Limagrain (France)

Although several maize genome assemblies are publicly available, those of lines important to European breeding programs are underrepresented. Using PacBio long-read sequencing, we assembled high-quality chromosome-level genomes of 29 key lines of European breeding relevance, encompassing Northern flint and European flint lines used for adaptation to Northern European climate, lines derived from European landraces of tropical origin, and American temperate dent lines adapted to European regions. Genome assembly sizes range from 2.17 to 2.35 gigabases, with scaffold N50s ranging from 219 to 254 megabases. Completeness assessment revealed BUSCO scores ranging from 97.7 to 98.5 and merqury completeness scores ranging from 96.62 to 98.30. Calling structural variants and SNPs relative to the B73 reference sequence revealed the expected separation of inbred groups. Flint lines contribute the highest number of novel variants, thus emphasizing the importance of sequencing flint material to complete the maize pangenome. These high-quality genome assemblies therefore provide new opportunities to understand the dynamics of maize structural variation, and to identify the functional variations underlying maize phenotypic diversity.

X-ray interferometry holds the potential to image astronomical objects with unprecedented, microarcsecond (μas) resolution, where 1 μas corresponds to 4.8 prad. This target resolution imposes extreme requirements for the accuracy of the spacecraft‘s attitude measurement when operating the X-ray interferometer.Typically, the orientation of the spacecraft is measured using three single-axis gyroscopes that measure the Euler angles (yaw, pitch and roll) in a spacecraft-fixed coordinate frame. These measurements can be complemented by a star tracker as an absolute reference. Gyroscopes that are capable of determining the orientation with the required accuracy and stability needs to outperform the current high-performance navigation-grade gyroscopes by several orders of magnitude.High-accuracy rotation angle and rotation rate measurements become increasingly important in many scientific fields: (1) Seismologists want to observe the local rotation from elastic and non-elastic deformation caused by earthquakes to fully observe the seismic wavefield. (2) The next generation of gravitational wave detectors relies on high-precision rotation measurements for enhanced active seismic noise isolation and Newtonian noise mitigation. (3) Geodesists want to measure the Earth’s rotation rate and its variations with Earth-bound instruments. All these applications require gyroscopes with a sensitivity in the range of 1 prad/s/√Hz to 1 nrad/s/√Hz, covering a frequency range from below 0.01 Hz to up to 100 Hz.This contribution presents (1) a compilation of requirements for a sensor suite to comply with the mission needs, (2) an assessment of the state-of-the-art gyroscope technologies (e.g. fiber-optic gyroscopes, ring-laser gyroscopes, cold atom gyroscopes and mechanical gyroscopes), comprising their scaling parameters as well as technological gaps, and (3) a road map to an ultra-high performance sensor suite for 2030+.

Key messageGenetic variation in stripe rust resistance exists in Australian wheat breeding populations and is environmentally influenced. Stacking multiple resistance haplotypes or using whole-genome approaches will improve resistance stability and environmental specificity.Wheat stripe rust (Puccinia striiformis) is a fungal disease responsible for substantial yield losses globally. To maintain crop productivity in future climates, the identification of genetics offering durable resistance across diverse growing conditions is crucial. To stay one-step ahead of the pathogen, Australian wheat breeders are actively selecting for adult-plant resistance (APR), which is considered more durable than seedling resistance. However, deploying resistance that is stable or effective across environments and years is challenging as expression of underling APR loci often interacts with environmental conditions. To explore the underlying genetics and interactions with the environment for stripe rust resistance, we employ haplotype-based mapping using the local GEBV approach in elite wheat breeding populations. Our multi-environment trial analyses comprising 35,986 inbred lines evaluated across 10 environments revealed significant genotype-by-environment interactions for stripe rust. A total of 32 haploblocks associated with stripe rust resistance were identified, where 23 were unique to a specific environment and nine were associated with stable resistance across environments. Population structure analysis revealed commercial or advanced breeding lines carried desirable resistance haplotypes, highlighting the opportunity to continue to harness and optimise resistance haplotypes already present within elite backgrounds. Further, we demonstrate that in silico stacking of multiple resistance haplotypes through a whole-genome approach has the potential to substantially improve resistance levels. This represents the largest study to date exploring commercial wheat breeding populations for stripe rust resistance and highlights the breeding opportunities to improve stability of resistance across and within target environments.

