Optical monitoring of the plant growth status using polarimetry.

Polarimetry is a powerful characterization technique that uses a wealth of information from electromagnetic waves, including polarization. Using the rich information provided by polarimetry, it is being actively studied in biomedical fields such as cancer and tumor diagnosis. Despite its importance and potential in agriculture, polarimetry for living plants has not been well studied. A Stokes polarimetric imaging system was built to determine the correlation between the polarization states of the light passing through the leaf and the growth states of lettuce. The Stokes parameter s3 associated with circular polarization increased over time and was strongly correlated with the growth of lettuce seedlings. In the statistical analysis, the distribution of s3 followed the generalized extreme value (GEV) probability density function. Salt stress retarded plant growth, and the concentration of treated sodium chloride (NaCl) showed a negative correlation with the location parameter µ of GEV. The clear correlation reported here will open the possibility of polarization measurements on living plants, enabling real-time monitoring of plant health.

Influence of Root Color and Tissue on Phytochemical Contents and Antioxidant Activities in Carrot Genotypes.

This study monitored changes in major carotenoids (lutein, ⍺-carotene, and ß-carotene), free sugars (fructose, glucose, and sucrose), ascorbic acid, vitamin E, phytosterols (campesterol, stigmasterol, and ß-sitosterol), fatty acid composition, total phenol content (TPC), total flavonoid content (TFC), total anthocyanin content, and antioxidant activities (AA); ferric-reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) and 2,2'-azino-bis (3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6sulfonic acid) [ABTS] assays, in the inner and outer root tissues of nine carrot genotypes with orange, white, and purple roots. The results showed a differential accumulation of bioactive compounds and antioxidant activities depending on root tissue and color. Carotenoids, free sugars, and total phytosterol contents were higher in genotypes with orange roots than in other genotypes. Ascorbic acid, TPC, TFC, total anthocyanin, and AA were highest in purple-colored carrots while vitamin E content was higher in white/purple carrots. Root color was highly related to the accumulation of individual carotenoids, vitamin E isomers, and total anthocyanin content most prominently among the analyzed bioactive compounds and AA. Free sugar and carotenoid contents were relatively higher in outer tissues than in inner tissues. Furthermore, ascorbic acid, TPC, TFC, and AA were statistically higher or similar in outer tissues when compared to inner tissues in all genotypes. In contrast, trends in vitamin E and phytosterol content were inconsistent between the inner and outer tissues, depending on the genotype. Although fatty acid composition was affected by both root color and tissue, the results were not significant. Thus, the phytochemical profile and content were highly dependent on root color and tissue in carrot genotypes. This may be useful in the food processing and pharmaceutical industries for the extraction of targeted bioactive compounds.

The BrGI Circadian Clock Gene Is Involved in the Regulation of Glucosinolates in Chinese Cabbage.

Circadian clocks integrate environmental cues with endogenous signals to coordinate physiological outputs. Clock genes in plants are involved in many physiological and developmental processes, such as photosynthesis, stomata opening, stem elongation, light signaling, and floral induction. Many Brassicaceae family plants, including Chinese cabbage (Brassica rapa ssp. pekinensis), produce a unique glucosinolate (GSL) secondary metabolite, which enhances plant protection, facilitates the design of functional foods, and has potential medical applications (e.g., as antidiabetic and anticancer agents). The levels of GSLs change diurnally, suggesting a connection to the circadian clock system. We investigated whether circadian clock genes affect the biosynthesis of GSLs in Brassica rapa using RNAi-mediated suppressed transgenic Brassica rapa GIGENTEA homolog (BrGI knockdown; hereafter GK1) Chinese cabbage. GIGANTEA plays an important role in the plant circadian clock system and is related to various developmental and metabolic processes. Using a validated GK1 transgenic line, we performed RNA sequencing and high-performance liquid chromatography analyses. The transcript levels of many GSL pathway genes were significantly altered in GK1 transgenic plants. In addition, GSL contents were substantially reduced in GK1 transgenic plants. We report that the BrGI circadian clock gene is required for the biosynthesis of GSLs in Chinese cabbage plants.

