Researchers at China University of Petroleum (East China) have explored the role of the spin state in catalyst supports using atomically dispersed transition metal catalysts. They designed a single-atom Ru-doped Co₃O₄ catalyst, which is rich in high-spin Co³⁺. The unpaired spin electrons in the d-orbital of Co³⁺ interact strongly with OH* species, achieving industrial-level bifunctional water splitting performance.

Thermoelectric materials are vital for energy conversion technologies, but their performance is often mispredicted due to the oversimplified parabolic band model. Researchers introduced a non-parabolicity factor to quantify deviations in band structure, significantly improving predictions for key transport properties like the Seebeck coefficient and Lorenz number. This refined framework corrects classical inaccuracies, offering new insights into thermoelectric mechanisms and paving the way for the design of high-performance materials essential to energy sustainability.

Recently, a research team led by Qiang Gao and Guozhong Feng from the College of Resources and Environmental Sciences at Jilin Agricultural University conducted systematic research to address this issue. By analyzing the climatic characteristics, soil physical and chemical properties, and current planting conditions of China’s major corn-producing regions, the team identified the core limiting factors for each region: black soil in the Northeast has suffered structural degradation and acidification; the North China Plain has low soil organic matter content (1.31%); the Northwest has annual precipitation of only 290 mm with severe soil desertification; and the Southwest faces challenges of high temperatures and seasonal drought. Based on these differences, the study proposed a regionalized technical model centered on integrated soil-crop system management. By optimizing planting density, nutrient management, and agronomic measures, this model synergistically improves both yield and resource use efficiency. The relevant paper has been published in Frontiers of Agricultural Science and Engineering (DOI: 10.15302/J-FASE-2025615).

Recently, Associate Professor Xinglong Dai from Agronomy College of Shandong Agricultural University and his colleagues proposed a quantitative design theory and technical pathway for green yield increase and efficient nitrogen utilization in winter wheat, providing new insights to address this challenge. Related paper has been published in Frontiers of Agricultural Science and Engineering (DOI: 10.15302/J-FASE-2025631).

Recently, a review paper conducted by Professor Jianchang Yang from Yangzhou University, et al. pointed out that optimizing the “harvest index” (the ratio of yield to total aboveground biomass) can achieve a synergistic enhancement of rice yield and resource utilization efficiency. The study found that the harvest index of modern rice varieties generally hovers around 0.5, but there is still room for improvement through the regulation of physiological traits. Key strategies include three main aspects: first, increasing the “grain-to-leaf ratio”, which refers to the number of grains per unit leaf area, balancing the relationship between photosynthetic products and grain demand; second, enhancing the “sugar-to-spikelet ratio”, which is the ratio of non-structural carbohydrates stored in the stem before flowering to the number of grains, providing more energy for grain filling; third, optimizing the “proportion of productive tillers” to reduce the consumption of water and nutrients by ineffective tillers, thereby improving population structure and light utilization. The related paper has been published in Frontiers of Agricultural Science and Engineering (DOI: 10.15302/J–FASE–2025610).

Recently, a team of researchers led by Professor Peng Hou from the Institute of Crop Sciences, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences systematically summarized the limiting factors in corn production and proposed a green production scheme that balances high yield with efficient resource utilization based on quantitative design principles. The related paper has been published in Frontiers of Agricultural Science and Engineering (DOI: 10.15302/J-FASE-2025601).