title: Integrated Management Strategies Increase Cottonseed, Oil and Protein Production: The Key Role of Carbohydrate Metabolism.
abstract: Cottonseed, oil, and protein, as the by-products of cotton production, have the potential to provide commodities to meet the increasing demand of renewable bio-fuels and ruminant feed. An increase in crop yield per unit area requires high-yielding cultivar management with an economic nitrogen (N) rate, an optimal N application schedule, high-yielding plant populations and strong seedlings. Whether the integration of these agronomic practices into a coherent management system can increase the productivity of cotton fiber, embryo oil and protein requires experimental elucidation. In this 2-year study, conventional management practices (CM) were used as a control, and two integrated management strategies (IMS1and IMS2) were considered at two soil fertility levels (high soil fertility and low soil fertility) to analyze the metabolic and biochemical traits of cotton embryos. The results illustrate that the cottonseed, oil, and protein yields for IMS1and IMS2were significantly higher than those under CM at both soil fertility levels and the fiber yield increased as well. The IMS regulated the maternal photo thermal environment by delaying the flowering date, resulting in increases in the seed weight. In developing cotton embryos, the IMS increased the embryo weight accumulation rate and biomass partitioning into oil and protein, which were associated with high activities of H+-ATPase, H+-PPase, sucrose synthase (SuSy), and cell wall invertase (C-INV) and low activities of sucrose phosphate synthase (SPS) and vacuole invertase (V-INV). Increased hexoses (D-fructose, D-glucose) content contributed to the oil and protein contents. These results suggest that increased sucrose/H+symport, sucrose hydrolysis, hexoses synthesis, and cumulative photo-thermal product (PTP), especially in the early stage of embryo growth, play a dominant role in the high productivity of cotton oil and protein.
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Crop Physiology & Ecology, Jiangsu Collaborative Innovation Center for Modern Crop Production, Ministry of Agriculture, Nanjing Agricultural University Nanjing, China.
authors.forename: Hongkun
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Crop Physiology & Ecology, Jiangsu Collaborative Innovation Center for Modern Crop Production, Ministry of Agriculture, Nanjing Agricultural University Nanjing, China.
authors.forename: Xinyue
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Crop Physiology & Ecology, Jiangsu Collaborative Innovation Center for Modern Crop Production, Ministry of Agriculture, Nanjing Agricultural University Nanjing, China.
authors.forename: Binglin
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Crop Physiology & Ecology, Jiangsu Collaborative Innovation Center for Modern Crop Production, Ministry of Agriculture, Nanjing Agricultural University Nanjing, China.
authors.forename: Yali
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Meng
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Crop Physiology & Ecology, Jiangsu Collaborative Innovation Center for Modern Crop Production, Ministry of Agriculture, Nanjing Agricultural University Nanjing, China.
authors.forename: Youhua
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Crop Physiology & Ecology, Jiangsu Collaborative Innovation Center for Modern Crop Production, Ministry of Agriculture, Nanjing Agricultural University Nanjing, China.
authors.forename: Wenqing
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Zhao
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Crop Physiology & Ecology, Jiangsu Collaborative Innovation Center for Modern Crop Production, Ministry of Agriculture, Nanjing Agricultural University Nanjing, China.
authors.forename: Zhiguo
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Zhou
keywords: carbohydrate metabolism; cottonseed; embryo oil and protein; integrated management strategies; seed weight