Monitoring of Salinity, Temperature, and Drought Stress in Grafted Watermelon Seedlings Using Chlorophyll Fluorescence.

Chlorophyll fluorescence (CF) is used to measure the physiological status of plants affected by biotic and abiotic stresses. Therefore, we aimed to identify the changes in CF parameters in grafted watermelon seedlings exposed to salt, drought, and high and low temperatures. Grafted watermelon seedlings at the true three-leaf stage were subjected to salinity levels (0, 50, 100, 150, and 200 mM) and temperature [low (8°C), moderate (24°C), and high (40°C)] stresses for 12 days under controlled environmental conditions independently. Eight CF parameters were measured at 2-day intervals using the FluorCam machine quenching protocol of the FluorCam machine. The seedlings were also exposed to drought stress for 3 days independent of salinity and temperature stress; CF parameters were measured at 1-day intervals. In addition, growth parameters, proline, and chlorophyll content were evaluated in all three experiments. The CF parameters were differentially influenced depending on the type and extent of the stress conditions. The results showed a notable effect of salinity levels on CF parameters, predominantly in maximum quantum yield (Fv/Fm), non-photochemical quenching (NPQ), the ratio of the fluorescence decrease (Rfd), and quantum yield of non-regulated energy dissipation in PSII [Y(NO)]. High temperature had significant effects on Rfd and NPQ, whereas low temperature showed significant results in most CF parameters: Fv/Fm, Y(NO), NPQ, Rfd, the efficiency of excitation capture of open photosystem II (PSII) center (Fv'/Fm'), and effective quantum yield of photochemical energy conversion in PSII [Y(PSII)]. Only NPQ and Rfd were significantly influenced by severe drought stress. Approximately, all the growth parameters were significantly influenced by the stress level. Proline content increased with an increase in stress levels in all three experiments, whereas the chlorophyll (a and b) content either decreased or increased depending upon the stressor. The results provided here may be useful for understanding the effect of abiotic stresses on CF parameters and the selection of index CF parameters to detect abiotic stresses in grafted watermelon seedlings.

Profiling of Individual Desulfo-Glucosinolate Content in Cabbage Head (Brassica oleracea var. capitata) Germplasm.

Individual glucosinolates (GSLs) were assessed to select cabbage genotypes for a potential breeding program. One hundred forty-six cabbage genotypes from different origins were grown in an open field from March to June 2019; the cabbage heads were used for GSL analyses. Seven aliphatics [glucoiberin (GIB), progoitrin (PRO), epi-progoitrin (EPI), sinigrin (SIN), glucoraphanin (GRA), glucoerucin (GER) and gluconapin (GNA)], one aromatic [gluconasturtiin (GNS)] and four indolyl GSLs [glucobrassicin (GBS), 4-hydroxyglucobrassicin (4HGBS), 4-methoxyglucobrassicin (4MGBS), neoglucobrassicin (NGBS)] were found this study. Significant variation was observed in the individual GSL content and in each class of GSLs among the cabbage genotypes. Aliphatic GSLs were predominant (58.5%) among the total GSLs, followed by indolyl GSL (40.7%) and aromatic GSLs (0.8%), showing 46.4, 51.2 and 137.8% coefficients of variation, respectively. GIB, GBS and NGBS were the most common GSLs found in all genotypes. GBS was the most dominant GSL, with an average value of 3.91 µmol g-1 (0.79 to 13.14 µmol g-1). SIN, GIB, PRO and GRA were the other major GSLs, showing average values of 3.45, 1.50, 0.77 and 0.62 µmol g-1, respectively. The genotypes with relatively high contents of GBS, SIN, GIB and GRA warrant detailed studies for future breeding programs since the hydrolysis products of these GSLs have several anti-cancer properties.

Glucosinolate variability between turnip organs during development.

