Comprehensive Evaluation of Appreciation of Rhododendron Based on Analytic Hierarchy Process.

Qinting Lake Park has effectively imported Rhododendron varieties from Zhejiang Province. The analytic hierarchy process was employed to devise an evaluation framework to evaluate the ornamental and adaptive features of these species. Subsequently, we conducted a standardized evaluation of 24 species for their ornamental and adaptive traits under controlled cultivation conditions. The findings indicated that the percentage of ornamental flowers in the first-level index was significantly greater than the other two factors, indicating that the ornamental value of flowers was the most important in the evaluation of Rhododendron ornamental value. Among the secondary indicators, the proportion of flower color and flower weight was significantly higher than that of other factors, which had the greatest impact on the evaluation results. The 24 Rhododendron species were classified into two grades based on their ornamental value, as determined by index weights and scoring standards. Rhododendron 'Xueqing', Rhododendron 'Big Qinglian', and Rhododendron 'Jinyang No. 9' exhibited superior ornamental value and demonstrated more favorable suitability for garden applications.

Genome-wide identification and adaptive evolution of CesA/Csl superfamily among species with different life forms in Orchidaceae.

Orchidaceae, with more than 25,000 species, is one of the largest flowering plant families that can successfully colonize wide ecological niches, such as land, trees, or rocks, and its members are divided into epiphytic, terrestrial, and saprophytic types according to their life forms. Cellulose synthase (CesA) and cellulose synthase-like (Csl) genes are key regulators in the synthesis of plant cell wall polysaccharides, which play an important role in the adaptation of orchids to resist abiotic stresses, such as drought and cold. In this study, nine whole-genome sequenced orchid species with three types of life forms were selected; the CesA/Csl gene family was identified; the evolutionary roles and expression patterns of CesA/Csl genes adapted to different life forms and abiotic stresses were investigated. The CesA/Csl genes of nine orchid species were divided into eight subfamilies: CesA and CslA/B/C/D/E/G/H, among which the CslD subfamily had the highest number of genes, followed by CesA, whereas CslB subfamily had the least number of genes. Expansion of the CesA/Csl gene family in orchids mainly occurred in the CslD and CslF subfamilies. Conserved domain analysis revealed that eight subfamilies were conserved with variations in orchids. In total, 17 pairs of CesA/Csl homologous genes underwent positive selection, of which 86%, 14%, and none belonged to the epiphytic, terrestrial, and saprophytic orchids, respectively. The inter-species collinearity analysis showed that the CslD genes expanded in epiphytic orchids. Compared with terrestrial and saprophytic orchids, epiphytic orchids experienced greater strength of positive selection, with expansion events mostly related to the CslD subfamily, which might have resulted in strong adaptability to stress in epiphytes. Experiments on stem expression changes under abiotic stress showed that the CslA might be a key subfamily in response to drought stress for orchids with different life forms, whereas the CslD might be a key subfamily in epiphytic and saprophytic orchids to adapt to freezing stress. This study provides the basic knowledge for the further systematic study of the adaptive evolution of the CesA/Csl superfamily in angiosperms with different life forms, and research on orchid-specific functional genes related to life-history trait evolution.

Network Pharmacology Study of the Hepatoprotective Effects of Quercetin-Containing Traditional Chinese Medicine, Anoectochilus roxburghii, and Validation of Quercetin as an Anti-Liver Injury Agent in a Mouse Model of Liver Injury.

BACKGROUND Anoectochilus roxburghii (Orchidaceae) (AR) has been widely used to treat liver injury in China, but its underlying mechanisms remain elusive. Network pharmacology was utilized to assess the hepatoprotective effects of quercetin (Que)-containing AR, and to validate the anti-liver injury effects of Que in a mouse model of liver injury. MATERIAL AND METHODS Network pharmacology analysis was performed to determine bio-active compounds in AR. The core therapeutic targets of AR against liver injury were identified using a protein-protein interaction network. Biological function and pathway enrichment were analyzed based on the identified core therapeutic targets. The hepatoprotective effects of Que in a mouse model of liver injury induced by CCl4 were assessed to verify the reliability of network pharmacology analysis. RESULTS Seven bio-active compounds of AR met drug screening criteria and 17 core therapeutic targets of AR against liver injury were identified. Biological function analysis demonstrated that the therapeutic effects of AR against liver injury were chiefly associated with the suppression of inflammation and immunity; and pathway enrichment analysis showed that nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-kappaB) and tumor necrosis factor (TNF) signaling pathways were associated with the inflammatory responses. Experimental validation in a mouse model showed that AR exerted anti-inflammatory effects by regulating the NF-kappaB signaling pathway, a finding that also confirmed the reliability of network pharmacology analysis. CONCLUSIONS The bio-active compounds identified in AR and the elucidation of their mechanisms of action against liver injury provide a theoretical basis for designing agents that can prevent or suppress liver injury.

