Systems models, phenomics and genomics: three pillars for developing high-yielding photosynthetically efficient crops.

Recent years witnessed a stagnation in yield enhancement in major staple crops, which leads plant biologists and breeders to focus on an urgent challenge to dramatically increase crop yield to meet the growing food demand. Systems models have started to show their capacity in guiding crops improvement for greater biomass and grain yield production. Here we argue that systems models, phenomics and genomics combined are three pillars for the future breeding for high-yielding photosynthetically efficient crops (HYPEC).

An in situ approach to characterizing photosynthetic gas exchange of rice panicle.

Background: Photosynthesis of reproductive organs in C cereals is generally regarded as important to crop yield. Whereas, photosynthetic characteristics of reproductive organs are much less understood as compared to leaf photosynthesis, mainly due to methodological limitations. To date, many indirect methods have been developed to study photosynthesis of reproductive organs and its contribution to grain yield, such as organ shading, application of herbicides and photosynthetic measurement of excised organs or tissues, which might be intrusive and cause biases.

A three-dimensional canopy photosynthesis model in rice with a complete description of the canopy architecture, leaf physiology, and mechanical properties.

In current rice breeding programs, morphological parameters such as plant height, leaf length and width, leaf angle, panicle architecture, and tiller number during the grain filling stage are used as major selection targets. However, so far, there is no robust approach to quantitatively define the optimal combinations of parameters that can lead to increased canopy radiation use efficiency (RUE). Here we report the development of a three-dimensional canopy photosynthesis model (3dCAP), which effectively combines three-dimensional canopy architecture, canopy vertical nitrogen distribution, a ray-tracing algorithm, and a leaf photosynthesis model.

[Protection and Mechanism of Qingyuan Shenghua Decoction on Multiple Organs of Sepsis Patients after Bone Trauma].

Objective: To observe the protection of Qingyuan Shenghua Decoction (QSD) on multiple organs of sepsis patients after bone trauma, and to preliminarily explore its mechanism.

Methods: Totally 60 sepsis patients after bone trauma were randomly assigned to the treatment group and the control group according to random digit table, 30 in each group. All patients received routine Western medical treatment.