"Seven Major Crops Breeding" project is the sole special project in the field of biological seed industry during the “13^th Five-Year Plan”. It is of great significance for consolidating and leading the development direction of breeding technology and safety ensuring of China's crop seed industry. Rapeseed is one of the important objects in the project. Based on the layout and implementation of rapeseed genetic breeding, this paper summarized the main research progress, major achievements, organization and implementation management experience of rapeseed genetic breeding during the period from 5 aspects, including elite germplasm exploring, genes cloning and mechanism analysis of important agronomic traits, innovation on breeding technologies for new materials and varieties, and seed multiplication and processing technology. In addition, 3 countermeasures and suggestions are put forward for future research in this field: 1st, strengthen top-level design and systematic layout of major projects; 2nd, optimize the management system and improve the regulatory framework for biotechnology breeding; 3rd, innovate the breeding industry chain and build a seed industry innovation system with close division of labor and cooperation between science and enterprise.

To improve peanut yield, density effect of single-seed sowing was explored on flowering dynamics and fruiting characteristics. A common large peanut variety Huayu 25 was used as material, 4 treatments of single-seed sowing of 278 000 plants·hm^-2 (S9, plant spacing 9 cm), 208 000 plants·hm^-2 (S12, plant spacing 12 cm), 167 000 plants·hm^-2 (S15, plant spacing 15 cm) and double-seed sowing of 278 000 plants·hm^-2 (D18, plant spacing 18 cm) were set under the same row spacing. Differences were investigated on flowering habits, needle formation, pod development dynamics, pod setting range and yield of peanut. Results showed that different densities of single-seed sowing could all promote peanut early flowering, with more flowerings. They increased the number of effective needles and promoted pod development to different degrees. The effect was most obvious under low density conditions. From the perspective of population indicators, under single-seed precision sowing mode of 208 000 plants·hm^-2, peanuts have the highest number of flowerings, effective needles, and pods, the largest pod volume, pod fullness, and the highest yield level. Different densities of single-seed sowing changed pod setting range and pod spatial distribution of peanuts. The pod setting range increased with the decrease of density. However, most of the pods (more than 95%) in each treatment were still distributed within the spatial range of 6.0 cm radius. Under single-seed sowing of 208 000 plants·hm^-2 (plant spacing 12.0 cm), the pod setting range was close to half of plant spacing which was more conducive to uniform distribution of pod among populations.

In order to further exploit the high-yield potential of peanuts and promote large-scale unit yield through demonstration, the Team of Peanut Cultivation and Physiological and Ecological Innovation Team from Shandong Academy of Agricultural Sciences has been consistently organizing high-yield research since 2013. Yields successively broken through the actual unit yield of 11 250 kg/hm², 11 700 kg/hm², and 12 000 kg/hm², with the highest yield reaching 12 982 kg/hm² in 2023. This paper conducts an analysis of the factors contributing to the high-yield records, including cultivation techniques, climate conditions, and yield components, and compares the input and output. In terms of cultivation technology, the high-yield cultivation technology system integrates single seeds precision sowing, whole process-controlled fertilization, coupling with bio-fungicides, and three-preventions and three-promotions regulatory approach. By fully utilizing the production potential of individual plants and cultivating high-quality populations to achieve high yields, which provides technical support for the next breakthrough in achieving a unit yield of 13 500 kg/hm².

