Article
Anthropology
Bent T. Christensen, Johannes L. Jensen, Yu Dong, Amy Bogaard
Summary: This study investigates the impact of animal manure on broomcorn and foxtail millet, and finds that fertilization significantly affects yield and δN-15 values, providing important indications for the reconstruction of prehistoric manuring practices.
JOURNAL OF ARCHAEOLOGICAL SCIENCE
(2022)
Article
Agronomy
Natalia Alonso, Guillem Perez-Jorda
Summary: The cultivation of millets (Panicum miliaceum and Setaria italica) in Iberia's Mediterranean zone has multiple origins and development patterns. The earliest traces in the northeast can be traced back to the Bronze Age, while millets in southern and eastern Iberia were influenced by Phoenician culture in the 10th-8th centuries BC. From the 7th century BC onwards, millet cultivation expanded widely.
Article
Plant Sciences
Hui Gao, Xiaoman Suo, Ling Zhao, Xinlei Ma, Ruhong Cheng, Genping Wang, Haoshan Zhang
Summary: This study investigated the evolution and expression patterns of MADS genes in Setaria and Panicum virgatum. SiMADS51 and SiMADS64 may play a role in the ABA-dependent drought response pathway. The MADS gene family, which regulates plant growth, reproduction, and responses to abiotic stress, was analyzed in foxtail millet, green millet, and switchgrass using bioinformatics. Phylogenetic analysis categorized the genes into M and MIKC types, with similar motif distribution and gene structure. The expansion of this gene family was mainly due to segmental duplication, while a shrinking trend was observed in the three species. Purifying selection and positive selection sites were identified in the MADS genes, and many promoters contained stress and hormonal response-related cis-elements. RNA-seq and qRT-PCR analysis supported changes in SiMADS gene expression under various treatments. This study provides new insights into the evolution and expansion of the MADS family and lays the foundation for further research on their functions.
PLANT CELL REPORTS
(2023)
Article
Agriculture, Multidisciplinary
Wenming Wang, Yuan Wang, Hongfang Xi, Zidan Song, Wenlong Zhang, Leilei Xie, Danyang Ma, Nan Qin, Hongfei Wang
Summary: The extension peptide (EP) is a unique feature of mature plant ferritin and may have protease activity related to iron uptake and release. Our study on the crystal structure of ferritin-1 from Setaria italica revealed that the EP in this monocotyledon plant had a different folding pattern than other plant ferritins, suggesting a novel fold pattern for EPs in monocotyledons. Additionally, our study found additional iron atoms binding in the fourfold channels, highlighting the important role of these channels in iron diffusion.
JOURNAL OF AGRICULTURAL AND FOOD CHEMISTRY
(2023)
Article
Plant Sciences
Xukai Li, Siyu Hou, Mengmeng Feng, Rui Xia, Jiawei Li, Sha Tang, Yuanhuai Han, Jianhua Gao, Xingchun Wang
Summary: This study constructed a Multi-omics Database for Setaria italica (MDSi), which includes genome annotations, protein-coding genes, and expression information of xiaomi in 29 different tissues. It also provides whole-genome resequencing data and metabolic data of 398 germplasms. MDSi integrates and visualizes data from genomics, transcriptomics, and metabolomics, and supports the research community with its various tools and functions.
Article
Agronomy
Enrico Palchetti, Michele Moretta, Alessandro Calamai, Marco Mancini, Matteo Dell'Acqua, Lorenzo Brilli, Paolo Armanasco, Alberto Masoni
Summary: This research study compares the effects of different plant densities and nitrogen fertilization rates on the growth and yield of dry-land cereal proso millet. The results show that higher plant densities and nitrogen fertilization rates can increase grain yield and biomass, but decrease protein content and affect the phenological traits of the plants.
Article
Agronomy
Hui Zhi, Qiang He, Sha Tang, Junjun Yang, Wei Zhang, Huifang Liu, Yanchao Jia, Guanqing Jia, Aiying Zhang, Yuhui Li, Erhu Guo, Ming Gao, Shujie Li, Junxia Li, Na Qin, Cancan Zhu, Chunye Ma, Haijin Zhang, Guoqiu Chen, Wenfei Zhang, Haigang Wang, Zhijun Qiao, Shunguo Li, Ruhong Cheng, Lu Xing, Suying Wang, Jinrong Liu, Jun Liu, Xianmin Diao
Summary: Multi-environment QTL mapping identified 23 stable loci and 34 co-located QTL clusters for panicle architecture and grain yield-related traits in foxtail millet, providing a genetic basis for yield improvement. The study also revealed the sensitivity of foxtail millet panicle architecture genetic control to photoperiod and other environmental factors. Numerous candidate genes were identified in the genomic intervals of the multi-environmental QTL or co-located QTL clusters, suggesting potential targets for further functional studies and marker-assisted selection.
