Can wild relatives of sorghum provide new sources of resistance or tolerance against Striga species?

Summary The genus Striga contains some of the most noxious parasitic plants, which have a devastating impact on cereal production in Africa; of most importance are Striga hermonthica and Striga asiatica . Complete resistance to infection by Striga species does not exist in cultivated cereals. Of great interest is the possibility that wild relatives of cereals may provide a genetic basis for resistance or tolerance to infection and may be of enormous value for the development of resistant crops. A wild relative of cultivated sorghum, Sorghum arundinaceum , demonstrated tolerance to infection by S. asiatica , with little impact of S. asiatica on host growth or grain production compared with the detrimental impact of the parasite on cultivated sorghum. Infection by S.hermonthica , however, had a significant influence on host performance for both wild and cultivated sorghum. Differences in host:parasite responses may be explained by the timing of parasite attachment and differences in host specificity for these two Striga species.     

药用植物厚朴 TRAP 标记的开发和利用

【目的】探明种植密度对积雪草光合特性、产量和品质的影响,为积雪草的高产优质人工栽培 提供理论依据。【方法】采用单因素完全随机区组试验设计的方法,设置 3 万、6 万、12 万、16 万、25 万株 / hm2 5 个不同种植密度,利用便携式光合测定系统 Li-6400 测定积雪草叶片的光合参数,通过 HPLC 测定药材中 积雪草苷与羟基积雪草苷的质量分数。【结果】种植密度对积雪草的分枝数、单株干质量、茎粗、叶片厚度、 叶柄长、叶长与、叶宽等形态指标均无显著影响。随着种植密度的增加,积雪草叶片的叶绿素含量、净光合速 率（Pn）、气孔导度（Gs）、胞间 CO2 浓度（Ci）、蒸腾速率（Tr）均呈先升高后降低的变化趋势;Pn 在密度 12 万株 /hm2 时最高,为 15.24 μmol CO2 /（m2 ·s）,但与 6 万株 /hm2 密度无显著差异;在 6 万株 /hm2 密度下, 叶绿素 a、叶绿素 b、叶绿素总量、Gs、Ci、Tr 均达到最大值,均显著高于其他密度。积雪草的鲜质量、干质 量、折干率均随着种植密度的增加呈先升高后降低的变化趋势,以 6 万株 /hm2 最高,分别为 21.44 t/hm2 、4.20 t/ hm2 、19.60%,均显著高于其他密度处理。不同种植密度的积雪草苷与羟基积雪草苷总质量分数为 1.95%~2.73%, 均远超过《中国药典》2020 年版的规定（0.8%）;随着种植密度的增加,积雪草苷与羟基积雪草苷的质量分数 均呈先缓慢上升再下降的变化趋势,以 6 万株 /hm2 的积雪草苷与羟基积雪草苷质量分数总和最高、达 2.73%。 相关性分析结果显示,Tr 与药材鲜质量之间呈显著正相关,而药材干质量则与 Tr、Gs 等光合参数以及叶绿素总 量均呈显著正相关。【结论】积雪草大棚栽培最适宜的种植密度为 6 万株 /hm2 ,合理密植能有效增强积雪草的 光合特性和光合效率,进而提高药材产量与品质。     

Comparison of Spore Inoculated and Vegetative Propagated Cultivation Methods of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Gracilaria chilensis</Emphasis> in an Integrated Seaweed and Fish Cage Culture

In Chile the integration of Gracilaria chilensis with salmon culture has shown high potential. Seaweed integrated aquaculture is of great interest as it allows waste recycling within fed cage aquaculture. The development of economically feasible suspended methods of seaweed cultivation is therefore of high importance. Hence, production and performance of two suspended Gracilaria cultivation methods, spore inoculated ropes and ropes with twined field collected seaweed, were studied in open water. The production from spore-seeded ropes was comparable to that of twined ropes for the first month of culture. Thereafter, the twined ropes had a significantly higher productivity. Fish farm wastes had no significant fertilizing effect upon Gracilaria growth rate. In addition, spore-originated thalli and field collected thalli were compared under laboratory conditions and in suspended culture using the same cultivation method. Spore-originated thalli had a 50% lower growth rate than the field collected thalli under laboratory conditions; however, no significant differences were detected in the field. Also, the occurrence of spore coalescence growth enhancement was not significant on the spore-seeded ropes. It was concluded that spore-originated cultivation techniques could be of interest for an integrated open seawater aquaculture system due to the high levels of Gracilaria polymorphism. This would result in greater adaptability to environmental variations, and a continuous supply of restocking material.     

Isolation and purification of active components from Centella asiatica and observation of their immunosuppressive effect

AIM：To isolate and purify the active components from Centella asiatica, and to observe their effect on the proliferation and apoptosis of mouse spleen lymphocytes. METHODS：Semi-preparative high-performance liquid chromatography was performed to further isolate and purify the extracts from Centella asiatica. The effects of the active components on apoptosis and mitochondrial membrane potential of the spleen lymphocytes were assessed by flow cytometry. The structures of the active components were identified by ultraviolet spectrometry, electrospray ionization negative-ion mass spectrometry, ［1H］ nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and ［13C］ NMR. RESULTS：The molecular weights of the active components from Centella asiatica, named compound I and compound II, were 302 and 286, respectively. The compound I and compound II from Centella asiatica significantly inhibited the proliferation, promoted the apoptosis and reduced the mitochondrial membrane potential of mouse spleen lymphocytes. Compound I and compound II were identified as quercetin and kaempferol. CONCLUSION：The compound I and compound II from Centella asiatica show antiproliferative and immunosuppressive effects on mouse spleen lymphocytes by promoting apoptosis and reducing mitochondrial membrane potential.     