Jojoba (Simmondsia chinensis) is a unique oil plant that has attracted worldwide attention due to its high content of liquid wax esters in its seeds. The oil content of jojoba seeds accounts for approximately 60% of the dry weight of the seeds, with liquid wax esters accounting for over 95% of the total oil content. Liquid wax esters have excellent properties such as oxidation resistance, high temperature resistance, and high insulation, making them widely applicable in fields such as cosmetics, pharmaceutical industry, and lubricants. In the early stage, our research showed that fatty acyl CoA reductase (FAR) and wax synthase (WS) in jojoba seeds are key enzymes for liquid wax ester synthesis, while the high expression of WS and extremely low expression of diacylglycerol acyltransferase (DGAT) in jojoba seeds cotyledon are the main reasons why jojoba seeds can accumulate a large amount of liquid wax esters. The WS in jojoba seeds mainly synthesizes liquid wax esters of C42- C44 using C20:1-C22:1 fatty alcohols and fatty acids as substrates. High erucic acid rapeseed contains abundant C22:1, making it an excellent receptor material for heterologous biosynthesis of jojoba oil. This article systematically describes the research progress and application prospects of jojoba oil. Combining the biosynthetic pathway of jojoba oil and the substrate preference of WS, it proposes the idea of using biotechnology to synthesize jojoba oil in high erucic acid rapeseed, providing reference for the industrial development of jojoba oil.

Rapeseed (Brassica napus L.) was one of the major sources for edible vegetable oil in China, which also has various uses for feeding, adoption, honey, sightseeing, soil improvement and industry. With rapid development and wide application of new techniques in genome sequencing, genotyping, and phenotyping, major achievements in functional genomics have been achieved in B. napus in recent years, including identification and cloning of genes related to agronomically important traits. Here we summarized the research progress of rapeseed functional genomics, listed the key genes and their functions controling agronomically traits such as seed yield, seed quality, flowering time, plant architecture and resistance to biotic and abiotic factors, and discussed the application potential and strategies of these key genes in breeding by molecular design in B. napus. This review might provide a valuable reference for cultivating excellent rapeseed cultivars and would be of great significance to ensuring the safety of oil supply in terms to key germplasms in China.

Oilseed rape is the most widely cultivated oil crop in China. A systematic review of the production and utilization of oilseed rape straw resources in China is vital for extending the oilseed rape industry chain. Based on the crop straw resource ledger data of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs and publications, we have conducted a systematic analysis of the base number and utilization status of oilseed rape straw resources in China. Moreover, suggestions for future development have been proposed. The results showed that in 2021, the production of oilseed rape straw in China was 29.147 million tons (excluding Hong Kong, Macao, and Taiwan Province of China), and the collectable amount was 23.684 million tons, following to the three major grain crops of maize, rice, and wheat. The fertilizer utilization of oilseed rape straw accounts for an absolute proportion of 63.9%, especially for directly return to the field of 51.4%. The potential of utilization for feed and energy was enormous, while the proportion of base material or raw material utilization was relatively low. In the future, it is necessary to strengthen the support of key technologies and equipment for returning to the field and feed utilization, and pay attention to the construction of policy systems to enhance the level of industrial development.

Peanut is widely grown in more than 100 countries in the world and can be processed for oil, peanut butter, confectionary, or direct consumption （fresh, baked or roasted）. It is an important source of edible vegetable oil and protein. High yield, high quality, pest and disease resistance are the main objectives of peanut breeding. The majority of released peanut varieties were developed by conventional breeding methods with high cost, lengthy selection processes and low efficiency. Marker-assisted selection can greatly improve the precision and breeding efficiency. High-density genotypic data is prerequisite for QTL mapping and identification of molecular markers for yield, quality and disease resistance traits in peanut. The release of the whole genomic sequences of three peanut cultivars in 2019, including two elite Chinese founder varieties Shitouqi and Fuhuasheng, and a popular U.S. peanut variety Tifrunner, greatly promoted the identification and application of molecular markers for peanut breeding. In recent years, molecular markers for oleic acid content, oil content, root-knot nematode resistance, rust resistance, leaf spots resistance, and yield-related traits have been developed. Peanut varieties or breeding lines combining high oleic acid with high oil content, high oleic acid with resistance to diseases such as rust, bacterial wilt, or root-knot nematode were successfully developed through marker-assisted selection. Utilization of wild relatives in peanut germplasm, development of high-throughput genotyping and phenotyping platforms, and application of genomic selection would be of high priority in peanut breeding in the future.