THEORETICAL AND APPLIED GENETICS
(2021)
Article
Plant Sciences
Aiying Zhang, Li Zhang, Erhu Guo, Rui Wang, Qiang Li, Shihua Guo, Prince Marowa, Zongchang Xu
Summary: In this study, the function of SiWRKY89 in conferring drought tolerance was investigated through a transgenic experiment in Arabidopsis. It was found that SiWRKY89 overexpression improved root length, survival rates, proline content, antioxidant activity, and expression levels of abiotic stress-responsive genes in transgenic Arabidopsis under drought conditions. The study also demonstrated that SiWRKY89 could bind to the W-box elements of the downstream gene AtNCED3, activating reactive oxygen species scavenging mechanisms and improving Arabidopsis drought tolerance. These findings provide a molecular and biochemical basis for drought tolerance and a candidate gene for crop breeding.
PLANT GROWTH REGULATION
(2023)
Review
Agronomy
Daniel Fuks, Diane L. Lister, Assaf Distelfeld, Nimrod Marom
Summary: This paper reviews changes to lifecycle temporality in Southwest Asian plant and animal domestication, showing their relationship to long-term processes associated with ancient and contemporary globalization. It also highlights the decline in agricultural diversity on a global scale.
Article
Agronomy
Kenji Fukunaga, Sarasa Matsuyama, Akira Abe, Michie Kobayashi, Kazue Ito
Summary: The Less Shattering1 gene in foxtail millet controls the degree of seed shattering and includes wild type (SvLes1-1), reduced shattering (SvLes1-2), and a new allele with loss-of-function due to TE insertion (SiLes1-TE). A new allele, SvLes1-3, was discovered in 16 landraces of foxtail millet without the TE. This indicates that the domestication and differentiation of foxtail millet are more complex than expected.
GENETIC RESOURCES AND CROP EVOLUTION
(2021)
Article
Plant Sciences
Ya-Chen Huang, Yu-tang Wang, Yee-ching Choong, Hsin-ya Huang, Yu-ru Chen, Tzung-Fu Hsieh, Yann-rong Lin
Summary: This study investigates the relationship between gene expression and temperature in foxtail millet, revealing how temperature and gene interactions affect the growth and flowering time, providing a foundation for breeding foxtail millet cultivars that can adapt to global warming.
FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE
(2023)
Article
Plant Sciences
Lovepreet Singh Chahal, Joann A. Conner, Peggy Ozias-Akins
Summary: The combination of apomixis and hybrid production is considered the holy grail of agriculture, providing a way to fix the heterosis of F-1 hybrids in future generations. Genetically engineered parthenogenesis has been achieved in rice, maize, and pearl millet, bypassing the processes of meiosis and fertilization. In this study, the parthenogenetic potential of BBM transgenes from Setaria italica was tested, showing varying levels of embryo development.
FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE
(2022)
Article
Plant Sciences
Zhen Liang, Yuqing Wu, Lingling Ma, Yingjie Guo, Yidong Ran
Summary: The study successfully targeted multiple genes in foxtail millet using the CRISPR/Cas9 single- and multi-gene editing systems, and generated mutant plants through genetic transformation. Base editing was achieved using two base editors, resulting in the creation of herbicide-tolerant mutant plants in foxtail millet. This system has the potential to enhance functional genomics analysis and genetic improvement in foxtail millet.
FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE
(2022)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Wei Zhang, Xiantao Qi, Hui Zhi, Yushuang Ren, Linlin Zhang, Yuanzhu Gao, Yi Sui, Haoshan Zhang, Sha Tang, Guanqing Jia, Chuanxiao Xie, Chuanyin Wu, Xianmin Diao
Summary: For autogamous crops, such as foxtail millet, there is a need for pure male-sterile female parents to produce hybrid seeds. In this study, a seed production technology (SPT) system was established using betalain biosynthesis as the selection marker. This system allowed for the identification and propagation of male-sterile and maintainer line seeds, without the need for a seed sorter. The results demonstrated the efficiency of the SPT system in producing male-sterile line seeds for hybrid seed production in foxtail millet.
JOURNAL OF INTEGRATIVE PLANT BIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Food Science & Technology
Juan Wang, Yougui Yu, Xiulin Gao, Xinye Jiang, Mingquan Huang, Hong Ye, Jihong Wu, Jinglin Zhang, Xiaotao Sun, Qiang Wu
Summary: The study investigates the patterns of aroma component succession during the brewing process of broomcorn millet Huangjiu using solvent-assisted flavor evaporation combined with gas chromatography-mass spectrometry and chemometrics. The findings provide significant insights for quality control in Huangjiu production.
