

Participating Journals

Journal Name	Impact Factor	CiteScore	Launched Year	First Decision (median)	APC
Agriculture agriculture	3.3	4.9	2011	20.2 Days	CHF 2600	Submit
Agronomy agronomy	3.3	6.2	2011	15.5 Days	CHF 2600	Submit
Crops crops	-	-	2021	24.2 Days	CHF 1000	Submit
International Journal of Plant Biology ijpb	-	2.0	2010	19.2 Days	CHF 1200	Submit
Plants plants	4.0	6.5	2012	18.2 Days	CHF 2700	Submit

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Published Papers (3 papers)

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All Agriculture Agronomy Crops IJPB Plants

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Open AccessArticle

Phenotypic, Physiological and Hormonal Analysis Reveals the Mechanisms of Timely Harvesting for Ensuring the Seed Vigor of Maize (Zea mays L.) Inbred Lines

by Wanjun Feng, Haoxue Wang, Yu Bai, Weijie Wang, Weiwei Xue, Zhaokang Shi, Peng Qiu, Yu Gao, Jianfu Xue, Min Sun and Hailin Ma

Agronomy 2024, 14(8), 1770; https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy14081770 - 13 Aug 2024

Viewed by 561

Abstract

Seed vigor is a pivotal indicator of seed quality, and timely harvesting is essential for maize seed vigor. The seeds and embryos of maize inbred lines JNY6F and PH4CV at different maturity stages were selected as study materials, the phenotypic characteristics and seed [...] Read more.

Seed vigor is a pivotal indicator of seed quality, and timely harvesting is essential for maize seed vigor. The seeds and embryos of maize inbred lines JNY6F and PH4CV at different maturity stages were selected as study materials, the phenotypic characteristics and seed vigor indexes of which were detected, and the soluble sugars, antioxidant enzyme activity, and pythormones [auxin (IAA), cytokinins (CTKs), gibberellins (GAs), and abscisic acid (ABA)] in fresh immature embryos were analyzed. The analysis results indicated that the seeds of JNY6F and PH4CV reached physiological maturity at 35 and 50 days after pollination, which were the optimal harvest times for JNY6F and PH4CV, respectively, as the embryonic morphology of which had been estabilished, and the seed vigor of which reached their peaks at these two stages. The seed vigor indexes showed significant negative correlations with the levels of soluble reducing sugar, total soluble sugar, and four pythormones in the immature embryos, but were highly positively correlated with catalase (CAT) and peroxidase (POD) enzyme activities. In summary, our findings offer valuable insights into the ideal harvest time and physiological mechanisms underlying the seed vigor of maize inbred lines, and contribute to the enhancement of seed quality and agricultural practices in maize inbred line production. Full article

(This article belongs to the Topic Crop Ecophysiology: From Lab to Field, 2nd Volume)

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Open AccessArticle

Reduced Root Cortical Tissue with an Increased Root Xylem Investment Is Associated with High Wheat Yields in Central China

by Pengzhen Du, Yong-He Zhu, Jacob Weiner, Zhengli Sun, Huiquan Li, Tao Feng and Feng-Min Li

Plants 2024, 13(8), 1075; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants13081075 - 11 Apr 2024

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Abstract

Trait-based approaches are increasingly used to understand crop yield improvement, although they have not been widely applied to anatomical traits. Little is known about the relationships between root and leaf anatomy and yield in wheat. We selected 20 genotypes that have been widely [...] Read more.

Trait-based approaches are increasingly used to understand crop yield improvement, although they have not been widely applied to anatomical traits. Little is known about the relationships between root and leaf anatomy and yield in wheat. We selected 20 genotypes that have been widely planted in Luoyang, in the major wheat-producing area of China, to explore these relationships. A field study was performed to measure the yields and yield components of the genotypes. Root and leaf samples were collected at anthesis to measure the anatomical traits relevant to carbon allocation and water transport. Yield was negatively correlated with cross-sectional root cortex area, indicating that reduced root cortical tissue and therefore reduced carbon investment have contributed to yield improvement in this region. Yield was positively correlated with root xylem area, suggesting that a higher water transport capacity has also contributed to increased yields in this study. The area of the leaf veins did not significantly correlate with yield, showing that the high-yield genotypes did not have larger veins, but they may have had a conservative water use strategy, with tight regulation of water loss from the leaves. This study demonstrates that breeding for higher yields in this region has changed wheat’s anatomical traits, reducing the roots’ cortical tissue and increasing the roots’ xylem investment. Full article

(This article belongs to the Topic Crop Ecophysiology: From Lab to Field, 2nd Volume)

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Open AccessArticle

Improving Tuber Yield of Tiger Nut (Cyperus esculentus L.) through Nitrogen Fertilization in Sandy Farmland

by Xu Zheng, Jianguo Liu, Zhibo Cheng, Yingqiang Sun, Luhua Li and Jiaping Wang

Plants 2024, 13(8), 1063; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants13081063 - 10 Apr 2024

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1058

Abstract

The cultivation of tiger nut (Cyperus esculentus L.) on marginal lands is a feasible and effective way to increase food production in Northern China. However, the specific influence of nitrogen fertilizer application on the growth dynamics, tuber expansion, overall yield, and nitrogen [...] Read more.

The cultivation of tiger nut (Cyperus esculentus L.) on marginal lands is a feasible and effective way to increase food production in Northern China. However, the specific influence of nitrogen fertilizer application on the growth dynamics, tuber expansion, overall yield, and nitrogen use efficiency (NUE) of tiger nuts cultivated on these sandy lands is yet to be fully elucidated. From 2021 to 2022, we conducted a study to determine the effect of N fertilizers on the leaf function morphology, canopy apparent photosynthesis (CAP), tuber yield, and NUE of tiger nut. The results indicate that the tuber yield and NUE are closely related to the specific leaf area (SLA), leaf area index (LAI), leaf nitrogen concentration per area (N_A), CAP, and tuber expansion characteristics. Notably, significant enhancements in the SLA, LAI, N_A, and CAP during the tuber expansion phase ranging from the 15th to the 45th day under the 300 kg N ha⁻¹ treatment were observed, subsequently leading to increases in both the tuber yield and NUE. Moreover, a maximum average tuber filling rate was obtained under the N300 treatment. These improvements led to substantial increases in the tuber yield (32.1–35.5%), nitrogen agronomic efficiency (NAE, 2.1–5.3%), nitrogen partial factor productivity (NPP, 4.8–8.1%), and nitrogen recovery efficiency (NRE, 3.4–5.7%). Consequently, 300 kg N ha⁻¹ of N fertilizers is the most effective dose for optimizing both the yield of tiger nut tubers and the NUE of tiger nut plants in marginal soils. Structural equation modeling reveals that N application affects the yield and NUE through its effects on leaf functional traits, the CAP, and the tuber filling characteristics. Modeling indicates that tuber expansion characteristics primarily impact the yield, while CAP predominantly governs the NUE. Above all, this study highlights the crucial role of N fertilizer in maximizing the tiger nut tuber yield potential on marginal lands, providing valuable insights into sustainable farming in dry areas. Full article

(This article belongs to the Topic Crop Ecophysiology: From Lab to Field, 2nd Volume)

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