Herbicide performance in the control of Conyza spp. where three plant heights

Intensive use of the herbicide glyphosate has led to herbicide resistant Conyza spp. populations. Thus, there is a need to indicate alternative herbicides and the appropriate developmental stage for controlling these populations. This study identifies alternatives for controlling glyphosate-resistant horseweed, with treatment applications at different plant heights. For this purpose, field experiments were conducted in the 2016/17 and 2017/18 crop years. The evaluated treatments were: glyphosate (540 g ae ha-1), glyphosate (1080 g ae ha-1), glyphosate (2160 g ae ha-1), glyphosate (3240 g ae ha-1), glyphosate + 2.4-D (1080 + 1005 g ae ha-1), glyphosate + saflufenacil (1080 + 49 g ae/ai ha-1), paraquat (400 g ai ha-1), diquat (400 g ai ha-1), ammonium glufosinate (600 g ai ha-1), and control (without application). These treatments were applied to plants with a maximum of 5 cm; plants between 6 and 15 cm; and plants between 16 and 25 cm. The results showed that glyphosate did not control weeds, regardless of rate. With the exception of 2,4-D, which needs complementation with sequential application of another contact herbicide, all alternatives were viable for the control of Conyza spp. plants with a maximum height of 5 cm.

Analysis of material basis of Schisandrae Chinensis Fructus in different growth stages based on chromatography / 中国中药杂志

Schisandrae Chinensis Fructus in six growth stages was taken as materials to study the species and content changes of material basis, which were detected by UPLC, GC and MS chromatography, including lignans, nucleosides, aroma components and fatty acids. The results showed that the texture, color and taste of Schisandrae Chinensis Fructus in six growth stages were different. On the material basis, 12 lignans were detected by UPLC-MS, and the content of total lignans was higher in the samples from late August to early September, among which the highest content of schisandrin was 0.67%±0.01%, followed by schizandrol B, angeloylgomisin H and schisandrin B, and the total content increased with the maturity of Schisandrae Chinensis Fructus. Thirteen kinds of nucleosides were detected by UPLC. The total nucleoside content was the highest in late July samples, in which the contents of uridine and guanosine were higher and decreased after maturity. Aroma components and fatty acids were identified by GC-MS. A total of 53 aroma components were detected and the highest total content was appeared in late August samples, of which ylangene was higher and bergamotene was followed. A total of 24 kinds of fatty acids were detected. The fruits matured basically in August, and the content of fatty acids in the samples was the highest, among which linoleic acid content was top the list and oleic acid was the second. To sum up, the maturity of Schisandra chinensis fruit is related to the content and variety of various material bases, and the growth period has different influences on the quality of Schisandrae Chinensis Fructus. Therefore, the appropriate harvesting time should be determined according to the change law of target components. The results of this study can provide reference for the quality evaluation of Schisandrae Chinensis Fructus material basis.

Analysis of Differential Proteins of Sika Deer Antler at Rapid Growth and Ossification Stages / 分析化学

Differential proteomics analysis of Sika deer antlers at rapid growth stage (60 d) and ossification stage ( 90 d) was performed by isobaric tags for relative and absolute quantitation ( iTRAQ ) , ultra high performance liquid chromatography and mass spectrometry technologies. A total of 127 differential proteins were identified. Compared with the ossification stage, 80 differential proteins were significantly up-regulated and 47 differential proteins were significantly down-regulated at the rapid growth stage. These differential proteins were mainly distributed in the regions of extracellular matrix, nucleosome, haptoglobin-hemoglobin complex, actin filament, endoplasmic reticulum-Golgi intermediate compartment, endoplasmic reticulum lumen, and endometrium, etc. The up-regulated differential proteins were mainly involved in the regulations of oxygen transport in the blood, nerve growth and regeneration, cartilage and bone development and ATP synthesis compared with ossification stage, and the down-regulated differential proteins were mainly involved in the endochondral ossification process. The changes of protein expression at different growth stages were closely related to antler rapid growth and ossification. Therefore, the results of this study provided a basic data for discovering the molecular mechanisms of antler rapid growth and ossification, and it was of great significance for further study of the pharmacological basis and clinical application of antlers.