Sesame is a traditional high-quality oil crop in China, and it is also one of the sixth largest oil crop widely planted in the world. With the release of the physical map of sesame genome, there are more and more biological studies on sesame, but its origin and domestication are still controversial. This paper summarizes the change and current status of the global distribution of cultivated sesame, the progress of research related to the origin and domestication of cultivated sesame and its wild relatives. From the perspective of historical documents, the reasons for the confusion between the Chinese names of “Zhima” and "Huma" is discussed, and the Chinese translation of the family name and genus name in the taxonomy of sesame is recommended. The review will provide theoretical reference for the in-depth and scientific understanding, research and utilization of sesame and its relative species.

Soybean rust caused by Phakopsora pachyrhizi, is a significant disease of soybean in tropical and subtropical regions, and results in serious soybean yield reduction. To futher understand the pathogen infection process, safranin fast green, DAPI (4',6-diamidino-2-phenylindole), calcofluorescent White (CFW) and WGA488 (wheat germ agglutinin, Alexa FluorTM 488 conjugate) staining were used to observe the rust pathogen infection process. The results indicated that safranin-fast green staining facilitated the distinct visualization of the layout of mesophyll tissue, spore pile, and newly-formed urediospores; DAPI staining can be employed to visualize the status of nuclei; CFW could distinguish the hyphae from plant tissue, facilitating the observation of spore invasion and hyphal distribution in mesophyll tissue; WGA488 dye is exclusively applicable for staining fungi and is suitable for assessing the integrity and coherence of hyphae formation in mesophyll tissue. Choosing appropriate staining methods is crucial for accurately understanding the microscopic structure and infection process of soybean rust in accordance with research needs.

Our previous study revealed that BnaC3.CCD4 encodes carotenoid cleavage dioxygenas whose mutations altered flower color from white to yellow in rapeseed. Interestingly, we observed that the white flowers of functional BnaC3.CCD4 transgenic lines showed pale yellow in the morning and still became pure white in the afternoon during the daytime. In order to explore whether environmental signals such as light and temperature have a regulatory effect on carotenoid biosynthesis and metabolism, RNA-seq was performed for transcriptomic analysis on them at two different timepoints in the present research. The analysis results of gene ontology (GO) and kyoto encyclopedia of genes and genomes (KEGG) revealed that a number of differential expression genes were significantly enriched in pathways related to light signal, circadian rhythm, stimulus response and carotenoid biosynthesis et al. Through further analyzing the top 50 differentially expressed genes, it was revealed that the light signal might be the key factor for the flower color change of BnaC3.CCD4 transgenic lines. Therefore, it was inferred that the light signal factors potentially regulate the expressions of the genes in the carotenoid biosynthesis pathway by binding to their photoresponsive elements to control the carotenoid contents in the petals and then cause their color change.

To understand the biological characteristics of teliospores and aeciospores of P. helianthi, this study investigated the optimal germination conditions for these two types of spores. The results revealed that the collected fresh teliospore could only germinate after being stored at room temperature for more than 180 days. Storage at -20℃ had a better germination effect, with a germination rate of 39.45% after 180 days, however by 420 days, the activity of teliospores was basically lost. Teliospores could germinate on water agar medium at 15℃ for 12 hours, reaching a peak germination rate of 31.89% after 48 hours. Aeciospores began to germinate on water agar medium at 20℃ within 2 hours, and reached the highest (54.33%) after 24 hours. The concentration of water agar medium had no effect on the germination of teliospores, but 0.50% agar medium was most suitable for the germination of aeciospores. The conditions of 15℃ and pH 6 were favorable for the germination of teliospores; 20℃ and pH 7 were the most suitable for the germination of aeciospores. Light had no effect on the germination of teliospores but promoted the germination of aeciospores. A low concentration (10 g/L) of leaf extract could promote the germination of both types of spores, while a high concentration inhibited them.