Abstract Improving crop root systems for enhanced adaptation and productivity remains challenging due to limitations in scalable non-destructive phenotyping approaches, inconsistent translation of root phenotypes from controlled environment to the field, and a lack of understanding of the genetic controls. This study serves as a proof of concept, evaluating a panel of Australian barley breeding lines and cultivars (Hordeum vulgareL) in two field experiments. Integrated ground-based root and shoot phenotyping was performed at key growth stages. UAV-captured vegetation indices (VIs) were explored for their potential to predict root distribution and above-ground biomass. Machine learning models, trained on a subset of 20 diverse lines, with the most accurate model applied to predict traits across a broader panel of 395 lines. Unlike previous studies focusing on above-ground traits or indirect proxies, this research directly predicts root traits in field conditions using VIs, machine learning and root phenotyping. Root trait predictions for the broader panel enabled genomic analysis using a haplotype-based approach, identifying key genetic drivers, includingEGT1andEGT2which regulate root gravitropism. This approach offers the potential to advance root research across various crops and integrate root traits into breeding programs, fostering the development of varieties adapted to future environments.HighlightIntegrating UAV phenotyping and machine learning can be used to predict RSA traits non-destructively and offers a new approach to support root research and crop improvement.

Using powdered waste plastic as a partial replacement for fine aggregates in concrete is a concept that has gained attention in recent years as a sustainable and environmentally friendly approach to waste management. Incorporating waste plastic into concrete can have several potential benefits, but it also comes with certain challenges. The objective is to develop a suitable composition for a concrete mixture by replacing fine particles with pulverised and granular plastic. To attain the desired strength, the design incorporates a combination of pulverised and granular plastic in concrete, taking into account specific properties such as density, workability, flexural strength, compressive strength, and tensile strength. The restricted movement of aggregates caused by the plastic's resistance could explain the impact of the plastic on the concrete's workability. Moreover, the dried density is reduced, resulting in the formation of a lightweight concrete. The inclusion of waste plastic material in concrete results in a reduction of compressive strength compared to traditional concrete.

Most Drosophila transposable elements are LTR retrotransposons, some of which belong to the genus Errantivirus and share structural and functional characteristics with vertebrate endogenous retroviruses. Like endogenous retroviruses, it is unclear whether errantiviruses retain some infectivity and transposition capacity. We created conditions where control of the Drosophila ZAM errantivirus through the piRNA pathway was abolished leading to its de novo reactivation in somatic gonadal cells. After reactivation, ZAM invaded the oocytes and severe fertility defects were observed. While ZAM expression persists in the somatic gonadal cells, the germline then set up its own adaptive genomic immune response by producing piRNAs against the constantly invading errantivirus, restricting invasion. Our results suggest that although errantiviruses are continuously repressed by the piRNA pathway, they may retain their ability to infect the germline and transpose, thus allowing them to efficiently invade the germline if they are expressed.

La ralisation des oprations culturales en bonne condition est un enjeu majeur pour la russite de l'intervention, et pour la prservation des sols face l'augmentation du poids des agroquipements.Un jour est disponible si les conditions sont favorables la russite de l'opration (travaillabilit) et le sol peut supporter le passage de la machine (traficabilit).Le projet J-DISTAS a pour ambition de construire un prototype de calcul des jours disponibles.Ce prototype interroge plusieurs modles et bases de donnes pour calculer des indicateurs, qui sont ensuite agrgs selon des rgles de dcision construites par expertise.Le rsultat obtenu tient compte de la travaillabilit et de la traficabilit : il permet de considrer le risque de tassement dans le dimensionnement du matriel ou l'volution des systmes de culture.La performance du prototype est en cours d'valuation.

Throughout the vegetable oil industry, there is a focus on eradicating the volatile molecules affecting the aroma or taste of the crude oil, whether it is natural or derived from the extraction process. Refining aims to reduce these compounds to a level acceptable to the consumer. In addition, the famous conventional operation of deodorization calls for high levels of temperature depending on the boiling point used to remove the atmospheric pressure of each molecule. The process implies a vacuum level between 10 to 80 kPa absolute pressure, a temperature generally between 190 and 240 °C, and a duration of 2 to 3 h. These conditions necessarily (inevitably) lead to a decrease in the quality of refined oil. Recently, the application of the Multi-Flash Autovaporization "MFA" operation has shown the possibility of eradicating volatile molecules while adopting relatively low temperature and time levels. Despite the high boiling temperature of the volatile organic compounds (VOC), MFA leads to good efficiency in reducing VOCs and preserving oil quality. The main odorant compounds in the crude palm oil were E-2-Hexenal, heptanal, octanal, nonanal, and decanal. Specific literature can indicate precise boiling temperatures under atmospheric pressure. In addition, many experimental studies have explained the evolution of each molecule and shown how they depend on the operating parameters (inlet oil pressure from 200 to 450 kPa and from 5 and 30 s time of each cycle, and the number of cycles up to 7), and how the empirical mathematical models describe the MFA deodorization, estimate the efficiency of the whole process, and optimize the operating parameters. In this research, the thermodynamic data of absolute pressure volatility versus temperature was used to better identify the removal rate (up to around 87%) implied by an abrupt pressure drop to a vacuum of 5 kPa for p = 450 kPa, t = 25 s/cycle, and the number of cycles (C = 6). The safeguarding of the fatty acid profile illustrated the maintenance of the oil quality.