Rhizoctonia solani is a major fungal pathogen of rice (Oryza sativa L.) that causes great yield losses in all rice-growing regions of the world. Here we report the draft genome sequence of the rice sheath blight disease pathogen, R. solani AG1 IA, assembled using next-generation Illumina Genome Analyser sequencing technologies. The genome encodes a large and diverse set of secreted proteins, enzymes of primary and secondary metabolism, carbohydrate-active enzymes, and transporters, which probably reflect an exclusive necrotrophic lifestyle. We find few repetitive elements, a closer relationship to Agaricomycotina among Basidiomycetes, and expand protein domains and families. Among the 25 candidate pathogen effectors identified according to their functionality and evolution, we validate 3 that trigger crop defence responses; hence we reveal the exclusive expression patterns of the pathogenic determinants during host infection.

Intensive human activities have caused contamination to groundwater quality which consequently affects human health. In this study, an evaluation of groundwater quality was carried out for better understanding of the status of groundwater contamination and potential risks to local residents in an alluvial plain (China) where agricultural and industrial activities are intensive. Comprehensive water quality index was used for drinking water-quality assessment and sodium adsorption ratio, Na%, and residual sodium carbonate were applied for irrigation water-quality assessment. The human health risks caused by intake of the contaminated groundwater through the oral and dermal pathways were also assessed. The assessment results reveal that most of the water samples are generally suitable for irrigation purpose, but over 60 % of them are not fit for drinking, and the total hardness, NO 3 -, NO 2 -, TDS, SO 4 2-, and F -are the main contaminants affecting its suitability for drinking purpose. Residents in the study area are at high health risk, and NO 3 -originating mainly from industrial and agricultural pollution is the greatest contributory cause of the health risks. Furthermore, children in this area are at higher health risk than adults, and oral ingestion is the dominate exposure pathway of health risk. Therefore, urgent and efficient measures must be taken to combat groundwater pollution and reduce health risk in the area.

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Remote sensing (RS) has been considered as the most promising tool for evapotranspiration (ET) estimations from local, regional to global scales. Many studies have been conducted to estimated ET using RS data, however, most of them are based partially on ground observations. In this study, we developed a new dual-source Simple Remote Sensing EvapoTranspiration model (Sim-ReSET) based only on RS data. One merit of this model is that the calculation of aerodynamic resistance can be avoided by means of a reference dry bare soil and an assumption that wind speed at the upper boundary of atmospheric surface layer is homogenous, but the aerodynamic characters are still considered by means of canopy height. The other merit is that all inputs (net radiation, soil heat flux, canopy height, variables related to land surface temperature) can be potentially obtained from remote sensing data, which allows obtaining regular RS-driven ET product.

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Agricultural soils are widely recognized to be capable of carbon sequestration that contributes to mitigating CO emissions. To better understand soil organic carbon (SOC) stock dynamics and its driving and controlling factors corresponding with a period of rapid agronomic evolution from the 1980s to the 2010s in the North China Plain (NCP), we collected data from two region-wide soil sampling campaigns (in the 1980s and 2010s) and conducted an analysis of the controlling factors using the random forest model. Between the 1980s and 2010s, environmental (i.e. soil salinity/fertility) and societal (i.e. policy/techniques) factors both contributed to adoption of new management practices (i.e. chemical fertilizer application/mechanization). Results of our work indicate that SOC stocks in the NCP croplands increased significantly, which also closely related to soil total nitrogen changes. Samples collected near the surface (0-20 cm) and deeper (20-40 cm) both increased by an average of 9.4 and 5.1 Mg C ha , respectively, which are equivalent to increases of 73% and 56% compared with initial SOC stocks in the 1980s. The annual carbon sequestration amount in surface soils reached 10.9 Tg C year , which contributed an estimated 43% of total carbon sequestration in all of China's cropland on just 27% of its area. Successful desalinization and the subsequent increases in carbon (C) inputs, induced by agricultural projects and policies intended to support crop production (i.e. reconstruction of low yield farmland, and agricultural subsidies), combined with improved cultivation practices (i.e. fertilization and straw return) since the early 1980s were the main drivers for the SOC stock increase. This study suggests that rehabilitation of NCP soils to reduce salinity and increase crop yields have also served as a pathway for substantial soil C sequestration.

Remotely sensed land surface temperature- (LST-) dependent evapotranspiration (ET) models and vegetation index- (VI-) LST methods may not be suitable for ET estimation in energy-limited cold areas. In this study, the relationship of ET to LST was simulated using the process-based Simultaneous Heat and Water (SHAW) model for energy- and water-limited conditions in Mongolia, to understand the differences in ET processes under these two limiting conditions in dry and cold climates. Simulation results from the SHAW model along with ground observational data showed that ET and LST have a positive relationship when air temperature (Ta) is less than or equal to the temperature (Ttra) above which plants transpire and have a negative relationship whenTais greater thanTtraunder the energy-limited condition. However, ET and LST maintain a negative relationship with changes inTaunder the water-limited condition. The differences in the relationship between ET and LST under the energy-limited and water-limited conditions could be attributed to plant transpiration and energy storage in moist/watered soil and plants. This study suggests that different strategies should be used to estimate ET under the energy-limited condition in dry and cold climates.