Rapeseed production is severely restricted by Sclerotinia disease. Elongator complex protein (ELP) is a 6-subunit complex that interacts with RNA polymerase II, involved in plant defense response. To deeply understand its gene function, we constructed vectors on overexpressed-BnA06.ELP2 and knockout-BnA06.ELP2 (by gene editing) using homologous recombination method, and then investigated their transgenic plants. Disease resistance experiments showed that BnA06.ELP2 overexpression plants exhibited better resistance compared to wild-type, while gene edited BnA06.ELP2 plants led to a decrease of resistance. Further RT-qPCR analysis indicated that BnA06.ELP2 could regulate transcription of catalase BnCAT1 and BnCAT2 (marker genes of JA/ET pathway), jasmonate synthesis related genes BnLOX2 and BnOPR1, and BnPDF1. These results indicated that BnA06. ELP2 function in rapeseed is involved in defense response against Sclerotinia sclerotiorum infection.

The structural lipids known as medium and long-chain triacylglycerols （MLCT） have unique physical-chemical characteristics and nutritional functions. Due to the increasing demand for MLCT in the food, pharmaceutical, healthcare, human milk fat substitutes, and other industries, the study of enzymatic MLCT preparation has steadily grown into a research hotspot. The enzymatic synthesis approach of MLCTs, comprising the synthesis process, lipase types, catalytic reaction system, and product purification, is summarized, analyzed, and discussed in this work. This document is intended to serve as a reference for the production and application of enzymatic MLCT.

In order to facilitate the increase in national Camellia oleifera production, promote the high-quality development of the C. oleifera industry, and ensure national grain and oil security. Using the LMDI model to decompose the yield formula of C. oleifera, quantitatively calculate the contribution of unit yield and planting area to the production increase of C. oleifera during the "11th consecutive increase" period from 2010 to 2021, both at a national and from regional perspectives, and comprehensively explore the regional pattern and contributing factors of C. oleifera production increase in China. The results are as follows: Nationally, the production increase is dominated by the improvement of per unit yield; Regionally, the increase in the core production area is mainly due to the improvement of per unit yield with super-high speed, while the production increase in the active production area and general production area is mainly due to the expansion of plantation area, resulting in "lagging increase" and "synchronized increase" levels respectively. Among them, 6 provinces (autonomous regions, municipalities under the State Council) demonstrate higher contribution from increased per unit yield, while 8 provinces (autonomous regions, municipalities under the State Council) show higher contribution from expanded planting area. Hunan, Jiangxi, and Guangxi, which have increased production by over 200 000 tons each, constitute the core areas of C. oleifera production, accounting for 75.6% of the total increase nationwide. 6 provinces (autonomous regions, municipalities under the State Council), including Anhui, Hunan, Hainan, Chongqing, Sichuan, and Guizhou, have reached the level of super-high speed in terms of production increase. To conclude, the underlying causes of the explicit contributing factors to the production increase of C. oleifera were explored, the factors that constrain the development of the C. oleifera industry were summarized, and targeted suggestions were proposed.

In recent years, due to the delayed harvest time of rice in China, the sowing date of rapeseed has been continuously postponed, making it more difficult for seeds to germinate under low temperatures. The main rapeseed production areas in the Yangtze River Basin often experience “cold spell in later spring” weather, which seriously endangers the flowering and pollination of rapeseed, reduces seed setting rate, and leads to a serious reduction in rapeseed production. The development of new rapeseed varieties that can quickly germinate under low temperature conditions and tolerate low temperature during flowering has become one of the key issues that urgently need to be solved for rapeseed production. Based on 49 early maturation breeding backbone resources screened previously, we further identified rapeseed germplasm that can germinate under 8℃ low-temperature in this study. The speed breeding growth chamber was employed to promote rapeseed flowering and a rapid method for assessing low temperature tolerance during flowering was established. Two new early maturation rapeseed varieties with low temperature tolerance both at flowering and germination stages were screened using this technology.

