*4.1. Plant Materials and Growth Conditions*

The rice variety used for transformation was Zhonghua 11 (*Oryza sativa* L. ssp. *japonica*). The rice plants were grown in experimental fields of the Huaiyin Normal University in Huai'an, China or in Lingshui, China in different growing seasons. Rice plants were also grown in plastic buckets in growth chambers with a 14/10 h light/dark cycle at 30 and 25 ◦C.
