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ABSTRACT.The most important traits of Chinese Liaoning cashmere goat fiber are fiber diameter, weight, and length. We looked for polymorphisms and their possible association with cashmere fiber traits in the 5' upstream region (5' UTR) of the prolactin receptor gene (PRLR), which encodes an anterior pituitary peptide hormone involved in different physiological activities; it is the principal endocrine regulator in pelage replacement in mammals. A novel single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) was found in the 5' UTR of PRLR by PCR-RFLP in an analysis of 590 goats. Two genotypes (CC and CT) were observed. The frequencies of allele C and T were 0.93 and 0.07, respectively. Association analysis revealed that the PRLR 5' UTR polymorphism (SNP5) was significantly associated with cashmere fiber weight and diameter. This novel SNP in hircine PRLR has potential as a molecular marker for cashmere fiber weight and diameter in Liaoning cashmere goats.

Sodic soil is more likely to deteriorate in paddy fields than in other fields. Flue gas desulfurization (FGD) gypsum can reclaim sodic soils, but how long a one-time application of FGD gypsum provides benefits in paddy fields is poorly understood. In this study, soil salinity, sodicity, and soluble and exchangeable cation concentrations were evaluated over a 7-year period to investigate the reclamation of sodic soil in a paddy field by FGD gypsum. After 7 years, compared with those in the initial soil, the pH, sodium adsorption ratio, and exchangeable sodium percentage of the topsoil (0-20 cm) decreased by at least 2 units, 72.2% and 80.9%, respectively. In the process of FGD gypsum reclamation, substantial changes in topsoil salinity and sodicity

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The main component of flue gas desulfurization (FGD) gypsum is CaSO 4 •2H 2 O, a type of salt. However, excess of this material poses a hazard to crop emergence and growth. Thus, a pot experiment was carried out in which sandy loam soil collected from a typical sodic soil distribution area in Northeast China was used. Sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.) and maize (Zea mays L.) seeds were sown directly into highly sodic soil (whose pH was 9.1 and exchangeable sodium percentage was 31.5%), FGD gypsum, or a mixture of the two (mass ratio of 1:1). Drainage was prevented, and no fertilizer was applied. Unexpectedly, all sunflower seeds emerged and grew in all three media. The growth of plants in the FGD gypsum was inhibited mainly because of the reduced available nutrient contents, which resulted in significantly lower plant height, root length, and biomass compared with those of plants grown in the other two media. In contrast, the sodic soil and FGD gypsum mixture effectively alleviated the salt-and nutrient-related issues, and the plants displayed robust germination and growth. A similar trend occurred for maize, although both the germination percentage and survival rate were lower than those of sunflower. After growing for 30 days, sunflower plants in the sodic soil had significantly greater activities of superoxide dismutase and contents of malondialdehyde but lower activities of catalase and peroxidase in the leaves compared with those of plants in the other two media. These results provide convincing evidence that sunflower and maize can grow directly in FGD gypsum, and the potential hazardous effects of this media on plants were lower than those associated with soil salinity and sodicity.

Flue gas desulfurization (FGD) gypsum-based reclamation of saline-sodic soil has been widely used in the Songnen Plain of China, but its reclamation effect depends on the water regime. A pot experiment was conducted to identify the optimal water regimes for reclaiming a highly saline-sodic soil [pH, electrical conductivity (EC) and exchangeable sodium percentage (ESP) were 10.4, 5.5 dS m-1 and 68.1%, respectively] by using FGD gypsum. Three water regimes with drainage times [irrigation amounts of 3-, 5-, and 7-times the soil pore volume (PV)] were selected and FGD gypsum was added to a portion of the regimes before the final drainage operation.Then the saline-sodic parameters of drainage and soil were measured and analyzed. Na + , Cl À , HCO 3 À , and SO 4 2À were the main ions in the drainage of all the treatments.With the increase in drainage times, the water regime without FGD gypsum notably decreased soil EC by 17.8%-52.0%. In contrast to the FGD gypsum treatment, the water regime failed to decrease the soil ESP. FGD gypsum application with three drainage times had optimal reclamation with reductions in soil pH and ESP of 0.5-2.3 units and 5.1%-20.1%, respectivley. But the associated water consumption was more than 40% higher than that of one-or two-drainage operations. In terms of water reduction (irrigation volume was 5 times PV), sodicity reduction and salt removal (soil pH, ESP, and EC were reduced by 1.7 units, 12.3%, and 1.12 dS m À1 ), FGD gypsum application with two-time drainage could be a more suitable measure to reclaim highly saline-sodic soil.

Based on global food supply demands and the need for sustainable development, it is necessary to rapidly reclaim saline‐sodic wasteland as productive land on a large scale. However, the large‐scale application of flue gas desulfurization (FGD) gypsum for the reclamation of high‐sodicity wasteland to obtain productive fields still lacks quick and concise evaluation indicators. Therefore, four FGD gypsum reclamation practices were applied in high sodicity‐affected wastelands. After 6 months, the topsoil (0–20 cm) pH, exchangeable sodium percentage (ESP), sodium adsorption ratio (SAR), electrical conductivity (EC), and paddy rice yield were evaluated. During the rice harvest, the topsoil pH, ESP, and SAR significantly decreased by 0.9–1.9 units, 29.3–67.2% and 2.3–53.7 (mmolc L−1)1/2, respectively, below initial values. Across the application sites, the interquartile range of the rice yield ranged from 1.7 to 5.8 Mg ha−1 with a median yield of 3.7 Mg ha−1. Correlation analysis between the rice yield and topsoil chemical parameters indicated that the soil pH was the primary factor of rice yield reduction, followed by ESP and SAR. To achieve a median yield, we propose that the pH, ESP and SAR of reclaimed topsoil should be lower than 8.7, 27.5%, and 8.5 (mmolc L−1)1/2, respectively, during the first season. This study provides a practical template and reference values for the salinity and sodicity of topsoil when reclaiming high sodicity‐affected wastelands via large‐scale FGD gypsum application.

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