To explore the effects of different additives on fermentation quality, nutrient quality and vitamin of mixed silage of alfalfa and rape straw, silage was made from a 5:5 mixture of alfalfa (Gannong 6) and locally harvested rapeseed straw at carob maturity. The experiment was set up with four groups of treatments: Control group CK (added distilled water); Enterococcus faecalis lactate Group I (E. feecelis); Lactobacillus plantarum Group II (L. piantarum); Enterococcus faecalis lactate + Lactobacillus plantarum Group Ⅲ. After silage for 60 days, the nutritional quality, fermentation quality and vitamin content were determined. The results showed that the addition of different lactic acid bacteria additives could increase the content of lactic acid (LA) in silage and decrease the pH value, among which the treatment of Group II had the lowest pH, which was significantly lower than that of Group I and CK group (P<0.05), and the lowest ammoniacal nitrogen/total nitrogen (NH₃-N/Total nitrogen, NH₃-N/TN), which was significantly lower than the control group (P<0.05). Water soluble carbohydrate content in Group Ⅱ was higher than that in other groups CK. The content of vitamin E in Group Ⅲ was the highest. Group I had the highest vitamin C content. Grey correlation degree analysis showed that the comprehensive performance of Group Ⅱ was the best. In conclusion, the fermentation quality of silage can be improved by adding lactic acid bacteria additives, among which Lactobacillus plantarum additive has the best comprehensive performance and is suitable for mixing alfalfa and rape straw silage.

In order to explore the development of peanut breeding in China, source distribution, breeding methods, yield, quality and other related characteristics of 587 peanut varieties registered during 2020-2023 were statistically analyzed. Results showed that 587 peanut varieties were mainly from North China, South China and the middle- and lower-reaches of the Yangtze River, of which Shandong and Henan provinces accounted for 53.83% of the total, and the breeding units were mainly scientific research institutes, accounting for 71.72%. The main breeding method was hybridization. The average growth period of peanut was 122.0 d; pod and seed yields were 4721.5 kg/hm² and 3342.9 kg/hm² respectively; 100-pod weight and 100-seed weight were 200.7 g and 81.0 g respectively; the full Pod per plant was 16.8; pod yield, seed yield and full Pod per plant decreased by years with the registration time. In terms of quality, coefficient of variation of oleic acid content (29.91%) was the largest, and oil content (6.03%) was the smallest. There were 215, 73 and 55 varieties with oleic acid content ≥75%, oil content ≥ 55% and protein content ≥ 28%, respectively. By cluster analysis, peanut varieties were divided into 3 groups: high yield, small grain and early maturity with the Euclidean distance as 12.

In order to investigate the appropriate fertilizing periods for no-tillage aerial-sowing mode of oilseed rape with complete rice straw incorporation in the rice-oil cropping system in the Yangtze River Basin, 4 consecutive field experiments were conducted in Wuxue and Huangpi City of Hubei Province in the years 2020/2021 and 2021/2022. 7 treatments were set up in the experiment, with no fertilizer treatment as control. Fertilizing periods of the other treatments were 3, 5, 7, 9, 12 and 17 days after sowing, respectively. The optimal fertilizing periods for no-tillage aerial-sowing oilseed rape were determined by investigation of agronomic traits in reproductive period, and also rapeseed yield and its components at maturity period, and by calculation of nutrient uptake of the aboveground parts. Results indicated that fertilizing periods significantly affected agronomic traits. When fertilized within 5 days after sowing, the average of density, plant height, stem thickness, and maximum leaf area during the overwintering period of the fertility phase increased by 43.2%, 18.2%, 13.9%, and 37.3% than other 5 treatments respectively. Fertilizer application significantly increased rapeseed yield, and the average yield of all fertilizer treatments was 3.57 times higher than that of control (no fertilizer treatment). In the two-point trials in 2020/2021, rapeseed yield reached the highest when fertilizer was applied within 5 days after sowing, resulting in an average yield increase of 27.5% compared with the others. The two-point trials in 2021/2022, rapeseed yield was the highest when fertilized within 7 days after sowing, having 33.8% increase over the other treatments. Fertilizing periods significantly affected the harvest density and siliques per plant. Compared with fertilizer application within 5 days after sowing, the average harvest density of the other treatments was reduced by 19.9%, and the average siliques per plant were reduced by 16.9%. Fertilizing periods significantly affected the contribution rate of fertilizer and nutrient accumulation, and their impact on yield in oilseed rape cultivation. In a series of two-year experiments, the highest contribution rate of fertilizer to yield and the accumulation of nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P) and potassium (K) in the aboveground plant occurred within 5 days after sowing. During this period, the average fertilizer contribution rate increased by 16.2%, and the accumulation of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium increased by 19.2%, 32.3% and 34.5%, respectively, compared with the other treatments. In summary, the suitable fertilizing periods for no-tillage aerial-sowing oilseed rape is within 7 days after sowing, with the best timing being around 5 days after sowing. Delaying the fertilizing periods hinders the growth and development of oilseed rape populations and individuals by restricting nutrient absorption of oilseed rape, which reduces the yield of oilseed rape.

