From 2010 to 2013, 763 soybean samples were collected from an extensive area of China. The correlations between seed compositions and climate data were analyzed. The contents of crude protein and water-soluble protein, total amount of protein plus oil, and most of the amino acids were positively correlated with an accumulated temperature ≥15 °C (AT15) and the mean daily temperature (MDT) but were negatively correlated with hours of sunshine (HS) and diurnal temperature range (DTR). The correlations of crude oil and most fatty acids with climate factors were opposite to those of crude protein. Crude oil content had a quadratic regression relationship with MDT, and a positive correlation between oil content and MDT was found when the daily temperature was <19.7 °C. A path analysis indicated that DTR was the main factor that directly affected soybean protein and oil contents. The study illustrated the effects of climate factors on soybean protein and oil contents and proposed agronomic practices for improving soybean quality in different regions of China. The results provide a foundation for the regionalization of high-quality soybean production in China and similar regions in the world.

Soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr.] seed, which contains high levels of oil and protein, is one of China's most important native crops. The aim of this study was to investigate how regional and environmental factors affect the compositions of protein, amino acids, oil, and fatty acids. A total of 127 soybean cultivars from four main regions of China were analyzed. The levels of total protein and most of amino acids showed a trend of increasing from Northern to Southern China, while the levels of total oil, stearic acid, linolenic acid, and proline showed a trend of decreasing. The variation of protein, oil, palmitic acid, and linoleic acid content of soybean grown in the four regions was low, while variation of other constituents remained high. Most amino acids contents were positively correlated with protein content. The total oil content showed a negative correlation with protein content. The content of linolenic acid was positively correlated with the content of palmitic acid and stearic acid but negatively correlated with the oleic acid content. The southern regions have the potential for high‐protein soybean production, while the northern regions of China have the potential for high‐oil soybean production.

BackgroundBoth attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are neurodevelopmental disorders with a high prevalence. They are often comorbid and both exhibit abnormalities in sustained attention, yet common and distinct neural patterns of ASD and ADHD remain unidentified.AimsTo investigate shared and distinct functional connectivity patterns in a relatively large sample of boys (7- to 15-year-olds) with ADHD, ASD and typical development matched by age, gender and IQ.MethodWe applied machine learning techniques to investigate patterns of surface-based brain resting-state connectivity in 86 boys with ASD, 83 boys with ADHD and 125 boys with typical development.ResultsWe observed increased functional connectivity within the limbic and somatomotor networks in boys with ASD compared with boys with typical development. We also observed increased functional connectivity within the limbic, visual, default mode, somatomotor, dorsal attention, frontoparietal and ventral attention networks in boys with ADHD compared with boys with ASD. In addition, using a machine learning approach, we were able to discriminate typical development from ASD, typical development from ADHD and ASD from ADHD with accuracy rates of 76.3%, 84.1%, and 79.3%, respectively.ConclusionsOur results may shed new light on the underlying mechanisms of ASD and ADHD and facilitate the development of new diagnostic methods for these disorders.Declaration of interestJ.K. holds equity in a startup company, MNT.

BackgroundFlowering time and maturity are among the most important adaptive traits in soybean (Glycine max (L.) Merill). Flowering Locus T (FT) family genes function as key flowering integrators, with flowering-promoting members GmFT2a/GmFT5a and flowering-inhibiting members GmFT4/GmFT1a antagonistically regulating vegetative and reproductive growth. However, to date, the relations between natural variations of FT family genes and the diversity of flowering time and maturity in soybean are not clear. Therefore, we conducted this study to discover natural variations in FT family genes in association with flowering time and maturity.ResultsTen FT family genes, GmFT1a, GmFT1b, GmFT2a, GmFT2b, GmFT3a, GmFT3b, GmFT4, GmFT5a, GmFT5b and GmFT6, were cloned and sequenced in the 127 varieties evenly covering all 14 known maturity groups (MG0000-MGX). They were diversified at the genome sequence polymorphism level. GmFT3b and GmFT5b might have experienced breeding selection in the process of soybean domestication and breeding. Haplotype analysis showed that a total of 17 haplotypes had correlative relationships with flowering time and maturity among the 10 FT genes, namely, 1a-H3, 1b-H1, 1b-H6, 1b-H7, 2a-H1, 2a-H3, 2a-H4, 2a-H9, 2b-H3, 2b-H4, 2b-H6, 2b-H7, 3b-H4, 5a-H1, 5a-H2, 5a-H4 and 5b-H1. Based on the association analysis, 38 polymorphic sites had a significant association with flowering time at the level of p < 0.01.ConclusionsSome natural variations exist within the 10 FT family genes, which might be involved in soybean adaptation to different environments and have an influence on diverse flowering time and maturity. This study will facilitate the understanding of the roles of FTs in flowering and maturity.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (10.1186/s12864-019-5577-5) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.