[Growth and photosynthetic characteristics of Ardisia corymbifera var. tuberifera in bionic wild cultivation].

OBJECTIVE: To explore the growth dynamic and photosynthetic characteristics of Ardisia corymbifera var. tuberifera in bionic wild cultivation. METHODS: The test of bionic wild cultivation was conducted with two-year-old seedlings as well as three-year-old cuttings of Ardisia corymbifera var. tuberifera, and their growth dynamic and photosynthetic characteristics were studied. RESULTS: Both seedlings and cuttings of Ardisia corymbifera var. tuberifera maintained good growth in imitation of the wild, the height were increased by 9.2 cm and 12 cm, base diameter were increased by 2.48 mm and 2.39 mm,and crown width were increased by 10.6 cm and 17 cm, respectively. Two-year-old seedlings branched only once a year, and three-year-old cuttings branched thrice a year. There were no significant differences in all photosynthetic parameters of the two kinds of seedlings, and the range of growth light intensity of Ardisia corymbifera var. tuberifera was wider. Owing to the weaker light quantum efficiency under lower light and relatively lower light photosynthetic capacity under higher light, its competition ability was lower in the field. CONCLUSION: The increases of height and crown width were greater in cuttings than those in seedlings, and the transplanting survival rate of the former was larger.

Transcriptomic and metabolomic profiling reveals the drought tolerance mechanism of Illicium difengpi (Schisandraceae).

Illicium difengpi (Schisandraceae), an endangered medicinal plant endemic to karst areas, is highly tolerant to drought and thus can be used as an ideal material for investigating adaptive mechanism to drought stress. The understanding of the drought tolerance of I. difengpi, especially at the molecular level, is lacking. In the present study, we aimed to clarify the molecular mechanism underlying drought tolerance in endemic I. difengpi plant in karst regions. The response characteristics of transcripts and changes in metabolite abundance of I. difengpi subjected to drought and rehydration were analyzed, the genes and key metabolites responsive to drought and rehydration were screened, and some important biosynthetic and secondary metabolic pathways were identified. A total of 231,784 genes and 632 metabolites were obtained from transcriptome and metabolome analyses, and most of the physiological metabolism in drought-treated I. difengpi plants recovered after rehydration. There were more upregulated genes than downregulated genes under drought and rehydration treatments, and rehydration treatment induced stable expression of 65.25% of genes, indicating that rehydration alleviated drought stress to some extent. Drought and rehydration treatment generated flavonoids, phenolic acids, flavonols, amino acids and their derivatives, as well as metabolites such as saccharides and alcohols in the leaves of I. difengpi plants, which alleviated the injury caused by excessive reactive oxygen species. The integration of transcriptome and metabolome analyses showed that, under drought stress, I. difengpi increased glutathione, flavonoids, polyamines, soluble sugars and amino acids, contributing to cell osmotic potential and antioxidant activity. The results show that the high drought tolerance and recovery after rehydration are the reasons for the normal growth of I. difengpi in karst mountain areas.

The complete chloroplast genome of Flemingia macrophylla (Willd.) Prain (Fabaceae) from Guangxi, China.

Flemingia macrophylla (Willd.) Prain is an ethnomedicinal plant with high nutritional and medicinal values. In this study, we report the complete chloroplast genome of F. macrophylla. The chloroplast genome has a typical quadripartite structure with a genome size of 152,988 bp, including a large single-copy (LSC) of 83,634 bp, a small single-copy (SSC) of 17,774 bp and two inverted repeats (IRs) of 25,790 bp. The genome contains 129 genes, including 84 protein-coding, 37 tRNA and 8 rRNA genes. The overall GC content is 35.1%. Phylogenetic analysis showed that F. macrophylla grouped with a clade containing the genera of Fagelia, Dolichos, Eriosema, Dunbaria and Cajanus in Fabaceae. This study provides essential data and insight for understanding the phylogenetic placement of Flemingia.

[Investigation and controlling measure of main diseases and pests on Artemisia annua].

According to the investigations in Guangxi area, there are 3 kind diseases and 11 kind insect pests on Artemisia annua L. In which main diseases and peste are the stem rot, cataplexy, Myzus persicase, Agrotis ypsilon and Diarthronomyia chrysanthemi. This article reports the main symptom, the cause of disease, the shape characteristic, the harm situation emphatically as well as the preventing and controlling measure.