江蓠与新对虾、青蟹混养试验

细基江蓠繁枝变种与新对虾，青蟹混养试验结果表明：（１）细基江蓠繁枝变种生长的最适温，盐度分别为１７－３０℃和１７－２９‰，这一温，盐度范围也适合新对虾和青蟹的生长；鱼塘海水的温，盐度变化与沿海不同，因此，移植野生江蓠到鱼塘养殖时要考虑这一特点。（２）江蓠在不同的生长季节的最适生长水层是不同的。（３）江蓠的主要有效氮是ＮＨ４＾＋，而新对虾，青蟹的排泄物可分解出大量的ＮＨ４＾＋。这样，江蓠与新对虾，青     

对虾、青蟹、江篱混养试验研究

本试验研究改良了池塘水质环境,预防了疾病的发生和避免了虾蟹相残,使以虾为主的虾、蟹、藻混养试验池与对虾单养对照池的对虾成活率大体接近,实现亩均综合产量222.05kg,亩均产值6985.13元,亩均盈利2472.61元,是一种高产、优质、高效的多元化养殖模式。     

Algal-oligosaccharide-lysates prepared by two bacterial agarases stepwise hydrolyzed and their anti-oxidative properties

Twenty algal-oligosaccharide-lysates (AOLs), derived from six agars and four algal polysaccharide extracts (APEs), were treated first with agarases with 250 or 500 agarase activity units (AU), which were produced from the agar-liquefying bacterial strain Pseudomonas vesicularis MA103, named MA103-agarases. The AOLs were then treated with agarases (250 or 500 AU) derived from the agar-softening bacterial strain Aeromonas salmonicida MAEF 108, named MAEF 108-agarases. Anti-oxidative properties of the AOLs were evaluated by five in vitro methods. The AOL obtained from the APE of Porphyra dentate, digested by 250 AU of MA 103-agarases, and by 250 AU of MAEF 108-agarases, designated as A₂₅₀-Por, showed better results than the 19 other AOLs. This result is in accordance with the level of soluble total polyphenols (STP) of A₂₅₀-Por, which was also higher than the remainder of the AOLs tested. The AOL derived from the APE of P. dentate, digested by 500 AU of MA103-agarases and then 500 AU of MAEF108-agarases, and designated as B₅₀₀-Por, displayed the second highest data in four potential evaluation methods, except in H₂O₂ scavenging capacity. In this study, certain agars or APEs digested by specific agarases can present an increasing antioxidative capacity. These agars include Bitek agar, Agar powder, Bacteriological, Agar Bacteriological, and Guanghui agar, plus APEs of Gracilaria sp. and Monostroma nitidum decomposed stepwise by two agarases. The fraction of polyphenols (<1 kDa) that were derived from A₂₅₀-Por showed anti-oxidative activities on α, α-diphenyl-β-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) assay and reducing power determination, while the remaining four agar-lytic fractions obtained from A₂₅₀-Por did not exhibit anti-oxidative activity. This phenomenon may suggest that anti-oxidative properties of AOLs originate in polyphenols. Algal-oligosaccharide-lysates may have potential use as a health food.     

Preparation of algal-oligosaccharide mixtures by bacterial agarases and their antioxidative properties

ABSTRACT:   Algal-oligosaccharide-lysates (AOL), derived from six agars and four algal polysaccharide extracts (APE), were treated with 100–500 activity units (AU) of MA103-agarases or MAEF108-agarases, and their antioxidative properties evaluated. Soluble total polyphenols (TP) were between 462.2 ± 1.6 gallic acid equivalents (GAE, µg/mL) and 70.6 ± 17.4 GAE. The DPPH radical scavenging capacity of all AOL went from 68.3 ± 0.7% to 0.5 ± 0.1%. The ferrous ion chelating capacity of all AOL went from 93.1 ± 0.2% to 21.7 ± 0.9%. Evaluation of the H₂O₂ scavenging capacity of all AOL was between 35.9 ± 5.4% and 0.1 ± 0.2%. The reducing power of all AOL went from 51.3 ± 2.6 to 3.2 ± 6.8 expressed as µg/mL ascorbic acid. In DPPH radical scavenging capacity, ferrous ion chelating capacity and reducing power etc., the AOL derived from the APE of Porphyra dentate (digested by 500 AU of MAEF108-agarases) were highest, in all test sets. However, the AOL derived from the APE of Monostroma nitidum (digested by 500 AU of MAEF108-agarases) had the highest H₂O₂ scavenging capacity in all test sets. The order of antioxidative activity performance of all AOL treated in this experiment, by these four antioxidative methods, is as follows: ferrous ion chelating capacity > DPPH radical scavenging capacity > H₂O₂ scavenging capacity > reducing power; this may be related to their polyphenols, small molecular weight polysaccharides or simple sugar constituents. In this study, it is demonstrated that various agarases derived from algal oligosaccharide mixtures possess good potential for use as a health food, due to their antioxidative capacity.     

3种鳢属鱼类ITS序列及系统进化分析

[目的]阐明乌鳢、斑鳢、月鳢核基因序列(ITS)的遗传变异情况,并用ITS序列研究鳢属系统进化关系.[方法]利用PCR扩增3种鳢的ITS,经克隆、拼接得到ITS全长后进行分析.[结果]乌鳢、斑鳢和月鳢ITS全序列长度为902、927、902或903bp.3种鳢ITS的G+C含量较高,约占72％.3种鳢之间核苷酸差异明显大于种内,明显的差异性ITS片段可以鉴别3种鳢.采用NJ和ML方法建立的进化树都表明乌鳢和斑鳢的遗传距离最近,而乌鳢和月鳢遗传距离最远.[结论]该研究为鳢属的分类鉴定、系统进化关系以及种间杂交提供基础资料.