Impact of a diamond mining industry on metabolites in Larix gmelinii

We studied the technogenic impact of a diamond mining company on the content of metabolites in the needles of Larix gmelinii (Rupr.) Kuzen. The samples of larch needles were collected in the Arctic zone in the restricted area where the diamond mining company works. The studied sites are located in Anabarsky district of Yakutia (Russia). An activity of the diamond mining company did not have a significant impact on the characteristics of the forest stand. But at the same time, near the sorting and enriching plants of the diamond mining company, the concentrations of Si, Ca, Fe, Mn, Al, Na, Sr, Ba, Zn, Pb, Ni, V were higher in the needles of L. gmelinii than those in the control zone. The activity of the diamond mining industry resulted in: intensification of the lipid peroxidation process, growth of a content of resin acids and amino acids, activation of cellular respiration processes, thickening of the cell wall, and a decline in the concentration of unsaturated fatty acids and antioxidants. We have concluded that some observable biochemical changes occur in the trees as a resulting effect of adaptive processes to the technogenic load despite the absence of significant changes in the forest stand.     

宁夏野生枸杞(Lycium barbarum L.)苦味性状研究

采用植物学分类、常规杂交、PCR-SSR分子标记检测、超高效液相色谱-高分辨质谱[UPLC-MS(HRMS)]等方法,围绕宁夏野生苦味枸杞的苦味性状进行了研究。结果表明:野生苦味枸杞花丝、花柱的长度、种子大小和颜色等方面与其他中国枸杞种质资源存在较大差异,其花蕾中的雄蕊花丝、雌蕊花柱呈弓曲状,多数情况下其浆果簇状着生。PCR-SSR分子标记检测结果表明,宁夏野生苦味枸杞DNA扩增出了栽培枸杞品种宁杞1、2、3、4、5、7号等所没有的条带;在111~147 bp之间,扩增出了略高于中国枸杞其他种质资源的条带,其分子量高于中国枸杞其他种质资源相应的DNA的分子量,遗传差异明显。以宁杞7号作母本与宁夏野生苦味枸杞杂交,所得到的F_1成熟浆果出现苦味、甜味分离个数比例接近1∶1。宁杞7号作母本与野生半苦味枸杞杂交的F_1浆果苦、甜味的分离个数比例为1∶4。其反交F_1浆果均为苦味。野生苦味枸杞苦味基因可能是杂合的。苦味性状可能受多个显性加性基因控制,并与细胞核、质遗传物质互作有关。而甜味性状可能受隐性基因控制。初步判定,苦味物质是具有二氢槲皮素结构的黄酮类化合物。     

Dihydroquercetin protects barley seeds against mold and increases seedling adaptive potential under soil flooding

Barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) seeds were soaked in aqueous 10⁻⁴ M dihydroquercetin (DHQ) to examine its influence on seed germination and further growth of seedlings under optimal soil watering and flooding conditions. The adaptive potential of the plants was estimated by the content of thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARs) and the activity of ascorbate peroxidase (AsP). High-grade seeds were germinated evenly under (−DHQ)- and (+DHQ)-treatments. Low-grade seeds soaked in DHQ, showed no mold and twofold germination rate in comparison with the same seeds soaked in water. The seedlings grown from the similarly germinated seeds did not differ from each other in the shoot growth, independent of the DHQ-pretreatment. The root growth was higher in DHQ-pretreated plants. Soil flooding suppressed the shoot and root growth rates in non-pretreated and DHQ-pretreated plants, however TBARs content was lower in the roots and leaves of (+DHQ)-seedlings as compared to the (−DHQ)-ones. The activity of AsP increased more significantly in the (+DHQ)-plants. The ratio between TBARs content and the AsP activity was lower in the leaves of (+DHQ)-plants both under optimal soil conditions and flooding. Thus, the treatment of low-grade barley seeds with DHQ protects the seeds against mold and increases adaptive potential of the seedlings.