Zhuqing Zhao

• Huazhong Agricultural University

Many naturally seleniferous soils are faced with Cd contamination problem, which severely limits crop cultivation in these areas. Straw returning has been widely applied in agricultural production due to its various benefits to soil physicochemical properties, soil fertility, and crops yield. However, effects of straw application on the fates of Se...

Background and aims The purpose of this study was to examine the developmental defects of cell walls and vessels at the ring sites of cotton petioles and thereby understand the effects of petiole rings on nutrient transport in cotton. Methods Boric acid was applied as basal fertilizer in boron-deficient cotton field to verify the relationship betwe...

Regulation of tuber dormancy and sprouting are pivotal for postharvest storage, sales, and seed breeding of potatoes (Solanum tuberosum L.). Nitrogen is an essential mineral nutrient required in potato production, which directly influences tuber development and quality. However, the effects of nitrogen on the post-harvest dormancy of potato tubers...

Bioremediation based on microbial induced carbonate precipitation (MICP) was conducted in Cd-contaminated seleniferous soils with objective to investigate effects of MICP on the fates of Cd and Se in soils. Results showed that soil indigenous microorganisms could induce MICP process to stabilize Cd and mobilize Se without inputting exogenous urease...

Although the Se concentration and recovery efficiency of soybean seeds treated with selenate were ∼1.8 times those of the selenite treatment, the Se was mainly in the organic form of selenomethionine (>90% of total Se) irrespective of the Se source. The Se concentrations of soybean protein isolate (SPI) and glycinin (11S) were 29.1%–38.6% higher th...

Selenium biofortification is increasingly applied to improve selenium contents in the edible parts of crops. Potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) is a major food crop with wide availability of consumption, which is suitable for selenium biofortification. However, the processing and product quality of selenium-enriched potatoes has rarely been reported. He...

Aims The objective of the present study was to elucidate the effects of sulfur (S) application on selenium (Se) uptake and seed Se speciation in high-protein soybean (Glycine max L.) grown in different soil types. Methods Pot experiments were conducted with soybean plants grown in yellow-brown soil (pH 5.68) and in calcareous alluvial soil (pH 7.8...

Agricultural products from seleniferous areas commonly face problems associated with substantial variation in selenium (Se) concentration, which is mainly caused by the heterogeneity of Se bioavailability in soil. Many studies have assessed the bioavailability of Se and its influencing factors using soil samples treated with exogenous Se. Given the...

Nitrogen (N) is an important nutrient for increased potato tuber yield. However, excessive N can decrease tuber quality. Furthermore, the impact of optimal and higher N levels of potato tuber metabolic profile at harvest and cold storage remains unclear. This study aimed to investigate the metabolic profiling of free amino acids and sugars in potat...

Tuber greening causes potato quality decline and economic loss. We investigated physiological mechanisms of greening by fluorescence and transmission electron microscopy. We then explored the effect of nitrogen level (0, 210, and 315 kg N ha⁻¹) on starch granule size and tuber greening of three commercial cultivars. Results showed that chlorophyll...

AimsThe objectives of this study were to determine the valence state of Se and major components in Se ore powder, examine its effect on Se enrichment in crops under different cultivation patterns, and assess the safety of edible parts of crops. Methods Se ore powder from Enshi was subjected to compositional analysis by X-ray photoelectron spectrosc...

Potato starch serves as an excellent raw material or food additive in the food industry. With the advancement of the potato staple food strategy in China, improving the potato starch yield and quality has attracted more and more attention. Potassium is an essential nutrient for potato due to its direct effects on the yield and quality of potato tub...

Background: Foliar spray of selenium (Se) has increasingly been applied to improve Se concentrations in grain crops, but little information is available about the properties of Se-enriched fruits. In this study, selenium distribution in blueberry and Se effect on blueberry quality were investigated by foliar spraying selenite or selenate (200 g ha...

An isobaric tags for relative and absolute quantitative (iTRAQ)-based quantitative proteomic approach was used to screen the differentially expressed proteins during control treatment (CK), aluminum (Al) and Al⁺ indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) treatment of wheat lines ET8 (Al-tolerant). Further, the the expression levels of auxin response factor (ARF),...