To establish a simple and efficient method of salt tolerance assessment in sunflower, clarify the difference in salt tolerance among different genotypes of sunflower and select the highly salt-tolerant cultivars, in this study, the seeds and seedlings from 20 sunflower varieties were subjected to different concentrations of NaCl salt solutions, then the changes of every index for each variety were observed under different treatments and time points, and correlation, principal component, membership function value, cluster analysis and comprehensive evaluation of salt tolerance were conducted based on each index to compare the salt tolerance of those varieties. The results showed that seed germination and seedling height of some varieties had a certain promotion effect under the treatments with the NaCl concentration below 160 mmol/L compared to the control. However, with the increase of concentration and the delay of treatment time, seed germination and seedling growth were inhibited to different degrees and the suppression was more obvious. Under NaCl treatment, K⁺/Na⁺ of seedling leaves was significantly higher than that of root, and the relative SPAD value initially increased and then decreased with the increase of NaCl concentration. Under the same stress concentration, the relative values of each observed index of salt-tolerant varieties (compared with 0 mmol/L control) exhibited higher than those of salt-sensitive varieties, indicating that salt-tolerant varieties were less affected by NaCl compare to salt-sensitive ones, and had a certain salt tolerance. It was concluded that the optimal concentration for NaCl salt tolerance identification in both sunflower germination and seedling stages was 250 mmol/L. The salt tolerance at the germination stage was compared by investigating the comprehensive membership function values of relative germination rate, relative germination potential, relative radicle length and relative germ length; Salt tolerance of seedlings was determined on the 14 day after NaCl treatment (250 mmol/L), by examining the comprehensive membership function values of relative survival rate, relative leaf area, relative plant height, relative SPAD value, relative fresh weight of above-ground tissues and relative fresh weight of roots. Two varieties No.67 and HZ001 with salt tolerance were obtained by the above method.

To investigate the impact of synthetic bacterial flora of nodule endophytes on soybean growth and root microorganisms, this experiment used nodule endophytes isolated from soybean root nodules to construct four synthetic bacterial flora by complementation of strain functions, increase in diversity and superposition of growth-promoting effects. In the study, the bacterial groups Q1 and Q4 exhibited the best growth-promoting effects. Q1 significantly enhanced the stem length, stem fresh weight, root fresh weight and nodule number of soybean plants, increasing by 19.2%, 44.0%, 51.7% and 140.0% respectively. Q4 significantly increased the total root length, root surface area, root fresh weight and number of nodules of soybean plants, increasing by 24.3%, 34.0%, 40.0% and 200.0% respectively. The 16S rRNA sequencing results in the roots revealed that Bacillus and Klebsiella among the root nodule endophytes invaded soybean roots, increased the positive correlation among bacterial communities and the abundance of genes encoding genes related to ecological functions. Metagenomic sequencing results of rhizosphere soil showed that after inoculation with synthetic bacterial flora, beneficial bacterial genera such as Nocardioides and Pseudonocardia were enriched in the rhizosphere, and genes involved in nitrogen metabolism and indole-3-acetic acid （IAA） biosynthetic pathways were significantly increased, and rhizosphere bacteria to carry out biological processes such as coenzymes, amino acid transport and metabolism, carbohydrate metabolism and signal transduction were promoted. The results provided theoretical basis and technical support for the construction of soybean endophytic microbiome and the development of efficient microbial fertilizer.