Turnip (Brassica rapa spp. rapa) is an important vegetable species, with a unique physiology. Several plant parts, including both the turnip tubers and leaves, are important for human consumption. During the development of turnip plants, the leaves function as metabolic source tissues, while the tuber first functions as a sink, while later the tuber turns into a source for development of flowers and seeds. In the present study, chemical changes were determined for two genotypes with different genetic background, and included seedling, young leaves, mature leaves, tuber surface, tuber core, stalk, flower and seed tissues, at seven different time points during plant development. As a basis for understanding changes in glucosinolates during plant development, the profile of glucosinolates was analysed using liquid chromatography (LC) coupled to mass spectrometry (MS). This analysis was complemented by a gene expression analysis, focussed on GLS biosynthesis, which could explain part of the observed variation, pointing to important roles of specific gene orthologues for defining the chemical differences. Substantial differences in glucosinolate profiles were observed between above-ground tissues and turnip tuber, reflecting the differences in physiological role. In addition, differences between the two genotypes and between tissues that were harvested early or late during the plant lifecycle. The importance of the observed differences in glucosinolate profile for the ecophysiology of the turnip and for breeding turnips with optimal chemical profiles is discussed.

A Rice B-Box Protein, OsBBX14, Finely Regulates Anthocyanin Biosynthesis in Rice.

Anthocyanins are responsible pigments for giving attractive colors of plant organs and nutraceutical benefits of grains. Anthocyanin biosynthesis is known to be regulated by transcription factors and other regulatory proteins. In rice (Oryza sativa), the R2R3 MYB transcription factor (TF) OsC1 and a bHLH TF, OsB2, were previously reported to control anthocyanin biosynthesis in vegetative tissues and seeds, respectively; however, the regulatory mechanisms of the anthocyanin biosynthesis by TFs remain largely unknown. In this study, we identified OsBBX14, a homolog of Arabidopsis thaliana B-box domain protein 22 (AtBBX22), and investigated its function. The transcript level of OsBBX14 was high in pigmented rice seeds and gradually increased as the seeds matured. The ectopic expression of OsBBX14 in Arabidopsis resulted in a dramatic increase in anthocyanin accumulation in its seedlings. Using a steroid receptor-based inducible activation system, OsBBX14 and OsHY5 were found to directly activate OsC1 or OsB2 in an independent or collaborative manner. Yeast two hybrid revealed that the second B-box domain of OsBBX14 physically interacts with the bZIP domain of OsHY5. These results suggest that the anthocyanin biosynthesis in rice is induced and finely tuned by OsBBX14 in collaboration with OsHY5.

Ripening-Dependent Changes in Antioxidants, Color Attributes, and Antioxidant Activity of Seven Tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) Cultivars.

To evaluate the ripening-dependent changes in phytonutrients, seven commercial cultivars (two general and five cherry) of tomatoes were cultivated under greenhouse conditions. Fruits were harvested at breaker, turning, pink, light red, and red stages of each cultivar, and antioxidant contents, color attributes, and antioxidant activities were measured. During ripening process, lycopene content increased from the breaker to red stage, while lutein displayed the reverse accumulation pattern, with higher values during the breaker stage. In contrast, ß-carotene showed the highest levels of synthesis in pink and light red stages. Furthermore, flavonoids (quercetin, rutin, naringenin, and luteolin) also showed similar ripening-dependent changes, with higher quantities in pink and light red stages. Ascorbic acid showed continuously increasing patterns throughout ripening until the red stage, while the accumulation of total phenolics was cultivar-dependent. These results indicate that each antioxidant compound has a unique pattern of accumulation and degradation during the ripening process. "Unicon" exhibited highest total carotenoid (110.27 mg/100 g), total phenol (297.88 mg GAE/100 g) and total flavonoid content (273.33 mg/100 g), and consequently highest antioxidant activity (2552.4 µmol TE/100 g) compared to other cultivars. Throughout the ripening processes, total phenolics showed the highest correlation with antioxidant activity, followed by ß-carotene and total flavonoids. In conclusion, ripening in tomatoes is accompanied by incremental increases in various antioxidant compounds to some extent, as well as by concomitant increases in antioxidant activity.