The main symptom of boron (B) deficiency in cotton is the formation of brown rings on leaf petioles. The objective of the present study was to determine the changes in the anatomical structure and chemical composition of petioles and photosynthesis of leaves in cotton under B deficiency. Compared to the control, B deficiency treatment resulted in l...

An experiment was performed to evaluate the regulatory effects of varied amounts of sulfur (S) on selenium (Se) uptake and distribution within wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) in response to selenite (SeO3²⁻). The results showed that an appropriate amount of SeO3²⁻ (≤5 mg kg⁻¹) improved the agronomic traits of wheat, and the addition of S significantly...

Foliar spray of selenium (Se) has increasingly been applied to improve Se concentrations in crops. There is a lack of systematic and in-depth study comparing the effects of foliar spray with different Se sources at different growth stages. In this study, selenite or selenate (75 g Se ha⁻¹) was sprayed to the foliage of rice plants at the late tille...

Boron (B) is an essential micronutrient for plants, but the molecular mechanisms underlying the uptake and distribution of B in allotetraploid rapeseed (Brassica napus) are unclear. Here, we identified a B transporter of rapeseed, BnaC4.BOR1;1c, which expressed in shoot nodes and involved in distributing B to the reproductive organs. Transgenic Ara...

Intake of food containing high levels of selenium (Se) poses a safety risk to human health. Sulfur (S) fertilizer exerts different regulatory effects on Se uptake in crops. In this study, field experiments were conducted in 2012–2013 and 2013–2014 to clarify the effects of different S species [60 kg ha⁻¹ S applied as elemental sulfur or magnesium s...

Selenite is a form of selenium (Se) commonly found in Se-excessive soils. To regulate the Se content in plants in high-Se areas, a potted soil experiment was performed on oilseed rape (Brassica napus L.) to evaluate the effects of varied amounts of sulfur (S) on the biomass, accumulation and distribution of Se in B. napus under the conditions of di...

Aims To clarify the effect of sulphate on the uptake and translocation of selenium (Se) by rape (Brassica napus L.) with Se applied as selenite or selenate. Methods Three hydroponic experiments were conducted at the seedling stage of B. napus. Selenium concentrations in plant and culture solution samples were analyzed by hydride generation atomic f...

Glutamine synthetase 2 (GS2) is a key enzyme involved in the ammonium metabolism in plant leaves. In our previous study, we obtained GS2-cosuppressed plants, which displayed a normal growth phenotype at the seedling stage, while at the tillering stage they showed a chlorosis phenotype. In this study, to investigate the chlorosis mechanism, we syste...

AMT1-3 encodes the high affinity NH4⁺ transporter in rice roots and is predominantly expressed under nitrogen starvation. In order to evaluate the effect of AMT1-3 gene on rice growth, nitrogen absorption and metabolism, we generated AMT1-3-overexpressing plants and analyzed the growth phenotype, yield, carbon and nitrogen metabolic status, and gen...

Aims This study examined the effect of sulphur (S) on the transformation of selenium (Se) fractions and Se species in soil and on the uptake by wheat of Se applied as selenite. Methods Pot and hydroponic experiments were conducted at the wheat seedling stage. The Se concentrations in shoots and roots of wheat and soil were analyzed by HG-AFS-8220....

Maintaining an appropriate balance of carbon to nitrogen metabolism is essential for rice growth and yield. Glutamine synthetase is a key enzyme for ammonium assimilation. In this study, we systematically analyzed the growth phenotype, carbon-nitrogen metabolic status and gene expression profiles in GS1;1-, GS1;2-overexpressing rice and wildtype pl...

Indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) has been found to be involved in plant resistance to various types of environmental stress. Aluminum (Al) toxicity, as one of the most important environmental stress in acid soils, is coped by most plants through the efflux of organic acids via anion channel. This study aims to evaluate the effect of IAA on efflux of mali...

Mucilage can strongly bind Al in the rhizosphere. Although there are still debates about the role of mucilage in protection of the root apex from Al toxicity, we considered that it might be associated with the characteristics of Al adsorption in mucilage. When the mucilage was kept intact, the accumulation of Al and induction of callose in root tip...