Characterization of molecular signature of the roots of Paeonia lactiflora during growth / 中国天然药物

The roots of Paeoniae lactiflora Pall. are widely consumed as crude drugs in Asian countries due to their remarkable beneficial health effects. The present research was undertaken to illuminate the dynamic changes in metabolites and enzymes and facilitate selection of the harvesting time when the herb can provide optimum health benefits. P. lactiflora roots were analyzed at 12 stages of growth for monoterpenoid glycosides, phenols, nucleosides, nucleobases, amino acids, and polysaccharides by high-performance liquid chromatography with photodiode array detector, ultra-high pressure liquid chromatography coupled with tandem mass spectrometry, and UV spectrophotometry. The enzyme activities of plant β-glucosidases and esterases were determined by UV methods. The total content of monoterpenoid glycosides and phenols peaked in December. For nucleosides and nucleobases, the highest content appeared in April. The maximum phasic accumulation of the total amino acids took place in March, and the content of total polysaccharides reached a peak value in September. December, April, and March were selected as the appropriate harvesting times for producing natural medicinal or health food products. Plant β-glucosidases and esterases showed the highest activity in December and May, respectively. When the activity of β-glucosidase increased, esterase activity decreased, while the contents of oxypaeoniflora and paeoniflorin increased. When esterase activity increased, the contents of benzoylpaeoniflorin, paeoniflorin, and gallic acid decreased. In conclusion, the results from the present study would be useful in determination of the suitable time for harvesting P. lactiflora roots for medicinal purposes.

Impact of transgenic cotton varieties on activity of enzymes in their rhizosphere.

The impact of five Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) cotton varieties and their respective isogenic non-Bt(NBt) isolines (ANKUR-2534, MECH-6304, RCH-317, ANKUR-651 and MECH-6301) was assessed on the key soil enzymes i.e., dehydrogenase, alkaline phosphatase and urease in their rhizosphere at four growth stages of the crop, namely vegetative, flowering, bolling and harvesting. These varieties were grown on farmer’s field in villages 22 miles and 24 miles of Ganganagar District of Rajasthan State in India. Results showed that dehydrogenase, alkaline phosphatase and urease activities were higher in rhizosphere of Bt isolines as compared to NBt isolines of all the varieties. Except phosphatase, differences in dehydrogenase and urease activities in rhizosphere of Bt and NBt isolines of all five varieties were significant (P<0.05). Maximum enhancement in the three enzymes activities was observed in MECH-6304 Bt isoline rhizosphere. Maximum and minimum activities of dehydrogenase and urease were observed in MECH-6304 and RCH-317 Bt isolines, respectively, whereas phosphatase activity was maximum and minimum in MECH-6304 and ANKUR-651 Bt isolines, respectively. Maximum dehydrogenase and urease activities were observed at boll formation and minimum at flowering and harvesting stage, respectively, while maximum phosphatase activity was observed at vegetative stage and minimum at harvesting stage. In conclusion, all the studied Bt isolines of cotton varieties showed no adverse effect on dehydrogenase, alkaline phosphatase and urease activities in the rhizosphere.

Essential oil composition and variability in Hyptis fruticosa

The composition of six samples of essential oil (EO) extracted from leaves, flowers and seeds of several plants of Hyptis fruticosa Salzm. ex Benth., Lamiaceae, was investigated by GC/MS and GC/FID. 1,8-Cineole, spathulenol, α-pinene, β-pinene were the major constituents. Ten constituents that have not been previously described in the composition of the oil of H. fruticosa were identified. Hydrocarbons sesquiterpenes represented the main group, followed by hydrocarbons monoterpenes. The results were submitted to Cluster Analysis which allowed three groups of EO to be distinguished with respect to the content of α-pinene/β-pinene, 1,8-cineole and spathulenol. Growth stages of the plants and geographical parameters seem to be important factors determining the variability of the oil. Sesquiterpenes were mainly produced in the seeds.