Rapid propagation in vitro and accumulation of active substances of endangered Dendrobium cariniferum Rchb. f.

Dendrobium cariniferum is a valuable ornamental and medicinal plant rich with polysaccharides, alkaloid, and other bioactive compounds, which are potential raw materials for pharmacological utilization. In this study, an efficient protocol for the rapid propagation of D. cariniferum was developed. By using the tissue culture protocol, the effects of pH, hormone combinations, temperatures, light intensity, culture time protocorm proliferation, seedlings rooting, and accumulation of biomass with bioactive compounds were investigated. The experiments showed that the medium [1/2 MS + activated carbon1.0 g/L+ agar strip 7.5 g/L + sucrose 25 g/L] effectively promoted the germination of D. cariniferum seeds. The optimal culture conditions were found at pH 5.7, temperature 23 ± 2°C, and light intensity of 1000 Lx in the protocorm proliferation stage. Adding 1.5 g/L peptone in the medium effectively promoted the seedling rooting. The optimal culture conditions for accumulation of bioactive compounds (polysaccharides and alkaloids) of seedlings were found at temperature of 25 ± 2°C, light intensity of 1500-2000 Lx after the 60-day (d). Our study constructed a rapid propagation system in vitro for D. cariniferum, as well as the methods for efficient accumulation of active substances in seedling culture, which will serve as guidance for industrial production of D. cariniferum seedlings for both medicinal raw materials and ornamental plants. In addition, our study provided a new idea that we can directly use the high bioactive compound seedlings to extract medicinal components in industry conditions without transferring to the field.

Assessment on the coupling effects of drip irrigation and organic fertilization based on entropy weight coefficient model.

Water and fertilizer are two important factors influencing crop growth, development and yield formation. To investigate their combined effects on the soil-plant system, and to find out the optimal water and organic fertilizer coupling strategy for tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L), an experiment was carried out from May to October in 2016 in the south of China. The experiment consisted of three drip irrigation quotas (150, 180, 210 m3/ha) and three organic fertilizer application amounts (2,800, 3,600, 4,400 kg/ha). A water-fertilizer treatment (abbreviated as CK) that is in line with local practice was used for comparison. The tomato marketable yield, sugar/acid ratio (SAR) and irrigation water use efficiency (IWUE), as well as the soil salinity and available nutrient concentrations were measured. The results showed that the marketable yield was highly significantly (p < 0.01) affected by irrigation or fertilization. The SAR of tomato were significantly (p < 0.05) affected by irrigation or/and fertilization. The fertilization had an highly significant (p < 0.01) effect on the concentrations of soil nutrients (N, P, K), while the coupling effect of irrigation and fertilization was not pronounced. According to the multi-index analysis and the computed result by the entropy weight coefficient model, a 180 m3/ha irrigation quota in combination with 4,400 kg/ha organic fertilizer application amount was the optimal water-fertilizer coupling strategy which owned the most satisfactory comprehensive benefits. The marketable yield, SAR and IWUE under this optimal strategy were 122.4 t/ha, 9.2, 32.4 kg/m3, respectively, and by 28.0%, 29.6% and 28.1% higher compared to that under CK.

Stress state measured at ~7 km depth in the Tarim Basin, NW China.

The in-situ stress state in the Tarim Basin, Northwest China, down to 7 km depth is constrained using the anelastic strain recovery (ASR) method and wellbore failure analysis. Results are consistent between the two methods, and indicate that the maximum principal stresses (σ1) are close to vertical and the intermediate and minimum principal stresses (σ2 and σ3) are approximately horizontal. The states of stress at the studied wellbore is in the normal faulting stress regime within the Tarim Basin rather than in the compressional tectonic stress regime as in the periphery of the Tarim Basin, which explains the presence of the normal faults interpreted in 3-D seismic profiles collected from adjacent areas. Our results demonstrate that the ASR method can be used for rocks recovered from depths as deep as 7 km to recover reliable stress state information. The in-situ stress measurement results revealed in this paper will help future development of the petroleum resources and kinematics study in the Tarim Basin.

Bulbophyllum pingnanense (Orchidaceae, Epidendroideae, Dendrobiinae), a new species from Fujian, China.

A new orchid species, Bulbophyllum pingnanense, is described and illustrated from Fujian, China. It is similar to Bulbophyllum brevipedunculatum and Bulbophyllum albociliatum in vegetative and floral morphology, but it can be distinguished from Bulbophyllum brevipedunculatum by having a longer dorsal sepal with longer white ciliate on margin, longer and lanceolate lateral sepals, and a glabrous lip. It can be distinguished from Bulbophyllum albociliatum by having a shorter inflorescence, and a longer dorsal sepal.