The increasing sodium salts (NaCl, NaHCO3, NaSO4 etc.) in agricultural soil is a serious global concern for sustainable agricultural production and food security. Soybean is an important food crop, and their cultivation is severely challenged by high salt concentration in soils. Classical transgenic and innovative breeding technologies are immediately needed to engineer salt tolerant soybean plants. Additionally, unfolding the molecular switches and the key components of the soybean salt tolerance network are crucial for soybean salt tolerance improvement. Here we review our understandings of the core salt stress response mechanism in soybean. Recent findings described that salt stress sensing, signalling, ionic homeostasis (Na+/K+) and osmotic stress adjustment might be important in regulating the soybean salinity stress response. We also evaluated the importance of antiporters and transporters such as Arabidopsis K+ Transporter 1 (AKT1) potassium channel and the impact of epigenetic modification on soybean salt tolerance. We also review key phytohormones, and osmo-protectants and their role in salt tolerance in soybean. In addition, we discuss the progress of omics technologies for identifying salt stress responsive molecular switches and their targeted engineering for salt tolerance in soybean. This review summarizes recent progress in soybean salt stress functional genomics and way forward for molecular breeding for developing salt-tolerant soybean plant.

Soybean (Glycine max L.) is susceptible to low temperatures. Increasing lines of evidence indicate that abiotic stress-responsive genes are involved in plant low-temperature stress response. However, the involvement of photosynthesis, antioxidants and metabolites genes in low temperature response is largely unexplored in Soybean. In the current study, a genetic panel of diverse soybean varieties was analyzed for photosynthesis, chlorophyll fluorescence and leaf injury parameters under cold stress and control conditions. This helps us to identify cold tolerant (V100) and cold sensitive (V45) varieties. The V100 variety outperformed for antioxidant enzymes activities and relative expression of photosynthesis (Glyma.08G204800.1, Glyma.12G232000.1), GmSOD (GmSOD01, GmSOD08), GmPOD (GmPOD29, GmPOD47), trehalose (GmTPS01, GmTPS13) and cold marker genes (DREB1E, DREB1D, SCOF1) than V45 under cold stress. Upon cold stress, the V100 variety showed reduced accumulation of H2O2 and MDA levels and subsequently showed lower leaf injury compared to V45. Together, our results uncovered new avenues for identifying cold tolerant soybean varieties from a large panel. Additionally, we identified the role of antioxidants, osmo-protectants and their posttranscriptional regulators miRNAs such as miR319, miR394, miR397, and miR398 in Soybean cold stress tolerance.

Most of the radioactive waste generated during the decommissioning of nuclear power plants are relatively low in radioactivity, except for the reactor pressure vessel, reactor internals and primary shielding walls, which have high levels of radioactivity. However, the treatment and disposal costs of decommissioning waste account for a high proportion of the total decommissioning cost. In order to minimize the decommissioning waste and to plan the decommissioning costs, it is necessary to study and estimate the total quantity of decommissioning radioactive waste in the design phase. This paper presents the statistical method for estimation of decommissioning radioactive waste quantity, gives the complete steps for estimating decommissioning radioactive waste quantity, and determines the waste quantity estimation principle for each type of decommissioning radioactive waste. Finally, the estimation task based on a Chinese typical million kilowatt nuclear power station single unit is reasonably completed. It is estimated that the quantity of decommissioning radioactive waste generated by this nuclear power station single unit is about 12000m3, which is similar to that of the same type-unit in the world. This proves the rationality of the method for estimating decommissioning radioactive waste quantity proposed in this paper.