The introduction of genomic selection in dairy cattle improvement programs in 2008 was expected to increase rates of genetic gain, particularly for traits with low heritabilities, such as fertility and longevity. Our analysis of the US national dairy database found that generation intervals have decreased dramatically over the past 6 y, and selection intensity for lowly heritable traits has increased considerably.

Mining elite alleles for grain size and weight is of importance for the improvement of cultivated rice and selection for market demand. In this study, association mapping for grain traits was performed on a selected sample of 628 rice cultivars using 262 SSRs. Grain traits were evaluated by grain length (GL), grain width (GW), grain thickness (GT), grain length to width ratio (GL/GW), and 1000-grain weight (TGW) in 2013 and 2014.

Calcium ion is an intracellular messenger that plays a central role in signal transduction pathways. Calcineurin B-like proteins (CBLs) and CBL-interacting protein kinases (CIPKs) signal network have shown different functions in the Ca(2+) signaling process. In this work, we identified the entire soybean (Glycine max) CIPK gene family, which comprised 52 genes and divided into four subgroups (I to IV) based on phylogeny.

Plants both control and are controlled by the global climate. Grasses in natural and agricultural systems participate in the exchange of atmospheric CO₂ for biosphere-derived oxygen and water vapor via microscopic epidermal valves (stomata), but how these stomata are made in grasses is unknown.

Melatonin plays important roles in various aspects of biological processes. However, it is less known on the effects and mechanism of melatonin on the postharvest physiological deterioration (PPD) process of cassava, which largely restricts the potential of cassava as a food and industrial crop. In this study, we found that exogenous application of melatonin significantly delayed PPD of cassava tuberous roots by reducing H2O2 content and improving activities of catalase and peroxidase.

The accurate and complete replication of genomic DNA is essential for all life. In eukaryotic cells, the assembly of the multi-enzyme replisomes that perform replication is divided into stages that occur at distinct phases of the cell cycle. Replicative DNA helicases are loaded around origins of DNA replication exclusively during G₁ phase. The loaded helicases are then activated during S phase and associate with the replicative DNA polymerases and other accessory proteins.

Intersubspecific hybrid sterility is a common form of reproductive isolation in rice (Oryza sativa L.), which significantly hampers the utilization of heterosis between indica and japonica varieties. Here, we elucidated the mechanism of S7, which specially causes Aus-japonica/indica hybrid female sterility, through cytological and genetic analysis, map-based cloning, and transformation experiments.

Temperature is the main environmental factor influencing curding time of cauliflower (Brassica oleracea var. botrytis). Temperatures above 20–22 °C inhibit development towards curding even in many summer cultivars. To identify quantitative trait loci (QTL) controlling curding time and its related traits in a wide range of different temperature regimes from 12 to 27 °C,

Overapplication of nitrogen (N) fertilizer causes delayed flowering and negatively impacts the function and composition of natural ecosystems and climate. In this study, we demonstrate that flowering time variations regulated by altered nitrogen levels are mediated by two key factors: ferredoxin-NADP⁺-oxidoreductase (FNR1)

Calcium (Ca²⁺) is a universal second messenger in all higher organisms and centrally involved in the launch of responses to environmental stimuli. Ca²⁺ signals in the cytosol are initiated by the activation of Ca²⁺ channels in the plasma membrane and/or in endomembranes. Yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) contains a Ca²⁺-permeable channel of the TRP family, TRPY1, which is localized in the vacuolar membrane and contributes to cytosolic free Ca2+ ([Ca2+]cyt) elevations