Flowering Habits and Seed Setting Traits under Artificial Pollination in Chinese Water Chestnut(Eleocharis dulcis)

[Objective] This study was conducted to investigate the crossbreeding method for Chinese water chestnut. [Method] The growth of Chinese water chestnut stalk and inflorescence was observed. Chinese water chestnut flowering law and stamen and pistil growth were investigated in an artificial pollination experiment. [Result] Stamens and pistils reached their full bloom stages when the flower stalk lengths were approximate 37.0 and 46.9 cm, respectively, with a height difference of 9.84 cm and time difference of 28.5 h; and 9：00-11：00 a.m. was the optimal period for artificial pollination. Seven hours after artificial pollination, pistils wilted rapidly. The seed setting rates under artificial pollination and a natural condition was 43% and 15.5%, respectively. [Conclusion} The time difference between the full bloom stages of stamens and pistils is crucial to the success of artificial pollination of Chinese water chestnut. The seed setting rate under artificial pollination is much higher than that under a natural condition.

Melatonin maintains the storage quality of fresh-cut Chinese water chestnuts by regulating phenolic and reactive oxygen species metabolism

Fresh-cut Chinese water chestnuts(CWCs)are prone to quality deterioration during storage,which does not meet consumer demand.In this study,the effect of exogenous melatonin(5 mmol·L^(-1))on the quality and potential mechanisms in fresh-cut CWC was investigated.The results showed that melatonin treatment alleviated the cut-surface discoloration of CWCs.Not only did this treatment significantly slow down the in-crease in browning degree and yellowness(b*)as well as the decrease in lightness(L*),but it also significantly delayed the loss of weight and total soluble solids.Further investigations indicated that melatonin-treated fresh-cut CWCs exhibited significantly lower total phenolics and soluble quinones and suppressed the activities of phenylalanine ammonia-lyase,polyphenol oxidase,and peroxidase.Meanwhile,when fresh-cut CWCs were treated with melatonin,the total flavonoid concentration was significantly decreased compared to the control.Ad ditionally,melatonin significantly inhibited the accumulation of H_(2)O_(2)and malondialdehyde as well as enhanced the activities of superoxide dismutase and catalase by promoting the production of O_(2)^(-·).In summary,melatonin treatment may delay the surface discoloration of fresh-cut CWCs by inhibiting phenolic compound metabolism and improving antioxidant capacity,thereby effectively maintaining the quality and prolonging the shelf life of fresh-cut CWCs.