‘Two-line’ hybrid rice plays an important role in ensuring global food security. However, fertility instability and low hybrid seed production of sterile lines are urgent problems. In order to increase the stability of pollen sterility, we compared the low-temperature tolerance of fertile pollen development and outcrossing characteristics of new dual-purpose genic male-sterile lines and provide a new breeding standard of dual-purpose male-sterile lines which promotes the sustainable development of two-lines hybrid rice.

In recent years, alternative rice cultivation methods have been widely developed in Asia. Realising the yield potential and raising the ceiling of yield potential even further have been the production priorities of direct-seeded rice cultivation. To establish cultivation methods for direct-seeded rice and to develop breeding targets for further increases in yield, an evaluation of their yield potential and growth characteristics is essential.

Enhancing grain yield and micro-nutrition contents in rice (Oryza sativa L.) through biofortification breeding is an efficient way to address micro-nutrient deficiencies in human. A total of 16 and 29 QTLs for grain Zn, Mn and Cu contents, and for grain related traits, respectively, were identified using a backcross inbred lines (BIL) derived from an interspecific backcross between O sativa and Oryza rufipogon Griff. These candidate QTLs could be useful for the improvement of grain yield and micro-nutrients through QTL pyramiding.

O-Methyltransferase is a key regulatory factor in plants and plays an important role in biotic and abiotic stresses. In this study, the OMT gene family in soybean was identified and transcriptome expression analysis was performed based on abiotic stress and soybean cyst nematode stress. The response of two genes, GmCCOMT3 and GmCCOMT7 to soybean cyst nematode was verified by fluorescence quantification.

Understanding weed seedling emergence process is very important for researchers and producers to design successful weed management strategies reducing weeds population. In some weeds, seed dormancy is defined during seed development in mother plant, and allows weeds to increase the emerge windows and avoid controls. In our work, we found that the reduction in solar radiation received by the mother plant diminished seed dormancy level which should be considered by producers to establish weed management strategies in the next season.