Natural Variation in NIN-LIKE PROTEIN 4 Associated With Spike-Response to Nitrogen in Barley.

Nitrogen (N) fertilisers increase crop yields; however, excessive application reduces nitrogen use efficiency (NUE) and causes environmental pollution, highlighting the urgent need for sustainable agricultural practices. This study investigated the response of tiller-related traits to nitrogen availability during barley domestication and breeding, aiming to identify genetic resources with high NUE. A total of 305 barley accessions were analyzed under two nitrogen levels, focusing on six tiller-related traits and their relationship with nitrogen supply.

Advantages and disadvantages of current human enteric virus surrogates in soils and aquifers.

Groundwater is one of the main sources of drinking water, thus, human enteric viruses in groundwater could pose safety risks. Many enteric viruses enter drinking water sources through irrigation or recharge of contaminated water. It is therefore advised to test the potential transport risk with harmless surrogates before wastewater or recycled water is used for irrigation or groundwater recharge.

Enhancing barley yield potential and germination rate: gene editing of HvGA20ox2 and discovery of novel allele sdw1.ZU9.

Several dwarf and semi-dwarf genes have been identified in barley. However, only a limited number have been effectively utilized in breeding programs to cultivate lodging resistant varieties. This is due to the common association of dwarf and semi-dwarf traits with negative effects on malt quality.

Revealing the infiltration process and retention mechanisms of surface applied free DNA tracer through soil under flood irrigation.

It has been recently demonstrated that free DNA tracers have the potential in tracing water flow and contaminant transport through the vadose zone. However, whether the free DNA tracer can be used in flood irrigation area to track water flow and solute/contaminant transport is still unclear. To reveal the infiltration process and retention mechanisms of surface applied free DNA tracer through soil under flood irrigation, we tested the fate and transport behavior of surface applied free DNA tracers through packed saturated sandy soil columns with a 10 cm water head mimicking flood irrigation.