Comparison of Glucosinolate Profiles in Different Tissues of Nine Brassica Crops.

Glucosinolate (GSL) profiles and concentrations in various tissues (seeds, sprouts, mature root, and shoot) were determined and compared across nine Brassica species, including cauliflower, cabbage, broccoli, radish, baemuchae, pakchoi, Chinese cabbage, leaf mustard, and kale. The compositions and concentrations of individual GSLs varied among crops, tissues, and growth stages. Seeds had highest total GSL concentrations in most of crops, whereas shoots had the lowest GSL concentrations. Aliphatic GSL concentrations were the highest in seeds, followed by that in sprouts, shoots, and roots. Indole GSL concentration was the highest in the root or shoot tissues in most of the crops. In contrast, aromatic GSL concentrations were highest in roots. Of the nine crops examined, broccoli exhibited the highest total GSL concentration in seeds (110.76 µmol·g(-1)) and sprouts (162.19 µmol·g(-1)), whereas leaf mustard exhibited the highest total GSL concentration in shoots (61.76 µmol·g(-1)) and roots (73.61 µmol·g(-1)). The lowest GSL concentrations were observed in radish across all tissues examined.

Evaluation of glucosinolate variation in a collection of turnip (Brassica rapa) germplasm by the analysis of intact and desulfo glucosinolates.

Glucosinolates (GLS) are secondary metabolites occurring in cruciferous species. These compounds are important for plant defense, human health, and the characteristic flavor of Brassica vegetables. In this study, the GLS in tubers from a collection of 48 turnip ( Brassica rapa ) accessions from different geographic origin were analyzed. Two different methods were used: desulfo GLS were analyzed by high-performance liquid chromatography with a photodiode array detector, and intact GLS were analyzed by accurate mass liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry. For most GLS, desulfo and intact signals correlated well, and the analytical reproducibility for individual GLS was similar for both methods. A total of 11 different GLS was monitored in the turnip tubers, through both intact and desulfo GLS analysis methods. Four clusters of accessions could be clearly distinguished based on GLS composition of the turnip tuber. Clustering based on tuber GLS differed markedly from a previously published clustering based on leaf GLS.

Pulmonary inflammatory pseudotumor--a report of 28 cases.

BACKGROUND: Pulmonary inflammatory pseudotumor is an uncommon benign lesion of the lung. In Korea, most literature of the pulmonary inflammatory pseudotumor was case reports. METHODS: We collected 28 cases of pulmonary inflammatory pseudotumor in Korea. This collective series included 4 cases from our hospital and 24 cases were reviewed from the literature since 1977. The analysis involved the age, sex, chief complaint, hematologic examination, size and location of the lesion, cavity formation, presence of calcification and treatment method. RESULTS: Male was more prevalent (81.5%) than female and mean age was 37.9 years old (6-63 yrs). Chief complaints were cough (44.4%), chest pain (29.6%), fever (22.2%), hemoptysis (15%), sputum (15%) and dyspnea (11.1%). There were asymptomatic cases in 11.1%. Hematologic examination revealed normal finding (53.3%) and anemia (20%). The mean size of the lesion was 4.76 cm (1.5-14 cm) and the locations were parenchymal (85.7%), endobronchial (10.7%) and endotracheal (3.6%). Except the endotracheal case, the lesions were in the right (46.4%), the left (42.8%) and bilateral (7.1%). Calcifications (18.5%) and cavitations (11.1%) were present. Diagnostic methods were open thoracotomy (82.1%), bronchoscopy (3.6%), needle aspiration biopsy (7.1%) and core needle gun biopsy (7.1%). Treatments were surgery (85.2%), steroid therapy (7.4%), rigid bronchoscopic removal (3.7%) and observation (3.7%). Postoperative recurrence occurred in only 1 case (4.3%). CONCLUSION: Pulmonary inflammatory pseudotumor was more prevalent in the male, and patients presented with the respiratory symptoms were common. It was necessary to do surgery in most cases for diagnosis and/or treatment.