FOOD RESEARCH INTERNATIONAL
(2022)
Article
Geography, Physical
Tekla M. Schmaus, Paula N. Doumani Dupuy, Michael D. Frachetti
QUATERNARY INTERNATIONAL
(2020)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Taylor R. Hermes, Michael D. Frachetti, Dmitriy Voyakin, Antonina S. Yerlomaeva, Arman Z. Beisenov, Paula N. Doumani Dupuy, Dmitry V. Papin, Giedre Motuzaite Matuzeviciute, Jamsranjav Bayarsaikhan, Jean-Luc Houle, Alexey A. Tishkin, Almut Nebel, Ben Krause-Kyora, Cheryl A. Makarewicz
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Guanhan Chen, Xinying Zhou, Jianxin Wang, Jian Ma, Mutalibjon Khasannov, Nasibillo Khasanov, Robert N. Spengler, Amridin Berdimurodov, Xiaoqiang Li
SCIENCE CHINA-EARTH SCIENCES
(2020)
Article
Plant Sciences
Robert N. Spengler, Li Tang, Ayushi Nayak, Nicole Boivin, Luca Maria Olivieri
Summary: The mountain foothills of inner Asia have been important corridors of communication and exchange for at least five millennia, playing a key role in the dispersal of crops and farming technology between northeast and southwest Asia 5,000 to 1,000 years ago. The role of the mountain valleys along the southern rim of the Pamirs and Himalaya in facilitating crop dispersals has not yet been fully explored.
VEGETATION HISTORY AND ARCHAEOBOTANY
(2021)
Article
Psychology, Biological
William T. T. Taylor, Melanie Pruvost, Cosimo Posth, William Rendu, Maciej T. Krajcarz, Aida Abdykanova, Greta Brancaleoni, Robert Spengler, Taylor Hermes, Stephanie Schiavinato, Gregory Hodgins, Raphaela Stahl, Jina Min, Saltanat Alisher Kyzy, Stanislaw Fedorowicz, Ludovic Orlando, Katerina Douka, Andrey Krivoshapkin, Choongwon Jeong, Christina Warinner, Svetlana Shnaider
Summary: Archaeological and biomolecular investigations at the Obishir V site in southern Kyrgyzstan reveal that domestic livestock and Neolithic lifeways reached Central Asia by around 6,000 BCE, thousands of years earlier than previously thought. This research provides evidence that domestic animal economies reached the mountains of interior Central Asia far earlier than previously recognized, predating existing evidence by 3,000 years.
NATURE HUMAN BEHAVIOUR
(2021)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Shevan Wilkin, Alicia Ventresca Miller, Ricardo Fernandes, Robert Spengler, William T-T Taylor, Dorcas R. Brown, David Reich, Douglas J. Kennett, Brendan J. Culleton, Laura Kunz, Claudia Fortes, Aleksandra Kitova, Pavel Kuznetsov, Andrey Epimakhov, Victor F. Zaibert, Alan K. Outram, Egor Kitov, Aleksandr Khokhlov, David Anthony, Nicole Boivin
Summary: During the Early Bronze Age, populations in the western Eurasian steppe expanded and underwent a major transition in dairying, with evidence of horse domestication by this time. The identification of horse milk proteins suggests an epicentre for horse domestication in the Pontic-Caspian steppe by the third millennium bc, supporting the idea that the novel exploitation of secondary animal products played a key role in the expansion of Eurasian steppe pastoralists during this period.
Review
Anthropology
Robert N. Spengler
Summary: NCT has rapidly gained acceptance in the social sciences and archaeology, but there are concerns about discrepancies in its application. The author argues that while the concepts within NCT are not new, the terminology may still be useful. However, without a testable explanatory mechanism, NCT may lack clear heuristic function.
JOURNAL OF ARCHAEOLOGICAL METHOD AND THEORY
(2021)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Songul Alpaslan-Roodenberg, David Anthony, Hiba Babiker, Eszter Banffy, Thomas Booth, Patricia Capone, Arati Deshpande-Mukherjee, Stefanie Eisenmann, Lars Fehren-Schmitz, Michael Frachetti, Ricardo Fujita, Catherine J. Frieman, Qiaomei Fu, Victoria Gibbon, Wolfgang Haak, Mateja Hajdinjak, Kerstin P. Hofmann, Brian Holguin, Takeshi Inomata, Hideaki Kanzawa-Kiriyama, William Keegan, Janet Kelso, Johannes Krause, Ganesan Kumaresan, Chapurukha Kusimba, Sibel Kusimba, Carles Lalueza-Fox, Bastien Llamas, Scott MacEachern, Swapan Mallick, Hirofumi Matsumura, Ana Y. Morales-Arce, Giedre Motuzaite Matuzeviciute, Veena Mushrif-Tripathy, Nathan Nakatsuka, Rodrigo Nores, Christine Ogola, Mercedes Okumura, Nick Patterson, Ron Pinhasi, Samayamantri P. R. Prasad, Mary E. Prendergast, Jose Luis Punzo, David Reich, Rikai Sawafuji, Elizabeth Sawchuk, Stephan Schiffels, Jakob Sedig, Svetlana Shnaider, Kendra Sirak, Pontus Skoglund, Viviane Slon, Meradeth Snow, Marie Soressi, Matthew Spriggs, Philipp W. Stockhammer, Anna Szecsenyi-Nagy, Kumarasamy Thangaraj, Vera Tiesler, Ray Tobler, Chuan-Chao Wang, Christina Warinner, Surangi Yasawardene, Muhammad Zahir
Summary: The article discusses the establishment of ethical guidelines for ancient human DNA research and proposes five globally applicable ethical guidelines, emphasizing the importance of researchers respecting stakeholder perspectives, ensuring data availability for scrutiny, and minimizing damage to human remains.
Review
Agronomy
Robert N. Spengler, Soeren Stark, Xinying Zhou, Daniel Fuks, Li Tang, Basira Mir-Makhamad, Rasmus Bjorn, Hongen Jiang, Luca M. Olivieri, Alisher Begmatov, Nicole Boivin
Summary: Rice, a culturally valued and widely grown crop, gradually spread westward into West Asia and Europe, with its importance as a crop in West Asia only becoming significant in recent centuries. The adoption of rice outside its regions of origin can be illustrated through historical, linguistic, and archaeobotanical data, showcasing two separate routes of dispersal - one along the South Asian coast and the other through Silk Road trade.
Editorial Material
Psychology, Biological
Barbara Huber, Thomas Larsen, Robert N. Spengler, Nicole Boivin
Summary: Olfaction has had a significant impact on human experience and behavior throughout history. Advances in biomolecular and omics sciences now allow for a more direct exploration of past scents, providing new insights into critical aspects of ancient society and ways of life, as well as the historical significance of smells.
NATURE HUMAN BEHAVIOUR
(2022)
Article
Anthropology
Elissa Bullion, Farhod Maksudov, Edward R. Henry, Ann Merkle, Michael Frachetti
Summary: Archaeological studies of Early Islamic communities in Central Asia have mainly focused on urban communities in lowland areas. However, recent geophysical survey and excavation of an Early Islamic cemetery in southeastern Uzbekistan reveal that it is one of the earliest documented Islamic burial grounds in Central Asia. AMS dating confirms that the cemetery was established in the mid-eighth century AD. The burials at Tashbulak comply with Islamic prescriptions for grave form and body deposition, suggesting the presence of a funerary community of practice. This challenges the prevailing notion of Islamic conversion in peripheral areas as a slow diffusion process, emphasizing the significance of archaeological approaches in documenting the diversity of Early Islamic communities.
Article
Anthropology
Li Tang, Hongliang Lu, Xinzhou Chen, Hailun Xu, Nicole Boivin, Michael Storozum, Feng Yang, Shuai Li, Xinyi Liu, Robert N. Spengler
Summary: This study presents archaeobotanical evidence from western Tibet, revealing the development of agriculture in the high-altitude landscape. The data indicate that barley was widely grown in this region around 400 BC and played different roles based on local ecological constraints. Additionally, social diversity may have played a role in the development of high-altitude agriculture.
Article
Ecology
Robert N. Spengler
Summary: In recent years, research on early domestication has been greatly influenced by genomics and archaeological investigations. Although some aspects of early domestication have been clarified, scholars still believe that evolution is a response to human innovations. Studying evolutionary parallels in the wild can provide insights into the evolution of the first domestication traits.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Wayne Powell, Michael Frachetti, Cemal Pulak, H. Arthur Bankoff, Gojko Barjamovic, Michael Johnson, Ryan Mathur, Vincent C. Pigott, Michael Price, K. Aslihan Yener
Summary: This paper presents a comprehensive sourcing analysis of tin ingots from the Uluburun shipwreck, revealing the culturally diverse and multiregional nature of Eurasian tin exchange during the Late Bronze Age. The study finds that one-third of the tin ingots were sourced from Central Asia, while the remaining two-thirds were derived from the Taurus Mountains of Turkey.
Proceedings Paper
Computer Science, Artificial Intelligence
Golnoosh Dehghanpoor, Michael Frachetti, Brendan Juba
IGARSS 2020 - 2020 IEEE INTERNATIONAL GEOSCIENCE AND REMOTE SENSING SYMPOSIUM
(2020)